Problems in Disc Golf

[Mike Clark]

I personally feel that every sport/recreation has problems. The issue is how those problems are dealt with. If disc golf wants to be taken more seriously disc golfers to to act more serious/responsible.

I have been involved in a few of them such as Skatebording, Street/Freestyle bike riding(no idea what they call it now), and paintball. They all have the same issues. But the perception of them has changed. Mostly due to people being about the sport and not the social aspects of the sport. Those are kept more discret. Until the outward perception of disc golf changes we will be contiuned to be viewed as we are now. And only those who play can change it.

We will always have people that drink. Everything in life has people that drink. But do we have to be loud and vulgar when we drink. Drinking in almost all public parks it AGAINST the LAW!!! I am not saying I have a problem with it or that it is wrong. But the people who control the land we use do have a problem with it. We could at least be discret about it.

Do we have to insist on leaving beer bottles and cans in places on the course other than trash cans? No matter how many trash cans there are. Littering!

Do disc golfers have to leave their shoes and socks all over the course? Littering

Do disc golfers have to walk through the woods tearing down trees and branches? Vandalism!

These are some of the things that are the negitives of Disc Golf in our area. This is direct feedback from park districts that have disc golf courses on there property. No one is making this stuff up.

Please understand. Perception is reality!!!

[Mangler]

Lake County Serves alcohol at all of there Golf Courses..
...Lake County employs officers to patrol their property for unlawfulness.
...if drinking is prohibited then individuals breaking the law are resonsible for there actions.
...
Here are some comments.
Some vandalism.
Ocassional stolen baskets.
Vandalism has increases since installing a course.
Beer comsumption.
Litter
Profanity
Urinating in public.

My comments to this is.. Do a Better Job...Park Districts and Forest Preserves employees are paid to serve the Public...We pay Taxes and will pay taxes till we die and some of us after we die. Quit Bitching and do your job.
Employ people that want to contribute to disc golf... Thats right hire someone that will take care of the course as well as the site..

I just played Sand Pointe Resort in WI and The only trash on the whole course was a broken down old car...24 holes immaculate condition
1 mans passion...

Quit Bitchin and get to work LCFP !



Any course LCFP does will have a Restroom and a Parking Lot ETC. But will likely be somewhere remote.. Antioch Wadsworth

Remember also that Lake County has two or three Sites devoted just for Dogs.. Canine Creatures That have never paid taxes ever.
Dogs do not pay Taxes...and by law are considered personal property just like your discs....

Now last time I checked How many disc golfers are deficating in public ? Dogs Urinate in  Public, They Bark, But they dont pay taxes !

LCFP will plant a Course soon ....I hope they choose the Championship route and not a nine holer to shut the disc community up.

[mirth]

except the car is part of the course & not trash.

[Mangler]

Then the Aviar I lost on #5 would qualify as trash.

[Dan Michler]

Any course LCFP does will have a Restroom and a Parking Lot ETC. But will likely be somewhere remote.. Antioch Wadsworth

Remember also that Lake County has two or three Sites devoted just for Dogs.. Canine Creatures That have never paid taxes ever.
Dogs do not pay Taxes...and by law are considered personal property just like your discs....

Now last time I checked How many disc golfers are deficating in public ? Dogs Urinate in Public, They Bark, But they dont pay taxes !

LCFP will plant a Course soon ....I hope they choose the Championship route and not a nine holer to shut the disc community up.

i'm still waiting for you to tell us how many disc golfers you found deficating the last time you checked, but its definitely not more than 1/2 the number of those bastard no tax-paying dogs that have been getting away with it for years!

[Mangler]

B.C. Please forgive,   all due respect.

it is not ours to police. All individuals are responsible how they manage their freedom.
I can not and in most cases not make an issue if some one is passivley non agressivley violating the law.

Disc Golf is far and away one of the best investments a community can make.

There are not many activities that delever like this sport.. It appeals to everyone from 5 years old and up...

