'Fought hard to have it here,' says Mitchell disc golfer who helped bring state tournament to Dry Run Creek

MITCHELL — Over the past few years, Cary Muilenburg has been fine-tuning the layout of the Dry Run Creek Disc Golf Course in hopes of attracting more tournaments and enhancing competition.

His latest design of the 18-hole course that’s situated along Dry Run Creek has attracted some big tournaments in recent years. But none have been bigger than what’s about to come in September.

For the first time in the course’s existence, it will play host to the South Dakota State Disc Golf tournament on Sept. 22-24. Pro and amateur disc golfers will descend upon the 18-hole course for the state’s biggest tournament, and it’s provided one of Muilenburg’s proudest moments in his 17-year disc golf career.

“I fought hard to have it here, and now that’s coming, it’s just very exciting. I’m trying to make this tournament the best it can be because we want to have it back again in the future,” said Muilenburg, who once served as South Dakota’s Disc Golf coordinator. “Now, Hole 1 and 18 all start and end at the same parking lot. That’s a big thing for disc golfers because they want to finish near the same spot they started.”

As a pro disc golfer, Muilenburg has played courses throughout the state and Midwest. While competing, it helped inspire new designs to bring to his home course in Mitchell. Those ideas are now on display.

When the 18-hole course was built in the central portion of Mitchell in 2004, it was much smaller and unique features of the land stretching along Dry Run Creek weren’t included in the layout. In 2022, Muilenburg’s design expanded the course to stretch from Sanborn Boulevard to the skate park along Burr Street. Holes were strategically placed to make the course more challenging, while also adding variety, Muilenburg said.

“Before the first big redesign in 2013, every single hole was basically a par 3. Now, we have about five holes that are over 400 feet, and a lot of them have obstacles that make the 400 feet feel longer,” Muilenburg said.

The existing layout has been a hit among local and area disc golfers. Muilenburg, who plays the course on a near daily basis, said he’s noticed a steady increase in disc golfers playing the course over the past few years. And that was one of his biggest goals.

A disc golfer’s review dubbed the course “incredible for Eastern South Dakota,” adding that the “creek and man-made obstacles, as well as some elevation keep things interesting.”

While the new layout brought a much needed revamp, Muilenburg said one vital piece was still missing: Tee signs along each hole. Thanks to Ben Prill, an avid local disc golfer who Muilenburg has formed friendship, 18 tee signs are situated next to the tee pads at each hole.

Considering some of the holes are closely aligned, Muilenburg said the tee signs provide a clear map for each hole of the Dry Run Creek course. The work Muilenburg has put into the course isn’t solely for bringing more tournaments. He said growing the sport, locally and regionally, has always been a goal.

“It’s such a fun sport that people of all levels can get good at it by playing more. We have around 20 Mitchell disc golfers who are signed up to compete in the state tournament as of now, and that’s a good number compared to other tournaments in the past,” he said.

The state tournament will feature several divisions, including the Men’s and Women’s Professional Open division – the top divisions – and a pair of lower tier advanced divisions for men’s and women’s players.

Of the roughly 160 courses Prill has played in the Midwest, he said Dry Run Creek remains one of his all time favorites.

“It has teeth to it. It has long holes, not just a bunch of shorter holes. It's a course that requires you to throw the line you have in front of you. You have to adapt to it,” Prill said of the Dry Run Creek course. “You can't just show up and throw your way. Dry Run has a lot of elevation change, which adds variety and difficulty.”

Among the man-made obstacles that Dry Run Creek features are the large pipe extending toward the railroad tracks and a retaining wall on the back-nine. Prill said those are just two examples of the obstacles that add difficulty to the course, and one of the obstacles inspired his design of the tee signs.

“I had to put the pipe in the signs because it’s an obstacle that you immediately think of when you play the course. I know people love that hole because you have to work around that big pipe and decide how you are going to navigate through it,” Prill said of the pipe that’s become synonymous with the course.

The new tee signs have been met with a wave of positive reviews from disc golfers who have played the course since they were installed.

One reviewer wrote, “Good tee pads and great new tee signs. Very easy to navigate the course.”

While Muilenburg and Prill have been enhancing the course, the city of Mitchell’s Parks and Recreation Department plays just as vital a role in keeping the course a popular one among the hundreds in the state.

Muilenburg and Prill say the Parks and Recreation Department – now under the leadership of Director Kevin Nelson – has “been great” at maintaining the 18-hole course throughout the warm weather months over the past several years. And that’s critical for playing a round of disc golf, just as it is for traditional golfing.

“You can have a great course and design, but without a well-maintained course, the layout won’t mean much,” Muilenburg said.

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'Fought hard to have it here,' says Mitchell disc golfer who helped bring state tournament to Dry Run Creek