Can disc golf be thrown into Meredith master plan?

MEREDITH — The sport of disc golf has taken off in recent years, and on Monday night, the selectboard heard a presentation about bringing a new course to town.

Parks and Recreation Director Krystal Alpers and Cody Burns, local resident and disc golf player, spoke with the board about their hopes to develop a disc golf course at Waukewan Highlands Community Park. While Meredith has one course at Twin Barns Brewing, the nearest public courses are at least 20 minutes away, in Sandwich, Franklin, and Plymouth.

Alpers told the board Burns approached her about the course after hearing about the Prescott Park renovations and master plan. He asked whether a disc golf course would be incorporated into that project. She told him an 18-hole disc golf course probably wouldn’t be reasonable, but there could be a chance for practice baskets.

Burns then asked her about Waukewan Highlands park.

Alpers said the course at Twin Barns is small, with only nine holes and about a half-mile of distance. She agreed with Burns that with the popularity of the sport rising, maybe there was a way to incorporate it.

“It’s a very low-cost sport,” Alpers said. “It’s definitely a sport that’s come kind of out of nowhere, I feel, within the last few years, and has taken right off.”

Alpers said if the selectboard is amenable, she will speak with the conservation commission. The goal is to fund it through grants, or with sponsors in a fundraising campaign.

Burns said disc golf is like normal golf, played with Frisbee-like discs. He started playing several years ago, and said it is a great way to get outside, and can be played by all ages.

He said the main benefit is affordability, as discs tend to cost $10 to $15, and most courses are either free, donation-based, or less than $10 per day. He also said many places allow dogs.

“That’s the reason I kind of thought of this whole thing,” Burns said. “I walk my dog at Waukewan Highlands park all the time, and think this would be a beautiful spot to play some disc golf.”

Burns said it is low impact and low maintenance, and can be played through the trees, and so would require minimal timber removal. His idea is to have holes through the fields that would require mowing, with the rest of the course going through the woods.

The intent is to have a beginner-intermediate course. Burns said the Twin Barns course is a novice course, and this would be a slight step up.

The course would be contained within the yellow trail that wraps around the meadow. He said it is the largest area, with a mellow walk opposed to a hike, and would be the least impact to most people walking there. He stressed the goal is to impact regular park users as little as possible.

A map included with the proposal shows a potential course footprint, along with a design intent that states it would be a 1.8 mile walk with no fairways crossing existing trails, and a 50-foot buffer from existing trails.

Burns said this is a great activity for all ages, notably kids, saying it is a chance for them to “go out and throw stuff.”

Burns told the board he has shared the idea with local course designers, who offer various packages for a fee, and would walk around with him to come up with a plan free of charge.

Selectboard member Mike Pelczar acknowledged nothing is free, so there’s a cost and there will be maintenance. With a large project in Prescott Park in the works, he said this could stress the town’s help.

Alpers said preliminary conversations have shown this will be about a $20,000 project, and maintenance will fall to the town. She said once it is designed and implemented, the main work would be cutting trees back. Alpers said the conservation commission has been great about helping maintain the trails.

The agenda packet states that it would be about $1,000 per hole for baskets and tee pads. Labor, depending on the path, could bring the rough project cost estimate to between $30,000 and $60,000. It could also be phased to reduce upfront costs.

She doesn’t foresee it being a burden to the town.

“My goal would not be to ask money from the town to do this,” Alpers said. “It would be solely fundraising and grant writing.”

Selectboard member Jim Gregoire said he would hate to see this installed and then have nobody use it. He asked for a show of hands in the audience for who plays disc golf regularly, and there was only one. Administrative assistant Rachel Bethmann and Town Manager Judie Milner also raised their hands indicating they play.

“I just don’t know if we have the demographics to support an 18-hole golf course at this point,” Gregoire said.

Alpers suggested a community survey be conducted to gauge interest. Chair Steve Aiken added they didn’t think people would like pickleball either, but that continues to be increasingly popular.

“I am always under the mindset of, if you build it, people will come,” Alpers said. “I will say that it is definitely a sport, like pickleball, that has taken off and is wildly popular.”

Pelczar said the park is well used, and he walks it himself, and would like to hear what people think about dodging frisbees.

“I think it is a great concept; I personally am not for it, but that’s just me,” Pelczar said. “But if you want to do more research, I guess that’s where I stand.”

Resident Karen Sticht agreed “if you build it, they will come,” much like pickleball. Instead of putting it on a busy hiking trail, she wondered if Barnard Ridge, near Page Pond Road, would be a better spot.

Alpers said she and Burns had not spoken about that location, and sometimes having the trees is part of the fun. She said a community survey could include potential alternate options.

Burns frequents Twin Barns, saying he is starting a Monday night drop-in league there. He said he can ask them about usage, and check with the other communities.

“I can branch out and ask a couple of these other places what they typically see for traffic and interest.”