Belle Isle DGC

Steve Nolff

Abraham Lincoln !!

Joe Levell

LOL

Scott "skeeter" nalewajk

Are there actually baskets at bell ilse

Steve Nolff

Nope. The course has been closed for a couple years now, Scott.

Steve Nolff

The State Park system has, and is a more than willing partner to our game. I don't think a petition is going to alert them to the concept or convince them that a nearly usuable piece of land is a good place for a course. I laud your spirit, but a group of serious minded, motivated individual, with a professional business plan is a more likely avenue to bringing disc golf to Belle Isle.

Steve Nolff

Signed.

Noah Carroll

this is just a minor detail in the grand plan

Steve Nolff

Good on you, Noah. Holler if you need help with anything.

Brett Piziali

no sir. gone for good

Brad Fuelling

she gone!!

ken "sega salt" moote

SALTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Jonathan Moon

Or help upgrade an old course?

Nick Oliver

Our baskets were donated to us by various entities. They were returned to those entities after we closed the course.

Andy Smith

Detroit Disc golf closed to course during 2015 for various reasons. I've heard pretty much hear say that someone was trying to work with the state on reopening it. I have no plans to try and do anything more down there we worked it for four years on the island. Unfortunately our efforts weren't enough to sucure a lasting home for the course. Sorry

Nick Oliver

When I spoke to the DNR they said it was going to be a Llama Farm. The other interested party I spoke to has no chance of resurrecting the course. Too much work.

Steve Nolff

And my heart gets just a little bit heavier. The loss of Belle and Bonnie is devestating to local Detroit disc golfers. RIP.

Brendan Livingston

We NEED Belle Isle Disc Golf Course, this course NEEDS to be resurrected come hell or high water....

Steve Nolff

Lol, while I agree....both hell and high water have been tried. The work, effort and skin guys like Andy and Nick have invested is immeasurable. Ultimately, it is about money and the state.

Brendan Livingston

I'm not dissing the job that people in the past have done. I'm simply stating that WE NEED BELLE ISLE DGC, but I could shout that into the wind all day long and it won't do any good. Like you said we need money and the support from the powers that be.

Joe Arnet

what happened to bonniebrook?

Steve Nolff

Sound like the owner has made the decision to not continue with operations. I don't know the circumstances.

Joe Arnet

ugh, that sucks.. it was a great course :/

Andy Smith

There was no mention of the three water main breaks that are underground and are part of an old infrastructure and could total hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix. It's an up hill battle. Plus we had problems with holes that were never compromise before due to water.

Nick Oliver

I think it should be noted that we were fighting an uphill battle not only on the course, but in the scene. A lot of people did NOT want to see this succeed, for various reasons. We tried to shed the negativity and move on from having people on our team that were not well liked in the local disc com ... more

I think it should be noted that we were fighting an uphill battle not only on the course, but in the scene. A lot of people did NOT want to see this succeed, for various reasons. We tried to shed the negativity and move on from having people on our team that were not well liked in the local disc community. But the smack talk and the ignorance I witnessed really pissed me off and did not help the situation. People who didnt want to say anything to our faces, but plenty behind our back. Fact of the matter was that ALL the members of DDG, including Andy and myself, tried to work through the stigma that was created early on and NEVER ONCE BASHED ANOTHER CREW, COURSE, or PERSON. Our goal was to bring disc to the city (which we did, thanks to guys like Andy, Chris Haag, and Joe Rob).

Steve Nolff

Do not sell yourselves short. The work that was done to bring Belle Isle to us was tremendous. Keyboard warriors are a dime a dozen. Thanks for the update guys, keep us posted.

Fred Vocino

Where the Belle Isle course bashing is a derivative of Detroit bashing that is hurtful. Simply put, "it is less trouble to lift someone up than to hold them down." Within our sport, as with any sport, competing world views exist. As cooperation is needed to create the conditions under whic ... more

Where the Belle Isle course bashing is a derivative of Detroit bashing that is hurtful. Simply put, "it is less trouble to lift someone up than to hold them down." Within our sport, as with any sport, competing world views exist. As cooperation is needed to create the conditions under which we compete, sport can be a place to practice behaviors needed reconcile our world views. Not everyone recognizes this at once.

Brad Fuelling

bummer I always liked the the course, so much that I rose my bike from Madison heights down there to support you guys and even played in the last battle at the bell. I hope this diamond in the rough can be saved someday but at least I can say i played disc golf on Belle isle

Brendan Livingston

Stay positive, we can all work together to alleviate this issue. I think first off we need to start thinking of some way to create funds. Kickstarter for example. Also we could hold tourneys in other locations to raise money and awareness to this course. Just here to help.

Nick Oliver

Well the DNR told me that they are going to give another entity a chance to run it through Nov. We will see how that works. Beyond that we will be meeting with them to discuss our thoughts, and if there is any chance of salvaging things out there. Might not be DDG or any of us, but I would like to think we will all support it just the same.

