Hadwen Park, Worcester, MA

[Jason Southwick]

I've walked this piece of property and it would be great as a disc golf course. So now I've written my proposal to present at a meeting of the Worcester Parks & Recreation Commission on June 24, 2010.

This is what I wrote:

Proposal to Build a Disc Golf Course at Hadwen Park

6/11/10
Jason Southwick
508 792 2764 / Jason@marshallstreetdiscgolf.com

We propose building a free public disc golf course at Hadwen Park. The course we envision would be 18 holes starting and ending near the Park Entrance on Heard St, and meandering through the 30-something acre parcel (the entire park is 51 acres) with about 9 holes on each side of the paved walking road that bisects the park. We feel this piece of land is ideally suited for a disc golf course – it’s big, it’s beautiful, and not many people go there.

This project would mirror the successful Newton Hill course that Rick Miller and I created last year, which people play year round.

The usual meticulous care will be taken to lay out a course that avoids conflicts with neighbors and other park users. No fairways, for example, will cross this center road and new lanes through the woods will be created rather than using existing walking paths. In addition, we will make every effort to minimize the cutting of trees, especially larger trees, although some areas are densely wooded and would require some clearing.

The equipment we use includes chainsaws, weedwhackers, a brush hog and handtools. My company, Marshall Street Disc Golf, is willing to provide the course design, labor, equipment and the fund-raising. So if you like the idea, we’ll be more than happy to build the course. We nevertheless welcome any assistance the Parks Commission is able to provide – in terms of funding and/or equipment.

If we are granted permission to proceed, we can begin work on the new course by August 2010, and envision completing it by next spring. Once the course is finished, the only maintenance it will require – besides the mowing near the entrance performed by Worcester Parks employees, and on the big open hill that we’ve earmarked as the signature hole – will be to remove branches and trees that fall on the fairways, to weedwhack the fairways that need it once or twice a year, and to smooth out lumpy tee pads as needed. Every other free public course in the area is maintained by volunteer frisbee players, and a course at Hadwen Park would also attract a group of course stewards. Until such a group emerges, I would personally pledge to keep it pleasantly playable.

My own motivation for pursuing this project is to promote the game my business is based on – Marshall Street sells frisbees and charges greens fees at our disc golf course in Leicester, called Pyramids.

I also enjoy the work involved, and derive great satisfaction from transforming an underutilized piece of land into a disc golf playground for the general public.

Thank you for your time,

Jason Southwick

[Andrew_Bottcher]

Awesome! I really hope this works out.

[jthebodo]

I am so interested in this it is not even funny. My two roommates and I are avid disc golfers, and I also work with a few other people who are very much into the sport. I would def be willing to lend some time and manpower to this effort.

[Jeff Woodcock]

way to go jason. best of luck. with the success of newton hill i can only think positively for this new project. i would love to help build this course if you could use my assistance.
-jeff

[Mark Valis]

Damn You! John Williston and I were just discussing this same thing last week , we didn't know that anyone else thought of this hidden gem!

[Mark Sherwood]

Not resting on your laurels I see. Way to go Jason!

[Jason Southwick]

Yo

[Titan Bariloni]

Evidently not a "proper" presentation.

So, I've established myself with the powers as a complete goofball

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXILI9Q1jIw

I think that guy has you beat.....

If all else fails just fire the chainsaw up and rev it until you are surrounded by a cloud of smoke...at the very least it will be cool...and who can say NO to a guy holding a chainsaw...?

[Jason Southwick]

Today I walked Hadwen Park with the Worcester Parks Commissioner, and it seemed that he liked the idea. I had walked the course for a couple hours four days in a row, changing the design each time by moving my little surveyors flags marking tees and pins.

It sounds like this has a very good chance of being approved at the meeting in late September.

[Andrew_Bottcher]

Awesome, glad to hear that Jason.

[Andrew McManus]

Today I walked Hadwen Park with the Worcester Parks Commissioner, and it seemed that he liked the idea. I had walked the course for a couple hours four days in a row, changing the design each time by moving my little surveyors flags marking tees and pins.

It sounds like this has a very good chance of being approved at the meeting in late September.

