I threw a round of object golf out at Olmos Basin Park this afternoon with a friend, and it seems like 9 holes would easily fit. After I got home, I got an aerial map and roughed in where we played and ideas of where holes might be.

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/3625/olmosmapjz1.jpg

#3 is sweet...from the highway embankment across a creek. Mando on #4...what's labeled 5 we played as two holes, but i can see it easily combined into 1. #7 is the longest somewhere around 650 ft...double mando on #8. a bit of a walk between 8 and 9, but there's a playground and some table/benches that will need to be designed around.

This is still just an idea...just thinking out loud. If anyone thinks this is a good idea or wants to see what I'm talking about, let's DISCuss.

By the way, Shawn - any help you could provide pertaining to dealing with Parks & Rec. or city officials would be appreciated. I have dealt with these guys in Rockport, but that's small potatoes compared to a city like SA, and I'm sure you've been doing a lot of this lately.

My friend wants to get some experience in talking politics with the city, and I have lots of material from the proposal in Rockport.

Anything else you might think of...?

Communicate with Badaz about this park.

That park is in Brian's back yard, and I asked him about it a year or so ago. He mentioned it would not work out, but I can't remember why. It would be an awesome nine-hole course. Every time I drive by it, I think "What a perfect place for a course!"

Every time I drive by it, I think "What a perfect place for a course!"



My thoughts exactly...I figure that since the City of San Antonio is finally on board with disc golf (Falcone, McClain, Pearsall) they may be more willing to consider a course there. I know that area floods all the time, and erosion control would be an issue, but both Jason and I have degrees in Environmental Design, and have dealt with issues like this before.

The place I had trouble with was the area bordered by Jackson Keller, McCollough and Basse road. It was too small to put in 18 there, and the neighborhood association wouldn't let us use the land acrross the street for another 9.

The area you are pointing out is an area where the first disc golf course in San Antonio was designed by Andy Maldonado. We had two strips of tape or two stripes of paint on trees as the "hole". That was back in the day when we threw discs that more resembled regular frisbees... midnight flyers, kitty hawks, 165's, etc. so length was not an issue. Now length is an issue, as even our newest ams can throw a wraith 200 feet.

We actually had a disc golf tourney there back in the day, I know cuz I have the first place trophy to prove it :D

Contact Scott Stover at the Parks Dept. But the main problem with working with the City of SA is their budget process. They typically budget a year in advance, or set park bonds 3-5 years in advance, so even if you got it approved today, you wouldn't see any money for over a year, maybe longer. McLain, Nani and Pearsall had been on the books for over three years I believe before the city started buying baskets.

I'd say concentrate on making McLain as great a course as you can make it before venturing onto new projects. But that's just me.

The main reason I brought this up is that all San Antonio courses are way out on the rim of the city. Live Oak, UC, Lackland, McClain and Falcone form a ring around the metro area, and tough luck if you live on the south side. Something centralized seems obvious, and Olmos is not only a great location, but it makes a great 9-holes. A course in the "middle" of the city might boost even play at all those other courses: exposing people who might not otherwise know about disc golf in San Antonio (and I wouldn't have to drive 30 min. fighting traffic on 410 and 35 to play a round).

..and was this a "marked" object course?
Or did ya'll make it up as you went along? I've played a few object courses and I enjoyed it, almost as much as a course with baskets.

The money for McClain came from funds slated for a jogging trail. I was basically in the right place at the right time. The city asked the community for ideas on ways to improve the park and I spoke up. The rest is history. With the articles in the paper and the cities growing focus on installing courses you may be able to convince the city to plan it in less time. Find out who the councilman is for that district and we can all send them letters asking for a course in that park. IF there are already planned projects on their books that might be able to spare some money, the course install is not that expensive... it's the design cost, labor and time that makes it hard.

Brian, do you remember anything about the original layout? reserecting an old course would be neat. I know two or three years after Brook Hollow was taken out Matt, Turbo, Wayne and myself took two temp baskets out and played the course by moving the baskets around as we played. that was a fun course and deserves to be remembered.

Great ideas Shawn, sounds like Geoff should get the ball rolling! That was 20+ years ago when we played the course at Olmos, back when you had to dodge the gays in the public restrooms (not that there is anything wrong with that :D) so I don't remember the layout. But it lends itself nicely to disc golf cuz the trees are so huge and mature.

..and was this a "marked" object course?
Or did ya'll make it up as you went along? I've played a few object courses and I enjoyed it, almost as much as a course with baskets.



http://game-brains.com/images/feb14_2005/sly-deniro.jpg
You talkin' to me?

Try finding a place where there would be minimal clearing involved, where you could just stick tees and baskets in and be done. This way you could find local clubs, businesses, and organizations to sponsor each hole at the course and you can get your baskets paid for by others in the community. This way in the end, when you bring your proposal to the local city parks dept and your budget costs total out to the grand sum of $0 dollars, the city will be much more inclined to ok the use of the land to your disc golf club trying to get the course put in.

That is the formula I used when proposing to the Rockport Parks Board...the only problem there is finding sponsors in such a small town with no knowledge of disc golf.

I think this approach would be better suited for a place like San Antonio with a disc golfing history and a Yellow Pages bigger than any books on my shelf.

Keep the ideas coming. :D

Budget costs are never "0" no matter how many baskets and tee boxes you get sponsored... insurance, maintenance, mowing, security, etc.

But I'm sure LODGA can sponsor a hole.

I threw a round of object golf out at Olmos Basin Park this afternoon with a friend, and it seems like 9 holes would easily fit. After I got home, I got an aerial map and roughed in where we played and ideas of where holes might be.

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/3625/olmosmapjz1.jpg

#3 is sweet...from the highway embankment across a creek. Mando on #4...what's labeled 5 we played as two holes, but i can see it easily combined into 1. #7 is the longest somewhere around 650 ft...double mando on #8. a bit of a walk between 8 and 9, but there's a playground and some table/benches that will need to be designed around.

This is still just an idea...just thinking out loud. If anyone thinks this is a good idea or wants to see what I'm talking about, let's DISCuss.



This is close to my house and I always thought it would make a very nice place for a disc golf course. The only problem is the flooding. I would like to try and play it. Is anything marked (Tees, Targets)?

Nope, nothing is marked...when I played, we just picked a dry spot for a tee and a tree as a target and tossed in a few mandos here and there. You're right about the flooding, but lots of courses are below the flood plain. It just means it will be closed during the wet weather. A course in Olmos Basin would be more about playing for a good time rather than playing championship disc golf.