Steve Nolff

Knowing how personal this endeavor is to you and your crew, Nick, it is very cool of you to step outside yourself and set aside any ego. Belle Isle disc golf course is very important to the disc golf community here in the Detroit area. I hope that you will stay involved and make any transition as ... more

Knowing how personal this endeavor is to you and your crew, Nick, it is very cool of you to step outside yourself and set aside any ego. Belle Isle disc golf course is very important to the disc golf community here in the Detroit area. I hope that you will stay involved and make any transition as smooth as possible. I am sure there is an awful lot going on behind the scenes, but I wanted to make myself clear. THANK YOU and all associated with DDG. Without the work and love, we would never be at this point.

Nick Oliver

:)

Steve Nolff

Post the link to sign up!!

Ryan Hughes

http://www.discgolfscene.com/tournaments/Tecumseh_Open_2015

Nick Oliver

Ty, Ryan. We are doing what we can to share and show some love!

Fred Vocino

Enthusiasm and patience is a difficult balance. I'll keep Belle Isle on my wish list for the rest of this season.

Mike Walker

any chance people who paid for 2015 season passes will get a break for 2016 passes?

Nick Oliver

Mike, the plan is to refund if we can not have the course going. We will be in touch and please feel free to contact me via email if we dont send out a message by late fall. Trying to make all this work. [email redacted]

Nick Oliver

Great group of people behind this. Show some love and get out to their event!

Jesse Whitlock

Drainage and irrigation ditches, also making natural ponds in low lying areas allows for better watershed over the rest of the course. Ultimately, these projects take time to see huge results but in constructiin and development, we take unwanted topsoil and excavated dirt from ponds and build up low ... more

Drainage and irrigation ditches, also making natural ponds in low lying areas allows for better watershed over the rest of the course. Ultimately, these projects take time to see huge results but in constructiin and development, we take unwanted topsoil and excavated dirt from ponds and build up low-lying water gathering spots. You could also use fill dirt from other construction sites and ask the DNR for any other resources: i.e. fallen timber from other parks, wood chips, etc...ju

Jesse Whitlock

I did see a Craigslist add for free ground up blacktop and asphalt with free delivery 10 miles of Detroit. Alot of asphalt companies grind up old asphalt into gravel size and have vast amounts to just give away! This material can be safely used to build pathways and such....

Nick Oliver

1. the amount of earth to be moved to get water going in the right places is epic. 2. the cost is even more epic. 3. the ground is virtually always soft, requiring more specialized equipment to move it in there, and likely more time (and of course $$$) 4. the DNR and Conservancy have their own agend ... more

1. the amount of earth to be moved to get water going in the right places is epic. 2. the cost is even more epic. 3. the ground is virtually always soft, requiring more specialized equipment to move it in there, and likely more time (and of course $$$) 4. the DNR and Conservancy have their own agendas and rules for dealing with landscape modifications as well as disturbing wet lands and other areas within the property (although we are checking to see what we CAN do, rather than focus on what we can not do) 5. the course is an island, built on fill dirt from downtown. So any project where we add soil would need to be maintained for the life of the course.

Nick Oliver

In the end we need to find out if the course is financially worth it to a major sponsor. Chances are, as anyone who is involved in disc golf knows, there will never be a ton of money going around. I dont want to post all of our plans here but rest assured a lot of ideas, including your suggestions, ... more

In the end we need to find out if the course is financially worth it to a major sponsor. Chances are, as anyone who is involved in disc golf knows, there will never be a ton of money going around. I dont want to post all of our plans here but rest assured a lot of ideas, including your suggestions, have been considered. I appreciate the time and thought, we all do. Hopefully we find some answers and keep this going!

Nick Oliver

We aren't sugar coating anything. We tell people what is going on. Either you man up and deal or you decide it isn't for you. And honestly as a disc golfer I totally get it and I don't enjoy courses that are this raw as much as more established ones. $4 is four bucks. Other people ha ... more

We aren't sugar coating anything. We tell people what is going on. Either you man up and deal or you decide it isn't for you. And honestly as a disc golfer I totally get it and I don't enjoy courses that are this raw as much as more established ones. $4 is four bucks. Other people have no issues with it. We understand both sides. As for bad management, do you have experience in running a course. Is it in a DNR park? I am curious how you would have faired in our position. We have tried for months to get some sort of relief for the issues, but alas Mother nature is not in our control. Neither is the DNR or the Conservancy. Rather than close and get zero capital flowing we kept it going because we were asked to by plenty of people in the community. Once things got too bad we closed and have pretty much stayed closed since. In the end we took over the course and wrested the land back from mother nature and did not see the water issues until we had already invested quite a bit of time and beyond. We have been fighting since. Last season we had plenty of playable days and great conditions for a 2nd year course. Unfortunately this season the problems are just too deep. Easy to point fingers and pick at things when you have virtually zero clue about what is going on. Fortunately we have a lot of great people and courses, like Bonnie and BRYS, friends of ours and courses we love to refer people to. Perhaps we will find some solutions to the issues, so that a course can remain here for the near future. That remains to be seen. All I can tell you is we have tried, despite the negativity and challenges. Have a good day.

