The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (USACE) involvement in large infrastructure projects is fairly well-known. They oversee hundreds of dams across the United States, operate hydroelectric facilities, as well as build and maintain military infrastructure. But they have other missions, too. Environmental stewardship, sustainability, and facilitating recreation are all among them.
The USACE reaches those goals, in part, by managing park-like properties that offer a variety of recreational opportunities such as camping, fishing, hiking, and mountain biking. And if you have an area where those activities are possible, you often have a wonderful spot for disc golf. That fact hasn't escaped the USACE's notice, and units around the country have installed disc golf courses to expand their offerings and attract a new demographic of visitors.
Why USACE Sites Are Great for Disc Golf
Many USACE properties contain everything disc golfers dream of in a course: beautiful views, water, elevation change, and both open and forested areas. They also typically have useful infrastructure such as parking lots, bathrooms, and educational signage.
"A lot of people ask if we are a state park," said Scott Graham, interpretive park ranger with the USACE at Raystown Lake in Pennsylvania. "We're a federal land agency with similarities to the National Parks or Forest Service. We just have slightly varied missions based on the site."
Along with natural and built environments that are a great fit for disc golf, USACE properties also employ park rangers who are dedicated to providing recreational opportunities to their communities.
"Everyone knows that the National Park Service has rangers and manages lots of land,"said Graham. "People don't realize that the Army Corps also has park rangers and dedicated recreational managers as well."
This combination of great topography, infrastructure, and personnel to help build and maintain courses has led to a growing number of incredible disc golf opportunities for players across the United States.
How Disc Golf Helps the USACE Reach Their Goals
Around 2008, Kyle Broockerd, a natural resources manager with the USACE, was tasked with attracting new park users to the Perry Lake Project in Perry, Kansas. Broockerd was not a disc golfer at the time but became convinced that the sport could be a good fit for their park.
"We were looking for ways to draw more visitors into the park," said Broockerd. "I did a lot of research and came across disc golf. We had lots of cool topography with natural pockets and openings and great mature timber. I thought it could help attract a new demographic of visitors."
After Broockerd convinced his supervisor that disc golf could be a worthwhile investment toward their goals, he put in countless hours to help prepare the property for a course while taking care to ensure that the course aligned with the site's mission of caring for the environment.
"Once I had the approval, I spent a lot of time with a chainsaw removing dead trees and brush," said Broockerd. "Environmental stewardship concerns remained as well. We don't want to remove good habitat. We want to clear very selectively and work with the land."
Broockerd consulted with a local club and volunteers to finetune his layout and design. The end product was Longview Disc Golf Course, a highly rated course that has multiple baskets per hole. The baskets are at different distances from the tee so that players at various skill levels can find a layout to enjoy.
In 2013 Broockerd was transferred to nearby Clinton Lake. After seeing the popularity of the Longview Course, he quickly worked to design and install Bloomington Disc Golf Course at his new project site.
"Disc golf has definitely been successful in drawing new people to the parks and campgrounds," said Broockerd. "We get the UDisc play summaries and they clearly demonstrate the courses' popularity."
Disc Golf & Other Activities Play Well Together
A major draw of disc golf for the Army Corps and its rangers is that it can coexist peacefully with other activities and recreationalists on their multi-use properties.
"An Army Corps park is never going to be a dedicated disc golf park," said Graham. "Raystown Lake attracts over 1.5 million visitors a year and has camping, picnicking, fishing, hiking, and mountain biking trails."
Through careful planning and design, Graham and his team were able to build two courses at Raystown Lake – the family friendly Seven Points Pine 9 and the more challenging Seven Points Ravine 18 – that don't cause conflicts between disc golfers and other parkgoers.
"There are going to be different user groups, and we want to effectively provide different types of recreation for user groups who may not know anything about each other, " said Graham. "Maybe at the end they even get introduced to a new type of recreation to enjoy with their families."
One thing that sets disc golf apart from many other recreational activities is the wide variety of landscapes in which it can thrive. Popular disc golf courses have been built on Christmas tree farms and ski slopes, near breweries, and even in abandoned towns. This adaptability enables USACE staff nationwide to design and install a course that works well for their specific topography and existing recreational offerings.
"The variability of disc golf was really appealing," said Broockerd. "It could provide a new outlet for existing campers, is accessible to a wide age range, and would hopefully draw in a new demographic of visitors as well."
Partnering with the USACE to Build a Course Near You
Every USACE project has different priorities, and no single approach is optimal at every site. However, if you'd like to see a disc golf course at a USACE property in your area, there are a few steps you can take that will always lead you in the right direction.
First, as with any community-based project, it is essential to meet and talk with the right people. One of the most important contacts to make and impress is a USACE property's recreation manager.
"Recreation managers will be looking at what the public wants, and disc golf is growing so substantially," said Graham. "There are definitely opportunities for collaboration out there."
As a note here, know that you can find lots of stats about disc golf's growth locally and globally in our Disc Golf Growth Report. You can also reach out to us at [email protected] for more stats from your area. Having data like this has helped people across the world get projects rolling, including one that led to New York City's first disc golf course.
But no matter how strong your numbers are or how much you wow the recreation manager, you'll need more than solid stats and the support of a single person to get a course project off the ground at a USACE property.
"My biggest takeaway on the Corps of Engineers is to see if they have a citizen board...and to get involved with that citizen board, " said Jon Reny. "Then you're talking with people that can influence what projects the corps wants to do."
Reny was a key instigator and co-designer of the Kooky Noosa Disc Golf Course in Libby, Montana, at the Souse Gulch Recreation Area. It took coordination and enthusiasm from various groups and individuals to make Kooky Noosa and its sister course, Libby Lower Dam, a reality, including local disc golf enthusiasts, Montana's PDGA representative, and Libby Dam's recreation manager.
If your local project site is agreeable to a course, funding is often the biggest secondary hurdle – but also something that USACE can frequently help with.
"Handshake partnership is good verbiage for clubs and builders to use when they approach a lead ranger or project manager," said Graham. "This past year six out of eight applicants were provided handshake funding. We are trying to educate and encourage more sites and users to apply for handshake funding; it is a huge jumping off point to get a project started."
Handshake funding is money that comes from USACE headquarters. This means that you do not need to convince the leadership of your local district to spend money from their own budget to help build the course. The funding is intended to support projects that are set up to be built and run with a similar vested interest, but the vested interest does not have to be money. It can also include non-monetary contributions such as volunteer time, labor, or professional expertise.
"At Raystown Lake we got $20,000 as handshake money," said Graham. "The local disc golf club put in lots of volunteer time designing the course, cleaning fairways and brush, and getting deals with disc golf companies."
Keep in mind that the project doesn't end once the course is installed. Having a consistently great course requires lots of time and work to keep it looking and playing its best.
"We rely on volunteers to sustain a project like a disc golf course and to hold it to the expected and desired standard," said Graham. "Poorly maintained courses reflect negatively on whoever is managing it. A desire to have a lasting product that is great for the user group is really important."
You can learn more about the USACE and find out if there are any sites near you that could host a great disc golf course on the USACE's website.
