New spin on spring fun

Chris McCarty

As winter retreats and the sun shines, Kyle DeBord and Kirk Bunker take the opportunity to venture outdoors, chuck discs and make some extra cash.

The Mount Pleasant High School students make several trips a week to the disc golf course on the corner of West Campus Road and Mission Street, to the right of the Fairfield Inn, 2525 University Park Drive. There they not only play the increasingly popular sport, but wade through the waters of the course’s foggy pond to retrieve and later sell discs which missed their marks.

DeBord estimates he has made more than $100 selling others’ lost property, but said he has more fun playing the 18-hole course than disc-fishing in the usually cold, less-than-clear waters.

“It is a good time. We really just come out when it’s nice to have a little fun,” he said.

Kyle Millerd and Zak McGraw, Oxford seniors, agree the course is a good time, despite their tendency for keeping DeBord 16, and Bunker, 17, in the disc-pond-retrieval business.

“We’ve lost a couple discs out there,” Millerd said, shading his eyes and looking toward the disc basket at the first hole, figuring out the best way to avoid the pond in the wind.

Millerd is one of the large number of students and community members who utilize the course on sunny days. The sport is inexpensive, fun and challenging, said Laurie Braden, associate director of programming for University Recreation. Braden helped plan and open the course in April 2002.

Three University Recreation tournaments within the last year were filled to capacity. Mike Botwinski, Grand Rapids senior, and Jason Wilson, Dundee senior, recently formed the Disc Golf Club of CMU.

“There are many people so unaware of disc golf, but it is growing. It’s getting big time,” said Botwinski, club president. “Now that we have a course at CMU, we figured it was due time to get a club going.”

About 100 to 150 rounds were played weekly last summer and Braden said she expects no less this summer.

“I know the course has been well utilized. I have gotten overwhelmingly positive feedback. People are really happy we have a course in Mount Pleasant,” she said.

Play is free for course visitors and inexpensive for University Recreation to maintain, as the property is already taken care of through a previous university contract.