Fairfield Park

[mirth]

Its mostly just tall grass

[UMphreak]

Does anyone know how many acres this park is?  I have to design a recreation facility for my Areas & Facilities in Parks and Rec class.  Right now we are trying to design a Doggy Disc Golf Park in Golden, Co.  I got the info for the dog park I'm just trying to get an idea of how big of land I need.  Any info would help!  Estimates would be fine, but the real figure would be great.

[pickax]

The answer is found here: http://www.roundlakeareaparkdistrict.org/forms/map.pdf
Let's do at least some basic leg work, please.

[CEValkyrie]

The Lake County Forest Preserve has marked the trail starting at the parking lot at Fairfield. For those of you that did not know they are linking the Millennium Trail to Fairfield Park.  It runs near the practice basket between 12 &18 towards the swamp. It wraps around the swamp across #12's fairway leading towards #13 basket. It cuts across #9's fairway into the woods. It then crosses #8's fairway towards the creek. They will be clearing some trees cutting thru 8's fairway.

Holes affected.
Practice basket
12
18
13
9
8

THIS SUCKS!   

[UMphreak]

Wow that really sucks!  I wish LCFP had a clue as to how import DG really is to the community, not just on a recreational side but also on an economic scale.  Once I have finished my recreation degree I am going to try to start up a conscious group that advocates DG to parks and rec.  Hopefully my degree will count for me to be qualified in this field.  I am currently proposing a doggy disc golf course for the city of golden.  It's where Coors is brewed. It is just a hypothetical situation, but I am learning about the processes and options for funding.  Hopefully I can help some way in the future.

Slight thread drift
Right now, Larimer county CO, where ft. collins is located is dealing with a similar battle.  The parks dept. is proposing removing the course in Ft. Collins. There was a count done by the local club and on a 70 degree weekend there was something over 500 people that passed through the course.  At one point in time there were 95 people that went through hole 9 in just 1HOUR!!!!.  the sport is growing and I know it really sucks that most park districts just don't have a clue.  Oh well I hope everyone shot the way they wanted to at IOS 1 today. 

[Jon Brakel]

Once they start the work, please don't take your frustrations out on the guys doing the work. Those guys have no say in what they do, they're just doing their jobs and my oldest brother is one of them. So if you see a dark haired guy who otherwise looks like Bruce or I, say "hi Paul" and you'll really freak him out! 

[Working Stiff]

Wow that really sucks!  I wish LCFP had a clue as to how import DG really is to the community, not just on a recreational side but also on an economic scale.  Once I have finished my recreation degree I am going to try to start up a conscious group that advocates DG to parks and rec.  Hopefully my degree will count for me to be qualified in this field.  I am currently proposing a doggy disc golf course for the city of golden.  It's where Coors is brewed. It is just a hypothetical situation, but I am learning about the processes and options for funding.  Hopefully I can help some way in the future.

I have a degree in Parks and Recreation, my CPRP certification and over a dozen years experience in parks in recreation administration.  In the 90's, I ran a disc golf course in St. Louis County for a municipality.  The last year I was there before I moved to Chicago I cleared $20,000+ NET profit from our disc golf course, which was more than we made from many "traditional" parks and recreation activities like softball and day camps, where the gross was higher but the expenses killed us.
Anyway, the Missouri Parks & Recreation Association started a program where you could designate something you thought you were very knowledgeable about, and they provided a list in the membership directory of people who were willing to talk to members about a particular subject.  I filled out the form and indicated I could answer questions about disc golf.  I provided back-up materials about how profitable disc golf was for us.  When the directory came out, there was no disc golf category.  I called and asked what happened, and the MPRA Director laughed at me.  Seriously, laughed out loud at the notion that disc golf would be a legitimate category for professional parks & recreation administrators to consider.
Over the last several years I've told everybody that would listen that disc golf can be a legitimate parks & recreation activity, but no one is listening.  Even the PDGA would not listen to me.  So I had a story about successful disc golf operation in a municipal parks & recreation setting, but I couldn't get a story published on it...not even in DGWN!  Now it has been several years, and the ship has sailed.  The guy who replaced me is not very talented, and his net on disc golf last year was less than $5,000.
Good luck getting somebody in the parks & recreation profession to listen to you.  I've given up.

[CEValkyrie]

I had a quality meeting today with the Round Lake Area Park District.

The Negative.
#1 tee will be moved slightly.
#7's basket will be moved to the right side. I guess this might be a positve if you are left handed or sick of playing the basket on the left.
#8 will be removed totally because the path is cutting directly thru the middle of the fairway.
#9 tee will be moved.
#14 Tee will be moved slightly.

