Hat Rack Black for Halloween

This event is a Virtual Jumbo Toss with a twist. In order to make your toss, you have to provide us with a testimonial from a township, city, county, state, or other official which tells us how good disc golf has been for them in their park.

What Do You Win?

A brand new, limited edition, Fade Gear "Hat Rack Black" Tourney Bag - donated by Fade Gear in support of new course development.

Help Us Build a Course Development Resource!

See the sample testimonial we've already posted here in DGRUS. Yours doesn't have to be that long. But it does have to be from a real official of some kind, and you need to get their permission for us to post the testimonial and for others to use it - to persuade parks and other officials to get new courses installed!

You get the words, post them in the Comments to this event (below) and we'll add them to our resource - which will be available for anyone to use.

Get Creative! The parks official or city official, or whatever, that you contact can say how a course made a park safer, how it serves so many people and it so inexpensive, that it is so environmentally friendly compared to other park recreation, that disc golfers are great to work with - whatever. We just want to have good things from real people available for anyone to use to persuade other officials.

• < Previous Event
• Next Event >

Comment

Comment by get your discs and godiscn 23 hours ago

can we still supply a testimonial ?
if so, here it is -
With the help of Terry and Sheila Calhoun, Blizzard Hills Marina/Bar has been converted to host one of the Saginaw Valley's most unique and interesting disc golf courses. When the owner Ward Prindle was asked for a comment he said "We now see more disc golfers than bar patrons. Last year I demanded that the course close for both bow and rifle deer season but I missed the activity, so this year we only closed for rifle season. The day after rifle season closed, the disc golfers were back in full force. My only complaint about the disc golfers is that not all come to visit me in the bar." And as one of the three of us that are thecourse caretakers, I can assure you first hand that on a daily basis Blizzard Hills is not only seeing the locals come out to learn the game but also there are visits daily from people stopping in from many parts of Michigan and beyond. Thanks to Lorie and Jim Szyperski for their vision and persistence, thanks to T & S Calhoun for the multitude of hours spent commuting to and from, along with many trips around and around the property during the layout process, thanks to Roger Meyers for the CONSTANT care and devotion to grooming the course and a HUGE thanks to Ward Prindle for allowing such a spectacular thing to happen.
p.s. - I need a new bag and more equipment so I have 1 present under my decorated palm tree this Christmas.

Comment by Gabriel -=24 Chains=- 23 hours ago

Anyone win?

Comment by Kelly on October 25, 2009 at 11:51am

did anyone win yet?

Comment by Par420 on October 14, 2009 at 2:08am

I need a new bag in the worst way... my old (first bag ever) innova bag is all but dead...

Comment by Danger Dave *X*24 Chains*X* on October 13, 2009 at 3:52pm

Gabe stole the actual testimonial I wanted so I'm going to have to go with an article that describes how good disc golf has been to me. That and it involves a great course and more importantly, involves me and the 24 Chain Crew. Terry I hope this is acceptable for a "toss"


Disc golf course in Ypsilanti Township - "The Ponds at Lake Shore" - debuts to rave reviews
By kryan
May 04, 2009, 2:34AM
Leisa Thompson, The Ann Arbor NewsCorey Tessler follows through on a shot Sunday as fellow disc golfers Dave Schrag, center, Gabriel Dotson and Cassidy Mayne, right, watch at The Ponds at Lake Shore disc golf course, which is on the former golf course at Lake Shore Apartment Complex in Ypsilanti Twp. The foursome are shown on the course's signature No. 13 hole, which features a 260-yard tee shot over a pond.

It's not uncommon for disc golfers to envision a course on their favorite piece of terrain or any interesting landscape they happen to pass by.

On Sunday, William Gilbert saw his dream become a reality as more than 100 players came to play at the grand opening of the area's newest course, located on the site of the former ball golf course at The Lake Shore Apartments complex on Grove Road in Ypsilanti.

"It feels a bit like sheer dumb luck - right time, right place," Gilbert said. "I drive by here all the time going home and I always just thought, 'disc golf course, disc golf course.' "

Gilbert, who serves as president of the Ann Arbor Area Disc Indeuced Sports Club (A3DISC), decided to stop by one day last October and spent an hour describing the sport to Mike O'Lynnger, who operates Lake Shore.

In addition to tournaments and leagues, Gilbert said it was the charity events the club runs - like its annual tournament benefiting Food Gatherers -Â that really O'Lynnger on the idea.

