DULUTH — As city officials strive to improve the financial performance of Enger Park Golf Course, they’re prepared to cast disc golf to the wind.
Eighteen disc baskets will be removed from nine holes of the golf course formerly shared with conventional golfers.
It’s a business decision, as Jessica Peterson, Duluth’s parks and recreation manager, explained to city councilors on Monday.
Enger’s disc golf customers pay lower rates to use the course and tend to play through in about twice the time that traditional golfers do. Peterson said this displaces tee times and costs the course money.
“The numbers just don’t work out for us to continue doing that,” she told the council.
Peterson announced plans to remove the metal, pole-mounted baskets that serve as targets for disc golfers and place them in storage until the city can determine another suitable location to place them.
In combination with another nine baskets previously removed from a disc golf course at Lake Superior College, this will leave the city with an inventory of 27 baskets.
A self-described “avid disc golf player,” 2nd District Councilor Mike Mayou asked where and when the baskets might be returned to use.
Peterson said the local disc golf community seems particularly eager to see a course established on the east side of town. At present, the easternmost disc golf destination is located on the University of Minnesota Duluth campus.
“We’re looking at alternate locations to install these, where there could be more of a free-play opportunity,” she said.
As for a timeline, Peterson declined to hazard a guess.
Peter Passi covers city and county government for the Duluth News Tribune. He joined the paper in April 2000, initially as a business reporter but has worked a number of beats through the years.
