AUBURN #- In the years that Gary Duckett has served as park director at Emerson Park, he has always been open to the input of the community.
In October of 2005, when a local resident approached Duckett with the idea of creating a disc golf course, Duckett's interest was piqued.
“A local man called me and said that what we needed at the park was a disc golf course,” Duckett said. “I always listen to the input of people in the community, so I started looking into it and looking on the Internet and doing a lot of research to see what it was all about.”
In his research Duckett discovered a sport that was on the cusp of making a big breakthrough across the country.
“It is an up-and-coming sport,” Duckett said. “Around here we are a little behind the first wave. It started in California years ago and has been growing ever since.”
The game can trace its roots to Ed Headrick, who invented and patented the modern Frisbee in 1964.
In 1975, Headrick went on to invent what he called the disc pole hole, a device made of metal and chains for catching Frisbees.
Armed with a disc and the basket, Headrick opened the first disc golf course in 1975 in Pasadena, Calif. The game quickly caught on and Headrick founded the Professional Disc Golf Association.
Locally, Duckett discovered the Central New York Disc Golf Association.
“We got all the approval we needed,” he said. “And we worked with them on mapping out a course and getting things started here at Emerson Park.”
To help fund the course, which sits across from the main entrance of Emerson Park, many local sponsors and businesses were quick to step up and lend a hand.
“Dr. Joseph Karpinski Sr. was one of the first to approach us,” Duckett said. “He heard about it and he said that he would sponsor the first hole and the others got involved and helped build the course.”
Among those who pitched in to help are the Cayuga County Office of Tourism and the Cayuga County Council on Physical Fitness, making the course a place created by and for the people of the community. The support we received has been tremendous. All the sponsors helped make this possible.“
After laying out the course and installing the baskets, Emerson Park opened the first nine holes of the course and since then players have been active.
“Things have been going along well,” Duckett said. “Since we opened, people have been on the course year round. We have hosted a tournament for the Central New York Disc Golf Association and they are planning on having another tournament here this summer. But there are always people there. All through the fall and even the winter people have been out there playing. I think having this has really added something to the park.”
Disc golf is in many ways much like its name sake.
Players line up at a tee, with options for professional, amateur and recreational. After teeing off players play their disc where it lies, working their way closer to the hole until they sink their shot.
While the game can be played with a regular Frisbee, Duckett said that disc golf has grown into a real boom industry with its own regulation discs, which are available for purchase at the park, with discs ranging from beginner discs to professional sets.
“There are guys that will have 25 discs,” Duckett said. “It is a sport you can really get into. There are all kinds of different discs - discs that are more aerodynamic, discs for a long shot, discs that are more rounded or more pointed with different flight paths, discs that are made to roll after they are thrown to get closer to the hole, discs for putts. It has been a real learning experience for me to see all the different things that are involved in this game.”
With the success garnered from the first nine, Emerson Park, with the help of many local sponsors such as the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse and the Central New York Disc Golf Association, has been able to expand into a back nine.
This has been a real boon for the entire park.
“That was a highly under-used area,” Duckett said. “Now, every day I see at least four or five cars over there. People have really taken an interest in this game and the course we have here at the park.”
Duckett said plans are in the works for an official opening of the back nine this summer, but the course is accessible and open for use already.
With summer approaching, Duckett is anticipating an even greater interest in the game.
“It is a game anyone can play,” Duckett said. “It is something for anyone of any level of physical ability. I think that is the great thing about the game, and I think once summer gets here we are going to see a lot more people out playing and trying it out to see what it is all about. I think it has been a great addition to the park.”
“A local man called me and said that what we needed at the park was a disc golf course,” Duckett said. “I always listen to the input of people in the community, so I started looking into it and looking on the Internet and doing a lot of research to see what it was all about.”
In his research Duckett discovered a sport that was on the cusp of making a big breakthrough across the country.
“It is an up-and-coming sport,” Duckett said. “Around here we are a little behind the first wave. It started in California years ago and has been growing ever since.”
The game can trace its roots to Ed Headrick, who invented and patented the modern Frisbee in 1964.
In 1975, Headrick went on to invent what he called the disc pole hole, a device made of metal and chains for catching Frisbees.
Armed with a disc and the basket, Headrick opened the first disc golf course in 1975 in Pasadena, Calif. The game quickly caught on and Headrick founded the Professional Disc Golf Association.
Locally, Duckett discovered the Central New York Disc Golf Association.
“We got all the approval we needed,” he said. “And we worked with them on mapping out a course and getting things started here at Emerson Park.”
To help fund the course, which sits across from the main entrance of Emerson Park, many local sponsors and businesses were quick to step up and lend a hand.
“Dr. Joseph Karpinski Sr. was one of the first to approach us,” Duckett said. “He heard about it and he said that he would sponsor the first hole and the others got involved and helped build the course.”
Among those who pitched in to help are the Cayuga County Office of Tourism and the Cayuga County Council on Physical Fitness, making the course a place created by and for the people of the community. The support we received has been tremendous. All the sponsors helped make this possible.“
After laying out the course and installing the baskets, Emerson Park opened the first nine holes of the course and since then players have been active.
“Things have been going along well,” Duckett said. “Since we opened, people have been on the course year round. We have hosted a tournament for the Central New York Disc Golf Association and they are planning on having another tournament here this summer. But there are always people there. All through the fall and even the winter people have been out there playing. I think having this has really added something to the park.”
Disc golf is in many ways much like its name sake.
Players line up at a tee, with options for professional, amateur and recreational. After teeing off players play their disc where it lies, working their way closer to the hole until they sink their shot.
While the game can be played with a regular Frisbee, Duckett said that disc golf has grown into a real boom industry with its own regulation discs, which are available for purchase at the park, with discs ranging from beginner discs to professional sets.
“There are guys that will have 25 discs,” Duckett said. “It is a sport you can really get into. There are all kinds of different discs - discs that are more aerodynamic, discs for a long shot, discs that are more rounded or more pointed with different flight paths, discs that are made to roll after they are thrown to get closer to the hole, discs for putts. It has been a real learning experience for me to see all the different things that are involved in this game.”
With the success garnered from the first nine, Emerson Park, with the help of many local sponsors such as the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse and the Central New York Disc Golf Association, has been able to expand into a back nine.
This has been a real boon for the entire park.
“That was a highly under-used area,” Duckett said. “Now, every day I see at least four or five cars over there. People have really taken an interest in this game and the course we have here at the park.”
Duckett said plans are in the works for an official opening of the back nine this summer, but the course is accessible and open for use already.
With summer approaching, Duckett is anticipating an even greater interest in the game.
“It is a game anyone can play,” Duckett said. “It is something for anyone of any level of physical ability. I think that is the great thing about the game, and I think once summer gets here we are going to see a lot more people out playing and trying it out to see what it is all about. I think it has been a great addition to the park.”
