Shawano resident Becky Hutchison enjoys getting outdoors with the family and using the disc golf course behind Martzke Park for a morning or afternoon.
Hutchison said her family tries to get out there every other week, even in December. The family even did it one year on Christmas Day when the winter was mild.
As much as Hutchison loves the nine-hole course, that love extends to a criticizing commentary on its condition. She said it doesn’t look like maintenance takes place. Overgrown weeds are a problem, in her view, along with broken tee signs and times where the baskets for the discs are unreachable due to standing water. In some spots, trees impacted by Wisconsin winters are bent low enough to make it difficult to get clear shots from the tees to the baskets.
Another problem is that at least one of the baskets is dangerously close to the recently extended Thomas Avenue where a new housing development is being built. Hutchison recommends moving the basket to reduce the risk of discs flying into traffic, creating a hazard for both course participants and vehicle drivers.
“If they were able to utilize this path on the left and move the basket over, that would be really awesome,” Hutchison said. “This is pretty precarious that this is aimed right at the road.”
Hutchison is not the only one with a negative opinion on the course’s condition. The website UDisc has a number of reviews complaining about the lack of upkeep.
One posted June 30 read in part: “Raspberry and buckthorn bushes rip you up if you go off the weedy fairways. Some of the baskets are hard to see from the tee pads. The distance on the signs is also inaccurate on some holes. Mosquitoes are also brutal. My wife quit on hole 7. Fun course with a lot of potential if the upkeep was better.”
Another one posted Aug. 31 read: “The course is a bit overgrown currently, but I still enjoyed it. Just be mindful of where the discs land, there’s times where you’re throwing parallel near a road that it could roll out onto, or there’s spots where you can easily lose it in the rough and be searching for a while if you’re not careful. The tee areas are decent, and there’s a fair variety of short but technical shots for being only nine holes. A few of the tees are hidden in shaded areas and might not be immediately visible, but for being a free course, it’s nice.”
Hutchison said she has concerns about the disc golf course not being accessible to disabled people. While she didn’t contact the city about a lot of the aforementioned concerns, she said she contact the city about the accessibility factor.
“I had a client come in and ask,” Hutchison said as she walked to the first tee recently. “This is up on a hill. The comment was the weeds are taller than my kids.”
Hutchison noted the city has done a lot of work improving and expanding parks. The disc golf course was created in 2020, but she believes little maintenance has been done in the last five years. She said that if the city is unwilling to care for it, a committee should be formed to do the job.
“Maybe people could come in and clean up trees and stuff,” Hutchison said. “I don’t know if it’s legal that they cut trees or what.”
Matt Hendricks, city parks and recreation director, said in a phone interview that upkeep is necessary for the disc golf course and that a few concerns are valid.
“With the new housing development, they definitely shaved a good portion of that back hill,” Hendricks said. “I have gone by there and looked at the basket, and probably what we need to do is a slight adjustment. Even a matter of 10 or 15 feet gives us a little more elbow room. It’s not necessarily a safety concern or anything at this point, but we do need to do something about that since the course has changed.”
Hendricks said no one has connected with his department regarding volunteers caring for and maintaining the course, but he would welcome any assistance.
“We’re always interested in people who want to volunteer and give time to their passions, if that’s what your passions are,” he said. “We’ve had people go out there and help in the past when they’ve been able to.”
Hendricks said parks staff goes out to the disc golf course in the spring and fall to check on things.
“I know our crews have been busy with other things this fall, so we probably haven’t touched it as of yet,” Hendricks said. “I would imagine that there are some downed trees or growth that need to be taken care of.”
lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com
