Help Save Disc Golf in Pease Park!!!!

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Nuge

100+ Posts
The following is a letter sent out by Dee and John Houck. The Houck's own Millennium Discs and Circular Productions and are responsible for a ton of tournaments like "The World's Biggest Disc Golf Weekend" where people play worldwide. John has designed a ton of courses nationwide and is one of the most respected stewards of the sport.

"The City of Austin needs to be more interested in the economic impact that disc golf can have on Austin, and we are working to help them understand the opportunity that disc golf will bring to Austin for years to come.

This Stakeholders meeting is a great opportunity for the sport of Disc Golf in Austin to present itself in the positive light that we so desperately need. This sport is very misunderstood, and I’d like to request that the disc golf community make an effort to not only come out and show their support by attending the meeting, but to bring their families, neighbors, friends, and as many people as possible to show the impact disc golf has on this town.

We have arranged for TV media be present at this meeting. We would like to request that everyone dress professionally…(business casual or business) and present themselves professionally. We are fighting the old “hippie” image, and while the income and age demographics of disc golf are impressive, we should all make sure disc golf is represented in a very positive light at this meeting.

Here are some facts that we’d like people to know.

1. Texas has over 200 disc golf courses and there are around 3,500 courses worldwide.
2. Disc golf brings over a $1,000,000 dollars in sales tax revenue to the city through sales of discs, equipment, apparel, shoes, hotel stays and other related sales
3. Disc Golf is now in all 50 states, and Texas is the leading state followed by California
4. There are more PDGA registered players in Texas than other state
5. 55% of disc golf players have a college degree or an advanced degree
6. 79% have some college
7. 47% make more than $50,000 a year
8. 77% make more than $30,000 a year
9. The PDGA pro-purse is now at $2,000,000, and now major companies are looking at partnering as sponsors…this will substantially propel the sport even more
10. It IS an environmentally friendly sport with little or no impact to the environment if a course is professionally designed
11. Estimated 15-16 million people now play disc golf
12. Disc Golf is in over 50 countries

Austin should be capitalizing on the opportunity this sport is providing to the City. The city should be looking at anchoring its spot as the NUMBER 1 place in the country for disc golf to gain economic benefit for year to come.

As tournament purses increase, the economic benefit to the city can be assured.

We all know that disc golf impacts the quality of life for thousands locally. We know that Pease Park used to have problems with “undesirable activities” and that since the course has been installed, that problem has been almost eliminated. We must also recognize that the environment is impacted in a park by dogs, joggers and people abusing it. The history of disc golf is rooted in this course, and the city should consider the long term benefits of retaining at the very least a portion of the course. The course can be re-designed and that would seem like a more “win-win” situation for everyone."

Best,
Dee


Stakeholders Meeting
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Lamar Senior Activity Center
2874 Shoal Crest (North Lamar/29th Street)
6:30 p.m.


I am going to this meeting and strongly urge any of you that love the sport to come and be counted.

Thanks,

nuge
 
It is truly stupid that the city wants to ban disc golf from Pease simply because it is too succesful and brings in too many golfers. That's what parks are for.
 
What you fail to mention is that this is part of a park restoration process - something that Pease Park is in desperate need of. Whether, or not this sport adversely affects the park landscape is debatable and frankly, I don't participate in it, but I don't see that it could have that great an impact.

Perhaps a compromise can be reached by closing part of the course while the restoration is taking place and taking steps in the process to insure that the ecosystem isn't adversely affected when it is reopened.

A link
 
That's how they did it when they made improvements and changes to Bartholemew Park in East Austin. They simply closed a couple of holes and part of the course and added holes elsewhere in the park. I was not too keen on their placements since it put way to many kids who don't listen to their parents in the way of the holes.

My friends and I just played a couple of holes again using our own start point to change it up. We adapted.
 
No one is opposed to the erosion control improvements that are planned in the park. The issue is that they want to take the course out permanently.

RE: Barthalomew - This course is next on the chopping block. There are plans to turn it into a leash-free dog park (which it kinda is already) or put in paved side-walks running all the way down the stream.

Neither course is safe.
 