"We had the land and we've been trying to figure out what to put there that would draw a crowd to our property," property manager Jennifer Matson said. "Disc golf was something that no one else has and it just fits in perfect."

The course, which currently has baskets on 18 of its 24 holes, will be known as "The Ponds at Lake Shore."

"It's awesome. I love it," local touring pro Michael Frame said. "Within three years, with a lot of help and maintenance on it, it will be top quality."
Leisa Thompson, The Ann Arbor NewsDisc golfer Tom Barber aims his shot toward a basket at The Ponds at Lake Shore during the course's grand opening Sunday. Admission to the disc golf course is free of charge.

Local father-and-son duo Terry and Ben Calhoun designed the layout, which is long and more open from the back (pro) tees, but incorporates more trees and obstacles from the short (amateur) tees.

"It's a crucial addition to the area courses, because there's nothing else like it," Ben Calhoun said. "Now, you can come to the Ann Arbor area and practice every possible shot in the bag."

While the out-of-bounds areas of the course's ponds will come into play several times during a round, the signature hole, No. 13, features a tee shot directly across approximately 260 feet of water.

The Calhouns also have incorporated many former sand traps as out-of-bounds areas to add a unique challenge and hope the mostly open landscape will invite players to employ the "roller" shot, where the disc runs on its edge along the ground instead of through the air.

"If you go out west, it's roller, roller, roller," Terry Calhoun said. "If you don't know the roller, people have 30, 40 feet on you."

The course is free for all to play, but non-residents must check in at the complex's security station to reach the course.

Residents, however, have been enjoying the new amenity for more than a week.
"I would leave here at 6 o'clock at night and it would be packed, even when there were no markers or anything," Matson said. "Just the baskets were up, but they were all out playing."

Calhoun said the cost to install the course - over half of which was paid for by the property owner - was arou

Comment by Brian Mulnix on October 13, 2009 at 9:42am

As your instructions state, here is a direct testimonial from the Supervisor of Whitehall Township Michigan, home of the Whitehall Township Disc Golf Course:

"Whitehall, MI Township Disc Golf Course. "Several years ago, when the disc golf enthusiasts (Brian Mulnix) came to me, the Township had a beautiful, very rural, wooded, 40 acre piece of property available. It was very attractive but never used by the citizens of our Township. The young people explained to me what disc golf was and asked if we would let them build a disc golf course on the property. I said yes and the rest you could say is history. The local volunteers designed and hewed out an 18 hole course. The Township agreed to building a parking lot for the facility. At first, we used the Local National Guard but our local unit was called up to Iraq before it was completed and the Township hired a local excavating company who finished the work. We started with posts to throw at for the targets. The course proved to be very popular; so the Township bought 18 baskets and the local players installed the baskets. The popularity of the course continued to grow and the volunteers put in cement tees at all 18 holes. Again the Township bought the cement and the volunteers provided the brawn. We also started a 'Harvest Moon Classic' disc golf tournament as part of the White Lake Area's Octoberfest. In no time we had outgrown the 18 hole course and this summer we added 9 more holes. Repeat the story; Township bought the baskets, the volunteers did the work. The course is now used by all age groups from our community and all of the surrounding communities as well. It has become a family oriented activity for the White Lake area and continues to grow. Now we have grandparents with their grandkids enjoying the course. Often times there are people enjoying the course just to walk their dog or get exercize themselves, and there are several geocache's located around the property as well. A record turn out at our 2009 Harvest Moon Classic (72 paid participants). Whitehall Township stumbled into a great treasure of a new source of adding to the quality of life in the White Lake Area. Some think that the best part of the whole adventure is that, anyone who plays the course does it absolutely free." Dennis L. Babcock, Supervisor

Comment by Sean Johnson on October 10, 2009 at 2:46am

Here's a link for a great article in our paper.
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/breaking/story.asp?ID=16483

Now here's another article from the Spokane Journal of Business.
http://www.spokanejournal.com/article.php?id=2347

Disc golf is really the redeeming factor of one of our local parks. This park was (and still is to some extent) a haven for drugs and hook ups. One guy got caught cooking meth out of a backpack as one example, and quite a few people got busted in stings for sex in the bushes. As I understand it, it wasn't uncommon to find needles on the ground in places. Anyway, the disc golf course is credited with helping to improve the image of the area by some sources.

