LeddyPark.Org

In the summer of 2005 an 18-hole disc golf course was opened at the Winstrom Park in Park Township, near Holland Michigan.  In 2008 Park Township officials undertook some changes in the course due to concerns expressed by residents.

Township officials said the problems developed after the county drain commissioner took out brush near the boundary of the park, reducing the buffer between the park and nearby condominiums.  Neighbors soon started complaining of noise, profanity and drinking taking place on the course.  In response, Township officials realigned two (2) holes that bordered the condominiums, prohibited drinking and smoking on the course, posted course hours of 7AM to dusk and arranged for the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office to patrol to course on foot to enforce the rules.  The township also asked that disc golf league play be discontinued to reduce large groups that cause backups.

Rob Zaagman, a resident of the nearby condominiums called the action a “Band-Aid approach”  “They are not resolving any issues,” he said.  Zaagman also said that condo residents are worried about the health of the forest in which the course is located.

In a letter to “The Holland Sentinel”, posted May 23, 2008, Gayle Toben, a Park Township resident, expressed concerns about the environmental impacts of disc golf at Winstrom Reserve.

Michael Brierty’s letter to the editor Thursday eloquently states the case for a township-sponsored disc golf course as a source of family recreation. I couldn’t agree more, with one notable exception.

The location of the disc course within the Winstrom Preserve is actually doing substantial harm to the woods, and it’s sustainability is in serious question. This is a fact, reached after an evaluation by a representative of the Ottawa Conservation District’s Forestry Assistance Program within the past four months. Unfortunately, Park Township never availed itself of such resources when it planned this course, and now it is faced with the sad reality of difficult choices — destroy the forest so that it can maintain a recreational area, or relocate the disc golf course elsewhere.

Those of us who wish to “preserve the preserve” are not opposed to disc golf or any other recreational activity. Rather, we encouraging the township to relocate this course to an area where it can be used to maximum enjoyment, without destruction to the area. The township has finally admitted that the disc course overuse is damaging the forest and has taken some steps to limit league play. One has only to walk through the preserve, and along the “fairways” to see first-hand the lack of underbrush and the bent and damaged saplings.

The fairways cleared by the township are ever-widening and there is no longer any wildlife present. The leaf canopy is diminishing. Without decisive action soon, there will be no hope of recovering this forest.

In Sept. 2008, Rob Zaagman wrote a letter to “The Holland Sentinel”

In a recent Sentinel article it was reported that Park Township parks commissioners Barb Burmeister and John Van Iwaarden were going to recommend closing the disc golf course in Winstrom Forest for the winter. They say this is to be done to protect the sensitive environment. After two seasons, users of the disc golf course have reduced much of Winstrom Forest to an ecological disaster zone. The vegetated forest floor is gone and in many areas erosion is prevalent.

Saplings and bushes have been deliberately destroyed by users to widen the course. The bark damage to mature trees from errant Frisbees is horrendous. Since Barb and John have been aware of the damage for a considerable period of time, isn’t it a little late to be concerned about protecting the sensitive environment? Shouldn’t forest restoration be their real concern? 

We have very few locations that are this lovely, accessible and unique for walkers, cyclists and runners in that area. We should preserve these  woods, and relocate the disc course. The township’s inaction on this matter is a clear indication that the “park” in Park Township will soon be inaccurate.

More on Winsrom Park:

Holland Sentinal Article from April 2008

Tree Damage and Erosion led to a recommendation to close a Golden Gate Park disc golf course in San Francisco, CA

From an article in the San Fransisco Chronicle in the April 2005:

The department’s Urban Forestry Division has recommended that the nine- hole course be taken down. Section supervisor Mike Hegerhorst inspected the course and the surrounding area last year and reported that the discs used for the sport have damaged the bark of trees and that the additional foot traffic from disc golfers has led to erosion problems.

“We encourage all manners of recreational pursuits in the park,” Recreation and Park spokeswoman Rose Marie Dennis said. “But if we infringe on the health of trees, ultimately (Marx Meadow) may not be the best place for this pursuit.”

