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Apr 27, 2023

Disc Golf Course To Be Installed At Falconer Park

Jun 5, 2023 FALCONER — Disc golf is coming to the village. At a cost of about

Jun 5, 2023

FALCONER — Disc golf is coming to the village.

At a cost of about $5,000, a nine-hole course will be installed inside Falconer Park. The project will be fully funded by the Rotary Foundation and Falconer Rotary Club.

Falconer Village Board members in May heard from local Rotary member Nina Gustafson, who said the organization had received an extension on a grant previously awarded for a dog park. That plan called for an area inside Falconer Park to be set aside for a dog park, though the effort fell through after some residents voiced concerns with its placement.

After learning that grant funds from the Rotary Foundation were still available, the local club was approached by Andrew Faulkner, a member of the Jamestown City Council, about bringing disc golf to the village.

Disc golf, also referred to as frisbee golf, is a sport growing in popularity in which players throw discs at a target, sometimes metal baskets, at the end of each hole. It is played using rules similar to golf.

At their May meeting, trustees heard from Rich Longer with Twin Tiers Disc Golf. In 2020, Longer said Twin Tiers installed a disc golf course in Olean that has become a "huge success," drawing between 500 and 1,000 players each month.

Information regarding the sport and its potential in Falconer was shared with trustees. Among the notes: disc golf is one of the fastest growing sports in the country; courses require relatively low capital and maintenance costs; and courses can be designed around currently occupied areas where they are proposed.

Longer said the course planned in Falconer Park will not hinder anyone taking part in other activities, such as baseball. There will be no "taking away from the green spaces or the walking trails" within the park, he said.

Mayor Jim Jaroszynski said he fully supports use of the park for disc golf.

"We went over the course — walked the course of what it's going to be — and we were very enthusiastic and still are that the Falconer Rotary is going to put this disc golf course in the park where people can take advantage of it," he told The Post-Journal.

In August 2022, the city of Jamestown announced the opening of a 12-hole disc golf course at Bergman Park. An additional six holes to create an 18-hole course has been announced.

Jamestown also partnered with Twin Tiers Disc Golf to apply for funding from the Ralph C. Wilson Foundation for discs and portable baskets for its summer playground recreation program.

Falconer Trustee Anthony Cavallaro voiced support for the disc golf course. He believes it will be a great addition to the park — providing more activities to users and potentially deterring vandalism.

Village board members approved use of the grant for the nine-hole course.

Gustafson said the project will cost $4,955, with $2,000 coming from the Rotary Foundation grant. "We will be paying the remainder of the cost of the installation of the course," she said of the Falconer Rotary Club's commitment.

With the dog park plan falling through, Gustafson said she was happy the grant could be put to good use in the community.

"This is the first time the Falconer Rotary Club has been awarded a Rotary Foundation grant, and we are pleased to be able to use the funds to enhance the Falconer Park with the installation of a disc golf course," she said. "We are proud of our partnership with the village of Falconer, and we hope the new course will bring enjoyment to the community for years to come."

A ribbon-cutting ceremony and picnic will be held once the course has been installed. No date for completion has been announced.

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