Virginia Hatch stumbled onto an idea two years ago to bring frisbee disk golf into Arlington.
Hatch came to a meeting with members of the Arlington Parks Department and suggested the game to them. The board agreed that disk golf would be a welcome addition to the Arlington community. That was when the work began.
The course received funding from the Rotary Club, who donated $5,000 for building costs. In addition to the funding from the Rotary, each hole has a basket that acts as the pin and local businesses have donated $300 each to emblaze their name on a basket.
With enough money to began the project, volunteers stepped up and planned to utilize the Twin Rivers location. Craig Webster was brought in to help arrange the course, using a design careful not to affect the natural surroundings. Webster consulted parks commissioner Bob Leonard and Bill Blake, an environmental manager in order to find the best course of action.
Webster spoke of his work.
I had no experience designing courses before I took on this task, but Ive played the game for a long time and I know how the courses should be laid out.
The volunteers organized by Webster, Leonard and Blake brought in Bobcat equipment to haul away brambles, clear pathways and clean up the area.
We took it one fairway at a time. It started out slow, we had to blaze trails at first with machetes. We needed to clear out the blackberry bushes, said Webster.
Some of the fairways already had natural paths going through, others required more work to clear. It took close to two years to bring the course up to the condition that it stands in today, but Webster felt it was worth the effort.
Im really excited. Weve got a couple of things to fine tune before opening day, but its a wonderful thing for the town of Arlington and the surrounding community. Once people know about this course and learn about the game they will be playing all the time.
The official grand opening will come on June 16, but Webster concedes that the course is already being played by ambitious disk throwers. Opening day will consist of a number of fun contests, including Closest to the Pin and Long Drive events. It will also offer a tutorial for those new to disk golf.
In order to help maintain the course, Webster founded the Arlington Disk Golf Association. Members participate in the clean up required to keep the course looking sharp. The enthusiasm regarding Arlingtons course seems to be spreading.
Ive been in contact with Skagit County as well. They are also interested in seeing how the course does here in Arlington and possibly building a course up there as well, said Webster.