How many extinct courses can we come up with?

[The Valkyrie Kid]

How many courses are gone and forgotten? Closed down and boarded up? For lack of funds or maintenance?

Let's number them and come up with a total.

I'll start with the first permanent disc golf course in the Pacific Northwest, Fircrest Park, near Tacoma, Washington. It was built in 1977 or 1978. I was working for the rec department there at the time. It had pole holes and the poles are actually still there. I can't bring myself to list it on this site. I don't think anyone has actually played there in years and years. I wouldn't want anyone wasting there time making a trip there. It was built to play with Whamo toy frisbees, 119, 141 and 165 grams.

# 2. Bob's Disc Golf. The first course in Washington state with baskets. It was a pay for play course located in a wind-swept field near McChord Air Force Base. I believe it went out of business after one summer. Those baskets were then donated to the county rec department and eventually became the orginal 18 baskets at Ft. Steilacoom Disc Golf Course.

# 3. North Idaho College course is now listed this site as defunct. I just played there in June.

I know there was a course in Newberg, Oregon that was listed but was gone when I tried to play it in May of 08. Someone from Oregon help me on the name of this old course.

Start adding to the list gentlemen.

The Valkyrie Kid

 

[taxman]

i've got two that i can add to the list here in northern michigan.

--Mt. Mcsauba in Charlevoix, MI had a course with baskets and it has been closed down. i never had a chance to play it and i don't know how long it was there. i beleive it is still listed on the PDGA course listing, but i know it is gone.

--just north of Harbor Springs, MI there was a Barnyard golf course (ball golf mainly). they had a disc golf gathering each year. that course is now covered with a condominium project.

that's all i have to add.

 

[Three Putt]

# 6-there was a course in Hannibal, Mo. back in the day. It went defunct and a buddy of mine bought the baskets. I think half of the baskets went into Jefferson Barracks and the other half were the original 9 hole course in Endicott Park. Anyway, I have no recollection of the name of that park.

# 7-Big Driver/Little Putter in Washington, Mo. It was a pay for play course set up next to a driving range. It lasted for maybe a year.

# 8-First Baptist Church in St. Charles, Mo. No need to comment other than it is gone.

# 9-Oceans of Fun in Kansas City, Mo. It was a 9 hole pitch and putt where they rented fastbacks to park visitor to play with. At some point they built a ride over that land and the baskets vanished.

 

[RustyP]

Garland Scout Ranch in Stonewall, LA - Only got to play it once...about 2 weeks before the baskets were pulled. AWESOME Houck design...tight and technical with some very unique holes. The story I got was that none of the Boy Scouts ever played it and not enough locals from Shreveport played there enough for the Scouts to justify keeping it. Very sad...everyone I know who played it loved it, just not enough local involvement.

John Houck even wrote a "dear diary" style article about his experience designing this course from scratch...it's a good read if you have time: Part 1 & Part 2

 

[The Valkyrie Kid]

Garland Scout Ranch is # 10

 

[JR Stengele]

Just out of Moscow, Idaho, there used to be a great little 9 hole course that had a mix of technical wooded holes and a few nice open holes in a meadow with a teepee in the middle. It had a nice winding stream through it as well. It was the perfect little get away with some cool elevation shots. Atleast it was there while I was in college at Wahington State University. = )

 

[Rizbee]

I'm very interested in this topic as I'm working with course directory data to map the locations of all courses, existing and extinct.

I have a few to add:

Rockledge DGC, Rockledge, FL - there were actually two versions of this course. The first was installed in 1977 or 78, then moved in about 1986 after the owners sold the land to Wal-Mart. They then sold the second piece of land also

Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL - 9-hole course on the college campus near the football stadium. It was the victim of a huge stadium and parking lot expansion about 10 years ago.

Athens, GA - This was a pay-to-play that I played back in 1981 or 82. The baskets ended up at Northside Park in Gainesville, FL.

Chastain Park, Atlanta, GA - Great little 9-holer in a city park near north of downtown. Holes played across a cool little gulch. Victim of extreme vandalism that made maintenance costs too great. Pulled in the late '80's or early '90s.

Titusville, FL - Had a Fly-18 course at a ball golf course (Fly-18's first?) that was pulled after a few years. I never played there but T-ville is where I grew up, so that reason to go back is kaput.

Mobile, AL (or near-abouts) - Had a course at a KOA campground in the late 1970's. It got pulled shortly after opening because some of the female competitors at a tournament decided to play the last round topless. Tom Monroe knows the whole story.

