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Gardner Disc Golf Course Opens in Bailey Brook Park Near Pickleball

Gardner Disc Golf Course Opens in Bailey Brook Park Near Pickleball

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Bailey Brook Park also features pickleball courts and a playground

It’s time to score in the park.

The front nine holes at Gardner’s disc golf course in Bailey Brook Park and Conservation Area on Leo Drive are now open for public play.

According to designer Benjamin Tucker, the layout of the course, which will eventually have 18 holes, is designed to appeal to players of all levels of the sport.

“The course is available for play, but please note that the Public Works Department is still working on it,” said Tucker, who also helped design the Hillside Disc Golf Course in Boylston. “The first nine fairways have been mowed and baskets and tee pads have been installed.”

Holes one through three are completely finished. DPW crews are currently marking the fairways, cleaning the rough and placing wood chips around the baskets on holes four through nine, Tucker added.

Frisbee golf, also known as frisbee golf, involves players throwing a disc at a target. The rules of the game are similar to those of golf.

The course’s first hole, a 300-yard par 3, is designed to give players room to warm up and make practice shots before a round, explained Tucker, a firefighter with the Gardner Fire Department.

“The area is long enough to throw drivers, but open enough to see if anyone else is using the area,” he said. “It’s also a safe place to learn how drives fly and makes them easy to find. Not only is it a great starting hole, but it’s also a great practice field.”

Disc golf course gets positive reviews from local players

Tucker said local disc golfers have already played the course and written positive reviews about it.

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“While working on the course, I’ve seen kids, teens, adults and seniors playing the course,” he said. “People are getting back into the sport after years of not playing because it’s close to where they live and it’s free, which they appreciate. The younger kids and teens have the disc golf course and then they can play basketball. For the younger kids, there’s the playground.”

Tucker estimated that about 300 rounds of disc golf have been played at the course – officially known as the “Bailey Brook DGC” – in the past two months, with more than 100 rounds logged on the UDISC app, which he said most players use to keep track of their scores. Players post weekly updates on the course’s Facebook page, he added.

According to Tucker, lost discs are turned in to John’s Sport Shop and players have 90 days to retrieve them after being notified.

“After 90 days, the discs are donated to the Veterans Disc Golf Club of Central Mass. program, which teaches veterans and military personnel how to play disc golf,” Tucker said.

Popularity of disc golf is increasing locally

Tucker said there is a maintenance road that runs through the course, designed to allow DPW crews to move through the area with minimal impact to the playing space. The road is used extensively as a walking path.

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“That’s great because it gets people outside and moving, which is great for your health,” he said. “I just want to make them aware that the road goes through the course, so be aware of flying discs, and be aware of the players watching out for walkers.”

According to Tucker, disc golf’s popularity is growing, especially in central Massachusetts.

The park also features the city’s first public pickleball courts, basketball courts, and a playground specifically for children ages 5 and up.

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