Needham Disc Golf has been active since 2023, and after two years of advocacy and organizing pop-up events at public areas in town they are closer to realizing their goal of a disc golf course in Needham.
A strong sense of community has been fostered, according to Boston Disc Golf Association President Howard Samuels, who has been working with Needham Disc Golf. “At Claxton Field and at Olin College we had a few hundred people come. That’s good because without having any courses nearby, unless people are already hooked they don’t really know about disc golf,” Samuels said.
Disc golf, sometimes called frisbee golf, is played much like golf except, instead of a ball and clubs, players use a flying disc. A disc golf hole begins from a tee area and ends at a target, the most common of which is an elevated metal basket.
Sam Bello, vice president of Needham Disc Golf, is a self-described “outdoorsman” who encountered the sport when looking for an activity to add to his sporting calendar.
“I’ve found that disc golf can fill that gap from when I couldn’t ski or mountain bike. You can really play year round if you’re willing to tolerate the weather and some mud on your shoes,” Bello said. “To this day I love the sport and I enjoy promoting it and getting a course would be fantastic, but I do it mainly for the social aspect. It’s a great social activity — very inexpensive just to hangout with some people.”
The disc golf community that has made a home for itself in Needham has grown larger with each pop-up event. According to Samuels, setting up the pop-up courses is difficult and unsustainable.
“Each basket is maybe 70 pounds, so it is a big deal to set up. For the course at DeFazio, we were able to borrow more portable baskets from Needham High School,” Samuels said. “They’re much lighter and easier to set up and take down, but in a strong wind they could get blown over. They’re not a permanent solution.”
In June of 2024, the group received clearance from the Conservation Commission and Parks and Recreation to hire 2005 World Champion disc golfer turned course designer Avery Jenkins to do a feasibility study on Ridge Hill and Town Forest lands and walk a potential course. Samuels organized a GoFundMe for the necessary $1200.
“I set up a GoFundMe, and within 24 hours we hit our target so I shut it down. I got complaints because people wanted to contribute and had no time — they had missed the window. I was very happy to see that,” Samuels said.
The feasibility study conducted by Jenkins listed pros and cons to both locations but recommended the Town Forest due to a large amount of poison ivy at Ridge Hill and inaccessible areas behind the Needham Community Farm.
Chris Gerstel, chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission, is aware of the growing community that Needham Disc Golf has become.
“It’s a very important deal for us [Parks and Recreation],” Gerstel said. “I think the organization and the people that represent disc golf have been nothing but professional and courteous to us, and it’s now time for action to come into effect [ …] We want to look for the new things that are out there like disc golf. We’ve seen 40-60 people come up in support of this, and it shows that it’s the right thing to do.”
Gerstel was hopeful that a course could exist in the Town Forest without impinging on other activities.
“Whenever we do projects, we like to get as many user groups involved as we can. We’ve done that with fields, making them multipurpose so they can be lined for multiple sports. With walking trails, it can be an area where people can walk their dogs, have nature walks, and also have a disc golf course. Now you’re having multiple groups of multiple sources take advantage of the great amenities that we have,” Gerstel said.
There are still many steps before construction of a course. Gerstel hopes to use the feasibility study conducted by Jenkins as a formal design plan, while making minor adjustments along the way.
“In regards to having that RFP gifted as a possible concept of what can be done, that was a great acknowledgment because you’re not going back to design it again. We feel that the RFP that is done is part of the design phase, and it’s a great guideline to making things happen,” Gerstel said.
On average, the cost to build an 18-hole disc golf course hovers around $100,000. Compared to other projects currently underway or that will be underway in Town, that cost is low.
“A project to get it done for $100,000 is very, very affordable. Our normal field projects are in the million dollar range, so if you can get something for a fraction of that cost — to have it as a value add is a very easy project to have completed,” Gerstel said.
Where the money will come from is not yet known, but funds from the town’s Free Cash account are likely to be used based on the low building cost. Community Preservation Committee funds may also be a source, depending on how many projects are up for the year. Renovations at the Eliot School may impact the timeline of the disc golf project, according to Gerstel. Town Meeting in May awarded $69,960 jointly to Parks and Recreation and the Department of Public Works for design costs associated with the renovation of the Eliot Elementary School fields and playground.
“Maybe we could do it in phases, placing the baskets one year and the tee pads the following year. The baskets are most important, but we want to make sure we do the tee pads right. We want to look at what the cost is, because you may be getting a deal to do them at the same time […] If it’s manageable to take on both projects [Eliot School renovations and a disc golf course]. We never want to overpromise and underdeliver — if we’re going to do the project we’re going to do it right,” Gerstel said.
“Within the next two weeks we’re going to be meeting with the Department of Public Works, even though it is a Parks and Recreation job, we always consult with them because we rely on their systems,” Gerstel said. “We’ll also be meeting with the Conservation Committee because some of the land that the proposed disc golf course would use borders conservation land. When we have that meeting that will give us more of a concrete date that works for everybody.”
Ben Petteruti is a student at Occidental College
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