Norris Park transforms the former Rutherfordton Golf Club into a vibrant, multi-use community recreation destination in Rutherford County, North Carolina.
Destination by Design (DbD) worked with the Town of Rutherfordton to support the park’s development, from planning and design to engineering and branding. The park features a disc golf course that uses the land’s natural features to create fun and challenging holes, as well as the Overmountain Victory Trail, a one-mile natural surface walking trail that runs through the park. Additional amenities include restrooms, picnic facilities, a disc golf practice area, and trail connectivity.
The
Challenge
The site remained unused for nearly five years after the golf course closed, providing an opportunity for community recreation and economic development. Our team needed to reimagine the property — which was originally developed as the Rutherfordton Golf Club in 1929 by Dr. Henry Norris — into an inclusive recreational asset that would serve players of all skill levels, honor the site’s history, and provide various ways to engage with the outdoors.
Community Vision
Through extensive collaboration with town council, local citizens, funders, and other partners, the vision emerged for a regional destination to provide broader recreational influence than the previous single-use facility. The community prioritized accessibility, inclusivity, and opportunities for residents and visitors of all ages and abilities to enjoy outdoor recreation.
Collaboration & Funding
DbD worked with NC-based disc golf design company Ace Place and the disc golf pioneers at Innova to bring the community’s vision to life. The project is supported by grants from the RHI Legacy Foundation, North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, Rutherford County Tourism Development Authority, Carolina Foothills Foundation, the Rutherford Recreation Trust Fund, and the Overmountain Victory Trail Association.
Park Branding & Signage
The park’s branding and signage design create a cohesive system that celebrates and promotes both the site’s golfing heritage and its transformation into a modern disc golf destination.
The identity reflects the welcoming, community-centered atmosphere while establishing Norris Park as a premier regional recreation facility with professional-grade amenities and wayfinding signage.
Destination by Design partnered with the Town of Rutherfordton to transform the former Rutherfordton Golf Club, unused for nearly five years, into Norris Park, a 50-acre multi-use recreation destination anchored by a disc golf course. The project spanned planning, design, engineering, and branding, incorporating the natural terrain into challenging disc golf holes while adding the one-mile Overmountain Victory Trail, picnic facilities, and a practice area.
In North Carolina, park planning and greenway development often come together when converting a single-use facility into a broader recreation destination. Norris Park reflects that pairing directly, combining a professional-grade disc golf course with the Overmountain Victory Trail, a natural surface walking path that runs through the property and connects the park to the region’s larger trail network.
Reimagining a historic property means honoring its past while building something new. Norris Park’s branding and signage celebrate the site’s origins as the 1929 Rutherfordton Golf Club while establishing it as a modern disc golf destination, a vision shaped through extensive collaboration with town council, local citizens, and funders who prioritized accessibility and inclusive recreation for residents of all ages and abilities.
Park planning and design is the process of developing a public recreation facility’s layout, amenities, and branding to serve a community’s needs while creating a distinct sense of place. For Norris Park, that meant working with disc golf design firm Ace Place and manufacturer Innova to design professional-grade course features, supported by grant funding from organizations including the RHI Legacy Foundation and the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund.
Rutherfordton sits in Rutherford County in the foothills of western North Carolina, home to the former Rutherfordton Golf Club that now serves as the site of Norris Park. Its transformation gave the town a 50-acre regional recreation destination where a single-use golf course once stood, expanding outdoor recreation access for both residents and visitors throughout the county.
