SAN MARCOS: CSUSM to build disc golf course on campus
North County Times
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Capitalizing on the growing popularity of disc golf, Cal State San Marcos is planning to build a course for the game on its campus.
Like traditional golf, the disc version ---- also known as Frisbee golf ---- challenges players to get through 18 holes in as few "strokes" as possible. Instead of striking golf balls, though, disc golfers fling Frisbees or discs at baskets.
Cal State officials recently launched a campaign to raise $20,000 to build the 18-hole disc golf course, which will take players all over the university's Twin Oaks Valley Road campus.
Campus recreation department Director Hugo Lecomte said Friday that the project will help the university achieve dual goals of encouraging students to be physically active and attracting more community members.
Campus officials, faculty members and students have already lined up to support the project, and the San Diego Aces disc golf association has donated $2,500 to help build the course. Lecomte said the department has collected donations for about $14,000 of the $20,000 it needs to build the course, adding that it could open in the spring.
"We would love to have it done by February," he said. "I can't wait to see Frisbees flying, people gathering, making new friends and staying on campus a little bit longer to gather around this facility."
Disc golf has become increasingly popular across the country in recent years, with participants describing the game as great fun and praising its low cost and versatility. Players need little equipment and can play individually or in groups.
Disc golf courses also can be laid out around trees, buildings and other objects, eliminating the need for areas that are dedicated solely to the game. Because the courses consist mainly of tee areas and pole-mounted baskets, the 18-hole course can be changed fairly easily to remain fresh and challenging.
The city of San Marcos has its own nine-hole disc golf course in Montiel Park and is building a six-hole course in Sunset Park that is scheduled to open in February.
Craig Sargent-Beach, the city's director of community services, said worn areas along the trails that lead between Montiel Park's disc golf baskets provide evidence of that course's popularity.
"Generally every day that I go there, there's a lot of people out there playing," he said. "Especially on a weekend, you can go there and there's generally people lined up at every hole."
Lecomte said Allen Risley, who works in the university's institutional planning department, mapped out the disc course based on input from students, faculty members and others.
The layout begins by CSUSM's Clarke Field House off Campus Way and winds around the university's athletic fields before moving to the core of the campus.
CSUSM senior Saul Garcia said he has played disc golf several times and loves it.
"I think having something like that can distinguish us from other universities here in Southern California," he said about the proposed course. "It's a fun leisure sport to play, and you don't have to have any experience to play. ... Every time I've gone, I brought someone new. And everyone I've brought loved the game."
For information on how to make a donation to support a disc golf course at Cal State San Marcos, call (760) 310-9468.