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.”