Disc golf course revitalization plan goes through

Disc golf-lovers may not have to go very far for much longer to take part in their favorite sport.

The same night the Greenfield City Council examined what could be for the aging Greenfield Municipal Pool, members also took a look at a proposal for the sport of disc golf in town.

Area native Lucas Frank received permission Tuesday, March 25 from the council to go forward with a proposal developed by a local five-person committee to refurbish a portion of the disc golf course at Lake Greenfield damaged in the May 2024 tornado.

Disc golf emerged as a sport from informal play in the 1960s. It involves throwing a specialized frisbee into a basket or target. The course in Greenfield has been a favorite for many since it was developed.

A color-coded map the group drafted constrasts the existing course with the one proposed. The group wants to only focus on the north portion of the course for now but has intentions to expand their focus in the future to the rest of it.

The Iowa DNR’s Forestry Division came out to mark damaged trees and those that needed taken out following the tornado. The two courses are very similar, however the effect the tornado had on trees may require some holes be moved slightly.

The new course won’t cost the city anything. The Greater Greenfield Community Foundation has vowed to help planners in some way financially. Disc golf-lovers may want to bid on damaged baskets on an auction, Frank said, which could help bring some revenue to building and maintaining a new course. Some of them were made locally by Fox Welding. City Clerk Laura Benton indicated insurance money is also available for purchasing new baskets.

Another anticipated cost is mowing, but Frank said the city should see very little, if any, change to that because of the new course.

“This course means a lot to our family,” Frank said. “With the five-person local committee, we got feedback from local players asking what they want to see different or improved.”