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HISTORY
OF WHITTLESEA
Disc golf arrived at
Whittlesea Golf Club in 2003, thanks to the vision of
Stuart Jones at Disc
Golf Australia P/L and the open minded attitude
of Whittlesea Golf Club.
After almost three years
of research and attempts to introduce disc golf courses
into Council Parks throughout Victoria, Stuart Jones
felt an alternative approach to setting up a course
was needed.
After researching the
expansion of other sports he realised that ball golf
and disc golf could co-exist; both codes of golf could
be played on the same course at the same time.
This ball golf/disc golf
combination was already underway in the USA. There were
a number of ball golf operators who had introduced a
disc golf course onto their existing ball golf course.
Through careful course
design and planning, ball golfers and disc golfers were
able to pay and play their respective courses at the
same time; increasing course usage and generating extra
sales.
A recent study from accountants
Ernst Young in Sydney provided a sobering report on
the viability of ball golf courses in Australia. Two
thirds of all courses were not in a healthy financial
state and recommendations were made to assist most towards
rectifying the problem. One suggestion was 'diversification'.
Stuart Jones had been
putting out feelers to the golfing community and by
chance one of the councils he had been working with
(Whittlesea) had an enquiry from their local Golf Course
Secretary Manager asking about 'diversification' opportunities.
Stuart was in the right place at the right time.
In September 2003, contracts
were signed and Australian Disc Golf P/L started about
installing a 9-basket course within the bounds of the
front nine of the Whittlesea Golf Club.
And so was born the Whittlesea
Disc Golf course. The
disc golf course is open from Monday to Friday, but
not at weekends at present (except for this tournament).
Those that have played
the Whittlesea course, especially players visiting from
overseas, have had nothing but praise for its beauty,
location and the quality of the disc golf experience.
The marriage of 'pay
to play' disc golf and ball golf is a very real opportunity
for the two codes of golf to work together for mutual
reward and success.
We urge other Australian
ball golf courses to keep an eye on Whittlesea and consider
the opportunities that disc golf may offer them.
Golf course managers
are welcome to come down to Whittlesea; the Garden State
Disc Golf Open is a great opportunity to see the ball
golf/disc golf concept in action.
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