Will the college revive the disc golf course? When the college broke ground for the new residence hall, the disc golf course was disbanded. College administrators are now considering the return of the course.
When Central Oregon Community College and Oregon State University-Cascades began their construction of the new Juniper Residence Hall, the disc golf course that occupied that space, was taken down and put away. Jeffrey Meyers, advisor of the OSU-Cascades disc golf club, volunteer for the Central Oregon Disc Golf Club, and campus advocate of disc golf, stated that there was an obvious conflict of interest with having the course open while construction was taking place. However, the school has not said the course is gone for good, and plans to revisit the idea once the hall is complete.
“It’s in the initial, ‘we are going to reinvest in this’ phase,” Meyers said.
Correspondence between Meyers, Gordon Price, director of student life, and Bill Douglas, athletic director on campus, has included the return of the course. Meyers said he is optimistic about the return of the course, and mentioned that he hoped to have a course professionally designed by Ryan Lane, owner of Discventures. Lane has a history of course design and his handiwork can be found in courses across Central Oregon.
Meyer’s ideal course would have multiple tee pads and multiple pin placements to accommodate all skill levels, as well as to negate the effects of erosion and soil compaction over time.
“If we are going to bring it back, we want to make sure we do it right,” Price said.
Even though talk has begun again, a myriad of issues still stand in the way of the return of the disc golf course, according to Douglass.
“Space is limited as a result of the housing complex and the parking lots needed for the housing project,” Douglass said.
Price adds that the building of the course in valuable space might preclude potential campus growth. There are additional obstacles that must be considered before moving forward with the project. According to Price, there is the question of who is responsible for course maintenance. On the previous course, littering, alcohol, and smoking were all prevalent. These challenges took a toll on campus services, and would have to be addressed before moving forward with the new course, according to Price.
Both Price, and Douglas mention that although an official timeline hasn’t been set, a decision likely won’t be made until the residence hall is up and running fall 2015, and a course, if decided on, wouldn’t be operable until after that.
Despite these challenges, Price realizes the benefits that the course would provide,
“I would love to see it, I think it’s a unique aspect that we could offer to our students, that we could offer to the community,” Price said.
How to get involved
In the meantime, there are still several ways to get involved. If you have an itch only disc golf can scratch, to the west of Cascade Hall, is a two pin, six hole course, known as the beaver back six. Information on the course can be found within Cascade Hall. You can also get involved in the Central Oregon Disc Golf Club by visiting their website, at centraloregondiscgolf.com. Lastly, student interest is a main factor in the return of the course, and so by contacting Douglas, Price, or Meyers, regarding your concerns or questions, you can influence the return of the course.
The Broadside | Tim Cachelin
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