To update those of you may be interested. I talked with a couple of gentleman from Plano's Parks Dept about Shawnee and possible upgrades. A few things came from this initial meeting that seem promising, but this was only a first meeting.
1st the disc golf program has been moved to the Athletics section of the department. They seem very interested and excited to grow disc golf in Plano. They are most familiar with softball and soccer, and in that vein have an interest in trying to start a league at some point. This would be open to Plano and non-Plano residence and could include singles, doubles, or both.
2nd. Long term plans are in the works to build a pro level course in the area at the end of Chaparral Rd. They are planning to build a sports complex and want to have a course designed to go along the creek. They also want it to be a single use facility - keep disc golf and park goers separate. (No funds have yet been allocated, so this is in the very early stages.)
3rd. They see Shawnee as a casual players course, and do not want to sink too much into its upgrades. Trash cans and benches are something they are very much in favor of. They are looking into either a granite stone (like gravel but wont scatter) or cement tee pads. They are not opposed to the planting of a few trees in strategic areas as well.
4th. They are hoping we can establish a club or group that can help in making decisions concerning disc golf in Plano. Some minor work / course up keep may be involved as well, but for the most part they are looking for a group of individuals to deal with the disc golf part, and they will be happy to deal with the admin and support part. They are used to operating this way with some other local athletic groups.
5th. They hinted at the idea of setting up temporary courses in other facilities to integrate into the league aspect. They thought setting up a course and having everyone play it blind, be it at a soccer complex, softball complex, or some combination on an off weekend would be an interesting wrinkle.
All in all it was a positive experience. It might be lip service, but they seemed genuinely interested and had done some research prior to our meeting. I still have not gotten a chance to talk with the more active locals about this yet. If you frequent the park I would like to hear from you. Issues concerning hole placement, removal, tee boxes, etc. should be evaluated from a few angles.
Thanks for your input and support for disc golf in Plano. Post your ideas or feel free to email me.
