Letter to the Editor

Kelley Park disc golf helps inspire new Aurora course

Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Dear Editor,

Playing the McCook disc golf course has been on my wish list for a while & I was full of anticipation as I headed west out of Indianola this past Friday afternoon.

As I neared McCook it was obvious that a significant amount of rain had fallen earlier that day. Looking out to the Republican out of its banks, I was beginning to wonder if my date with Kelley Park was going to happen.

Fortunately, the rain had stopped and I was able to enjoy splendid evening weather playing a very challenging but fun course. I was concerned about throwing my disc into the raging creek and asked a local walking their dog if their canine companion could retrieve my disc if it ended up in the floodwaters. Valuing the critter companionship over my disc was a good choice and I was able to avoid the extra water hazard challenges for my entire round.

McCook is very fortunate to have such a beautiful park and disc golf course. It was obvious to me that your parks department takes great pride in providing such a magical setting for all who visit. My only regret was that I was not able to play with a local disc golf enthusiast. I grew up in Aurora Nebraska and have enjoyed the football rivalry for many years.

I have also been able to make some great friends here because of the outstanding music shows that were hosted at the Biéroc by the Sehnerts and Duelands. I live in Kansas City now and was introduced to disc golf a couple of years ago. It has been a tremendous source of therapy and conversation for me and I see more seniors getting involved. My playing partner and I will be building a new disc golf course in Aurora this summer.

The course is called “The Merwyn and Betty Davidson Disc Golf/Fitness Trail” at Streeter Park. The Davidsons were ministers to the United Methodist Church in McCook and Aurora. After retiring from the church they created a youth Center in Aurora and left a legacy of service mentoring and providing a “place for kids to go” in our community.

I have followed many of these youth and they have grown into some incredible accomplishments. The Memorial disc golf courses is to honor their outstanding selfless service to our youth. The Davidsons example touched me deeply and is the driving force to complete this project. Our aim is to exceed our “rivals” in McCook with our new course in Aurora.

We don’t have the magical terrain of Kelley Park and the outstanding disc golf club present in the McCook area but we will have a challenging technical course with some “surprises” that will be enjoyed by the young and the young at heart. Thanks to the McCook community for an incredible evening at Kelley Park that will be cherished as one of my best times playing disc golf!