The disc golf season is still in full swing in Southern Idaho as we move into the cool mornings and warm, sunny afternoons of the fall season. There may be fewer people out on the courses in the fall, but there are plenty of events and opportunities coming up in the weeks ahead.

The Idaho State Championship presented by Dynamic Discs will be held this weekend, Sept. 21-23, at Lake Walcott State Park, one of the finest and most scenic disc golf courses in the state.

“There will be 170 people out there, camping and playing in the tournament,” says Mike Stradley, an avid disc golf player in Southern Idaho.

Registration for the tournament is full, but there’s plenty of time this fall to visit the attractive park and play the 21-hole course on your own. “This is a great time of year to visit Lake Walcott,” Stradley says. “The trees will start to change colors and the deer start to hang out at the course more and more.”

“I talked to one two guys from Texas and one from Australia who are coming for the tournament,” adds Travis Taylor, Lake Walcott Park Ranger. “After the tournament is over, it’ll be a great time to come play the course at Lake Walcott. Even if there’s 20-30 people out on the course, it’ll feel like it’s pretty quiet out there.”

The best thing is there will be fewer people camping at Lake Walcott in the fall months, Taylor says. Water and rest rooms will remain in service through the end of October, but people can RV camp, tent camp or stay in the park’s guest cabins through the off-season.

“It’s just a beautiful course,” says Drew, a player who camped there with a buddy and played the course for several days. “Nice park and a lot of fun holes. It’s one of the better disc golf courses within a couple hundred miles at least. This is my favorite.”

People can RV or tent camp at the state park, or they could stay nearby at Henry’s at the Drift Inn in Rupert Square, the closest overnight accommodations to Lake Walcott. The Drift Inn, located in a historic bank building, has several Bed & Breakfast-type rooms, and also has a full restaurant and sports bar, open in the evenings. Another nearby hotel with more rooms is the Best Western in Burley.

The Southern Idaho Chuckers, the disc golf club in Southern Idaho, also hosts a hole-in-one tournament in Buhl, called the “Ace/Race,” on Saturday, Oct. 6. “They get only two discs in their bag, and they get only one shot at each hole,” Stradley says. “We put extra baskets on each hole to increase the odds of getting a hole in one.”

Stradley also recommends playing the 18-hole course at Magic Mountain at the top of Rock Creek Canyon. The course starts directly behind the ski lodge. “There will be only a few more weeks before they pull the course before the snow flies,” he said.

Rock Creek RV Park and the College of Southern Idaho disc golf courses also are a good bet for the fall. When the Rock Creek RV Park closes down for the summer season, the Southern Idaho Chuckers put up an 18-hole course where the RVs normally are parked in the scenic setting next to Rock Creek.

“We play that course all winter from November to March,” Stradley says. “Everyone in our club plays all winter. It’s a pretty cool spot for sure.”

The CSI course is an 18-hole course with a length of 5,178 yards near the ballfields by the entrance to the college in Twin Falls.

Sometimes the Southern Idaho Chuckers will set up a temporary fall course at Canyon Springs Golf Course in October, Stradley says. Watch the club’s Facebook page for more information about that opportunity, and other events and opportunities this fall and winter.