New Course in Walnut Creek, CA

[fhwks]

I wanted to let everyone know that I am involved in an effort to install a new course in Walnut Creek, CA. It will be a 9 hole course that will be located at the foot of an open space reserve and right across the street from a golf course and adjacent to a recreational park, meaning that it is a prime location to place another outdoor rec activity. Our thought was that the golf course would be able to provide facilities for people to use restrooms as well as pick up a snack if they wanted one.

However, the reason that I am writing to this thread is because there is still some more leg work to be accomplished before we can start construction. The city most likely won't have funding available for us due to budget constraints, leaving fundraising up to us. I was planning on going to businesses to ask them to sponsor a hole. What is an appropriate amount to ask for sponsor ship if we want decent baskets and are installing rubber mats with the gravel base provided to us from the city? We were thinking around $700 for concrete, mat, and basket?

I personally was planning on trying to have a fundraising tournament where I would spend some of my own money on rare plastic to have for prizes at a tournament I would put on, that way we can use the money for the project and not have to pay it back out to the winners, but instead give them discs that are valuable and worth having.

I know there are people on here who have installed courses before and I would greatly appreciate any suggestions or, even better, if you would be interested in assisting with the project to help spread the joy of disc golf.

You can pm me or contact me at my email address [email protected].

Thanks everyone!

 

[onemilemore]

Good luck with the install! I know down here in San Diego they are asking $500 for a sign sponsorship. Does your $700 asking price include the company's name on the tee sign? They need some way to show the public they pitched in.

Don't be afraid to check the local Optimists, Kiwanis, Rotary, etc. They usually have money for public recreation projects.

 

[Peterb]

Having just put in a course, I have a good idea about the full cost of implementing a 9 holer. However, I'm not sure about the rubber mats (I'd go with concrete if possible...a helluva lot less maintenance). Get the new innova 28 chain disc catchers. After shipping and taxes they are about $400 a pop. They're easy to see, and seem really well built.

You'll need about $200 for locks.

You'll need about 2 bags of concrete per basket sleeve, but sometimes more. Get at least 20 to be safe.

Are you installing signage at all? That will cost you in both the creation of the signs and in the concrete to set it.

My point is that you need to determine exactly what your costs will be before you go out and fundraise. Include taxes and shipping in the estimate.

Once you have an accurate estimate, then you'll know how much you need to fundraise, and you can simply divide the number by 9 to get the individual ask.

I used the local club's facebook page to solicit private donations. We had the money for the baskets within two weeks.

One thing to note, is that you should think about only installing the baskets first. Tees are difficult to move once you put them in, and it is a best practice to thoroughly test out your course design prior to tee installation. So you could easily break up the fundraising into two blocks: one for baskets and one for tees. The other advantage of this is that you'll have a nice little community of people to offer you more financial and physical help to get the tees together.

 

[fhwks]

Thanks for the responses! I was planning on putting names on the signs and I was going to try to make the signs myself out of 4x4s and cut up squares of plywood to mount a picture under plastic cover to protect it.

Also, very useful suggestion about the order of installing baskets and teepads, I will bring that up at the next meeting!

 

[MikePinchico]

I was born in Walnut Creek!!! Which golf course are you talking about?

 

[lion]

I went to junior college in walnut creek. Pretty cool.

 

[blur]

I grew up in Walnut Creek.

What property is this on? Walnut Creek Open Space? EBRPD? Mt. Diablo state park? Private?

The only golf courses in WC are Boundary Oaks and Diablo Hills (or Rossmoor witch is private).

 

[MikePinchico]

I grew up in Walnut Creek.

What property is this on? Walnut Creek Open Space? EBRPD? Mt. Diablo state park? Private?

The only golf courses in WC are Boundary Oaks and Diablo Hills (or Rossmoor witch is private).

And those old people would never allow a course there.

 

[blur]

Well, you can't even get into Rossmoor without living there.. I have scouted some prime locations for DGC's in Walnut Creek, but the city has seemed very uptight about 'their' property.

It looks like PeterB had already scouted a location as well and may have started on this, I would contact him and see how far he got on it.

 

[Peterb]

No I was referring to the Lake Sonoma course that we just put in.

 

[blur]

Oh, oops, I didn't mean that you were currently working on it, but I was referring to this :

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21643&highlight=Walnut+Creek

 

[fhwks]

Location

The course location is currently across the street from Boundary Oaks golf course at the foot of the open space reserve at the end of Valley vista Rd.

 

[timothyasteele]

Sweet!

Sent you an email...would love to help!

Tim S.