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 brand new public disc golf course at Bob Arnold Northside Park, (East State Blvd. and Parnell Avenue) on Sunday, 28 August 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 park’s nine-hole disc golf baskets and tees, additional layouts of signs and benches will be installed for public use.
The City released the following:
This project was made possible through an Invest in Neighborhoods Now (INN) grant from the City of Fort Wayne’s Community Development Division, which seeks to meet neighborhood needs 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 with the assistance of Heartland Church with the support of Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation.
“The Northside Neighborhood Association is delighted to offer this disc golf course to our residents!” said association president Lori Stombaugh. She adds, “We look forward to bringing families together, providing another place and way to ‘move’, and getting people from other parts of town to visit our area and local businesses. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with the Parks Department and Heartland Church to leverage the city’s Invest in Neighborhoods Now funding to make the Northside an even more exciting place!
“When Heartland Church heard of an opportunity to help the Northside Neighborhood Association, we jumped at the chance,” said Heartland Church Associate Pastor Liam Graham. He notes, “We want this neighborhood to be the best possible place to live, work and get involved and when we heard about the Investing in Neighborhoods Now grant, we saw something amazing. With disc golf quickly becoming a mainstream sport and a firm favorite of the Fort Wayne community, 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 more advanced players, we hope the [Bob Arnold] The Northside Disc Golf Course will see heavy traffic from players, newcomers to the sport and families re-engaging with the community and each other.
When asked what it meant to help design the course at Bob Arnold Northside Park, Fort Disc Golf Club President Dave Walters said, “It was about time the focus was on a course suitable for beginners in our area. A player who is new to the sport might be put off by our larger and more challenging courses. Bob Arnold Northside Park will provide a truly fun and engaging disc golf experience. A new player will probably get his first birdie or even his first Ace (hole-in-one) on this course. The best part of a beginner-friendly course is that it’s still fun to play for more experienced players. For those looking to start playing disc golf, Walters recommends that “the best way to get started is to buy some discs, visit the park and start playing. Fort Wayne has several independent stores whose employees can help a new player choose the discs that are best for him. Then I would recommend potential players to watch a video on YouTube first [to learn] on the general rules of disc golf. Other than that, go out and play and enjoy discovering the sport!
Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Manager Steve McDaniel adds, “Partnerships with community organizations such as the Northside Neighborhood Association and Heartland Church are key to many of the successful projects we are able to deliver for the citizens of Fort Wayne. We are grateful to them for submitting their proposal to address a need for year-round easy access recreation at Bob Arnold Northside Park. I also want to thank the members of Fort Disc Golf Club who helped design the course. We look forward to seeing disc golf fans and families enjoying some friendly competition in the park.
With the addition of the Northside Park course, Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation maintains a total of four Disc Golf courses. You can also find them at Shoaff Park, Swinney Park and Tillman Park.