The positive.
There will be a slightly elevated bridge between 12 & 18 over the swamp.
#8 will be moved somewhere else.
There will be a bridge leading across the creek.


I threw a bunch of stuff out there and hit for the fence. I have no idea what will happen in the future but i'm hoping to make this course the best in Lake County. There is a good possibility that the course will remain exactly how it will be after the changes above and there will be no new holes across the creek.

Here is the summary of what i'm trying to accomplish.
1. Complete removal of the course next spring to allow regrowth.
2. Complete redesign of the course utilizing the woods across the creek.
3. Long & Short CONCRETE Tees.
4. Signs.
5. Purchase of 2nd set of baskets so every hole has 2 baskets.
6. Purchase of 20 sleeves so all 20 holes have 3 pin placements.
7. Pay to play.

[Tom McManus]

Brett thanks for taking the lead on this. It is great that the local disc golfers have someone who takes the initiative to try and make some positive changes to the disc golf scene in Northern Illinois.

[roman]

Ouch, #7 tee moved to the right? Time to start practicing those forehand shots

[DiscGolfSchodt]

Ouch, #7 tee moved to the right? Time to start practicing those forehand shots

Basket not tee

[DiscGolfSchodt]

Ouch, #7 tee moved to the right? Time to start practicing those forehand shots

Basket not tee

But I like it, more righty anhyzer/flick shots sounds good to me.

[roman]

Hah hah, at least you knew what I meant.

[paulpriest]

That is absolutely fantastic news Brett.  Even if only a few of the goals were accomplished, what a feat it would be.  I'm sure you will be posting work days online if there will be any work to be done by the community.  Hopefully we can get out the few disc golfers that are willing to put in some effort to improve the quality of disc golf in Northern Illinois.  Really though, that is fantastic news.  Good job Brett.  You are a great example for the disc golf community.

[niknakzep1]

Hi all so I am new on here and fairfield is my home course. I spend about three days a week there if not more and quit honestly I am disgusted by the complete lack of care and maintnence at our course. Fairfiield has the opportunity to be a premiere disc golf destination and the current condition it is in is shameful (at best) the community and careless golfers are treating the land like crap. I can not even begin to count how many miller lite cans and dirty socks I have seen strewn about the course on a daily basis. I feel like as if the community could care less and the only people that are going to make it better is the golfers. I love the idea of the bridge! We were just talking about how cool that would be if they did something like that. I don't know how I feel about the pay to play. Would the money dump back into maintaining the course or go to the park district for other expenses? I would love to get a crew of caring golfers together this season to do a garbage sweep once in a while.

[CEValkyrie]

Hi all so I am new on here and fairfield is my home course. I spend about three days a week there if not more and quit honestly I am disgusted by the complete lack of care and maintnence at our course. Fairfiield has the opportunity to be a premiere disc golf destination and the current condition it is in is shameful (at best) the community and careless golfers are treating the land like crap. I can not even begin to count how many miller lite cans and dirty socks I have seen strewn about the course on a daily basis. I feel like as if the community could care less and the only people that are going to make it better is the golfers. I love the idea of the bridge! We were just talking about how cool that would be if they did something like that. I don't know how I feel about the pay to play. Would the money dump back into maintaining the course or go to the park district for other expenses? I would love to get a crew of caring golfers together this season to do a garbage sweep once in a while.

I used to log many hours of work at Fairfield. Trash pick up, course maintanance, and painting of baskets. I have lost that desire as well as many others. The tee pads are an ongoing problem and will never be fixed until concrete is in place. Trash is an ongoing problem. Lack of garbage cans and players who don't care where they put their trash. I used to pain the baskets but couldn't keep up. I'd paint over one drawing and the next would pop up right after.

Pay to play would help eliminate those players that are just coming out to walk around and drink beer, litter, & detroy things. I am trying to get that rolling ane encouraging the money to be spent on the park to fund the concrete tees and basket purchase.

[CEValkyrie]

Changes that will take place. Not sure when but work is supposed to start soon. See attached document.

*Note*
I had nothing to do with these changes. I will try to influence proper design but my contact that I used to work with has left in the last year. We used to talk several times a year. I have had a hard time developing a relationship with his replacement.

[jasonc]

Is there any update on the status of the course while the work is being performed?  Should we expect periodic closures or a complete shutdown until all work is completed? 

[CEValkyrie]

Is there any update on the status of the course while the work is being performed?  Should we expect periodic closures or a complete shutdown until all work is completed? 

That was not mentioned. The LCFPD is in charge of all the work. The RLPD was not sure when they were going to get started but it's supposed to be in the near future. I'm sure they'll be updates at the course if it's closed.

[jasonc]

thanks for the update.  all of the accurate info posted here is much appreciated by the frequent flyers at fairfield!