Well, I got yelled at by some pretentious "disc golfer" for walking my dog in Pease Park a few years ago, and I'm sure not going to lobby anyone for that to continue. My dog wouldn't chase a frisbee to save his life.
When one group thinks they are entitled to a whole park, and harasses the parents with kids, people with dogs, and other users of the park, they might find their activity removed from the park.
 
Were you walking in the path of where a disc would fly enroute to the hole or chains? If so, that's on you. There is a very large part of that park to walk dogs and cavort rather than in harms way. That guy was probably looking out for your safety. If a driver disc clocks you full speed on your head you may very well die. If not, you will be very injured. He was maybe helping you out?

Maybe the city or the golfers could better define the flight path of the discs and what is a "fairway" v. other parts of the park. Often I have to yell out or ask people to please move. At the very least, recognize they are about to have a very fast moving and potentially dangerous projectile flung in their direction, look out.

I don't know the circumstance and I am sure you were not doing anything to rile the guy up so maybe he was a jerk. But again, maybe he was not trying to be and was looking out for your safety.
 
That would be what the yelling is about. Usually it goes something like "Fore!...Fore!...Hey, Watch Out! "
 
Are you seriously saying you are throwing discs that can kill people in a public park? Wow.
When I said pretentious I mean I have had some less than pleasant encounters with people who seem to think they own the park because they are tossing some glorified frisbees around, and they are to be worshipped accordingly like they are the Scotsman who invented golf appearing at the Master tourny.
They are overly self important, pushy, and possess a huge sense of entitlement.
Sorry, I don't care for the attitude these people have.
 
They are probably stoned, not pretentious.

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So because of a few bad eggs you think everyone should be punished by having the course removed permanently? Explain how that is fair.
 
Watch, some plane will hit somebody over by Seawright and they will blame the disc golfers. They do still fly those planes down there, right? That was always weird to be looking for my disc (that is not weird, it's normal) and hear those planes overhead.
 
Maybe it is a few bad eggs, but disc golfers would have more allies if they viewed themselves as ambassadors of their sport with the rest of the park-goers instead of trying to run them off of their turf.
Anyway, they had the meeting about the Pease Park disc golf course and removed it so they could remediate the creek erosion and the compacted dirt where nothing would grow anymore.
There wasn't an agreement about bringing it back, so it may or may not reappear after the work is done.
 
I have a feeling that just like Cap Metro, when they say something controversial is up for discussion and review they already have their minds made up. They likely already had it made up and short of some big mover and shaker stepping up their decision, whatever it is, will stay the same. They won't be undeterred by input from either side. At least this is my experiences with City policy and decisions.

A reason I seldom play at Pease park is the very fact there are too many people there not playing disc golf or paying attention to the fact they are on a disc golf course. It got too sketchy sometimes and I was truly afraid of one day clocking somebody and I did not want that to happen. I can only yell, "Fore", so loud.

It's too bad that they cannot find a way to sort of mark the course and make it more obvious to people. Put signs up, something different to what is there now. A very large portion of the disc golf community is very environmentally safe and proactive from my experiences. They would volunteer to move dirt, pack dirt or anything else needed to save the course if need be. I hope this idea came up which would save the City some money on labor and save a course for the players.

I have seen guys volunteer to help do work on courses before so why not now? We'll see what comes of it. While I don't play at Pease Park I hope it does not go away for a few reasons. Good luck to those of you who do make use of that course.
 
I went to the meeting. The city at least changed from a "not replacing it stance" to a "perhaps something can be done" stance.

There were a lot of suggestions offered at the meeting that they hadn't considered. They may set it up as a beginner course with short shots, or something similar to Zilker where they only have 9 baskets working at a time to allow the other half of the course to recover.

A ton of people showed up and the city officials were impressed with the support and passion of the players.

There is still hope!
 
Perhaps Austin should do what Temple did: we opened a disc golf course that is only for disc golf. No sharing with other park users -- no worries about other park users or dogs getting in the way. It's just for the "frolf" players.
 
That's awesome, Nuge. I hope you guys can save it. I will bring this up to the City planners we work with in our Neighborhood Association when we next meet. I will ask if they have anything to do with it and see what they say. It likely won't help but you never know. Getting hit with it from various angles may show them it is a popular thing being watched and followed up on.
 
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