New Hamilton business offers disc golf and skateboard supplies

John Simmons says his new Main St Throw Shop, which offers all the supplies amateurs to experts need to play disc golf, and also sells skateboarding supplies, saves Butler County players a drive to either Dayton or Cincinnati to meet their needs.

“I felt that there was a lack of services for disc golfers and skateboarders between Dayton and Cincinnati,” Simmons said. “I know there’s a large skate population here in Hamilton, and I know that there’s a large disc-golf population in between the two cities.

“So, I thought, ‘Well, I can shorten that drive for people.‘”

The shop opened Aug. 14 at 111 Main St., in the first block of buildings on the south side of Main, just west of the High-Main bridge.

“Hamilton is revitalizing itself, and I felt that I wanted to be part of that revitalization, open a small business, and try to help the city as well,” he said.

The business opening ended a year-long project to bring the 1890s building up to code.

The store has an indoor putting area, “so you can try out putters before you buy them,” he said. The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed the supply chain, crimping supplies of both skate and disc equipment, but he plans to add more as supplies become available.

Things have been going “very, very well,” he said. “I’m meeting a lot of interesting people. The community in general has received it very, very well.”

Locally, disc golf courses include Hamilton’s Millikin Woods Park, which has an 18-hole course; Fairfield’s William Harbin Park; and Monroe Community Park; as well as Warren County Armco Park and several in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

“Millikin is a good, good mix of what I would call technical shots, where you have to have some control to get to the pin, as well as some open areas, where you can really toss it, and put some distance behind it,” he said. Harbin’s is an open course, with not many technical areas, but hills that add some difficulty.

The shop includes lots of skateboard equipment, and apparel is slowly arriving. Discs are available for every level, from beginner to advanced, with large selections of distance drivers, fairway drivers, mid-range and putt and approach, as well as bags to carry the discs, plus water bottles.