Campus disc golf course safer
Students playing disc golf this fall may notice that the
on-campus course is lacking something: two holes.
Due to safety issues over the past year the course has undergone
some changes, which include getting rid of holes five and nine and
moving some of the others.
“Our first initial reaction was to shut down the golf course,”
said Earlie Thomas, director of Environmental Health Services. “At
least four people were hit seriously last year, one requiring
dental work.”
Last year’s Associated Students of CSU President David Bower
opened up conversations with officials to save the course, which
some students use as a source of recreation on campus.
“It’s a pretty unique feature of campus to have that right in
the middle,” said current ASCSU President Jesse Lauchner.
The CSU Disc Golf Club also uses the courses. Anthony Rock,
former president of the club, also worked this past year to keep
the course on campus.
“I’m excited we were able to work with Facilities Management to
make the course safe and still be on campus,” Rock said.
Officials and concerned students walked the course to identify
areas that were of risk and worked on finding ways to rearrange the
course, taking into consideration the safety of pedestrians.
Last April, ASCSU legislation was passed that “supported keeping
the course on campus at all costs,” Lauchner said.
A semester of probation, including monitoring the course for
pedestrian safety and the course changes, are a few of the costs to
keeping the course on campus.
“If we see a Frisbee go across the walkway we’ll probably shut
it down,” Thomas said.
In order to keep the course, Thomas recommends that players
“look around before they throw and to just be courteous.”
Ryan Daley, a sophomore chemical engineering major, follows
these guidelines by waiting to throw when someone’s in the general
area of where his disc is going, but places some of the
responsibility on the pedestrians.
“Safety is not a problem if (the pedestrians) just pay attention
to what they’re doing,” Daley said. “Sometimes they just walk right
across the hole, putting themselves in danger.”
For players who want to avoid the crowding on campus altogether
a new course is being built across from the Holiday Inn at Centre
Avenue and Prospect Road.
“I encourage people to play the (off-campus) course if they have
time to play a full round,” Rock said.
Bill Wright, owner of the Wright Life and designer of the new
course, said the holes have been dug and the equipment ordered, and
the course should be done within the week.
“We want to get something there to establish disc golf,” Wright
said. “Also, the new course should make it a little less congested
on campus.”
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