50+ Lifestyles

Iron Lion Disc Golf in the Hilltop Campus Village

By Jessica Argyle
Co-Owner of Iron Lion Golf

       The Story of Iron Lion Disc Golf Supply starts fifteen years ago when I met Chase Roberts while I was a senior at Augustana.  He was just getting into disc golf and had been playing casually for a year or so.  Back then, it was a walk in the park and a great way to stay out of trouble. It was something to do to escape from the hum drum of day to day.  Fast forward five years. Chase was starting to get really good at the game. He had gotten so involved that he was spending most weekends traveling to tournaments around the Midwest and had developed an interest and a keen eye for the collectible aspect of the discs. He was building an online reputation for himself as a reputable ebay seller/collector as well as being a solid competitor at local leagues and tournaments. It was also about that time that we both recognized a need for something the Quad Cities didn’t have.  There was a growing number of people playing disc golf, new courses being built, more tournaments happening all around, and yet there were very few places to actually buy the discs needed to play the game.

And so, March 1, 2006, Chase and I embarked on the journey of opening and running the first Disc Golf exclusive Pro Shop in Illinois and Iowa, Iron Lion Disc Golf Supply. Our family thought we were a little crazy, the banks laughed at us, and there were very few people that thought we could last even a year in business. We had a vision though, and we believed in it and each other! We spent the next ten years providing our customers with the right discs to suit their needs so that they could enjoy the game, giving expert advice on how to improve their game, and growing the competitive tournament and league scene in the area so they had a place go once they decided that they wanted to take the game more seriously.

The beauty of Disc Golf is that anyone can do it. The beauty of the Quad Cities is that we have a variety of courses for every skill level. The beauty of the Game is that once you learn the technique of throwing a disc, you don’t have to be buff to throw if far.  Be warned, this game can be really addicting, especially when you make that first 30 foot putt or you get your first birdie on a 350 foot hole.

    By 2015, our dreams for Iron Lion and Disc Golf in our community started coming to fruition.  We had built a sustainable enough business that we were too big for our small shop in Moline, as well as  building a reputation in the tournament world for running top notch, PDGA quality Events. It only made sense when we saw a for rent sign in Hilltop Campus Village, that it was time to relocate to the larger market in Davenport. This time though, our landlord had actually heard of Disc Golf and believed in our  vision with us.  He wanted to bring something unique to the Hilltop, and we were exactly that.

Now, nearly eleven years into our journey with Iron Lion, we are pleased to announce that we are working with the Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau to bring one of the largest Disc Golf events across the country to the Quad Cities.  In July 2017, the QCVVB, in conjunction with the PDGA (Professional Disc Golf Association) and Iron Lion, will host the Amateur Worlds Disc Golf Championship. Competitors from all over the country will spend a week competing on Quad Cities courses to earn the title of World Champion from every age division ranging from 6 years old to 70+ years old.

We hope that if you are ever interested in playing Disc Golf or if you think a friend or relative might enjoy the game, stop in and talk to us.  We’ll make sure to steer you in the right direction and make sure you get the right disc to suit your needs.  We carry hundreds of discs, bags, clothing, and accessories but all you need is one disc to play.   So get out there, take a walk in a park, and throw some plastic! It really is a lot of fun!