The disc golf community in Utah has been growing. In fact, the Northern Utah Disc Golf Association, founded in 1996, now has over 300 members and two courses, Riverpark Disc Golf Course and John Adams Park.
Jacob Serio, Weber State University graphic design student and preventative maintenance technician, has been pushing to get a disc golf course built on the main campus of WSU.
“A disc golf course promotes healthy living and gives students, faculty, staff and the entire community a fun outdoor recreational activity to enjoy year round,” Serio said. “I have designed this course with safety as the No. 1 priority, specifically the safety of surrounding properties, pedestrians and other golfers.”
Serio started a petition on Change.org earlier this year to gauge community and student support for a disc golf course on campus. The petition had 100-plus supporters in the first 24 hours and has since grown to 206 supporters in three months.
“I went to WSU and I am a disc golfer. This is an amazing opportunity to grow the sport and help students have somewhere to relieve their stress on campus,” said Danielle Weigandt, former WSU student, when signing the petition.
The proposed disc golf course will feature nine holes of varying distances, utilizing campus grounds that are currently unused starting behind Zhangs Chopstix and ending at the softball field near the Dee Events Center.
After assessing the support from the community, Serio started a fundraiser on Gofundme.com in July 2015 to raise money for the proposed disc golf course.
Serio believes $4,000 will be enough to cover the costs for nine professional quality baskets and the concrete pavers for their permanent installation. Serio and supporters are hopeful that the university will cover the remaining costs associated with signage, tee pads and a practice basket. There have been nine donations totaling $360 so far.
A fundraising tournament is currently in the planning process but is still pending approval from the university. Serio anticipates that the tournament will take place in October over the proposed layout of the course. There are already 24 to 40 players expected to participate.
Serio and other facilities management employees will support the development of the course at the facilities management booth at the 2015 Wildcat Block Party on Sept. 4. There will be a basket and discs for students to throw to win prizes.
“We’re not against it, but we’re not ready to say yes yet,” Kevin Hansen, associate vice president for facilities and campus planning, said. “There are liability concerns and other factors that need to be addressed first.”
