let's get new courses in lake county, IL! where to start?

[MrKnowitall85]

I live in lake county, IL. Disc golf is popular and still growing in my area. I'd ultimately like to design and open a disc golf resort of my own, but I'm really starting at grassroots here. There are a couple of parks (namely chain O'lakes state park and the grant woods) that would be fantastic candidates for disc golf courses. My question is-to all you designers and developers-who should I talk to about this? I'd like to be a part of perpetuating the popularity of this sport, and lake county really should be a destination on any disc golfers' wishlist. Fairfield park is finally getting a face lift, and we could still use more solid, tournament caliber courses around here.

 

[notroman]

Good luck! There are lots of people in the area that have been trying to make a push with LFCPD over the past 10-15 years and have gotten nowhere. The bottom line is LFCPD refuses to develop the land they own.

If you're really looking to help and want to know what has been done already, feel free to join Discontinuum and talking to some of the guys in that club.

Fairfield is getting a big redesign to a gold level course, and there is another blue level pay to play course that will be going in a few miles away from Fairfield. Things are finally shaking up, but it has been a long, long process.

 

[BionicRib]

To put it short and sweet there are a lot of people in the chicagoland area trying "a lot of different" ways and approaches to get courses in. Some things work, some things don't. It basically boils down to who owns the property (public or private). Right now public is our best bet, but private would be ideal. Some public park land does have a lot of potential, but unfortunately it can be a "process" putting something together......and a "process" getting everything done. Unless you have an army of residents that support installing a course in their public park it can definitely be a struggle. Private land owners would be the best IMO to deal with because there is very little "red tape" involved compared to park districts/preserves. The problem with private land owners in the Chicago area is the price of the land. Convincing a private landowner to use their land for a potentially great pay to play course would be hard. There just isn't enough data out there to support whether or not pay to play could be profitable.

Also FWIW, if our disc golf community as a hole wasn't as segregated (and I use that term loosely). I believe we could get better courses/tournaments/even good pay to plays. I'm not trying to take a direct shot at the clubs, because the clubs have done a great deal for disc golf. That comment is directed towards the politics......A lot of disc golf hot spots IMO have one thing in common.......less politics.

Or maybe I'm just too idealistic.

FWIW. I think things are starting to change as a whole though, but it will be gradual