Read Full Article

Alimagnet Park in Apple Valey, Minnesota struggles with disc golf impacts.  Tree damage, erosion, and invasive species are cited:

Dr. Katharine Widin with Plant Health Associates, Inc. conducted a tree evaluation report in September 2006. She reported tree wounds, damage to native vegetation caused by people searching for discs, invasion of non-native plants such as burdock and buckthorn in areas where native plant coverage was destroyed and soil erosion around baskets, slopes and trails. All of this, she reports, will compromise the longevity of trees and shrubs in the park.

Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation also conducted an on-site review in July 2006, but only in areas around disc golf tees eight through 11. Its report states that Alimagnet Park is one of only two remnant natural communities remaining in Apple Valley and a “rare feature” in Dakota County.

Its technical opinion is that the impacts of disc golf are significant to the quality of the native oak forest and continued use for this activity would lead to “total loss of ground cover vegetation in impacted areas and greater degradation of this rare community.”

Read Full Article

Bidwell Park is the 25th largest municipal park in the United States at 3,670 acres.  The park has featured a 36 hole disc golf course (at one time with a proposed expansion to 45 holes).

Friends of Bidwell Park , (FOBP) in Chico, California is a park advocacy organization, formed in April of 2003.   FOBP is focused on preserving and protecting the natural resources of Bidwell Park, increasing the volunteer opportunities in the park, participating in the ongoing update of the 15-year-old Master Management Plan for the park, and community outreach focusing on providing education about the park’s natural resources.  FOBP is a focal point for residents concerned about the impacts of disc golfing in the park.

Specific concerns about the impact of disc golfing in Bidwell Park include the following:

• Damage to trees and vegetation
• Reduced infiltration. The topsoil and its associated root-mass from grasses and forbs are necessary to allow infiltration of precipitation.
• Compounded erosion. Because the exposed subsoils are being compacted, further limiting infiltration, erosion is accelerated during storm events.
• Habitat deterioration. The ability of the soils to absorb water and provide sustenance for trees, shrubs and other vegetation is dramatically reduced.

These are all serious problems actually occurring in Bidwell Park and likely consequences of a disc golf course in Leddy Park as well, here in Burlington.

This oak at Bidwell Park has died since the course was established

In November 2008 the Chico, CA city council voted to remove disc golf from Bidwell Park.   An alternative disc golf course is also being opened at a more appropriate location on the nearby Sunset Hills golf course.  Although the city council has voted to remove disc golf from Bidwell Park, disc golfers disregarding the resolution, continue to play there.

Additional Information on Bidwell Park:

• Bidwell Park: Impacts of Disc Golf
• Arborist Report
• Chico City Council Squashes Disc Golf in Bidwell Park
• Sunset Golf Course to reopen, with a twist
• Friends of Bidwell Park website

Windlestrae Park is a 176 acre public park in Montgomery Township, north of Philadelphia, PA.  Some describe Montgomery Township as being overdeveloped, with too much traffic and not enough open space.  Much of Windlestrae Park is already developed with soccer and baseball fields, tennis courts, community gardens plus hiking and nature trails, but it also has an interior forest and a creek that provide wildlife habitat.

Dozens of trees 1 to 8 inches in diameter were cut in Windlestrae Park natural areas.

In 2007, without any public notice, without any review by the Township Planning Committee, the Shade Tree Committee or the Environmental Advisory Committee, an 18-hole, tournament length, disc golf course was installed within the interior forest and along the steep slopes of the creek, at a cost of $20,000(+) to the taxpayers.  The course opened in October, 2007.

In December, 2007, the Township Board of Supervisors, in response to concerns about the environmental impacts of the course, reduced the disc golf course to 9-holes;  holes away from the environmentally sensitive areas and the slopes of the creek.  They also prohibited tournament play.

Throughout 2008 there have been efforts by disc golf advocates to “restore” the course to 18-holes, but the Township Board of Supervisors have not approved any action.

Additional Information on Windlestrae Park:

Montgomery Township ParkWeb