Park upgrades include disc golf
Town of Tecumseh makes additions to 18-hole course
Walking trails, outdoor fitness equipment and disc golf are a few of the upgrades awaiting visitors to Lakewood Park in Tecumseh.
Thanks to a $400,000 grant from the Canada 150 fund and matching money from town council, the perimeter of the former Lakewood Golf course now features more than a mile of paved pathway with several unpaved trails weaving through the park’s interior.
Town crews have added benches, a pedestrian bridge and a climbing rock as well as 18 holes of disc golf.
Paul Anthony, the town’s director of parks and recreation, said while some people have already taken aim at the chain-link targets associated with disc golf, the course doesn’t officially open until May.
“We haven’t done all the drainage work yet or gotten all the signs up,” he said.
When everything is in place, Tecumseh will be the first local community to offer the popular hybrid of golf and Frisbee. While there are 350 permanent courses in Michigan, the next closest Ontario facility is in St. Thomas. There are 60 permanent courses across Ontario.
Using discs smaller and heavier than the traditional summer beach toy, players strive to glide their discs inside the cages in the fewest throws possible.
Players “tee off” from cement pads and holes are measured in yards just like regular golf.
The Ontario Disc Golf Association presented an online feature on Lakewood’s layout, measuring 5,185 yards with a par of 55. The longest hole is No. 15, a monster at 540 yards.
“I play every day,” said Ron Hebert, one of the founding members of the Windsor-Essex Disc Golf Club. “I used to play ball golf and I’ve always thrown a Frisbee my whole life.”
As a kid, he remembers challenging his brother to see how many throws it took to reach a telephone pole or other object.
He finally got to try disc golf during a trip to Nevada and was instantly hooked.
Hebert and fellow Tecumseh disc golf enthusiast Scott White first pitched the idea of a local course to town council in 2012. They attended planning meetings for Lakewood Park and started playing there with friends using temporary targets.
Once the town officially opens the course, Hebert said the club will organize league play and there’s already talk of a charity tournament in July.
The Lakewood Cafe has rental discs for those wanting to give the game a try.
“It’s fun and it’s easy,” Hebert said. “I think parents are going to like it. You can say here’s a $10 disc, go play.”
Unlike regular golf, which can take four hours or more for an 18hole round, Hebert said a foursome can complete 18 holes of disc golf in about 90 minutes.
Anthony noted the course is spread out over 25 acres and was designed so as not to “interfere with regular everyday use of the park.”
I think parents are going to like it. You can say here’s a $10 disc, go play.