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Bethany Park Disc Golf Course Project

Project Overview

Lincoln Parks and Recreation staff and representatives from the Lincoln Flying Disc (LFDC) will be sharing information and taking feedback on a proposed 9-hole flying disc golf course in Bethany Park.

Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Review

The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board will be considering the proposed course at its October 12, 2023 meeting, which will be held at 4pm in the basement level conference room of Woods Park Place (3131 O Street). All are welcome to attend this meeting. A summary of the public comments received regarding the proposed course are linked to the right. If you have any questions, you are also welcome to contact Sara Hartzell either by phone (402.441.8261) or email (shartzell@lincoln.ne.gov).

Open House

A brief presentation will begin at 6pm. City staff and LFDC representatives will then be available to answer questions.

Open House

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Lincoln Flying Disc Club Information

Who We Are

Established in 1990, the Lincoln Flying Disc Club is a 501c3 nonprofit with a mission of growing, promoting, and creating a sustainable future for disc golf in Lincoln.

What’s Disc Golf

While sharing many similarities with traditional golf, players compete by throwing frisbees (i.e. discs) into baskets with a goal of completing the hole in the fewest amount of throws possible. Disc golf is a lifetime sport and a low-cost, family friendly activity that’s accessible to all socio-economic demographics.

Disc golf discs are different from a common “catch” frisbee. The discs are designed to function in a variety of ways and are categorized into putters, midrange, and drivers – all of which are designed to fly different distances. At Bethany, a player will need 2-3 discs to play a round which can be purchased from local or online retailers at $10-$12 per disc.

Disc Golf in Lincoln

Lincoln Flying Disc Club works in coordination with Lincoln Parks & Recreation to maintain the four public courses in our city. Our most recent course, Beal Slough Disc Golf Course (60th and Pine Lake), was completed in fall of 2021 and is currently the highest rated course in the state (143 total), and in the top 1% of courses nationally (9804 courses).

The Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) identifies six levels of difficulty in their course design guidelines – Lincoln’s existing courses offer four of these difficulty levels. The addition of Bethany Park will provide the local disc golf community with the full range of course difficulty levels as determined by the PDGA.

Bethany Park Beginners Disc Golf Course

In 2022, LFDC identified a need for a beginner friendly course to support the rapid growth of the sport within the city. The course at Bethany Park is designed to fill this need by offering two sets of tees per hole that fall within the easiest skill level guidelines as determined by the PDGA.

On-course safety for players and pedestrians was at the forefront of thought in the course design at Bethany. The holes carefully avoid the highly-trafficked shelter, playground, and water fountain as players navigate the course and at no point in the design are players required to throw in the direction of these areas. Care was also taken to minimize players throwing into adjacent properties on the north side of the park and Cotner Blvd on the west side of the park by strategically placing tees and baskets, and/or utilizing trees as a natural barrier.

Beyond being a beginner friendly design, LFDC wanted to introduce players to common situations they’ll find on other courses as they progress in the sport. On the map, you’ll notice “mandos” on holes 3 and 5. A mando is a mandatory route a player must abide by as they play the hole. In this case, players must throw to the right side of the mando object (a light pole) to complete the hole. Both mandos are implemented as on-course safety measures to keep players off of adjacent fairways, and also to provide a slight increase in difficulty. We also plan on implementing instructional language on the course tee signs. This will explain the ideal shot for a player to throw from the tee:

“Throw the disc flat and to the right of the oak tree. For right handed players, a disc naturally curves left at the end of its flight.”

The course will also include a practice basket near the east parking lot. This serves as a warm-up area for players – similar to a putting/chipping green on a golf course.

LFDC Programming at Bethany

Upon completion of the course, LFDC is developing plans to host a junior league catering to youth players. This would likely be a weekly event lasting 1.5 hours over an 8 week period of the summer that consists of 30 minutes of instruction and 1 hour of group play. We anticipate roughly 20 participants for this league. LFDC has no plans to host any large scale events at Bethany.

LFDC has plans to make discs available to rent at the enclosed shelter. We have also discussed having free discs available in a box near hole 1, similar to the “Little Library” concept seen around the city.

Financing and Timeline

LFDC will be responsible for all capital equipment for the disc golf course. This will include baskets, concrete tee pads, and course signage. The estimated cost will be $15,000 with a timeline of completion of 1-3 months depending on weather. To date, LFDC has raised $2,000 and has a grant proposal pending for $10,000. LFDC will solicit individuals and businesses for the remaining amount. Tax writeoff contributions can be made to the Lincoln Parks Foundation or LFDC if you are interested in supporting the project.