Thanks to a successful petition to keep the cause in Ashton Court, the council actually gave us permission to expand the course!
In May 2023, with the help of club member Jonny Dick, we launched a gofundme campaign to fund the installation of 6 new baskets in Smyth Meadow.
It’s been hugely successful, and we raised enough money to not only set up the six new holes, but also replace a few of the original baskets, which were made in somebody’s garage in the early 80s and are a bit tired to say the least.
Special thanks to donors whalesac.com and fanatic.co.uk as well as a lot of generous individuals.
The estate set April as the deadline by which we had to move four critical baskets to protect veteran trees. Last Sunday we got a team of club members and replaced those baskets with some of our new ones and also installed a few rubber mat tees.
To comply with the SSSI status of the park, the estate asked us to tone down the bright yellow bands on the baskets, so we sprayed them matt grey, but with a little Banksy inspired stencil work we branded them with our Yeti club name! We love them.
We still need the council to agree the exact placement of the six new baskets in Smyth Field.
The estate has not finalised the placement of the new holes yet, but we’re hopeful that will happen soon. Our club membership has grown from a dozen or so to over sixty over the last few years, and it seems to be snowballing. I’m continuously meeting new players, and a recurring theme is that they have found an immense mental health benefit from Disc Golf – some people that have never enjoyed outdoor activities are now completely hooked and loving it.
We’re building a small but very dedicated community, and for your part in that we are very thankful.
Jack