Mclaren Park, San Francisco California

[Peterb]

This is from my buddy Jeffery, who was huge in building the Golden Gate Park Course. Now, he's set his sights on Mclaren Park, in the southeast part of the city. This park is going to be pretty sick, so if you can help out the SFDGC by joining the club, and/or by attending the community meetings, we will get a 2d course in SF.

The SFDGC is also working on Junipero Serra County Park: the vision is to have three disc golf courses by mid 2011.

Hi everyone, Well we have exciting news about the McLaren Disc Golf course. San Francisco Parks & Rec Department & the San Francisco Disc Golf Club have agreed upon a preliminary layout for the McLaren Park Disc Golf Course. This is an amazing layout that includes a ...full 18 hole course with a wonderful variety of holes. There are a few wide open 500+ foot holes, a few tight and technical holes, lots of elevation changes and great views of San Francisco. This is a course that will challenge even the best players and is sure to become one of the premiere courses in the bay area. Before we can move on to drafting an MOU with the city and start the actual construction of the course, we need to present the layout to the community. There is a general misunderstanding of disc golf in the community surrounding McLaren Park and thus there is a small but vocal opposition to the construction of the McLaren Disc Golf Course. Therefore these meetings will be very important to demonstrate to the city that there is a strong demand for disc golf in San Francisco. Up to this point, they have only been hearing opposition to the course. I have done my best to convince them that there are hundreds of disc golfers that are very excited to see the McLaren course completed. Now is the time to prove this to them. April 10th 1pm at the parking lot of the Jerry Garcia Amphitheater in McLaren Park: Course Walkthrough - We will have a walkthrough in McLaren Park of the purposed layout. This is a great chance to come out and see the planned course layout. But also, this is a meeting that will be attend by many members of the community who are opposed to the course and thus we need to have a large contingency of people who are excited by the layout. April 20th 6:30-8pm at Crocker-Amazon Clubhouse (In McLaren Park near the corner of Italy & Moscow): Community Meeting - This is the big meeting. This is a meeting to discuss Disc Golf in McLaren Park. I will give a presentation about Disc Golf in San Francisco and the course in McLaren park. We will then hear from the community about reaction to the purposed plan. It is important that the Parks Department hear many more positive responses than negative ones. Thus it is extremely important for the future of disc golf not just in McLaren Park but in all of San Francisco, that there are a huge number of disc golfers at this meeting. If you play disc golf in San Francisco, this meeting is a must attend event. Since it is so important to have a big attendance to these meetings, it is critical for us to have an idea of who plans to attend. Please take a few minutes to answer the survey below. (Only 5 questions) Also please forward this to anyone you know who plays Disc Golf. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XZGCLLX We will also be doing phone trees before the events to remind members to attend. If you can help make 10 calls in the days leading up to each of these meetings, please let me know and I will add you to my list. Assuming we get an excellent turnout at both of these events, I believe we will be starting construction on McLaren Park by the end of the summer. Extremely excited, Jeffery Bowling SFDGC

 

[humchris85]

I'm stoked to hear about this, but I probably won't be able to make the meeting due to the 5-6 hour drive. But a big thumbs up on puting this course in. I would love to have another course in the bay to come down and play.

 

[sloppydisc]

I'm excited for the SF dgers, but I am also confused. I thought you CA people were broke. I mean really screwed bad. Where is SF getting $$ to build a DG course or park? I am all for more courses, but if your state is in as bad an economic mess as I think it is shouldn't money go elsehwhere? Times have changed and I think we all are going to do with less. It sucks, but that's the way it is going to be for the foreseeable future. How do the local politicians, or City employees justify a disc golf course when the whole State if completely F'd financially? I have told my family that B'Days and X'mas will get smaller in our house, and vacations will definitely be real basic (family visits), so how do they sell even a small DG course to Bay Area residents? Is everyone out here still stoned out of their gourds?? Will the madness ever stop?

 

[Huk Finn]

Actually plans for more courses in the Bay Area have popped up lately. A third in SanJose. One in San Mateo etc. Local clubs are fundraising and paying for baskets etc... If the cities can work a course into an area where they can charge a small fee for parking they are all for it. Now they are pulling in money they weren't before.

If you have more CA discgolf/budget question. Please contact the Govenator.

