THE ARTISTRY OF DESIGN: Huntsville is home to one of the top disc course designers in the world

STORY BY BOB LABBE | PHOTOS BY JOSHUA BERRY

The artistry of design is what makes Lavone Wolfe a master of his canvas as a disc golf course designer. With knowledgeable insight to what makes for an enjoyable and challenging layout, Wolfe brings to his designs the “classic” feel of a De Vinci, Van Goh or Picasso and a little bit of pop art of Andy Warhol. The result of all facets of his design is a masterpiece.

“I look at property like an artist with a blank canvas and create challenging, fair designs that require skilled shots from an understanding of how a disc will actually fly,” said Wolfe, who has had 78 course projects in eight states, including 17 courses in the immediate area within a 20-mile drive from downtown Huntsville.

The 71-year-old Wolfe, resident of Huntsville since 1961, is owner of Hall of Fame Course Design, one of the most trusted and recognized disc golf course designers in the world. There are currently only five master designers on the planet and only two of those have done more for disc golf than Wolfe.

Growing up in Huntsville as his father was the preacher as West Huntsville Baptist Church, Wolfe graduated from now closed Butler High School in 1972, which at the time was the largest high school in Alabama. He then attended Florence State, which became the University of North Alabama, and it was there he was introduced to the sport which would soon become his adulthood passion.

The infatuation with disc golf began by chance while inside the school’s gymnasium as he saw across the gym floor a man throwing a disc. Just the smooth motion of throwing the hard plastic disc and how the disc would hover then gently float to a stop instantly caught Wolfe’s attention. The sparks of interest led Wolfe to meander over and meet the man who would forever change his life. The expert frisbee golfer was Tom Monroe who invited Wolfe the next day to join him for a round of play on a disc course located on the school campus, which was the first course located in the Southeast. The course designed by Monroe remained there for years and actually hosted two International Tournaments in 1976-1977. Monroe would go onto win 21 world titles and be elected to the World Disc Hall of Fame.

Returning home to Huntsville on the 72-mile trek on Highway 72, Wolfe helped make Huntsville the hotbed of disc golf with help on courses at both Brahan Springs Park and on the UAH campus. Ed Headrick, known as the “father of disc golf” designed the Brahan Spring Park course, but with adjustments through the years by both Monroe and Wolfe, the course was recently renamed Tom Monroe Course in honor of Monroe who died in 2024. Wolfe designed the UAH course and has made three complete moves on campus with over 10 redesigns with an additional redesign expected later in 2025 due to changes within the campus by UAH officials.

His interest in designing courses corresponded with his learning to play the sport turning professional in 1974. Since that chance meeting with Monroe, Wolfe has mastered the sport with over 150 tournament wins, 13 state championships, world championships and induction into the World Disc Golf Hall of Fame 20 years after he first took the sport to the professional level.

“I still play three to four times a week, as at my age disc golf has kept me going in life,” said Wolfe. “The playing of the sport and designing courses provide me an opportunity to meet people from all over the world. I continue to play disc golf with young players as that helps me keep young both physically and mentally.”

Today when he’s not on a local course playing or looking at possible sites for course designs, Wolfe is a Pedorthist owning Foot Care Plus Orthotics. For a quarter of a century, he has helped thousands by making custom and prescription foot orthotics to help treatment of conditions of the foot, ankle and lower extremities by fitting the correct orthotics custom made for each patient.

“But course design is my primary business,” Wolfe quickly pointed out. “I meet with the potential course owner, and I first cost it for the customer. I GPS the layout and I handle the installation, too. I create everything. Many times, I get to plant trees to help with course design and use the existing land to make the best course possible. My first priority is always safety for players, spectators and property. I focus on a design that will be a fun, recreational and an exercise experience. I always consider all caliber of players and skill levels.”

Wolfe usually uses a four-wheeler to go through the property and has help from Jordan Henshaw, a tour-level disc golfer. The amount of land necessary for a course can vary. The Club on The Cypress in Florence is on a 90-acre tract with the smallest course on 15 acres. The average land usage is 40-60 acres.

“I look at the terrain, texture of the local grass and natural obstacles,” said Wolfe. “I want the player to shape shots, and I want the course to provide a layout of diversity similar to ball golf. It’s the same principles.”

He’s never owned a set of ball golf clubs but watches golf on television and studies the strategy of the players and how they shape their shots to match the terrain, all of that translates to disc golf.

Wolfe told of the events which occurred back in the 1990’s when he and Dean Tannock played against ball golfers on a ball golf course three different times in Florence, Ky. The disc golfers went up against two low handicap golfers where the ball golfers played their course while the disc golfers played the same course and distance setting their portable target next to the regular green. “We beat them each time,” said Wolfe. “They got us on the drives off the tee box, but we did better on the short shots. We surprised them as we could throw rollers of 200 yards with our discs.”

Utilizing the use of risk-reward elements of his design, Wole likes to create a course to appeal to the player’s commitment to one of the three sins of disc golf: pride, ego, greed.

“On a good course, a player will be challenged to fight those sins within their game,” he added. “That’s the risk-challenge part of my course design. I get to know the properties so well, I know where every tree is located, what every obstacle looks like to a player and with that information I visualize a course and every hole. My designs help develop players into skilled competitors.”

His work in the sport has included disc designs, and, still today, continues to develop new projects including discs and a new disc golf target design with what he hopes to receive a patent.

As the golf disc flies, so does Wolfe. With deep, long-lasting passion to help make the sport available to everyone, his designs, each in their own way, easily rival those great artists of the past with his own masterpieces like the artists of yesteryear.

“Courses are my canvas, my baby. Each have my name on it,” added Wolfe.