Wojciechowski said she got the idea of bringing disc golf to the Armory when she saw an article about the game in the News Advocate. Wojciechowski said she reached out to the teens pictured in the article and that got the ball rolling. 

“One of our volunteers found the article and brought it in and thought that might be a really great idea for the Armory. We contacted the Schlaff brothers, Luke Smith and Jack Holtgren and they came in and discussed the possibilities of the golf course,” she said. “… Of course, everything takes some time, and it’s a process. You have to get it approved by the appropriate parties, which took a little while, but it’s now to this point because of that process.” 

Wojciechowski heard Tom Oele, former Manistee Parks Commission chair, had been working with the city to bring an 18-hole disc golf course to Manistee. She reached out to him to seek his input and guidance. On Wednesday, Oele made a trip to the Armory to give the students an introductory lesson to the world of disc golf. 

Oele said the game is fun for the whole family. 

“It’s such a cheap sport. Anyone can be horrendous at it or great at it, but they can all have fun,” he said. “Especially in this pandemic era, people don’t really want to spend a lot of money and it’s a perfect activity.” 

Oele showed the students the different types of discs, gave a brief overview of the rules and then let them try their hand at the game, utilizing his portable disc golf basket. 

Every student who participated was given a free disc. 

With a five-hole course already in Manistee and an 18-hole course on the way, Wojciechowski wanted to ensure the Armory was not detracting from other local courses by building nine holes. 

“One of our concerns was that it might be a duplication of efforts, because there is the golf course at Red Syzmarek Park and the proposed one, but what Tom had indicated was that the courses are unique and different in both layout and the proposed demographic that we would be catering to,” she said. “Ours is designed as a youth course, because we felt it would be a great opportunity for our youth to have another outdoor venue or opportunity to play this summer, spring, fall, winter, whatever. 

“Tom came down and gave us some suggestions and recommendations based on his experience and his knowledge of disc golf. We felt like we had some great recommendations and suggestions, so we moved forward based on that conversation.” 

Oele said he expects disc golf to take off among Manistee youth. 

“Disc golf in Manistee has been nonexistent. … Red Szymarek Park has been there for a decade, but no one’s really used it since it was kind of improperly built,” he said. “Manistee has been this vacuum between Ludington and Traverse City forever. With kids right now across the country, disc golf has become almost the No. 1 activity. It’s exponentially going crazy right now post-pandemic.” 

Oele anticipates Manistee becoming a go-to destination for disc golf enthusiasts in the coming years and said the Armory’s program is a great way to introduce younger locals to the game. 

“Volunteers have been helping to get (Red Szymarek Park) going. They cleaned it out, they put new tee signs in and just within the past three months that park has gone up like 500% in usage,” he said. “You’re seeing kids over there playing. This program kind of is planting the seed and getting the youth of Manistee accustomed to the sport and having an outlet to go play. 

“Hopefully within the next year there’ll be a five-hole course, a nine-hole course here and an 18-hole course over on the lake — courtesy of the Manistee Parks Commission — with a long-term kind of goal of having a pro course within the next two years.” 

The Armory’s disc golf course is being paid for through donations, Wojciechowski said. 

“We have secured most of the funding for it so far. … At each of the holes, we are going to offer a sponsorship for $500,” she said. “A local business can sponsor the hole and we would put the name on a plaque on the course at the hole they sponsored. That is helping with the money necessary to put the course together.” 

Oele is excited to see what the future holds for disc golf in the area. 

“In a weird kind of perfect mix, all of these disc golf things are starting to come together in Manistee,” he said. 

The next youth disc golf session at the Armory will be Sept. 22 from 3:30-5 p.m. 

SEE ALSO:

Disc golf course part of ‘new era’ for parks commission

Disc-ussing plans for a new course