Kalamzoo Disc Golf Consortium

I have just been informed by the director of the City of Kalamazoo Parks and Recreation department that a proposal I put forward to the Friends of Recreation for a park improvement grant has been appr ... show more ›

I have just been informed by the director of the City of Kalamazoo Parks and Recreation department that a proposal I put forward to the Friends of Recreation for a park improvement grant has been approved!!!!

The amount of $3,600 will be granted to Knollwood Park in order to install concrete pads on the rest of the course, new tee signage, re-chain all of the baskets, and improve garbage collection. There is one catch, as a sort of "payment" for this grant, I have agreed to organize two things, the first being a Summer program teaching children how to play disc golf, anyone interested in volunteering for the program, please contact me through private message and I will keep you updated.

The other thing is a disc golf demo to be put on at the July 19th City of Kalamazoo Golf Outing. This will be an event that I would like to use as an opportunity to showcase the main clubs in Kalamazoo and exhibit, on a small scale, a nine whole doubles event. I will be contacting each of the major clubs in town to seek their participation, if you are interesting in coming to represent any of the clubs, please stay tuned to this page.

I'd like to thank each and every disc golfer for showing me the true potential of the disc golf community to come together and support each others endeavors. I would also like to thank Vibram Disc Golf for the great tournament we put on last Saturday, a thank you goes out to Menna's Joint for taking care of 75 hungry golfers, and also, a huge thank you to Q It Up Catering, they came out and served up some amazing food for our clean up day this month and donated ALL THE MONEY!!!!

A big thanks to everyone that has already shown their support for our cause, the season is only a short couple of months away and the time has come to get involved. The city Parks and Recreation depar ... show more ›

A big thanks to everyone that has already shown their support for our cause, the season is only a short couple of months away and the time has come to get involved. The city Parks and Recreation department has invited disc golfers to express the importance of our sport in relation to the future of parks management. In order to do so, we must gather and attend their open spaces and five year planning meetings as a group. These meetings will be occurring later in the year and the dates are yet to be determined. To all those that run clubs, or run with large groups of dedicated golfers, please, do what you can to get your fellow golfers to participate. Give them the address to this page and have them signup for up to date news on these meetings and our purposes.

Also, I am looking for somebody to help create a logo for t-shirts that will be sold to support the Kalamazoo Disc Golf Consortium. We need something that represents the spirit of disc golfers in Kalamazoo, something that will respectfully represent what we mean to accomplish. Submit any possible artwork to my email address: [email redacted], it will be reviewed and we will let you know what art will be used!

Thanks for all your support and good luck to all in the upcoming season!

So I met with the new director of Parks and Recreation with the City of Kalamazoo and we have come to agreements on several issues. First, they will be providing support via trash bags and implements ... show more ›

So I met with the new director of Parks and Recreation with the City of Kalamazoo and we have come to agreements on several issues. First, they will be providing support via trash bags and implements to help keep our garbage cans from being dumped. Next, we have a green light to begin an actual fundraising campaign to provide park improvements and renovations, these improvements will be overseen and managed by the city, however, we will have our say in what improvements are made and we will have an opportunity to participate in their installation, mostly through the grunt work. Another point touched upon was the possibility of changing the layout of Knollwood to move the action away from some of the muddier areas and utilize more of the open space.

Now this is where it gets real, this year, we need to rally every single person that has an interest in making Kalamazoo a disc golf landmark toward this goal. We have been invited to represent the disc golf interest to several groups and entities within the city that make long term decisions. The disc golf community must assemble to show that we are numerous and that we are all interested in the growth of disc golf in this area. What we do now can have an impact on future generations that can include the creation of new, professional level courses, the institution of disc golf education curriculum in different programs, and could turn Kalamazoo into a major hub of professional disc golf.

I have created this new group that I trust will be fundamental to achieving this goal, every one of us, from the two year old with a mini to the 65 year old with a trolley full of discs, will benefit from banding together. We can show this city, this state, and the world that disc golf is a socially and physically healthy activity that can increase morale, create community awareness, and yes, even bring money into local economies.

I will be organizing meetings of this group to go over our goals and aspirations, to inform members of ways to help and create awareness, and to organize representative groups to go into our communities to spread the word of disc golf. This group is not just for people from Kalamazoo, I strongly urge people from other cities, municipalities, and states to come and see what we are doing. I hope to create a model of cooperation that can be used in clubs and cities all over the country.