Tournament included ribbon cutting ceremony
Ed Sill (he designed the placards for the golf course holes), Berrien Township Board Trustee Kevin Klug, Josh DeMeester with Fly High Disc Supply, Ethan Klug, who proposed the disc golf course; Rangeline Park Caretaker Dave Bromilow, and Berrien Township Supervisor Bryan Bixby participated in the recent ribbon cutting creremony for the Disc Golf Grand Opening Tournament at Rangeline Park. (Francesca Streelman Photo)
The recent Rangeline Park’s Disc Golf Grand Opening Tournament was “a great success” despite some precipitation which did clear, participation from the public, and the tasty foods that were enjoyed thanks to the “Munchie Man” wagon, Berrien Township Board of Trustee Kevin Klug reported.
The Rangeline Disc Golf Course has taken over a year to complete via guidance and funding from the Berrien Township Board. Many volunteers assisted in the various stages, contributing hundreds of hours to create the course. The park’s central wooded area has now been transformed into the usable, sporting trails for Disc Golf play, Klug said.
“Since its completion this spring, the course has been well used by not only our residents, but people from outside our township,” Berrien Township Board Supervisor Bryan Bixby said. “We encourage others to come and enjoy the outdoors and this physical activity, which was one of the main reasons for putting it in; the course is a challenge.”
The course designer is Larry LaBond. Those who helped install the necessary tee box concrete areas are Ed Pitcher, Dustin Valade, Dallas Los, and Ethan Klug, who proposed the disc golf course. Aaron Sieting of Berrien Springs is the league night coordinator. Other volunteers that made the project possible are Chad Kring, Landon Grwinski, and Cathy Klug.
There were a total of 58 who competed in the tournament event, with the furthest entrant coming from two hours away. Each person paid between $10 and $25 dollars to enter. All received a souvenir Coaster, with custom engraved drink glasses specific to the event awarded. The best score from the 18 Basket Course was a -14 under par . Winners were also broken down into various categories such as pro/amateur, male/female and age groups, etc.
“The Disk Golf project was a coordinated effort to provide the community with a new opportunity to enjoy outdoor recreation within our existing Rangeline Park,” Klug said. “Disc Golf is an activity that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. The course has primarily three-par baskets with a few more challenging four-par in the woods. There are off-path woodland vines naturally there, and these are best to be avoided. Ample area is provided, however, via several open field area baskets which beginners can utilize for honing their skills and enjoyment.”
This tournament was a special kickoff event, with the Disc Golf Course as well as the dog park, and playground area otherwise being FREE for all to enjoy during regular park hours, with pavilions available for rent, he added.
People can find their Disc options to bring to the course at sporting stores, online, or at the sponsor of this event’s site: Disc Golf | Fly High Disc Supply https://share.google/Jx0ERZQHxM9mgbTQEto
