(Aug. 19, 2021) About to wrap up a three-event test run this Sunday, local disc golf pros Austin Widdowson and Shawn Johnson will ask the Berlin Town Council on Monday to install an 18-hole course at Stephen Decatur Park.

Last month, Berlin Town Council voted 3-1, with Councilmember Jay Knerr opposed and Councilmember Dean Burrell absent, to permit Eastbound Disc Golf members Widdowson and Johnson to stage three trial events at the site on Aug. 1, 10 and 22.

Widdowson said last week the first pair of gatherings proved popular.

“It’s been amazing to see the response we’ve had,” he said.

Eastbound Disc Golf competitions usually attract as many as two dozen participants.

“I had 40 show up to both the first two,” he said. “One of them was in the rain and the other one was on a Tuesday night.”

Wet weather failed to deter attendance at the proposed course on Aug. 1, while the second round also exceeded expectations.

“We’ve had more kids come out than we’ve ever had at any of our previous events and youth who’ve never played before,” he said.

Widdowson said the sport, which had been growing steadily since its inception in the early 1970s, skyrocketed in popularity last year.

“It’s been about 30,000 new members every year,” he said. “In the pandemic year, it grew 150,000 members in one stop.”

He attributed some of that to the outdoor sport’s allowance for social distancing.

“Disc golf is very similar to surfing where it’s an individual sport,” he said.

Even though disc golf’s popularity is growing nationwide, Widdowson said a large contingent of players live in the Berlin area.

“We want to be able to make this more of a community-driven initiative,” he said.

At present, disc golf enthusiasts in Worcester County congregate at course sites in Snow Hill at John Walter Smith Memorial Park and in Salisbury at Schumaker Pond Park.

“There’s a large group of us that have to travel frequently,” he said. “If you live in Ocean City or Berlin, that’s still a half an hour drive, so it’s not like we have anything relatively close.”

Earlier this year disc golf advocates talked about possible sites with Mayor Zach Tyndall and Councilmember Troy Purnell.

After concluding that the cost of creating a course at Heron Park would be too expensive and that space at the Northern Worcester Athletic Complex didn’t have a close tie to the community, Widdowson found that Stephen Decatur Park presented an ideal scenario.

“When we [went] to it, we realized the outer rim of the park is not being utilized,” he said. “In fact, it’s an underutilized park in general.”

Widdowson said disc golf courses employ tee pads and distanced sticks under five feet in height, without permanent fixtures.

“Its infrastructure is light just so you can redo that in a weekend,” he said. “Even if they one day wanted to put a skateboard park in there, which we are all for, it should just work it around it.”

Despite the gatherings held at Stephen Decatur Park this month, Widdowson said special events account for roughly 10 percent of activities sponsored by Eastbound Disc Golf.

“The day-to-day of what disc golf looks like in Berlin is significantly different than an organized event,” he said. “Normal rounds are different.”

Widdowson said Eastbound Disc Golf members play regular Sunday rounds that rotate between four locations, with Berlin slated as a fifth stop.

“No one’s going to be overwhelmed with events happening at the park … we don’t even throw that many,” he said.

While not envisioned to affect other park facilities, the course could prove financially advantageous for the town, Widdowson said.

“Play a round of disc golf and then walk downtown and go to the Atlantic Hotel and sit on the porch or play early and then go to the Globe for some music,” he said.

Widdowson also stressed the ecological benefits of having games there.

“We’ve cleaned up the park in the two events that we’ve had, and it’s never looked as good as it does,” he said. “The reality of the situation is the disc golf community are environmentally conscious outdoor enthusiasts.”

Eastbound Disc Golf organizers hope town officials are receptive to the idea.

“We’re just trying to give it to the town,” he said.

As part of the request, Eastbound Disc Golf has offered to donate roughly $60,000 in equipment, along with all sweat equity required.

Widdowson said course advocates have no other motive except a desire to establish a home course and would seek final approval during the mayor and Town Council meeting on Aug. 23. 

“We are active community members trying to make the park better,” he said. “They have made it pretty hard for a group of people to give $60,000 to the town.”

To learn more or register for the disc golf event on Sunday visit discgolfscene.com/tournaments/Stephan_Decatur_Opener_2021/registration.

EDIT: On Thursday Berlin Town Council rescheduled the disc golf topic for its meeting on Sept. 13.