There’s more* here.
That’s the message Choose Greater Peoria wants to get out to their community and those coming into the area as tourists. During the last week of July and the first week of August, they’ll have an opportunity to showcase that to an influx of visitors.
The Ledgestone Open is the largest disc golf event in the world, bringing thousands of lid-slinging enthusiasts to Greater Peoria annually for over a decade. Together, Ledgestone and Choose Greater Peoria are building on this opportunity to create a brand-new draw to downtown Peoria during tournament week.
The Choose Greater Peoria Downtown Disc Golf Experience will take over the Peoria Riverfront on Tuesday, July 30. The one-round event will play like a Discraft Ace Race, with shortened holes showcasing the businesses and attractions around Eckwood Park on the west side of the Illinois River.
Choose Greater Peoria is the brainchild of over 25 area leaders aligning businesses in the region around a common goal. The group is backed by the Gilmore Foundation, a charitable trust built by former Caterpillar president and COO, Bob Gilmore. The collection of leadership, known as the Greater Peoria Leadership Council, created branding with a concise message for the local community and an eye for talent attraction.
Beginning in the spring of 2023, Choose Greater Peoria has focused heavily on increasing the metro area’s visibility and creating a space for Peorians to share what makes the region so great and why they call it home.
Representing Choose Greater Peoria is Simantel, a full-service marketing firm out of Peoria. Simantel Associate Director of Shared and Earned Media, Melissa Hucal, said the partnership with Ledgestone to create the Downtown Disc Golf Experience came as a natural fit.
“One of the things we’ve really started to lean into is showing the community something special that we can only do in Greater Peoria,” she said. “There are things so unique to the community that can give us that one-up. This is one of those things. When we think about converting the downtown into a disc golf course, we’re bringing together the business side of the community with the hobbyist side and making that intersection. That’s what’s so attractive about this.”
The simultaneous amplification of a fun sport the area enjoys in their spare time with local businesses is the epitome of Choose Greater Peoria. It shows locals, as well as visitors, all of the things the area has to offer all at the same time.
The 18-hole course set up for the event will begin in the southwest corner of Eckwood Park and play past popular businesses, restaurants, and destinations like the Peoria Riverfront Museum and the Caterpillar Visitors Center. For $5, participants will receive a custom, soft-plastic disc from Discraft and can expect about an hour of fun memories as they navigate the layout.
The event is an “Ace Race”, which means shorter holes designed to give players a chance to hit the basket in one shot. Players must use the provided disc, a flexible baseline putter, for all throws to ensure safety and an even playing field. The top finishers will receive prizes for the most metal hits and aces.
A field of over 300 players is already registered for this sold-out event. The excitement is continuing to grow as the experience approaches.
“It’s all about partnership,” said Misty Klobucher, Simantel’s co-owner and principal. “When you bring the right people together to get something done like this, amazing momentum can build. This went from a seed of an idea to a full-blown experience just because a collaborative group of leaders got excited about it.”
The partnership has now extended beyond just Ledgestone and Choose Greater Peoria. The Downtown Disc Golf Experience will also be joining forces with the Disc Golf Pro Tour and the Disc Golf Network to produce a live and post-produced broadcast of the event featuring top Discraft professionals Holyn Handley, Anthony Barela, Adam Hammes, and Ben Callaway.
“It’s all about amplifying voices,” Klobucher said. “The live DGN stream is just another example of this little nugget of an idea in downtown Peoria getting put on the map on a national scale. If there is anything these business leaders want, beyond talent attraction, it’s national recognition for our community. If we all share an opportunity through collaborations like this, our name is going to get out there in bigger ways than we could have imagined.”
The competition slots may be full, but the event starts at 9 a.m. and runs all day. Participants, spectators, and bystanders alike are encouraged to come take in the experience, hang out, and follow the feature card. There will also be a small number of walk-up spots available to play the course.
Ultimately, this is a showcase moment for all of Greater Peoria gathering together using disc golf to promote everything it has to offer. To stay up to date on this event and more, follow Choose Greater Peoria on LinkedIn, on Facebook, and on Instagram @choosegreaterpeoria.
Blog by: Jacob Arvidson 
