From the Charlotte Observer: The Cornelius PARC Department and Charlotte Disc Golf Club have opened a new 18-hole disc golf course at Bailey Road Park.

Disc golf is one of the country’s fastest-growing sports. In Charlotte, the number of courses is expected to rise from five in 1995 to 20 by the end of 2010, said Mark Huether, director of the Bailey Road Park course.

Huether predicts that in two or three years there may be five or six new courses north of Exit 23.

Part of the reason for this growth is that Charlotte will host the 2012 World Disc Golf Championships, drawing more than 1,500 players from around the world to our area. The Bailey Road Park course will host Junior, Grandmaster and Legends age groups at that event.

Huether explained how the original nine-hole course was redesigned and lengthened. Volunteers worked more than two months to lay out and complete the course.

“When Charlotte won the bid for disc golf championships, we had the need for 10 new courses,” Huether said.

If you’d like to learn more about playing disc golf, you may want to start with the Bailey Glow League.

At 8:30 p.m. Thursdays, players at all skill levels gather to play night disc golf to raise money for target baskets (the targets you throw at).

It’s $5 to play, and you can buy everything else you need at the site. (You might want to bring a flashlight.) They put out LED lights and glow sticks so you can see where you’re throwing. They play Captain’s Choice: As in golf, you play in teams and count the best shot.

Huether said, “If you want to play, just show up at Bailey Park, with any skill level. … We’re really trying to target the novice and beginner player … and trying to grow women’s disc golf in Charlotte.”

Another event for players of all skill levels will be Aug. 15. Starting with registration at 8:30 a.m., Bangin’ Baskets Bailey Hole-in-One Challenge will raise money to help pay for the new course. Entry fee is $25 for a day of disc golf, a pack of two discs and lunch.

“We do have some lofty goals in building courses,” Huether said. There are plans for another course in Cornelius, one in Davidson and additional courses in Mooresville.