I need to pick your brain on certain aspects of pitching a course to a board/commission. Namely, reassuring them that there is a game plan to address potential vandalism as well as partying on a course from newbs who just don't get it and never will....and none of this will reflect negatively on the board in the eyes of the public nor will it cost them more $$

These are the primary hurdles I must be supremely prepared to address if I am to propose a course here on Cape Cod...we have so much land here in the municipality I work for...I have the in, I just need the reassurance. I don't want to build it and then suffer a public relations nightmare brought on by punks and their punka$$ ways.

Maybe its just that the Cape is sooooo tightassed and things are more laxed in Woostah. I dunno.
-Andrew

[Rob Tatro]

Great news Jason ... let me know if NEFA can help.

[Jason Southwick]

Hi Rob,

There is, and I will contact you directly.

One thing anyone can do is send an email in support of a course at Hadwen Park in Worcester, MA to: Parks@ci.worcester.ma.us

I will be asking people individually to do this as well, and will also be contacting local movers and shakers to attend the 7 p.m. October 7 meeting where I'll be presenting my Hadwen Park Disc Golf Course proposal.

Jason

[Joe Yaskis]

I sent an email to the address.

[Gary Cyr]

Funny you mention Hadwen Park. When you started on Newton Hill I thought to myself,..why not Hadwen Park. seems like a better spot with less overall partying and vandalism.

Love Newton and can't wait to see what you guys do with Hadwen!!

[Jeff Burrows]

I sent an email to the address.

Ditto. Just sent an email. I can't wait to (hopefully) help build and maintain this course.

[Jeff Prendergast]

Jason,

I was at the DPW open house last weekend and saw Rob Antonelli. (I used to lifeguard for him & parks dept.) I couldn't miss the opportunity to go over and talk to him for a few minutes about Newton, Hadwen, and the benefits of locating a DG course in an underutilized park. I even managed to put in a few good words about you. My $0.02 contribution to the cause.

[Jason Southwick]

Thank you Jeff, Jeff and Joe. That stuff helps.

The Parks & Rec Office just called and there's been a correction. I've already been in front of the Parks & Rec Commission about Hadwen. Now I'll be presenting to the Land & Use Commission, a subcommittee of the Parks & Rec Commission.

The meeting is at 50 Skyline Dr in Worcester, MA at 6:30 p.m. on September 27 (Monday). It's open to the public and all support is greatly appreciated.

Again, please send an email in support of a disc golf course at Hadwen Park to: Parks@ci.worcester.ma.us

[Jeff Burrows]

I volunteer at a Med clinic every Monday night 6-9PM, so I can't be there in support for the land use meeting. Good luck, I'll keep my fingers crossed.

[Jeff Prendergast]

That's probably gonna be 50 Skyline Drive Worcester. I believe that's on the Rt.9 side of Green Hill Park, near Belmont St.

[Rick Mahoney]

Jason,

I found the city email address and sent an email in support of the Hadwen Park disc golf course. I walked the left side of the road in the park and can't wait to throw there. Have mercy on us and keep the baskets away from the water, will ya? I wonder how wet the big fern area is in spring. I know I can expect some ungodly side-hill basket positions promising unholy rollers on my "meow" putts.

Rick

[John Borelli]

Good luck tonight, Jason.
Are you wearing a suit and tie?

[Jeff Burrows]

I walked the trails and woods with my dog today. Nice terrain. I saw a bunch of Jason's surveyor flags. Really hoping this works out.

Rick, I want revenge for Newton Hill. Maybe I'll see you at Hadwen some day.

[Jason Southwick]

I wore my black 2006 MSDGC TD shirt, with my name on the sleeve under three stars. Slacks, brown shoes, no hat, neutral brownish plastic frame nerd glasses.

I learned Powerpoint this week, and bought a new digital camera and went and took pictures of all the courses I've had a hand in spearheading: Barre, West Thompson, Pyramids and Newton Hill. Took pictures of every "fairway" at Hadwen Park.

My pre-delivered materials included the same package for each of the four Land and Use Commissioners: a one-page abstract of the proposal to build a disc golf course at Hadwen Park, a two-and-a-half pager on the advantages of disc golf with a graph that shows the number of courses almost tripling in the last decade, Jason Southwick's Frisbee Resume (one page), a map of Hadwen Park with the lines connecting x's to arrows indicating holes, which are numbered on the map of course.

