--- In montereydiscgolf@yahoogroups.com, Joe Sweeney <jdubiv@...> wrote:
> there was also a nice write up in the coast weekly

http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/issues/Issue.11-22-2006/news/Article.news_1

Disc Golf Drive
The Stinging Jellies see their proposal for a course in Monterey approved.

Nov 22, 2006
By Joby Martin

On Target: Stinging Jellies Disc Golf Club President Steve Thomas
(left) and club member Martin Leon (right) play a round at Don
Dahvee.— Jane Morba

Don Dahvee Park is deserted most days. The park's occasional occupants
include a jogger making her way along the path, or a homeless man
taking a grass-cushioned nap. Local residents drive by the park more
often than they walk though it. In short, the stretch of prime public
property between Jack in the Box and the Del Monte Center on Munras
Avenue in Monterey is largely a lonely place.

Soon, disc golf will change that. On Thursday, Nov. 16, Sean Allen,
project facilitator and treasurer of the Monterey Stinging Jellies
Disc Golf Club, gained approval from the city's Parks and Recreation
Department to install a disc golf course among the oaks at Don Dahvee
Park.

Allen and the disc-flinging nonprofit have championed the mission of
bringing this burgeoning alternative sport to the Peninsula for years
now. "We're trying to put Monterey on the map for disc golf," Allen
says. With the popularity of disc golf exploding across the country,
the project proposes a way to better utilize the nine acres of land
while expending almost none of the city's resources. According to
Allen, "It's a no-brainer."

At the meeting, the Parks and Recreation Department concurred. When
asked if the course might have any drawbacks, Deputy Public Works
Director Doug Stafford said, "Nope."

Without frequent use, the park has become a haven for the city's
homeless. What look like empty dimebags and shattered glass of broken
40-ounce bottles from malt liquor litter the park's grassy terrain.
The new course will bring added attention and use to the park.

"The whole community will benefit," Allen says. "There's a negative
element in the park, doing things they shouldn't be doing. With
increased traffic, we can help reduce or eliminate that negative element."

The City will have to invest few resources to install the course. The
tees and targets have been purchased by the Stinging Jellies. The City
says it will work with Allen to design the course and provide brush
clearing.

Once limited to college kids and outdoors enthusiasts without the
money to play traditional golf, disc golf is making its way into the
mainstream. The course at DeLaveaga Park in Santa Cruz attracts
hundreds of visitors on some days—one out-of-state newlywed couple
even included a visit to the course as part of their honeymoon.

But while the Monterey Peninsula remains renowned for its golf, the
county's only venues for this cheaper, younger version of the
gentlemen's game have been out amongst the wild turkeys and abandoned
buildings of Fort Ord and at Carmel Middle School. In Fort Ord, two
courses created by a couple of CSUMB students are popular sunny-day
destinations. Last March, the Seventh Annual Otter Open attracted over
150 participants, traveling from as far away as Washington state to
compete for cash.

The Stinging Jellies have also enjoyed their own surge in popularity.
Within the last year, the group's membership has grown from under 20
to over 100. Their growth reflects a national trend: Courses have
sprung up like wild flowers across the East Coast and Midwest, many
boasting highly competitive tournaments and corporate sponsorship.

No further approvals are necessary to get the project going. While the
Stinging Jellies, according to Allen, are ready to start working on
the park "as soon as possible," no official timetable for the project
has been set.

According to Stafford, the City was happy to approve the idea: "It's
great they came to us with this [prosposal]," he says.