A disc golf course in Blue Hill has doubled its size over the last year and will open with a full 18 holes next week.
When it first opened last summer, Step Back Disc Golf — the only course of its kind on the peninsula and the second in Hancock County — started small with nine holes. Now, a grand opening for the full course will be held this coming weekend, and owner Al Benner plans to add leagues and tournaments within the next year for the fast-growing sport that’s popular in Maine.
“Right now, I’m really focused on making this course something people talk about,” he said.
Disc golf is similar to traditional golf, but played with Frisbee-like discs thrown into an upright basket. A popular website for tracking games reported Maine had by far the highest number of rounds played per capita of any state in 2022 — “Mainers are crazy for disc golf,” it said — and the sport has grown rapidly nationwide, especially since the pandemic, according to the Professional Disc Golf Association.
Benner, a longtime summer resident of Brooksville, got into playing it with his teenage sons almost a decade ago in Pennsylvania. After moving to Maine full-time and purchasing 100 acres on Mines Road near downtown that proved too challenging to build structures on, Benner decided to make a course.
The first nine holes opened last spring, followed by three more in the fall. Benner, his sons, his fiancee and her two sons spent the winter cutting brush, dragging wood and creating burn piles to clear out the final holes. A few of those should be challenging enough to give serious players a “run for their money,” according to Benner.
But it’s still fun for families and beginners to get some exercise, spend time in nature and relax while enjoying some healthy competition, he said. The name “Step Back” is a nod to the feeling the course is like another world.
The professionally designed Blue Hill course is unique because of its elevation changes and variety of approaches through meadow and woods, which are meant to shield players from hot weather, wind and bugginess. It also uses existing features on the historic property, including old logging roads, rock walls and a 25-foot boulder players climb up to make a shot from. Because of the access challenges on the property, almost all of the work was done without heavy equipment, which Benner said preserves a natural look.
Players will still have the option to do just nine holes. The family has also added amenities including a restroom, picnic tables and interpretive signs about the flora, fauna and history around the course.
Benner said the course got off to a solid start with the first nine holes, but he expects the full 18 will draw more serious players from the Greater Bangor area.
“Once they have 18, they’re gonna come,” he said.
The next closest courses are in Orrington and Trenton, both about an hour’s drive from the center of the peninsula, so Benner expects to capture some local and summer traffic too.
Step Back will host a soft opening for the full course on Friday, June 21, followed by a grand opening the next day. Full play is $10 per person. The course is open dawn to dusk, year-round, with self check in and free loaner discs available for new players.
