Disc Golf and the Haunt Industry
Welcome back to the blog! So nice of you to come back each week, I appreciate it! This week I want to talk about the many ways Disc Golf intersects with other industries. For most of its history, Disc Golf has been an obscure, niche sport, with most laymen ignorant that this wonderful activity even existed. But in the last 10 years, and in particular the last 3, disc golf has experienced an explosion of growth, and now is the ‘most popular unknown sport in the world’.
There are many things that make disc golf such a fun and exciting sport. Something that I have enjoyed in the last five years playing this game is seeing how disc golf can positively impact communities. I’ve seen disc golf transform a piece of property from an overgrown wasteland into a thriving, healthy public space. I’ve seen putting leagues come into a brewery and turn their slowest night of the week into a new, reliable revenue stream. I’ve seen disc golf raise money for historic restoration projects like the Joliet Prison. I have seen disc golf invade physical education programs in schools and spark a whole new generation of interest in the children. And now, the folks at Dellwood Disc Golf in Joliet, IL have once again raised the bar and fused two industries that, on paper, seem like an impossible fit.
I must ask; are you aware of a thing called ‘The Haunt Industry’? Me neither. I mean, I’m aware that every year Haunted Houses pop up all around the country to scare the bajeezus out unsuspecting patrons, but I’ve never thought about the trend as an industry. It makes sense though right? It’s like disc golf in a way; a lesser-known niche market that has huge growth potential, that caters to a dedicated few, but has mass appeal for a wider audience. A cursory search lead me right to Inside the Haunt Industry, a YouTube channel exploring this business. My eyes have been opened, and once again, It’s all due to disc golf.
So how did these two unrelated industries find each other? Enter Sheila Callahan, co-owner (along with her husband, Sean), of Dellwood Disc Golf, located in Joliet IL. Their pro shop sits on the property of the #1 ranked disc golf course in the state, The Canyons DGC. I was able to reach out to Sheila, and she gave me the story.
Sheila says, “We ran the Joliet Prison Putting League inside the women’s prison off Collins St in Joliet for two years (winter of 2018-2019 & 2019-2020) and it was a huge success. JPPL was canceled due to Covid for the winter of 2020-2021 and then the city leased the prison out to other parties, and we knew we wouldn’t be able to use the prison again.” In addition to the indoor putting league, they also organized the Inparcarated series, where golfers got the unique opportunity to play a temporary 18 basket course outside on the prison grounds. Dellwood gained national media attention for creating these events and raised quite a bit of money for the restoration efforts of the prison. Sheila continues, “Last summer (2021), I started thinking about large indoor venues in our area that were 1) interesting and 2) inexpensive. We knew we didn’t want to run a traditional putting league in a bar, and after JPPL we set the standard for the events that we run, we knew had to go bigger and better.”
Photo credit: Lauren Lakeberg Photography
What motivates the Dellwood team to do these kinds of events in the winter months? “I love the idea of these indoor events in winter because it gives us all something to do. Winter brings seasonal depression and leagues like this give us something to look forward to!”, she said. “We started to get closer to autumn and I still hadn’t figured out a venue when I started to see the ads for HellsGate Haunted House. I had been through HellsGate a few times as a Halloween enthusiast and remembered the rooms and layout, this is when I realized a putting league inside the haunted house would be amazing.”
After reaching out to Kyle and Audra LaFlamboy, general managers of the HellsGate venue, the idea took root. They agreed to wait until after the Halloween season to discuss plans, and they met again just before Christmas to find the perfect venue. Sheila says, “We met again in January to lock in our layout and load in all the baskets. What I think is interesting is that HellsGate is still in Dellwood, it’s called Dellwood West and you can actually walk from Dellwood Disc Golf all the way to HellsGate. They also own Legacy, the paintball and air soft facility that is also in Dellwood West. Like Dellwood Disc Golf HellsGate is also a private business that operates on public property. We give major kudos to the Lockport Township Park District for thinking outside the box with our businesses and allowing us all to do our unique things on their property. Hellwood has brought Dellwood Disc Golf and HellsGate together and we foresee this as an annual league as well as some other pop-up opportunities.”
I’m sure at this point you want to know what it’s like to play golf in a Haunted House. In short, it’s an absolute blast! It’s quite difficult to put into words the experience. Distances range from 20 to 80 feet, and you get three putts at each station. The folks at HellsGate have put so much time and effort into creating a richly detailed living art exhibit that it would take a hundred rounds to really appreciate the minutia. Each room has a theme, and within that theme there is countless details. The atmosphere is unique as well. You aren’t quite sure what to expect as you traverse the layout, and the possibility of getting scared lurks around every corner. The sound system pipes in a variety of creepy and disturbing sounds, and in certain places they have sensors that trigger screams and growls at just the right moment to scare you right out of your pants. Each hole is expertly designed to use the features in each room or hallway to maximize both aesthetic and difficulty. Bottom line is you really must experience this to really appreciate it. If you’re even remotely close to the Lockport, IL area, you must put this on your disc golf bucket list.
