A course at Marymoor Park

[Chef]

It would be awesome to see a course at Marymoore park in Redmond, WA. The park is big, well maintained and a lot of potentially cool obsticals.

How does one go about getting a course put in? How much does it cost (estimated)?

[Adam Schneider]

Redmond is eliminating the course at Juel Park but has promised to put one in somewhere else. Perhaps Marymoor is one of the possibilties; at any rate, it sounds like the city will probably be paying for it out of their parks budget.

More info about the demise of Juel here: http://www.odsa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9500

I don't know Marymoor Park, but from what I can see about it on-line, the main part of the park is probably too heavily used for a disc golf course. From aerial photos, the area near the lake shore might be promising, but it also looks suspiciously like it might be a very big swamp.

[proto something or other]

Originally Posted by Adam Schneider

the area near the lake shore might be promising, but it also looks suspiciously like it might be a very big swamp.

I believe it also may be a dog park area.

[Trozzle!!!]

it looks like it has great potential from the aerial maps, but where exactly to put the holes is a big question

[Adam Schneider]

Originally Posted by proto something or other

I believe it also may be a dog park area.

Yes, some of it is, according to this map: http://metrokc.gov/parks/images/marymoormap.gif

But by my count, there's over 100 acres of empty land down there. Still, the swamp factor is a concern; also, it looks like there's an "interpretive trail" marked on the map, so it could be protected wildlife habitat.

[Chef]

I go there to practise driving and havent had a problem. Last time I went, there runs up a guy that works there that does all the scheduling. He plays disc golf and has for 7 years. Also a PDGA member. He was talking about a course there too so I should set up a meeting there.

What all does it take to set up a course? Say we made all the baskets homemade. I like the ones at hornings hide out. Havent seen the ones at Lucky Mudd yet but maybe that is an idea.

[Scott]

Originally Posted by Chef

I go there to practise driving and havent had a problem. Last time I went, there runs up a guy that works there that does all the scheduling. He plays disc golf and has for 7 years. Also a PDGA member. He was talking about a course there too so I should set up a meeting there.

What all does it take to set up a course? Say we made all the baskets homemade. I like the ones at hornings hide out. Havent seen the ones at Lucky Mudd yet but maybe that is an idea.

Start by pitching the idea to the parks department. Do a little homework first. There are some guidelines on the Internet about how to do this. You'll want your presentation to be professional, and to show that DG will be a welcome addition for all users of the park.

From what I've read, average installation for a well-apportioned course is ~$20,000. For a parks department, that figure is a bargain (compared to other amenities) and is probably within budget. If not, let the fundraising begin!

[Chef]

How about if you make your own baskets? That would save money, right?

[Adam Schneider]

Homemade baskets can save money, but if the city is already committed to disc golf (which Redmond seems to be), there's really no need -- and non-homemade ones are usually more professional looking. (Horning's is an exception.)

[Scott]

Originally Posted by Adam Schneider

Homemade baskets can save money, but if the city is already committed to disc golf (which Redmond seems to be), there's really no need -- and non-homemade ones are usually more professional looking. (Horning's is an exception.)

Agreed. Also, non-homemade baskets are typically more durable, and more suitable for tournament play.

[Chef]

I have seen homemade baskets that were produced by Skyline which look nice.

[Tim]

The cost of baskets really should be negligible in the grand scheme of things. If you're building a course for yourself on your own land, it's a lot more of a factor, but for city parks, their budgets are far bigger. The cost of installing a disc golf course--a really sweet one at that--is a fraction of what most park facilities cost. The biggest issue is finding the land that'd be suitable for it. Also, keep in mind that they already have the 9 baskets they'll be pulling from Juel.

I've only been to Marymoor once, but first thing I thought when driving through it was "wow, this could be a sweet spot for a course." but yeah, like adam guessed, there does appear to be a lot of wetlands there, and its already being used by a bunch of other things too. I honestly don't know how feasible it'd be to get a course in there, but it has great potential for sure.