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About the Harmony Bends Disc Golf Course
This championship-level disc golf course was designed by renowned disc golf course designer John Houck. This is the first HouckDesign course built in Missouri.
Strawn Park features big hills, wide meandering creeks, and lots of tall trees – everything needed to accommodate a world class destination course. Interesting creek crossings and ways to traverse the terrain were incorporated into the course design. The championship layout has a par of 68, including four par five holes. Most holes have three tees to accommodate everyone, from beginning players to the most experienced pros. Landing zones are utilized in the course design, multiple lines are always a possibility, and risk/reward must be weighed with every shot. For the times when the course will host the world’s top players, there will be a set of longer and trickier “Gold” pin positions, which will allow disc golfers to do what John Houck calls “turning Strawn into Gold.”
Columbia, Missouri has four 18-hole disc golf courses, is host for the Mid-America Open Disc Golf Tournament, and has a local club – Columbia Disc Golf Club.
Harmony Bends Disc Golf Course was named the 2017 Disc Golf Course of the Year by DGCourseReview.com.
- Location: Strawn Park
- Virtual Tour: opens in a new windowHarmony Bends Disc Golf Virtual Tour
- Map: Harmony Bends Disc Golf Mapopens PDF file
- Hours of Operation: 6 a.m. – 11 p.m.
- Cost: Free for recreation play
- Hosting a Tournament: Contact the Parks and Recreation Department at 573.874.7460opens phone dialer for fees associated with hosting a tournament.
- Course Type: Permanent
- Year Established: 2016
- # Holes: 18
- Target Type: DISCatcher
- Tee Type: Concrete
- Landscape / Terrain: Moderately hilly and moderately wooded
- Course Length: 6,126 ft. to 8,911 ft. (Gold pin tournaments: 9,603 ft.)
- Hole Length: Under 300 ft: 5 | 300-400 ft: 2 | over 400 ft: 11
- Course Designer: John Houck
Disc golf rules specific to Harmony Bends
Hole #3:
The area beyond the stone wall is Out-of-Bounds (OB); play from the drop zone with one throw penalty. There is also OB along the right side of the fairway; normal OB rules apply.
Hole #5:
This hole has four elevated landing areas, and each one has a drop zone to provide a good safe run-up. If your shot comes to rest within the drop zone, play it where it lies. If your shot comes to rest outside the drop zone, you must move to the nearest lie on the edge of the drop zone, no penalty.
The top outer edges of the stone wall define the landing area. If your shot comes to rest next to a landing area, you may take up to 1 meter relief, perpendicular to the stone wall, no penalty.
The stone stairs running up the hill are considered part of the landing areas. If your shot comes to rest on the stairs, take the nearest lie on the nearest drop zone, no penalty.
Hole #8
Any shot coming to rest below the log wall within the designated casual area must take relief on the line of play with no penalty, even if the lie is moved more than 5 meters.
Hole #9
The stone wall by the basket is considered casual. Any shot coming to rest completely on the wall must take relief on the line of play, no penalty.
Hole #18
Across the creek is Out-of-Bounds up until about 180’ from the basket. Out-of-Bounds/In-Bounds line is marked.
If you land in the marked area just short of the first creek bend (the “STRAWN,”), you may take one meter relief (about 3.3 feet) on either side, perpendicular, with no penalty. The STRAWN (Solution To Reduce Arbitrariness When Necessary) is there to help players who, through no fault of their own, get a randomly bad lie behind the big sycamore tree.
Virtual tour
Videos
What’s new and unique about this course?
Course designer John Houck explains it in this three minute video.
The course designer was also excited about holes #13 and #17.
“Harmony Creek and Perche Creek are going to make this course really memorable. Perche Creek twists and turns in ways that make it perfect for two of the par fives – I’m not sure I could have drawn up a creek that’s better for what I was hoping to do. Hole #17 will be a par five that combines one of the highest tees on the course with several twists and turn of the Perche AND another hillside impinging on the approach – it will be a breathtaking signature hole. And Hole #13, back on the Harmony, is going to be one of my all-time favorite par fours – I don’t know if it’ll be more challenging or beautiful. I do predict that, when it’s done, there will be a good number of players naming Strawn as their favorite course anywhere.” — John Houck
Check out the layout for each individual holes below:
Tee signs
Flight of the Disc
Meet Columbia’s local disc golf pro George Smith and other celebrity disc golf players as they gear up for the 34th Mid-America Open Disc Golf Tournament.
Historic Disc Golfer Selects Columbia, MO, to Play 1000th Disc Golf Course
Mike Harrington played his 1,000th disc golf course at Harmony Bends in Columbia, MO on April 29, 2018
Strawn Park Disc Golf Course
Planning of the Harmony Bends Disc Golf Course at Strawn Park
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