Championship disc golf course pending…
Oneida County Board counters offer from Newbold
By Jared Raney
Reporter
A “destination” disc golf course is on the cusp of being realized this week after the Oneida County Board countered an offer from the Town of Newbold.
The proposal from Newbold was to purchase a piece of county land as an extension to their current plans for a course on the site of the old Newbold landfill.
This addition would allow Newbold to turn a simple 9-hole course into a championship-level 18-hole course.
Newbold’s original proposal was to buy the property for $7,800. The board decided the price was too low, and countered with the estimated timber value of the parcel, $15,000.
“I think the County Board fails to see the potential tourist income for this project,” said Newbold town chairman Dave Kroll, who presented to the County Board. “The County Board is doing what they think is in the best interest of the taxpayers… I was looking for the County Board to partner with us for the good of the county.”
Though proponents of the Newbold project were disappointed by the Board’s decision, they’re not giving up. The $15,000 counter-offer will be brought before the townspeople for a vote, the fate of a tourist asset in the balance.
“The golf we have up here is great, but the course they’re trying to propose is a championship-level disc golf course,” said Andrew Klaver, a professional disc golfer and Tomahawk native, now living in Durham, NC, who travels back to Wisconsin each summer to tour disc golf courses. “They’re also known as destination disc golf courses. If you build the course, people will travel to play it, people will spend money as they travel to play it, and I’m living proof.”
At the meeting, the board opted not to go into closed session, and a motion was quickly made to offer the property for $15,000. An amendment was proposed to accept the original offer of $7,800. The amendment was voted down 13 – 5, with the original motion passing unanimously soon after.
Co-designer gives tour of current Newbold Recreation Area and proposed 9-hole disc golf course
By Jared Raney
Reporter
Looking out over the green pasture of what was previously a landfill, you can see the appeal in turning what used to be a blight on the land into a tourist attraction.
The area seems to have been designed for a course; tree line gently curving around the sloping mound of the once-dumpsite.
Last weekend the course design for the first nine holes of what is hoped to become an 18-hole championship course was unveiled.
The designers are Bill Stolpa, who designed the Brandy Lake course, among others, and Don “Duster” Hoffman, who is a Professional Disc Golf Association hall-of-famer. Between the two, Stolpa said the combined experience level is about 70 years.
“Bill and Duster have done an absolutely wonderful job for us in terms of the course design,” said Ed Hammer of the Newbold Outdoor Recreation Committee.
Solpa hopes to utilize sponsorships and recycled material that is already in the area to make the course a reality.
“It’s become a passion of mine, I love coming up, and especially property like this, which is very, it is virgin, it is pristine,” Stolpa said. “And we do get to come in and really use our creative aspects instead of whatever we have to work with. In some parks you’re limited in how you can design a course, this is basically a free-design.”
“There are a number of people that really believe in this… I only see great things coming out of this disc golf course.” -Bill Stolpa, course co-designer and professional disc golfer.
Leave a reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.