South Gate Park, South Gate, CA - Near L.A. and Long Beach. I played it about 18 years ago. Heard it got pulled because of gangsta activity.

Jurupa Hills Park, Jurupa Hills, CA - Not too far from Innova headquarters in Rancho Cucamonga. 9-holer built on the side of rocky hill. I played it in 1990, not sure when it was pulled.

Bonneli Regional Park, San Dimas, CA - Just north of L.A. in the San Gabriel Valley (not far from Wham-O's old headquarters). Never played it. They needed the space to build a water park.

Bucklin Park, El Centro, CA - Never played there. It was in the ground in the early-to-mid 1980's. Would have been very hot and dusty.

Las Palmas Park, National City, CA - Same as above...

I'm sure I can come up with more...

 

[nicfit]

First course I ever played was a cool mountain course in Frazier Colorado called Grandma's. It is extinct and I miss it dearly. Thank god for Beaver Ranch tough!

 

[Innovadude]

Supposedly was a course near Ann Arbor, MI called "Kandahar" right before my time.

Traverse City MI- "Timberlee" - got pulled approx. 1999-2000. Was 24 hole ski resort course.

"Stonehenge" near Nashville, TN- private and used for 2001 Am. Worlds.

Also, keeping a tab on all temp. courses set up for tournaments?

 

[Three Putt]

I guess the God-King of all extinct disc golf courses would be the Boylan Family Tree Farm course in Laurel Springs, NC. When I googled it to make sure I spelled it right, I noticed that Ken Climo still has it listed as one of his favorite courses.

 

[ERicJ]

#28 Rice University, Houston (9 holes) was also an 18-hole object course

#29 Dodson Lake Park, Houston (9 holes)

#30 Glenshire Park, Houston (9 holes)

ERic

 

[DannyM]

#31 Govan,SC . It was a private course set up on pasture land. Had some small ponds, elevation changes, and large live oak trees. The last tourney there they had roped off areas marked as if you were playing the USDGC at Winthrop. Hole #18 was 1/4 mile long, with roped off area down the fairway so you had to be long and accurate. Sadly this course ended because it went on two seperate family farms, and they had gotten into some disputes, so the course went by the wayside.

 

[justin]

#32 Cape Cod Community College in West Barnstable, Ma is possibly the most recent closing; summer 2008
http://www.capecod.edu/group/mainsh...le&_20_folderId=191&_20_name=Page1Issue24.pdf

It's a shame we can't have these on DGCR so we can still count extinct courses in our total courses played.

 

[The Valkyrie Kid]

Somebody from Oregon help me out here. A few years back there was a course listed in Troutdale called "Hagars Full Sail Disc Golf." It sat behind a tavern, had three baskets which you shot at from three different teepads and bordered on the Sandy River. Does anyone recall it? I played it a few years back Is it still open?

And there once was a course in Albany on the west side of the freeway located in kind of an industrial area. The little lake now looks like a toxic waste dump. Anyone remember playing this course when it was open?

Let us know about these two and we'll officially add them to the list.

 

[Three Putt]

There were two Fly 18 courses in Chicago, one at Edgebrook Golf Course and another at River Oaks Golf Course in Calumet City. Both were pulled last fall. My understanding is that the Edgebrook course might come back after the no compete clause expires, but at this point both are gone.

 

[Adam Schneider]

The course at U.C. Santa Cruz is still listed on the PDGA site and here at DGCR, but it's "extinct" for most purposes. I don't know if it was ever really a serious course; it never had teepads or baskets, or even tone poles as far as I know.

Also, there used to be an object course on Mt. Tabor here in Portland, OR. Some people still play it, I hear, but there's way too many pedestrians and park users up there.

 

[Adam Schneider]

And there once was a course in Albany on the west side of the freeway located in kind of an industrial area. The little lake now looks like a toxic waste dump. Anyone remember playing this course when it was open?

Do you mean Simpson Park? If so, it's said that it'll come back some day...

 

[maniak]

There was course on Maui that was recently delisted near Lahaina. But as this course died, another one is in development, which is nice to see.

 

[The Valkyrie Kid]

Yep, that's it! Simpson Park is no more. Tim took it off this site. There is nothing there any longer. Just a big ugly polluted looking lake.

 

[Rizbee]

I have a copy of the 1986 PDGA Course Directory. I can start scanning through it and seeing which courses are no longer listed on DGCR. At the moment I can't locate my 1984 directory...