We use the natural elements of the landscape to provide the character of the disc golf course.”

Roderick Dubay, who's proposing the course along with Dan Maher

PORTSMOUTH — A proposal to bring an 18-basket disc golf course to the town-owned Glen — with strong backing from the town’s Parks and Recreation Committee — drew both praise and pushback at Tuesday night’s Town Council meeting before being tabled until September for further modifications and review.

The proposal came from local residents Roderick Dubay of Grain Terrace and Dan Maher of Flint Corn Road. Dubay, owner of Precision Power, Inc., described disc golf as a sport played with a basket and a flying disc or frisbee.

“We don’t build a disc golf course like a traditional golf course,” Dubay said. “We don’t install water hazards, we don’t install sand traps, we don’t build tees and greens. We use the natural elements of the landscape to provide the character of the disc golf course.”

According to Dubay, there are more than 10,000 disc golf courses in the United States, with over four million habitual players and eight to 12 million people who have tried the sport at least once. He noted that the nearest course to Portsmouth is 45 to 50 minutes away, with none in close proximity despite nine existing courses in Rhode Island. (Prudence Island has two disc golf courses, but of course you need to book a ferry trip to get to them.)

Dubay and Maher pitched the Glen Park location as a way to expand local recreational opportunities, promote outdoor activity for all ages, and support local businesses. “It promotes being outside rather than sitting on a video game in your house,” Dubay said, adding that disc golf is “minimal physical exertion” but heart-healthy, with an average round covering about 3.6 miles — “80 percent of what the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends for a week of healthy activity.”

The project, they said, would cost the town nothing. Dubay estimated a $10,000 budget, which he said he’s already secured in pledges from local sponsors and businesses, with plans to form a nonprofit to handle donations and return league-generated revenue to the town’s Parks and Recreation Department. 

Removable, low-impact design

Dubay stressed the course’s temporary nature and lack of environmental disruption. “There’s no physical or lasting impact,” he said. “These baskets are not permanent. We build a disc golf course with nothing more than a shovel and a wheelbarrow. We dig a hole, we place that basket into the ground and put what they call a collar around it. There’s a lock and key that goes in the bottom of the basket, so the basket is removable within a minute.”

He added, “There will not be one tree having to be cut down to put this course in. Everything at the Glen is set up to be a disc golf course. Over 90 percent of disc golf courses in the United States are located in multi-use parks … and it melds great with them.”

Support from Parks and Rec

Parks and Recreation Committee Chair David Fiorillo said the group first heard the proposal in December and reviewed it over several meetings before voting 6-0 in May to support it. 

Fiorillo acknowledged that the initial plans drew some concerns over layout and questions about “horses that walk through the fields that could be spooked by the pins,” but that Dubay and Maher came back with a new layout with changes. 

“Roderick and Dan were more than accommodating to everyone’s requests,” Fiorillo said. 

He praised the plan as “low-impact to the environment, very affordable, all ages,” and said it would bring revenue to the town while avoiding any disruption to existing park maintenance.

Parks and Recreation Director Wendy Bulk also supported the idea and said it could bring in revenue to the town via tournaments.

A veteran’s perspective

Among those speaking in favor of the proposal was Matt Walker of Common Fence Point, an avid disc golfer and sponsored member of the all-veteran Dynamic Disc Brigade Team. Walker, who was born and raised on Aquidneck Island, left 40 years ago for the Army before returning last year.

“One of my passions is not really local to where I am,” Walker told the council. “It would be unbelievably perfect if something like this can come to fruition.”

Walker said disc golf has been an important part of his life, especially as a 100-percent disabled veteran. “This is an activity that is fully within the parameters of what I am able to do now in my life,” he said.

Having built four disc golf courses himself, Walker vouched for the sport’s minimal impact. “It’s not invasive and it’s not something that’s going to be noticeable to somebody who doesn’t know it’s there,” he said. 

Walker also stressed the benefits of a committed volunteer base. “If they have a club that’s responsible for the course, you will reap the benefits of those guys and gals being out there,” he said.

Concerns about location, impact

Some council members and residents raised concerns about proximity to the Glen Manor House, parking, and the potential for discs to land on private property or over historic stone walls that could be damaged when players go to retrieve wayward discs.

Council President Keith Hamilton said he would like to see the course “up and away from the Manor House” and raised weekend parking concerns. 

Councilor Juan Carlos Payero echoed the Manor House concerns and asked if baskets could be colored green to blend into the landscape. Dubay said the team had considered red “because of Portsmouth” but could switch to forest green.

Patrick Algiere, Susan Bates, and Thomas Pening, who all live close to — or in Pening’s case, actually inside — Glen Park, spoke about worries ranging from litter and increased traffic to safety hazards for children and potential damage to old trees. 

“I believe this proposal, at this location, puts our town, its residents and my family, which includes my 4-year-old daughter and 1-year-old twins, at unnecessary risk — especially with the current course design, which has a basket right in front of our yard,” said Pening, whose home is on the south side of Glen Road. “We’re a private property in the park.”

The Conservation Commission also came out against the plan, saying the disc golf baskets would clutter the landscape, the course would interfere with other activities, and that similar courses in other areas experience grass and soil damage.

Alternative ideas

Council Vice President David Gleason suggested starting with a smaller, nine-hole course in the “amphitheater” area in the south end the park, where a sheep shed used to be located. “That is probably the least-used field that I’m aware of. I think it’s the best place for it,” he said.

In the end, the council decided to table the matter until its Sept. 8 meeting, directing Dubay and Maher to work with the Department of Public Works, the Conservation Commission, and Parks and Recreation to present both nine- and 18-hole layout options, with baskets moved away from main roads, the Pening property, and the Glen Manor House. 

That was fine with Dubay, who said the design is not set in stone and can easily be modified at any time.

“I think they made a very articulate case,” Town Administrator Richard Rainer, Jr. said. “It would be something that would be worth trying on a trial basis to see if it meets all the parameters they laid out to the council.”

Future meetings

The council will next meet at 7 p.m. on the following Mondays: Aug. 25, Sept. 8 and Sept. 22 at Town Hall.