FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation, Northside Neighborhood Association and Heartland Church of Fort Wayne will host a grand opening for the newest public Disc Golf Course at Bob Arnold Northside Park, (East State Blvd. and Parnell Avenue) on Sunday, August 28, 2022 from noon to 3:00 p.m.
The celebration includes disc golf clinics, giveaways while supplies last, food trucks and live music.
In addition to the nine-hole disc golf baskets and tees at the park, additional amenities of signs and benches will be installed for use by the public.
The City released the following:
This project was made possible through an Investing in Neighborhoods Now (INN) grant by the City of Fort Wayne’s Community Development Division which seeks to address needs in neighborhoods with collaborative and creative solutions. The desire for a family-centered, nine-hole disc golf course was proposed by the Northside Neighborhood Association at the request and assistance of Heartland Church with support by Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation.
“The Northside Neighborhood Association is so excited to bring this disc golf course to our residents!” said association president Lori Stombaugh. She adds “We’re eager to bring families together, provide another place and way to ‘get moving’ and to urge people from other parts of the city to visit our area and our local businesses. We’re thankful for the opportunity to work with the parks department and Heartland Church in taking advantage of the Investing in Neighborhoods Now funding from the city to make the Northside Neighborhood an even more exciting place to be!”
“When Heartland Church heard of an opportunity to help out the Northside Neighborhood Association, we jumped at the chance,” said associate pastor of Heartland Church Liam Graham. He notes “We want to see this neighborhood be the best possible place to live in, work in, and be involved with and when we heard about the Investing in Neighborhoods Now grant, we saw something great. With disc golf fast becoming a mainstream sport, and becoming a huge favorite of the community in Fort Wayne, we thought [Bob Arnold] Northside park was a great place to see the city’s first truly urban course. Designed for beginners and families, as well as a fun time for the more advanced players, we hope that the [Bob Arnold] Northside Disc Golf Course will see heavy traffic of players, newcomers to the sport, and families reengaging with the community and with one another.”
When asked what it means to be involved in designing the course at Bob Arnold Northside Park, President of Fort Disc Golf Club Dave Walters said, “It was due time that a focus was placed on a beginner-friendly course in our area. A player who is new to the sport might be discouraged by our larger challenging courses. Bob Arnold Northside Park will offer a really fun and engaging disc golf experience. A new player will likely get their first birdie or even their first Ace (hole in one) at this course. The best part about a beginner-friendly course is that it still is fun to play for more experienced players.” For those looking to begin playing disc golf, Walters recommends, “the best way to start is to buy some discs, visit the park, and start playing. Fort Wayne has several independent shops whose employees will be able to help a new player pick out discs that will be best for them. Then I would recommend prospective players watch a video on YouTube first [to learn] about general disc golf rules. Other than that, get out and play and enjoy discovering the sport!”
Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Director Steve McDaniel adds “Partnerships with community organizations like Northside Neighborhood Association and Heartland Church are key to many successful projects we are able to complete for Fort Wayne citizens. We are grateful to them for bringing their proposal to meet a need for easy-to-access, year-round recreation in Bob Arnold Northside Park. I would also like to thank the members of the Fort Disc Golf Club who helped to design the course. We look forward to seeing disc golf fans and families enjoying friendly competition in the park.”
With the addition of the course at Northside Park, Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation maintains a total of four Disc Golf courses. Find them also at Shoaff Park, Swinney Park and Tillman Park.
