Potential New Courses Thread

[Neil M]

I thought it might be a good idea to have a central thread that has info about courses in development at whatever stage. I know there are individual threads for various courses or people thinking about courses but this might be helpful in terms of creating an easily accessible overview.

In order to keep this thread easily readable I will be condensing any discussion down into the single post for that course.

[Neil M]

Herstmonceux Castle, East Sussex

Currently in very early stages. Contact working on marketing for the castle. Seem very keen to go ahead. Myself and Terry Tenger have been to the grounds and played a few holes. Lots of potential for a full 18. Private ground so would likely be a pay to play course.
Potential player base - a starting base of at least 10 current regular disc golfers including 4 touring BDGA members.

[Neil M]

Brighton

James Burton & Liam Fisk are currently scouting locations with Wild Park looking like a distinct possibility. James & Liam have been playing in several brighton parks and talking to people to raise interest. Plans to put on some "fun day" type events in 2013.
Potential player base - ? all of the Eastbourne area players plus a few known players in Brighton. Huge student population. I personally think a course in or near Brighton would be a huge success.


Matt Cutler - have you talked to ala findlay about this? James ort (brighton ulimate player) worked for the council for a while and they had got to a fairly advanced stage a year or 2 back.

Neil M - Contact has been made with Ali but only in so far as to get a course map of their Wild Park course I think.

UPDATE 6/2/13

Neil M - James, Liam and myself visited Withdean park this Saturday which has significant promise for a smaller scale course of 6-9 holes. James is going to make contact with the 'Friends of Withdean Park' group ASAP.

James also going to make contact with 'Friends of Wild Park' to gauge support.

[Neil M]

Eastbourne, East Sussex

Currently 2 regularly used target courses at local parks. A core of 5 players but at least 10 players in the area currently. One of the parks (Hampden Park) probably more likely to have potential for permanent course. I have spoken with the local parks ranger and he was positive about the potential and getting more people using the parks. Plans to draw up a proposal to present to Eastbourne Borough Council with Chris O'Brien as he is visiting Eastbourne next week.

The fact that my school has recently started teaching Disc Golf in the curriculum could be very helpful in securing support of council.

UPDATE 1/11/12

Myself, Chris OB & Matt Cutler spent a couple of days looking at different sites and how they could be used.
3 sites identified:
Gildredge Park - 4-6 baskets, beginner friendly, training sessions with young people etc.
Hampden Park - 9-18 baskets. Potentially a tournament course.
Beachy Head (ish) - the wild card! 18 hole tough tournament course. Mull down south!

NEXT STEPS - get working on a proposal for the council

UPDATE 6/2/13

Proposal completed and submitted to a local councillor who has expressed serious interest.

[bruce]

Liverpool

Jonny Shields has made contact with the local council and early noises are very positive. There is potential for a championship standard 18, subject to finding the right park and funding. Jonny has been in touch with myself, Matt Cutler and Chris O'Brien.

I've advised Jonny that building a local player base is critical to success even if they're just out there playing to trees to start with.

[Phil Wood]

Maidstone

Dan Pommer is chasing a potential course in Mote Park, Maidstone. Huge potential and council already onside, lottery funding application in process. Player base -Already a few BDGA players in the area - Dan and Andy Lucey and approx 50mins from Croydon. We have run 2 council "fun day" type events and had lots of positive feedback from locals.

[Phil Wood]

Wimbledon Common

Still early days on this one, though 18 holes have already been designed in and around the tightly wooded areas. Dan Ryan and Tom "all time" Lowes and championing the cause. The park rangers are aware of the game but the park conservators have to be won over. They are familiar with disc sports though with Ultimate regularly being played on the football pitches. Player potential - 40mins on public transport from Lloyd park, so viable to play 2 courses in one day! large player base from croydon already existant and highly accessible from wider London. Tom L and Oz have already got local schools playing disc games so opportunity to pull in some schools into the growth of the course.

[Neil M]

Manchester, Longford Park

Matt Cutler in contact with Alan Heckman who has been asked to develop a course on an old pitch and putt course that the council can no longer afford to maintain,

[Del]

Cornwall
Steve Cox is on a mission to get disc golf going in Cornwall, see http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/Cor ... scGolfClub

[Tim]

Colne, Pendle

Pendle Leisure Trust got in contact with myself and i signposted them to Chris O'Brien who has been in touch, early days, but they did seem eager.

Tim

Chris OB -
I had a good meeting with them on Tuesday. Going back in November to visit potential sites. So far looking positive to do something in the spring 2013

[Tim]

Nowton Park, Bury St Edmunds

The Ranger at Nowton Park has been in touch with myself and Dave Allaker over the past few years, but nothing just yet but there is great potential in the park.

Tim

[Del]

Stroud

A couple of guys from Stroud came to play the QP Open, they were keen to get a course in Stroud. Quite independently from them, an old frisbee friend of mine from the 70's, Steve Hurrell, had been sounding out Councillors and Local Govt officials about putting in a course. I was able to put Steve in touch with Dan Brown.

