A version of the following article appeared in the Monday, November 2, 2026, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
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Charlotte has become one of the country's hottest disc golf destinations. People are even moving here for it.
Holt Whitted, 15, practices at Hornets Nest Park in March ahead of his attempt to qualify for the Queen City Classic, an Elite Series tournament on the Disc Golf Pro Tour. (Photo courtesy of Robert Buckley)
by Lindsey Banks
Owen Rice loves disc golf so much that he chose to attend UNC Charlotte partly because of its nationally ranked disc golf team and the city’s reputation as a hub for the sport.
Now, the 22-year-old is in his fifth year of college. Disc golf might have something to do with that, too.
“I was playing too much disc golf,” he joked. Rice, who grew up in Holly Springs, N.C., started playing the sport in high school and when it came time to apply to colleges, UNC Charlotte had the country’s top-ranked collegiate team at the time. He enrolled and went on to win a national championship.
But Rice isn’t the only one drawn to Charlotte by flying saucers.
Charlotte has quietly become something of a disc golf mecca, attracting players from across the country who come to play on the courses, compete in tournaments and, in some cases, put down roots.
According to data provided to The Ledger by disc golf tracking app UDisc, Mecklenburg County was the most-played county in the country from 2020 through 2024 by app users. It narrowly lost that title to Austin, Texas, in 2025, recording 150,339 rounds compared with Austin’s 153,970, but has reclaimed the top spot so far in 2026.
Mecklenburg’s 37 courses – 25 of which are open to the public – are the third most of any U.S. county, and 17 have opened since 2020, UDisc reported. Six were installed last year, and Charlotte alone has 25 courses.
The courses aren’t just being used by locals either. About 6,300 disc golfers who live more than 50 miles away recorded rounds in Mecklenburg County last year, according to UDisc, which is more than any other U.S. county. More than half traveled at least 250 miles.
From destination to home base
Disc golf is similar to traditional golf, except players throw small frisbees toward metal baskets, with the goal of completing each hole in as few throws as possible.
For Robert “Bobcat” Buckley, Charlotte’s disc golf scene was enough to convince him to pack up his life in Buffalo, N.Y., and head south.
Buckley, 34, had spent years mentoring a young disc golfer named Justin, whom he met at a local league when Justin was just 12. Up until that point, Buckley, who started playing at 16, had never met someone that young playing the sport.
When Justin and his family decided to move to Charlotte in 2020, Buckley realized he had little keeping him in Buffalo, so he tagged along.
Today, Buckley serves on the Charlotte Disc Golf Club’s board of directors, helps organize tournaments and teaches the sport to kids at summer camp. He’s one of the most well-known amateur golfers in the area. For his day job, he works remotely as a business reporting analyst.
He believes Charlotte has something that sets it apart from other disc golf destinations: accessibility.
“Any metro city that I've lived in or have visited since I've been playing disc golf, you have to drive out of the city to play disc golf,” he said. “Charlotte, you have to drive into the city.”
And unlike many other destinations, nearly all of Mecklenburg County's courses are free. UDisc reports that 36 out of the county’s 37 courses don’t charge players.
So what’s the secret?
It’s like retirees moving to Florida, said Richard Tsui, president of the Charlotte Disc Golf Club. There’s an abundance of golf courses and year-round warm weather.
The combination of high-quality courses, relatively mild weather and a strong community has helped Charlotte build its reputation. Hornets Nest Park, a favorite among local players, has hosted some of the sport's biggest competitions, including the Disc Golf Pro Tour Championship for three consecutive years from 2019 to 2021 and the Professional Disc Golf World Championships in 1997 and 2012, as well as the Queen City Classic this past March.
From left, professional disc golfers Paul Ulibarri, Anthony Barela, Chris Dickerson and Ezra Aderhold at Hornets Nest Park during the Disc Golf Pro Tour Match Play Championships in November 2025. Ulibarri, wearing the caddie vest, lives in the Charlotte area. (Photo courtesy of Robert Buckley)
Tsui, 50, said Charlotte Disc Golf Club, which has more than 300 members, helps maintain at least 23 courses through partnerships with local parks departments. The club is a nonprofit organization, and the $20 membership fee goes toward the maintenance of those courses, Tsui said.
Rice, who has traveled up and down the East Coast competing in tournaments, said Charlotte’s sheer number of quality courses is hard to beat.
“I feel very spoiled living in Charlotte,” Rice said.
His favorite course is Hornets Nest Park, which also tops Tsui’s list, along with Bradford Park near Huntersville and Eastway Regional Recreation Center in east Charlotte. Buckley said he prefers Bradford, where he says the course offers something for everyone, from beginners to experienced competitors. (According to golfers, a “good” course means it’s challenging and requires a variety of shots, has decent amenities, and is well-maintained and landscaped.)
Charlotte's disc golf scene has also helped support businesses built around the sport. Another Round Disc Golf, a shop and taproom in NoDa that got its start in Charlotte, is now expanding through franchises in cities across the country. And just down the road in Rock Hill, major disc golf manufacturer Innova has its East Coast hub.
Beyond the pandemic boom
Like many outdoor activities, disc golf experienced a surge in popularity during the pandemic; it was a sport that could be done while social distancing.
Tsui picked up the sport in 2020 and quickly became hooked. Within a few years, he went from beginner to competing professionally in masters divisions. Now, he’s serving a two-year term as president of the Charlotte Disc Golf Club. He retired from his job in the real estate finance industry at age 47.
But Buckley said the competitive scene has cooled somewhat since the pandemic-era, when tournaments could attract more than 200 players and events filled up almost immediately.
Now, he said, fewer tournaments are being organized nationwide, and some struggle to fill their available slots. But that doesn’t necessarily mean people stopped playing; they most likely have returned to playing casually rather than competing every weekend, Buckley said.
UDisc’s numbers also show the sport has staying power locally. Players recorded nearly five times as many rounds in Mecklenburg County in 2025 as in 2019, although some of that increase reflects more people using the app.
And those rounds add up: UDisc estimated that 248,000 hours across 290,000 miles of Mecklenburg County courses were logged last year.
For Rice, though, the biggest draw to Charlotte is the community.
“Most of my friends that I made in Charlotte are through disc golf,” he said.
And with graduation eventually on the horizon, Rice is still pursuing professional tournaments while enjoying the community that helped bring him to Charlotte in the first place.
“It’s cheap,” he said. “It’s kind of the perfect hobby.”
Lindsey Banks is assistant editor for The Charlotte Ledger. Reach her at [email protected].
