Whenyouwalkdownthe wooded paths of The Nest Disc Golf Course along the shores of Stroud Lake, you can tell that it’s loved.
It’s in the way Richard Thorntonpicksupbranches as he walks and throws them off the paths while chatting about how it came to be. It’s in the way Gene Kouba gets excited about his favorite tees on the course. It’s how both men speak with fondness about the game, and how the courses at the lake draw tons of players from all over the U.S. every year -- both professionals and those playing for fun.
Stroud Lake has two courses -- EagleValley was the first to be built, with The Nest following -- and both play host to casual players and tournaments.
Thornton was at the lake when Matt Bell, a disc golf pro and course designer, was out there with City Manager Bob Pearman while they were building EagleValley.Thornton was working on the walking trails at the time.
“Bob stopped me and introduced me to Bell. And Bell says, ‘Do you play disc golf?’ I said, ‘No, man, I ain’t got time for that. I’m a hiker, you know, I’m working on the trails,’” he said with a laugh.
Then COVID hit, and Thornton found himself picking up a disc and learning how to play since he was already outdoors most of the time anyway.
“Since I threw the first disc, we can probably tell you, you just fall in love with it. When you see that disc in flight, and you think, oh my gosh, this is so much fun,” he said.
He said he walked Bell through the nature trails he’d been working on next to Eagle Valley, and that’s when the idea for The Nest was born. Bell came back with a design that weaved the holes in and out of the existing trails and utilized the landscape to build iconic holes, like The Rattlers, which has stacks of rock that look similar to the pygmy rattlers native to the area.
ThorntonandKoubasaid the courses have quickly become popular among disc golf players. The Nest currently has a 4.6 out of 5 rating on UDisc -- the top app for disc golf players -- while Eagle Valley has about 4.4, but only because it’s more technically challenging. The Nest is a bit more accessible to families and beginners, Thornton said. Either way, it’s not uncommon for visitors to leave comments like, “Best course in Oklahoma.”
Kouba, who lives in Edmond, comes out to the courses every week, often withhispupZoeintow.She has her own disc that she chases in between throws and sometimes takes dips in the lake. He’s there either to play or work on improvements on the course (usually both). Kouba is a two-time world champion in his age group (75+) and is currently ranked second. He plays at courses around the country as he travels.
In fact, taking care of the course has been a community project. Thornton said they couldn’t have asked for a better partner than the City of Stroud, as well as the many volunteers who come out regularly. He mentioned Don, who, if he doesn’t have a project going on, is out picking up trash, and Jeff Rush, who happened to be out that day cutting up tree stumps and installing a new bench. Curtis Phipps is also often out helping.
“We got a lot of volunteers, a lot of help. It’s turned out beautiful,” he said.
The next hurdle they hope to jump is getting a state tournament at the lake. Eagle Valley and The Nest currently host tournaments throughout the year, all of which are now sanctioned by the Professional Disc GolfAssociation (PDGA). The next one, the 2026 Red Dirt Rivalry, is set for April 25 and is open to anyone who has a PDGA membership.
Kouba said there is a fulltime tournament director for the area who is working to bring in those higher-tier tournaments. It’s a sign of the growing popularity of the sport.
The first disc golf course was built in California in 1975, according to UDisc’s The2026DiscGolfAnnual Report. In 2020, there were around 10,346 courses in the U.S., with that number growing to over 17,000 by 2026. There are about 13 courses in or near Lincoln County, with three in Stroud (Foster’s Park also has one), one in Prague, one in Sparks and one in Luther.
Furthermore, over 2 million people use the app to find courses and log their scores.The report attributes the growth in the sport to how accessible it is. Many courses are free, and you can simply show up and start playing, as long as you bring your own discs. Discs typically cost around $15 or less on average. The report added that it’s a low-barrier sport, meaning everyone from kids up to grandparents can play.