If Disc Golf didnt delever Then Why dont they pull the courses ?
...because people wont drive 40 plus miles to go to a water park or fish, play in the sand, see a bird sanctuary, ride around in a rowboat, rollerblade, picnic with bees and load music.. walk your dog and watch it dump than pick it up in a ace harware bag. ride a bike.


DG Players trek far and wide to enjoy their sport ! Be Proud.

If you need to break the rules a little bit Than why not have a place to go where you can do it...

People do not smoke or drink because of Disc Golf ... They drink and smoke period it is a fabric of their life.

Disc Golf Saves People it puts people together I dont know of anyone that once they discover the sport craters.. If anyone knows of a disc golf fatality let me know..

When is the Next LCFP Meeting ?

[CEValkyrie]

Al,

    Maybe this will put it into perspective while you sit back & watch. One day this course may be pulled but who knows.



Here is what the park district is saying about it.
Mundelein Park District "what MPD said"
What are the worst things about running a disc golf course? "Vandalism"
Whare are the maintenance issues? "Upkeep from vandalism"
Do you have any vandalism? "Vandalism has increased at the park since the course was installed."
Other comments? "It seems to be a meeting place for teens. Loitering crowds seem to cause trouble. There have been two baskets stolen, signs stolen, and two garbage cans set on fire."

[white_rhino]

While searching for very poorly thrown discs at Streamwood I have noticed plenty of "human waste" back in the reeds and what have you.  Could this be from disc golfers... you bet, but it could also be from anybody else who uses the park, and that park see a lot of people in a given day.  Anytime a PD installs anything into a park no matter what it is it draws more people, more people means more bad stuff.  I bet if the same questions were asked about playground equipment the same answers could be given.  Who hasn't seen playground equipment with vandelism all over it...NOBODY!  It all come down to whether or not the PD actually wants the park to get used by the community or not.  What good is a park that nobody goes to.

[white_rhino]

And another thing the shoes and socks thing, litter, beer any of that could just as easily be the hundreds of different groups of people playing soccer in those parks and not the disc golfers!

[Dan Michler]

And another thing the shoes and socks thing, litter, beer any of that could just as easily be the hundreds of different groups of people playing soccer in those parks and not the disc golfers!

yes i suppose it COULD be the soccer players.........but its NOT.  i'm not taking a guess here, we all have 2 eyes and 2 ears, and so does the LCFP.

[white_rhino]

Well from my own two eyes the soccer players at Streamwood are slobs, I pick up after them all the time on the back nine by the baseball diamond.  I'm not sayin that Disc Golfers don't do al those bad things, I'm just saying that its not just us.  And as far as parks being places for teens to hang.. that's always the case cause they are less likely to get caught drinking or smoking pot, that's every park and forest preserve I've ever been to.  Disc Golf course or not people are gonna be scurvey, having a set of chains there just gives them something to do while being scurvey.

[Dan Michler]

obviously people are gonig to drink and smoke whether they are playing golf or not.  i'm only concerned about the perception that people have about disc golf.  speaking only for the courses that i see in this area, its not a big mystery where the beer cans come from.

i'm not sure what we're arguing about anyways, the problem isn't with the sport of disc golf, its just about policing ourselves and stopping the loud obnoxious kids who are making us all look bad.  obviously there are alot of people who truely like the game and don't just use it as an excuse to go do whatever.

[Tom McManus]

Happy Birthday DAN.

[Mike Clark]

This is not about Disc Golfers. This is about the perception people, right now LCFPD, have of Disc Golfers. Not to sound like a broken record but perception is reality. Especially when people do not know you and only hear about you. Getting a disc golf course on LCFPD property is going to be hard enough. If we don't do something to clean up the perception of the sport in our area it will be damn near impossible. I do not care what any of us do in our personal lives. But I do care when it is done on disc golf courses and it affects getting good courses installed or existing courses improved. How many times do I have to hear " Why should we wok on the course when the people who use the course do not take care of it."? They see it as waste of time and resources. Just be responsible and discret when doing things that you know you should not be doing. And PLEASE do not litter. Especially beer cans and bottles.