Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 7/19/2023
BELCHERTOWN — Belchertown is in the process of adding an outdoor 18-hole disc golf course at Constantino Field at 111 Sargent St.
The entrance will start at hole one right behind the soccer field and then loop around and end at hole 18 which will be located right next to the entrance.
Recreation Department Director Kyle Thibeault said the idea of adding a disc golf course has been in the works for around three and a half years but initially the town had difficulty finding a spot to put the course and securing enough Community Preservation grants.
The first nine holes of the course are currently open to the public, but Thibeault would like to finish the whole course soon and have a bigger grand opening.
“We are at a point now where we pretty much have all the baskets are in for the course. We had the initial clearing of the course. With the weather lately and the spring time, some things are stating to get overgrown so we are gong to try and have a gameplan to get more clearing going,” he said.
The Recreation Department announced in April that initial nine hole loop was complete and open to the public and additional workdays are scheduled to finish the course.
Once fully completed, the course will include 18 holes.
Even though the course had a soft opening, it was more to gain feedback from residents who used the course.
Thibeault said, “I know there has been a handful of people that have gone out that are disc golf enthusiasts and have tried certain holes and all that. It is a big parcel of land we have it on in Belchertown and you can get turned around pretty easy, so we have temporary signs.”
Permanent signs will be added once the course is fully open.
“The gameplan is have an open course in the fall, allow people to play, get a feel for what the course is like for all 18 holes and build off of that. The more use the course gets the better off we will be as far as clearing because that will keep some the vegetation and everything down throughout the year,” Thibeault said.
Thibeault said that classes from Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical School have also assisted in cleaning the course along with other volunteers from the community.
He added, “We are hoping to get another large push to get some additional cleaning done and maybe get a company in to clear it. Once that underbrush is down, it is playable. The baskets are in.”
Each month the Quabbin Valley Disc Golf and Recreation Department have been setting up two to three workdays a month to help clear the fairways.
The dates for this month are Saturday, July 22, and Saturday, July 29, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Thibeault said all are welcomed to help and to meet at Constantino Field.
Once fully opened, Thibeault is excited for what this disc golf can bring to the community.
He said, “We wanted to make sure it gets done right and once its open, its used for the community and people of all ages can use it. The idea came from knowing disc golf a little and an interest of a recreational activity that people can do as a lifelong activity and that is where hopefully once this disc golf is cleaned and people realize where it is and how to play, we get an influx of people utilizing this space throughout the year.”
Thibeault added that Quabbin Valley Disc Golf is a booster to the course and a new name will be decided for the course once it gets closer to fully opening.