Disc Golf Thrives at Carmichael Park
Nine-hole course suits players, neighbors to a tee.
Photos
The future looks bright for a nine-hole disc golf course open to players at no cost at Carmichael Park.
That was the consensus at a public input meeting in the park's clubhouse on Saturday.
Keith Maddison, park services manager, and Jerry Eppler, park maintenance
supervisor, facilitated the meeting. Items discussed ranged from the course’s background and location to layout.
Carmichael Park has been home to the course since last May, opening on
a temporary basis. That move followed the Carmichael Park and Recreation District board’s vote to close a disc golf course at the Schweitzer Grove Nature Area.
The district made this change, Maddison said, for reasons of insufficient staffing and services at the nature area. Carmichael Park offers better services and staffing, from auto parking to ranger patrolling, Maddison and Eppler said.
About 30 people use the disc golf course at Carmichael Park each day on weekdays, said Eppler. That number rises on weekends.
Tracy Laughlin, 40, is a graduate of Mira Loma High School who lives in Carmichael and attended Saturday'smeeting. Laughlin said she grew up playing at Carmichael Park and plays 36 holes a day on the course since it opened there last May.
“It’s a great community activity,” she said. “We’re always encouraging other people to come out to play.”
There are weekly doubles and regular tournaments at the Carmichael
Park disc golf course, Laughlin said.
The Carmichael Park course features four-foot high posts, or holes, that are six inches by six inches in diameter and made of recycled plastic, compared with metal buckets and nets at other disc golf courses, towards which players throw different weight discs, equivalent to golf drivers and putters. The discs travel distances of 100 to 300 feet as players approach the course’s posts.
The fewer throws players take, the lower their scores.
Jan Conroy, 64, of Carmichael who lives adjacent to the park, has friends who support and oppose the disc golf course. He praised the district’s careful approach to establishing and overseeing the disc golf course at Carmichael Park.
“You’re doing a good job,” Conroy said.
District board and administrator Jack Harrison will consider the district staff’s
recommendation to make Carmichael Park more than a temporary home for the disc golf course at an advisory board meeting in the district office on Feb. 16 at 6 p.m. There will be time for public input at the beginning of the meeting.
For more information, visit http://www.carmichaelpark.com/agendasminutes.htm
and http://www.carmichaelpark.com/pdf/Forms&Maps/discgolf.jpg
or call 916-485-5322, ext. 21.
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Kirsten Ruiz
11:01 am on Monday, January 23, 2012
I think it is wonderful that there is something for kids and parents to enjoy. I think it makes more sense then redoing the dog park. I am still miffed that nobody even thought to raise the money to keep the skate park open and keep kids off the street. I love animals but will never think them having a park is more important than giving at-risk kids a place to be after school and on the weekends.
Victor Calderon
12:09 pm on Monday, January 23, 2012
Thank you for your comments, Kirsten. How do you think residents can help find a way to keep resources for youths like the skate park open?
Merlie Trinidad
4:50 pm on Saturday, February 11, 2012
There used to be a North Teen Center in Carmichael. It was at Palm & Marconi (Next to the Fitness Center) at one time, then Good Day Sacramento did a big news story when it reopened up at a new location on Sutter Ave. Does anyone know what ever happened to it?
Adam
12:52 pm on Monday, January 23, 2012
It’s a great beginner course but that is about it. It’s kind of sad, really, that the park department took out a championship 18-hole course at Schweitzer Grove that has been there for 30 years and gave us a pitch-and-putt course for kids. People traveled from all parts of Northern California to play Schweitzer Grove, one of the first disc golf courses in existence, but not one travels to play on a "practice" course.
Walking around Schweitzer Grove recently it looked far worse than it did with a Disc Golf on it. I saw trash, human waste, a bum sleeping in some trees and some teenagers smoking pot. Not the place I would want my kids going to. With the disc golf course there, people took ownership of the park, cleaned it up and pushed out bums and other bad influences.
The wisdom of the Carmichael Park and Rec board baffles me. Let a beautiful park go into shambles and waste while pushing Disc Golf to an already highly used park where there are conflicts among user groups. (Soccer practice on the fairway on some of the holes, people having picnics in the middle of the course).
Very few rich neighbors complained for years about wanted a private park in their backyard. Now they have their private park were kids are not allowed to ride bicycles and people are not allowed to throw Frisbees. But... the 1% got their private park!!! The 99% is pushed to elsewhere.
Amie
6:19 pm on Monday, January 23, 2012
Well put.
Jake
9:14 am on Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Are you sure you were in the right place? I walk my dogs through the grove almost every morning and most evenings. I have seen the occasional wind blown litter and other dog walkers but no "Bums" and certainly no human waste as you suggested. what I have seen is other people using the grove to walk, exercise their dogs, jog and I've seen the local day cares/charter schools bring kids in for nature walks and to study the life cycle of the frogs that are abundant in the creek. the only negative was the grass fire last summer that killed some of the new oaks that were planted and melted the irrigation pipes.