Waterloo’s disc golf course at Konarcik Park opened July 4 and is making an impression on the greater St. Louis area.

The 18-hole, par-58 course has attracted players from all over the region.

“It can be as difficult as you make it. If you get off the fairways and into the honeysuckle or off into the rough, it gets pretty difficult,” said Ron Shufelt, a Waterloo resident who helped plan the disc golf course. “If you can manage to stay in the middle of the fairways, it’s a pretty good course.

“I mean, I’ve talked to people from here in Waterloo, to people who come from Fenton, Festus or Arnold or anywhere in St. Louis where there are a bunch of other courses, and they just love the course.”

Currently, a handicapped singles league has just started. The handicap is used to determine on which holes a player may receive extra throws.

“We have been playing a league out there since right after the course was created,” said Nic Goodman, who also helped plan the course. “We started off playing in a random-draw doubles league. That just got discontinued two weeks ago and ever since, we have been holding a handicapped singles league. We’re meeting down there every Thursday between 4:30 and 5 p.m.”

That time slot worked when the course opened in July, the prime time for sunshine. Now that fall is only a couple weeks away, there are plans to move to a better time.

“We’re losing daylight. The last few times we’ve finished, we’ve finished pretty close to playing in the dark,” Shufelt said. “So, we will be moving to Saturdays in a few weeks.”

The turnout for the league is growing and both players said more people are always welcome.

“We’ve had anywhere from four to 12 people. There’s still a lot of newer players in the Waterloo area,” Shufelt said. “I think they are a little intimidated to play with people who they think have been playing for a long time. One of my comments to the newer players on the course is, ‘18 years ago when I started playing, the only way to get better was to play against better players.’”

It’s easy to join, and there are no fees. Although, newcomers do need to get a disc — those can be bought at Play It Again Sports, Johnny Mac’s or Dick’s Sporting Goods.

“It’s really kind of a no-commitment league right now. We’re going to push for membership drives next year, but this year, we’re being very casual about it,” Goodman said. “Just come out and join us, anyone can. With the handicap league, how we’re running now, you have to play three rounds to establish your handicap. From then on, that’s when you can start playing competitively against the field.”

The best way to get in contact with anyone involved on the league is through the group’s Facebook page, titled “Waterloo Illinois Disc Golf Club.”