See the thread on Swifts Hill

[bruce]

Washbourne Fields, Whitnash

My local park, all of 100m from my door will be installing a 6 hole, dual tee course possibly in the next 6 weeks or so. Funding and planning all approved, just doing final consultation with residents and the planning committee on exact tee/basket locations.

Very much 25m-35m pitch and putt stuff, but I'm intending on getting the 2 local schools using it.

Update 6/2/13: expecting install date of Easter

Update 22/03/13: The baskets are here, the tee posts are arriving on Thurs and the whole thing is going in the ground then!

The official launch day is 31st March, 1pm-3pm, so please come along and help support the course.

If you're driving, you can park at the Hod Carrier pub just around the corner.

[Neil M]

bumped to highlight updates to Eastbourne & Brighton

[mat cutler]

Manchester, Longford Park

Matt Cutler in contact with Alan Heckman who has been asked to develop a course on an old pitch and putt course that the council can no longer afford to maintain,

all systems go at manchester go to the website and sign up your support!

http://www.manchesterdiscgolf.co.uk/

[mat cutler]

Beanhill Barn, nr. Lydney, Gloucestershire

Cycled out from bristol yesterday to scope out some hole design. They have 9 baskets (home made - but pretty damn good need a couple of extra rungs of chain)

beautiful campsite there too, couple of retro caravan's, wooden pods and B&B onsite too. Great showers and lovely family who run the place.

Watch this space for opening date and launch event!

photos of my visit
https://picasaweb.google.com/113613365 ... directlink

added to the course directory too...

[rhatton1]

Matt these both look very exciting prospects! Are the baskets at Beanhill in use currently? There look like there could be some evil holes there

Great work as always.

[mat cutler]

Matt these both look very exciting prospects! Are the baskets at Beanhill in use currently? There look like there could be some evil holes there

Great work as always.

yep a lot of water too! baskets aren't in the ground yet but are just on spikes so can be put out super quick. hoping to get out there on the 16th... i'll let you know though

[rhatton1]

BEDWORTH - MINERS WELFARE PARK

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?msid= ... 0b7e&msa=0
Facebook page to follow
https://plus.google.com/photos/11199354 ... 7864478433
Twitter
https://twitter.com/BedworthDG

I am putting this on here in the hope that the already large player base of North Warwickshire can pull their fingers out and get this going at some point this year

Miners Welfare park is a beautiful location in the middle of Bedworth (not such a beautiful location) It's a well looked after park with a little used 18 hole pitch and putt course running through it. after thinking about it for years Adam Breeden and I scouted out a course here a couple of years ago which has been played with travellers infrequently since and now Tweed, Phil B, Phil S and the kids + Lloyd and Brett will be playing it a lot more regularly, hopefully raising the profile in the local area - each time we have played we have had a number of positive conversations with locals.

The course would be a lovely parkland course through mature trees, with some elevation, nothing too tricky but fun holes with a mix of par 3's and 4's mainly following the layout of the current pitch and putt course. It may turn into the UK roller course with lots of low lines to the baskets. Still a bit under construction with some revisions needed, there are some good holes in there though, notably the two par 4's, hole 3 (Cow corner) and hole 12 and possibly a horrible classic in hole 7 if we can get this tweaked correctly. The course flows nicely from basket to tee, and a round could be played alongside a ball golf pitch and putt round.

Why I think there is a chance in the next year this could go ahead:

1. Bedworth is a socialist doing it for the people hot spot. The Councillors like to spend on local amenities. As this is a shared ownership park there is also council and Miners welfare trust spending in the park. They have recently invested £250000 (yes that figure is correct) on a new childrens play area and also provide year round, tennis courts, bowls, skate parks, pitch and putt and fitness paths. They are not against investing.
2. All the usual reasons disc golf is cheap and easy to install etc. etc.
3. Local player base including children, hopefully this will be turned into regular meetings especially over the summer. There are already a number of north warwickshire QP members this would be perfect for, but it is also only 5 miles from Coventry so would be a really good addition for all the Cov lot - Gary, Jesse, Sian etc are all within 3 miles.
4. I can get loads of local scout and youth groups to add weight to the argument relatively easily, this is already in place to some extent after some work a couple of years ago before life got in the way.
5. A QP member teaches over there I am sure I can get him to add the schools lobbying power - say they would use the course for out of school sports activities etc.
6. Washbourne park (and to some extent Longford park in Manchester) going in should give a local template of how it can be done, Bedworth is way more suited to a course than Washbourne with the leisure center on site and land already set aside for a similar activity, land that could easily be shared. There could be easy disc hire from the council run leisure center at the park
7. The excellent pitch and putt course is little used but well looked after, having a disc golf facility run alongside would make more use of space that is already costing to maintain.

Obviously council contact in the first instance would be a good start

Just hope Tweed and the boys can get rolling with it this year....

[rhatton1]

Bump to Bedworth.

Course revised again so now a cracking par 58 course all thriller no filler!
Regular evenings have started possibly two a week. Playing to travellers for the time being.
Twitter account now created, see above.
Photos of the course are on the Facebook page and I will at some point put them on Picassa or Google to view.