Disc Golf Course Wins Historic $25,000 State Farm Grant
Disc Golf Course Wins Historic $25,000 State Farm Grant
In its desire to see a Houck-designed course developed in Carrollton, GA, the Carrollton Disc Golf Club along with the support of HouckDesign rallied thousands of Facebook voters to submit daily votes over a several week period for a State Farm Neighborhood Assist Grant…and won! This is the first grant ever won for disc golf by public voting which is testimony to the sports ever growing popularity and might even be considered as evidence of the sport’s evolution into a main stream outdoor recreation activity.
The $25,000 grant will go towards constructing a championship level course that will be designed so that both the local populace can enjoy a more casual game of disc golf while more advanced players can be challenged by harder tee placements amidst the natural setting of a large city park that combines the beauty of wetlands, pastures and woodlands. Combined with this will be a nature trail and local artwork, including a “Seek and Find” game for younger children to play. “What impressed me most in this whole process is the number of people from all over the country who voted for this project,” said Eric Heine #56963, one of the club’s officers. “It just goes to show how disc golfers are dedicated to promoting the sport in general. We truly appreciated the groundswell of support!”
The grant process started with 4,000 proposed projects, with only 200 selected for the final voting process. Of these, only the top 40 projects, determined by Facebook votes alone, won the grant. “As we went through this competition,” commented David Goldberg #57007, the club’s president, “another benefit was to be able to educate people who only had a vague concept of what disc golf was and get them excited about learning how to play themselves.”
Other funding is being raised from local civic organizations, businesses and private donations. Although Carrollton, GA has a relatively small population of 25,000, the local disc players had a determined mindset to see a course worthy of tournament play to be constructed in the West Georgia area. Local clubs from Atlanta and around Georgia were also crucial in the support of the grant.
John Houck #1688, one of the sports premier designers, is deeply grateful for his thousands of Facebook fans who voted for this grant from around the country to show their support. The design process is complete and construction has already begun!
Comments
Like SEC football...Between
Like SEC football...Between Huntsville, Appling, Winthrop, and now an unheard of feat by the Carrolton Group, the southeast is an unstoppable hot bead for disc golf! Hats off!