The 12-year-old disc golf course has a new look this week with the addition of bright yellow baskets dotting Nichols Park.
“These are the first ones in the United States from this company,” said Joshua Craig Friday as he was installing the last baskets. “I have a friends who is a professional with Latitude 64 who was able to get me a good price on them. The baskets cost about $285 each. Latitude 64 is based in Sweden and is said to be the biggest manufacturer of that sporting equipment.
Those baskets have a bright yellow powder coat with galvanized poles and chains that will insure a long lifespan.
Craig, along with Jerry and Jason Craig, David Smith and Arley Gray have spent several months getting the course laid out and baskets installed. The 42-hole course starts at the parking lot above the old bath house and runs around the entire park. There are nine other baskets on a course just east of the baseball fields. “I put those there just to get some people out playing,” Craig said.
He received $19,281 from the Henryetta city council in February to purchase the baskets as well as tee signs and concrete tee pads. He has been contacted by an individual in town who said they would be responsible for doing some landscaping around the tee pads.
“I still need to make six, 5x12-foot forms that will be used to make the tee pads.”
Those new baskets are firmly set in concrete and replace the stainless steel “tone poles” that were used for many years. Those tone poles were often moved away and even taken by vandals.
Even though the course has been under development, it still has been used by a number of people. “There are quite a few in Henryetta who play now. When we get finished, it will grow pretty quick.”
Still ahead are plans to have a disc golf display at a local convenience store as well as a Tulsa-based company coming down to give lessons to youngsters once the tee pads and signs are finished.
Innova, one of the largest US-based disc golf companies, has been contacted about coming to Henryetta and sponsoring a tournament. “I told them all the money raised stays here,” Craig said.
The last basket was put in place Saturday evening then Craig and a handful of friends were found Sunday afternoon bracing the heat to try them out.