Amador County – The Amador County Recreation Agency put the finishing touches on a nine-hole flying disc golf course on Wednesday with the placement of sponsor signage on the tee pads of the golf course at Mollie Joyce Park in Pioneer.

Fundraising and donations have paid for nearly all of the costs. Program Director Matt Nestor estimated about $15,000 from seven businesses in Amador County has gone into the disc golf course so far, not counting his hours worked on the project.

The Jackson Rancheria was the main donor, purchasing nine of the baskets used in the game, played like golf, but with a Frisbee-type flying disc. Brandon and Jamie Wedge at Play It Again Sports sponsored a tenth basket. Nestor said the Disc Golf Association gave the agency a discount of 10 percent on the purchase.

The signs themselves were also built and donated by Kam Merzlak of Merzlak Signs, and the sign posts were donated by Ferguson Plumbing. Justin Agustin of Agustin Custom Cabinetry donated auger work with his Bobcat at the site, and also welded the signs onto their posts. Nestor mounted the sponsor signs into the ground on Wednesday with concrete.

Lynch’s Auto donated a bulldozer and the clearing of large swaths of scrub oak, weeds and manzanitas to build the fairways for the golf course. Pine Grove CYA fire camp crews also did some clearing at the park last year. Another sponsor, Kirkwood Mountain Resort, has loaned baskets to ACRA for the last three years, including for a tournament at Kennedy Mine. Kirkwood also donated mounting sleeves for the baskets.

Nestor plans to try to get another nine holes set up by way of creating alternate basket settings on the front nine. This would allow for the planning of a tournament. He said ACRA is shooting for a tournament on Martin Luther King Day in January, 2011.

At least a dozen local and regional disc golfers helped design the course, which is planned to have a trail system. A trail now leads from the Mollie Joyce Nature Center to the park, where two baseball fields have been reclaimed from being grown over with weeds.

Plans include a weekly tournament at the course, most likely on Saturdays, and the course is open to play for free, seven days a week, when the park is open.

Nestor said volunteers interested in helping with the disc golf course can call him at ACRA at (209) 223-6349.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.