New Marshall Street Flight Guide, scorecards of all four courses, three stickers and a new $3 small white on black magnet. A mini. We spared no expense without risking suggestions of outright bribery.

I visited the meeting room last week to see what kind of technology they have access to and if I could understand it. I totally understood it. They had a projection screen you could pull down.

Using my Leicester High School connections, I borrowed a projector you hook straight up to your computer. Having procrastinated on the Powerpoint presentation hideously to the point of self-mutilation thoughts all weekend, Monday was the day to put it all together. I already had five slides, an outline, and knew how to delete, add and resize frames within slides. Plus the text box became my friend.

Technology has gotten so much easier since the last time I tried to figure out stuff like this 20 years ago.

It's all merging into something that will baste the chicken, shut the door, take movies, answer the phone, show you the Internet, print in large format onto glossy paper, and rub your feet, all from the same command bar that fits in your nose and senses what you want at any given moment by how you're breathing.

Wow I digress!

So I put 54 frames of text with pictures of these four courses and make triple sure it'll work -- even printed the whole shebang in case of total technology failure -- and it works perfect.

Six or seven people wrote bang-up letters, thank you. Rob Tatro, Jeff Burrows, Rick Mahoney, State Representative John Binenda.

John Borelli wrote a perfect letter; I wish I were as great as he said.

Then Barry Sherman and Rick Mahoney show up for the meeting, and say great things of support. Barry seemed so mature. And this other guy who's my age (old) named Mike who Hoey spoke to shows up, and he's from the neighborhood, and he surprisingly says, calmly, that he plays disc golf regularly. His daughter turned him on to it (Hoey girlfriend connection) and he likes the steady cardio.

I also bring my discs and a portable Mach V, wheeling it in. Talk about maintenance and construction and show pictures even of our equipment.

My wonderful trophy wife Kelley comes and sits through the whole thing, and speaks her positive piece.

I've practiced. I don't say "um." I'm done with the 54 Powerpoint slides and speaking in 20 minutes, followed by 20 minutes where everybody's talking. They look around and say they'll have a meeting inviting the neighborhood. Next real meeting is October 28.

I'll do the month. It'll be like Tim Robbins in Shawshank Redemption when the warden opens the door to solitary dark hellhole, and says to Tim Robbins, (something like) I hope that isn't too OBTUSE for you. Then says to the jailer, "Give him another month."

Well, where are we then? Oh no, it's real talk time.

I know what I SHOULD be doing. Which leaves us with the question of what I should do now. What do you do when you can't do what you should be doing?

It does seem to be moving in the right direction, and it's only a month. In the meantime I'll learn how to talk to spiders and dig a tunnel from our basement (right below the putters) to Hadwen Park so I can secretly carve the course out with my bare hands while we wait for the magic word yes.

How hard is it to say yes?

[Jeff Wiechowski]

How hard is it to say yes?

It took two years with multiple inside contacts and a personal relationship with the mayor to get the city of Schenetady to say "yes" to an 18 hole course in Central Park. Four holes into the installation and the neighbors put the whole thing on hold because they claimed we were "taking over the park" with a game nobody will use. A two week re-design of six holes and they let us complete the project. Upwards of 70 people showed up to watch the "chain-cutting ceremony" with the Mayor doing the honors. Now we're barely six months in and the mulch tee pads look like they're two years old from all the use they were not supposed to be getting.
The Ace Race is Oct 30th with 18 pre reg'd already and a PDGA C Tier is planned for Nov. 27th. So much was riding on that magic 3-letter word.

I wish you all the luck in the world in your quest to get the town of Worcester to say the magic word...... yes.

[Jeff Burrows]

Sounds like a positive outcome. There's a few quiet neighborhood roads and park bordering homes on the south of Hadwen that may not want extra traffic. West, north, and east of the park are secluded. Here's hoping that the south of Hadwen neighborhood isn't against this.
Great job Jason, and everyone who went to the meeting. Thank you.

[Jason Southwick]

Offensive post removed by NEFA Moderator

[Matt Stroika]

Nice work Jason. I love the poem. You are so in touch with nature.

[David Hoey]

haha, just another day at MSt...

[Jeff Wiechowski]

Offensive post removed by NEFA Moderator

Nice try.

At 2:46 pm yesterday I was out on the course at Central Park.

Not possible that I removed this post.