Comment by Kelly on October 8, 2009 at 1:03pm

90 fun things to do in Wayne County Parks
#1 Play disc golf at one of our two disc golf courses (Cass Benton and Lola Valley).

On the Wayne County Web Parks and rec web site they have disc golf listed as the #1 thing to do in their parks. Wayne county parks is celebrating it's 90th birthday. That is pretty cool to me because my Grandfather used to work for them back in the day. He planted a lot of the trees that have grow into giants over the years. My dad tells me stories of when he was a kid hanging out in the park. Apparently Cass used to be a bad place to be and now that disc golf and other activities are there it is a lot nicer.
see web sit for additional info http://www.waynecounty.com/mygovt/dps/depts/parks/birthday.aspx

Comment by discpimpn on September 30, 2009 at 8:10pm

Local NewsDisc golf brings park up to par
Sunday, February 22 | 12:48 p.m.

BY SCOTT HEWITT
COLUMBIAN STAFF WRITER



Joe Armijo of Portland putts during the first professional disc golf tournament at a new 12-hole course at Leverich Park on Saturday. (Photos by Vivian Johnson/ for The Columbian)



Everybody watches while Chris Cusack of Corvallis tees off.

1of2Will flying discs reclaim Leverich Park?

The 33-acre hollow has developed a reputation for being dark, dank and a little dangerous. A good place to hide beside the freeway. A good place to recede into thick woods and unroll your mat.

"Historically, it's not so family friendly," said Jane Tesner Kleiner, parks planning and development manager.

But on Saturday, Leverich Park was a good place to have fun playing a game that's gaining popularity: disc golf.

It's exactly like regular golf in almost every respect. You're aiming a projectile at a far-off target and you're trying to get there in as few stokes as possible. There are out-of-bounds areas and water hazards — and, in the case of Leverich Park, some serious blackberry bramble to contend with if your aim is off.

But don't bring your golf clubs or balls. You play this game by flinging flying discs — smaller and faster than Frisbees, but it's the same idea — at metal baskets that are planted in the ground.

Those baskets — players just keep it simple and call them "holes" — were planted by volunteers from Vancouver Clark Disc Golf (www.vcdg.org), a new club that's formed to popularize the sport and spread the word about activities here in Southwest Washington. It's supported by Portland's Stumptown Disc Golf, which has been around for years.

And it's been years since local disc golf booster Steve Carson started lobbying parks officials to find a place for a Clark County disc golf course. Because that's another similarity between disc golf and traditional golf: they both require lots of real estate.

Last spring, Carson organized a disc golf tryout day at 40-acre Pleasant Valley Park, a big green basin near Washington State University Vancouver. But parking was a problem for neighbors. Meanwhile, Leverich Park was a site looking for improvements and visitors.

So when volunteers descended on the park to plant thousands of new trees on Make a Difference Day last fall, a permanent 12-hole disc golf course went in, too. Local businesses such as Bad Monkey Bikes, Corwin Beverage and Les Schwab contributed $100 each — and Stumptown kicked in $500.

"It's already brought new life to this park," said Carson. "I thought nobody would be here until summer, but every Saturday the place is busy."

He said disc golf has been on the rise since the 1970s, with numerous permanent courses all over the country and in the Portland area. (To see a listing, visit www.stumptowndg.org.)

Ed Headrick, the same man who improved a toy called the Pluto Platter into the modern Frisbee in the 1960s, also invented disc golf. He died in 2002, and Carson said his last wish was to have his ashes mixed into the plastic used to make some flying discs.

"He may be dead, but he plays on," said Carson.


Not too sloshy

Saturday was the Leverich course's inaugural tournament — what sponsors called the Wash Slosh. But the weather turned out to be dry, and the slosh factor minimal.

Nearly 70 people signed up and paid in to play at both professional and amateur levels, with the top winner making $110. They started at 9 a.m. and played until 4 p.m., winding around the park, enjoying the bright weather and the sound of chains clinking as discs hit baskets.

"It's a challenging course," said Rick Decorte of Vancouver. "There are elevations and there's that creek."

As you might expect, numerous hard-core golfers turned up — you can tell them by their heavy shoulder bags full of discs of different weights and stabilities.

Yes, there are driver discs, midrange discs and putter discs. That's just scr

Comment by G on September 23, 2009 at 12:38pm

Funding for Disc Golf

Here is an article on disc golf in Texas. The City Council Voted to give the disc golf club $20,500 to run a tournament.

• First
• Previous
• Next
• Last