Hilltop Lake Park  – Richmond, CA

https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/1635/Hilltop-Lake-Park

Course Proposal Slides and Draft Map:

https://tinyurl.com/ycd4jrtg

There are now more than 6700 Disc Golf courses in the United States and Canada, nearly all installed by city and county parks departments. They have found that there are few recreational activities that offer the high benefit-to-cost ratio of disc golf. Disc golf has relatively low capital and maintenance costs compared with other recreational installations, is environmentally sound, is played year-round in all climates and is enjoyed immediately even by beginners of all ages.

The installation of a disc golf course would be consistent with several of the stated goals in the parks and recreation section of the Richmond General Plan 2030, including:

10.24 - Goal PR1: “...Create a system of parks that equitably serves diverse community needs, offers a range of park types, facilities and activities and highlights natural features wherever possible. “

10.24 - Goal PR2: “...Promote safety and activate parks by programming for broad appeal, encouraging flexible spaces to accommodate a wide range of experiences and utilizing natural and technological surveillance measures.”

10.24 - Goal PR3: “.... Increase opportunities for contact with nature on a smaller scale by designing urban parks and play areas to incorporate natural features such as unstructured natural settings or creeks. “

10.25 - Goal PR5: “...Develop and expand recreational services and enrichment opportunities to best serve people of all incomes, cultural backgrounds, ages and levels of physical capability. Provide a range of conveniently accessible, stimulating programs and services that meet the diverse needs of the community and improve the quality of life of all residents.”

What Is Disc Golf?

Disc Golf is played much like traditional golf. Instead of hitting a ball into a hole, you throw a more streamlined looking Frisbee® disc into a supported metal basket. The goal is the same: to complete the course in the fewest number of shots. A golf disc is thrown from a tee area to each basket, which is the "hole." As players progress down the fairway, they must make each consecutive shot from the spot where the previous throw has landed. The trees, shrubs and terrain changes in and around the fairways provide challenging obstacles for the golfer. Finally, the "putt" lands in the basket and the hole is completed.

Who Can Play?

The simple answer is that everyone can. In studies measuring participation in recreational activities, "throwing a Frisbee" has consistently been a top-ten activity. A disc golf course serves a broader portion of the community than many narrower interest activities with higher cost, skill or fitness levels required to even begin to play. Men and women, young and old, families with small children -- all can play disc golf. Because disc golf is so easy to understand and enjoy, no one is excluded. Players merely match their pace to their capabilities and proceed from there.

How Much Does It Cost To Play?

Most courses are located in city or regional parks where citizens play free. Some private and several public facilities will charge up to $5 per day to play, or earn passive income from annual passes and/or fees to enter the park. The equipment itself is quite inexpensive – discs designed for golf sell for $8-$15 each and only one is needed to get started.

 

The installation of an 18-hole disc golf course at Hilltop Lake Park would include the construction of tees and the installation of signs and baskets. No foliage would need to be planted or removed. A few branches usually need to be trimmed or removed near a few tees and baskets, especially near eye level range. 

Tees: The tees would be made of concrete. On a few of the proposed holes, existing asphalt pathways could be marked with paint and used for tees. On the rest, concrete tees 4" thick measuring approximately 5' x12' would be built flush with the ground. 

Baskets: Each playable hole would have a basket mounted on a pipe that slides inside an anchor pipe that gets cemented into a hole measuring approximately 8" in diameter and 18-24" deep. The basket pipe and anchor pipe each have collar tabs that line up and are securely locked with a padlock. Each hole would have 1-2 additional anchors installed so that the basket could be moved to different anchor locations periodically to reduce soil compaction and erosion, plus add some variety for players similar to moving holes around on a golf green. We estimate that approximately 36 anchor holes would be installed.

Signs: Tee signs are very important to help first time users find their way through the course. Each hole would have a sign indicating the number, length, recommended flight path and par. In addition, a rules sign and information board should be installed before the first hole. The signs can be constructed with a variety of materials although we believe it would be preferable to construct signs with a natural appearance to fit in with the surrounding area. Commercial signs designed for disc golf are also available from several sources.

What Maintenance Is Required For a Disc Golf Course at Hilltop Lake Park?

After installation, the maintenance needs for a disc golf course are minimal. Unlike weekly mowing usually required for ball fields, mowing for disc golf can be stretched to a few times a year (depending on rainfall). And even then, only the fairways need attention. The targets are made of welded steel anchored in concrete and need no regular maintenance. In the unlikely event that one of the targets is damaged beyond repair or stolen, they can be replaced for around $350. Much of the area of the proposed course is underutilized and not highly maintained. Under the proper supervision of the Richmond Park staff, East Bay Disc Golf Club volunteers would be eager to undertake an initial clean up of these areas and then maintain them as trash-free zones. With 2 anchor placements per hole, wear and tear on any one area is reduced. Walking pathways used by players may need occasional maintenance to prevent erosion and soil compacting. Club volunteers would also be willing to help under proper supervision.

 

HOW DOES THE PROJECT BENEFIT THE COMMUNITY? 

The installation of a disc golf course in Hilltop Lake Park would benefit the surrounding community by increasing and enhancing recreational opportunities, park safety and conservation goals.

Recreational Needs: A disc golf course would provide an inexpensive form of recreation for people of all age and skill levels and be a much needed addition to the recreational facilities at Hilltop Lake Park. Frisbee, Ultimate, and disc golf, have been incorporated into many local schools’ athletic curriculum. Unfortunately, there is currently no disc golf course in Richmond at which physical education staff can teach basic disc golf skills. A disc golf course would give youth in the neighborhood a healthy and challenging outlet for their energies and would allow members of the East Bay Disc Golf Club to organize clinics and youth leagues on their behalf. For the growing number of disc golfers in the East Bay, the presence of a disc golf course in the Richmond city limits would obviate the need to travel to play and would give them a base from which to further promote the sport.

 

Safety: A disc golf course at Hilltop Lake Park would increase foot traffic in the Park at random times during the day and steadily during evenings and weekends. The influx of purposeful visitors would discourage the presence of individuals who are only in the park to cause mischief and perhaps engage in crime. Areas that are infrequently used and considered unsafe would be "opened-up" by the course. The installation of a disc golf course has led to significant decreases in vandalism and litter in other parks in the Bay Area as users have a stake in keeping the course and surrounding area clean and well-kept.

Conservation: Disc golf can be an environment-friendly sport. Unlike traditional golf, a disc golf course may not require trees to be removed, grass mowed and watered daily, plants uprooted or non-native species planted. Many courses can be designed to fit into the existing flora of the park. The impact of a disc golf course on the surrounding area is minimal. Each hole has multiple pin placements, ensuring that no one area gets constant foot traffic (this has the added benefit of providing new challenges to players). In addition, disc golfers overall tend to take great pride in where they play, helping reduce potential litter on the course. In the long-term, a disc golf course would also help in the preservation of the park by giving young people in the neighborhood a stake in its preservation and protection.

Economics: An 18-hole course can serve more than 100 people at any time, compared with a tennis court (4 maximum) or basketball court (10 maximum). The cumulative square footage of 27 x 60 sq. ft hard surface tee pads is also less than either a basketball or tennis court. Unlike sports courts or fields, the course is a multi-use area that people can still use for hiking, dog walking, bicycling, etc.