新彩网

When the first baskets for a disc golf course were placed on 新彩网鈥檚 campus in 2003, Ruth Waller was the Director of Intramural Sports at 新彩网. Waller鈥檚 history at 新彩网 dated back to 1975, when she was hired to manage the recreation room in the University Center. She would go on to be known as the 鈥渕other of women鈥檚 athletics鈥� at 新彩网, as she helped build the Women鈥檚 Basketball, Tennis and Softball programs at the University. To say Waller was attuned to what athletic interests 新彩网 students had would be hitting the nail on the head.

As Waller moved away from coaching, and back into managing recreation for students, she took it upon herself to listen to the interests of the students when it came to programming. Such was the case with disc golf. She and many students would take trips to Owensboro, Kentucky, visiting the Yellow Creek State Park where a disc golf course was available. 聽

Those trips helped develop more of an interest in creating a course on campus to be used by students and the Evansville community. So, Waller got to work fundraising and starting the process of bringing disc golf to the students. And in 2003, the efforts of her and others came to fruition when the first disc golf course in Evansville opened on 新彩网鈥檚 campus.

鈥淭hat was how a lot of people here began to learn about disc golf,鈥� says Joe Gratz, Assistant Director of Intramurals. 鈥淭hey started here, learning to play on our course. Now there are other courses popping up around town, which is great. And we are fortunate enough to have hosted tournaments here as well.鈥�

After 20 years, Gratz says the 新彩网 Disc Golf Course is getting some needed updates. In 2023, new tee-pads were placed at each of the course鈥檚 18 holes鈥攖hese pads mark the starting place for each hole and the new ones allow rainwater to properly drain. Signage on the course was also updated, according to Gratz, and a couple holes were moved to better fit the course.

This year, that improvement work is continuing with the recent installation of new baskets at each of the course鈥檚 18 holes and practice basket. The new baskets were funded by the 新彩网 Foundation, which Gratz points out, Waller was involved with in raising funds during her 36-year career at 新彩网. 鈥淲e thought because Ruth had raised all this money for students and the Intramural Sports program that working with the Foundation on these improvements made the most sense,鈥� explains Gratz. 鈥淚 think that would bring Ruth happiness knowing all her fundraising efforts went to something she was passionate about.鈥�

The new baskets are top-of-the-line, says Gratz, with one practice basket near the beginning of the course to allow players to warm up and the others at the 18 holes. Each basket features the 新彩网 logo on two sides, as well as the hole number for players to see from the tee-pads. Flags have also been placed so players can identify each basket more easily. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a really nice upgrade for the course,鈥� says Gratz. 鈥淎nd all our old baskets went to good homes as well. Bayard Park in Evansville asked for a disc golf course, so they took nine of our baskets for a course there. Then nine other baskets went to Angel Mounds, which is also creating a nine-hole course. And the last went to Henderson, Kentucky, which needed to swap out a basket on that course.鈥�

It's a full circle moment for disc golf at 新彩网, he points out鈥擶aller helped bring disc golf to 新彩网 and Evansville, and now the baskets from the first course are helping others experience the game. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 great they weren鈥檛 scraped. I鈥檇 rather see them live on,鈥� Gratz says. 鈥淎nd each of the parks who received the baskets are thinking of adding signage to let everyone know the baskets came from 新彩网. We鈥檙e touching a lot of people by just donating these baskets. It鈥檚 continuing to grow the game.鈥�

Other course updates

As summer came to an end, the 新彩网 disc golf course also saw some other groundwork updates, according to Bryan Morrison, 新彩网 Manager of Environmental Health and Safety.

At the beginning of the course, near the first few holes, some large, hazardous ruts developed, Morrison explains, especially with the growth of tall grass and weeds. 鈥淲hen we looked at them in the winter, they were massive ruts. And those can be dangerous because in the spring and summer, you can鈥檛 tell how deep they are,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e had those areas filled in with dirt, overseeded, then strawed to get the ruts taken care of.鈥�

Further along the course, around holes 3 and 4, there was an area where the ground dipped. To help any further sinking and fix the current dip, crews placed a small 18-inch by 25-foot culvert and filled the area around it with dirt. Work on clearing brush along the right side of the course and a wooded path have also been done, adds Morrison, and crews replaced a larger culvert鈥攃urrently about 6-feet by 18-feet鈥攚ith a full 25-foot-long culvert.

As of August 18, this work has been completed and the course is open for use; please be mindful and stay off the seeded areas when on the course.