Disc golfers were once again able to hit the links in Oxford as the Seymour Lake Park course was reopened April 16 after a nearly ten-month hiatus.
‘I love it. For me, really that’s the only course I can go play,? said Mike Stechshulte, a member of the Oxford High School Disc Golf Club. ‘When they shut it down, I didn’t play anymore. Now that it’s back up, I can go out there whenever I feel like it.?
A ‘tremendous amount? of calls supporting the course’s reopening convinced the Oxford Township Parks and Recreation Department to give it another chance, according to Director Ron Davis.
The course was closed in June 2004 after one of the disc baskets valued at $400 was stolen. For Davis, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Since the course opened a few years ago, it’s suffered about $5,000 worth of damage due to vandalism and theft.
The parks director noted requests to reopen the course came not just from people in the Oxford area, but from as far away as Gross Pointe and Battle Creek. ‘Believe it or not, I guess it’s like one of the best (disc golf courses) in the state,? Davis said. ‘There’s a huge following for it.?
On Friday, dedicated members of the OHS Disc Golf Club spent five labor-intensive hours cleaning up and reinstalling their beloved course. Students set up the course’s 18 disc baskets, spread six dump truck loads of wood chips, picked up lots of garbage, spread dirt and grass seed at each tee area and installed three wooden benches along the course.
‘I can’t say enough about what they did,? Davis said. ‘They spearheaded the whole thing. They came to us.?
‘They feel like that’s their home course,? said Disc Golf Club Adviser Sam Coram. ‘They take a lot of pride in it. They volunteered to go out there and help parks and rec. put this back together again.?
‘It’s beneficial for the whole community because it’s just not our group that goes out and plays. This disc golf course pulls people from miles around,? Coram said.
Coram noted the Disc Golf Club’s willingness to help says alot about young people and the importance of school clubs.
‘High school students can go out and make a difference. They just have to have an avenue for it. School clubs provide this,? Coram said. ‘Students will do (public service), all you have to do is give them an opportunity. They surprise you. They’re not the lazy generation many people think they are. They’ll go out out and work hard.?
To help stem the tide of vandalism at Seymour Lake Park, Davis said 24-hour video surveillance cameras were installed along with signs alerting the public they’re being watched.
Also, undercover deputies from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department will once again pose as disc golf players to catch those consuming alcohol and drugs at the park, along with vandals. Davis reminded users that alcohol is not permitted in the park.
Despite these security measures, Davis noted all the surveillance cameras and undercover deputies in the world won’t make a difference unless park users start policing themselves and taking a ‘pro-active? role in protecting their recreational facilities.
‘Until the people who go out there start taking pride in their parks and taking ownership, it’s just going to keep happening,? he said.
According to Davis, the entire township parks system suffers about $25,000 annually in vandalism and thefts.
‘The first incident we have (at the disc golf course), we’re going to take it back out,? the director warned.