132-acre site favorite of disc golfers

A 132-acre land parcel in east Carson City near the Eastgate V&T Railway depot and Flint Drive emerged Tuesday night as the No. 1 proposed disc golf site.

The Parks and Recreation Commission voted without dissent to make it the top priority and designate two other sites as backup possibilities. Those sites are 27 acres at Carson River Park and 50 acres west of Western Nevada College. Additional hurdles and city staff work must precede the recommendation going to the Board of Supervisors.

Disc golfers, who play a game with a flying disc akin to a Frisbee and try to traverse an 18-goal course in as few throws as possible, adamantly favored the Flint Drive site.

“Without question, the Flint Drive area is what you want to pursue,” said Skot Meyer, president of the Reno Disc Golf Association. He indicated disc golfing organizations such as his would help raise funds, design and put in a course if the city chose the site and wanted such help.

Meyer also said the Carson River site isn’t worth pursuing and the WNC site is an open field with lack of challenging terrain, so it wouldn’t hold players’ sustained interest.

Before Meyer and other disc golfers testified, the commission heard a report on city staff work that had pared eight prospective sites to the top three considered. Vern Krahn, city parks planner, said staff was seeking commission approval for a recommendation of the trio without designating any order yet.

But he added that if the commission preferred to name a top candidate, that was no problem for staff. He and Roger Moellendorf, Parks and Recreation Department director, did say the Flint Drive site is on Bureau of Land Management land that is coming to the city, but isn’t city property yet. Moellendorf estimated that would take three to 12 months.

Everyone seemed to agree advantages of the property included the right topography and spaced vegetation, plus room to grow should disc golf attract tournaments and also grow in popularity among city and area residents. At least 20 acres per 18-target course is needed, so the site could become a course complex.

The game — which Meyer said is a low impact, low cost and easily-accessible sport for the whole family — is played in 40 or more nations. The number of disc golf courses doubled between the years 2000 and 2009, according to Wikipedia, and growth continues.

Krahn cautioned that even as the BLM land comes to the city, cultural and historical clearances must be obtained and other work done, so it will take some time before disc golf becomes a reality in Carson City.