The disc golf course is now defunct as construction begins on a new residence hall, but even after construction its future is doubtful. There are no plans yet to rebuild it, according to Gordon Price, director of student life, and while it is offline disc golfers will have to go off-campus to practice.

Central Oregon Community College’s nine-hole disc golf course goes directly through the planned residence hall site, so parts of it had to be dismantled. It will stay dismantled at least until the residence hall is finished in 2015, according to Price.

The course will not be expensive to replace, according to Price: If all baskets and concrete pads are replaced the whole thing wouldn’t even cost $10,000.

When the removed the parts of the course, Price said, it wasn’t in very good condition anyway. When and if they rebuild the course, the college will have to factor for what Price calls “environmental degradation,” both to the concrete around the course, which is cracked, and the wooded area it was located in.

But the college isn’t even sure they will rebuild the course.

“The first question is ‘do we bring it back?’” Price said. “Then if so, how do we redesign it?”

If the college does rebuild the course, they would want to work with local groups to design it, including the Central Oregon Disc Golf Club and possibly COCC’s disc golf club.

The Bobcats disc golf club would be happy to help redesign the course, according to Preston McKinney, club treasurer.

“We agree that we understand the reasons behind closing the course, and we’re willing to help design and build the new course if possible,” McKinney said. “We believe that its important to have a safe, proper, well-designed course on campus for several reasons; to help the team practice, to encourage positive morale at the school, and for scouting for new team members.”

The Central Oregon Disc Golf Club is of the opinion that COCC should think about rebuilding sooner, according to Ryan Lane, interim events coordinator for the club.

“COCC should relocate the course to another location on campus or help fund another option near campus,” Lane said.

Scott Greenstone | The Broadside
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