 

[Peterb]

I'm excited for the SF dgers, but I am also confused. I thought you CA people were broke. I mean really screwed bad. Where is SF getting $$ to build a DG course or park? I am all for more courses, but if your state is in as bad an economic mess as I think it is shouldn't money go elsehwhere? Times have changed and I think we all are going to do with less. It sucks, but that's the way it is going to be for the foreseeable future. How do the local politicians, or City employees justify a disc golf course when the whole State if completely F'd financially? I have told my family that B'Days and X'mas will get smaller in our house, and vacations will definitely be real basic (family visits), so how do they sell even a small DG course to Bay Area residents? Is everyone out here still stoned out of their gourds?? Will the madness ever stop?

Everything will be privately funded.

 

[DutchViking]

This is great news! I havent been to mcClaren park but it sounds like it will be great! Northern California Disc Golf is blowing up! Gotta love it!

Not sure if I can make the meetings, being that I'm living in San Jose, but I will defintely help with the hard work required to construct and make the course playable.

 

[sloppydisc]

Private funding is great!!! Good job, and congratulations. I hope to play some of your courses when I travel out there for work.

 

[Peterb]

The opposition to Mclaren Park will be at these meetings, so we need all disc golfers on deck. Here's what they have to say:

A very important meeting is scheduled for this Saturday in at Jerry Garcia
Amphitheater in McLaren Park regarding the proposed 18-hole disc golf course in
the park. This meeting will include a walk-through of the course.

The meeting is scheduled from 1-2 pm on Saturday, April 10th

http://www.parks.sfgov.org/wcm_recpark/Notice/DiscGolfMcLaren.pdf

Don't be fooled by the flyer which claims this course will bring many benefits
to the park. The 18 holes will dominate a HUGE portion of the park now enjoyed
by hikers, nature lovers, families, dog walkers and other members of the
community.

As you may know, this course was approved by SF Park & Rec over 5 years ago,
despite the lack of adequate community participation. It has sat dormant since
then, but now it's gaining momentum. SUPPORTERS OF THE COURSE ARE WELL ORGANIZED
AND WILL SHOW UP IN LARGE NUMBERS. They will take advantage of the lack of
leadership and organization among current park users.

McLaren Park will permanently change if this course is installed. The discs used
are not the lightweight frisbees you may be familiar with... they are smaller,
harder, denser and heavier. They kill young plants and strip branches from
trees. If a person is hit by one, it could cause serious injury.

Please come Saturday, and bring friends. And also plan on attending the
community meeting on April 20th at Crocker Amazon Clubhouse.

Tom Scott

 

[Peterb]

A crowd of over 70 people showed up for the course design walkthrough. At least half were concerned neighbors, who at first were really angry (dare I say downright rude) about disc golf in Mclaren. The anger was still there after the tour, but since there were many disc golfers there, many questions were answered about disc golf, and they actually got to speak with human beings about the project.

The community meeting on the 20th is going to be very interesting. We need every disc golfer in SF to make it out to the meeting. Certainly if you live near Mclaren park you absolutely must be there.

The opposition to the course is based upon the fact that the park has been neglected for years by rec and park. The neighbors don't like it when they feel that a new project is being 'shoved down their throats' and they had no say in the matter.

The truth is that the project has been in the works for five years, and they had plenty of opportunity to have say in the initial decision making process, and they are being given plenty of say in the final design now. Some choose to be rude about it. Some think it's the end of the world. Some are starting to understand that disc golf will actually be a net positive for the park.

Please come on the 20th!

 

[DutchViking]

So what happened yesterday at the community meeting? I am waiting with baited breath, as I'm sure many Nor Cal disc golfers are!

 

[Peterb]

So what happened yesterday at the community meeting? I am waiting with baited breath, as I'm sure many Nor Cal disc golfers are!

http://cbs5.com/video/[email protected]

This piece has a decent angle, and it exhibits the hogwash that some of the neighbors were spouting: e.d. we would take away their ability to hike and walk their dogs in a 325 acre park (of which the course would use about 25 acres).

 

[DareBare420]

How did the meeting on April 20th go?

I didnt get to attend b/c I live far away? Anyone know how the meeting for Mclaren Park on April 20th go?