Rob P

Nice attitude David P, you seem like a joy to be around!

Andy Smith

The only reason you can talk thrash is because we built a course for you todo so. Nice that you posted off the same website that told you the course was closed but you went down there anyways. Then put a post up like a dick! I have no problem telling anybody that the course is bigger than me in the ... more

The only reason you can talk thrash is because we built a course for you todo so. Nice that you posted off the same website that told you the course was closed but you went down there anyways. Then put a post up like a dick! I have no problem telling anybody that the course is bigger than me in the management of it is bigger than me and it might be out of our resources to handle it. You know about two seconds of the real story or the real logistics involved.

Steve Nolff

Mods....please delete this thread. No need to defend the course or yourselves, Nick and Andrew. Coming here trash talking any course or those putting forth any effort to grow the sport and provide disc golfing options, in Detroit and the area is classless, pointless and only written from a point o ... more

Mods....please delete this thread. No need to defend the course or yourselves, Nick and Andrew. Coming here trash talking any course or those putting forth any effort to grow the sport and provide disc golfing options, in Detroit and the area is classless, pointless and only written from a point of ignorance. David, perhaps this sort of faceless rant, is all the rage in social media, but this site is a vehicle for serious disc golf discourse and information sharing. I might suggest you take this stuff to facebook.

Brian "DGFC" Evans

I Agree with Steve, I enjoy this course. I understand that it's wet and rough in spots, but i also understand that people are taking there free time to maintian and fight for the expantion of Disc Golf. There is no need for these type of comments. Thank you for the memories and hopefully more in the future,

Nick Oliver

I sent in a message to the Web Master. Honestly we are not all that concerned with people being negative. It is part of running a business to have people crticize and hate.

Nick L

I have played here with a buddy of mine 6 times between the end of last year and the first couple of months this year. I have played when the conditions have been bad and when they have been good. I have only ever seen someone in the clubhouse once in those 6 times. I have taken a number of picture ... more

I have played here with a buddy of mine 6 times between the end of last year and the first couple of months this year. I have played when the conditions have been bad and when they have been good. I have only ever seen someone in the clubhouse once in those 6 times. I have taken a number of pictures because I absolutely love this course! The water is a problem, no doubt about it. I have waded through the 1st hole and 3rd hole and in a few other spots on the course. I knew what to expect and dealt with it. If it is possible to get the water situation under control and two sets of tees, I feel this could be one of the best courses around. I absolutely love the historic feel of the course. I also really like the layout from middle tees. (at least what i think is the middle tees). The longs are cool, just need to be long and accurate which I am not consistently. I really hope whoever is working with the state and managing the course does not give up. I really want this course to be around for a long time.

Nick L

One question. When I have been there and no one is there, i always tuck $5 in the top of the screen door in the back of the clubhouse. Has anyone gotten that money? Would it be possible to put a slot somewhere so I could drop my money in or would you rather no one play there if no one is around? I ... more

One question. When I have been there and no one is there, i always tuck $5 in the top of the screen door in the back of the clubhouse. Has anyone gotten that money? Would it be possible to put a slot somewhere so I could drop my money in or would you rather no one play there if no one is around? I noticed there are now locks on the fence i used to sneak through. If the course ever gets straightened out, I think the hours need to be expanded if that is the case. Thanks for all of your hard work!

Brian "DGFC" Evans

I wish you guys luck Nick

Fred Vocino

Someone melted the polar ice caps. That must be it.

Nick Oliver

With El Nino brewing and some other weather phenomena going on at the same time I have a feeling next season will be even wetter. Hoping we can get this under control. Its a huge issue as all who have played here know. We tried :(

Andy Smith

Rob we are currently closed due to water problems with water main breaks and the amount of rain this season has had 6 of our holes mostly unplayable. We are working on trying to get help with these issues from the state but this is taken time. We are sorry for any inconveniences this has cause the people who patronize the course. We have had a rough go at operations this season.

Steve Nolff

Andy, it would probably be helpful to post this info on the front course page here and maybe even under course conditions at Disc Golf Course Review. I know how hard you guys are trying and the red tape and difficulties presented. I hate to see people driving out there to find you closed. Keep us posted on the progress and feel free to send me a message if you feel you need any help.

Nick Oliver

We dont use DGR. But yes, I agree about keeping more updated stuff on the TALK section for Belle Isle.

Steve Nolff

Thanks for the reply Nick. I know nobody wants this course up and playable more than you guys. DGCR certainly has Belle Isle listed. The lastest update on course conditions indeed says you are open. I would be glad to make a quick post there, quoting the above, with your permission....of course.

Rob P

Thanks for the response, will definitey come out and support the course when its up and running, good luck with everything

Nick Oliver

Looks like we are closed for the time being. I will update you guys as I can.

Nick Oliver

Indeed. The course will dry up soon enough and we will have at least 2 if not more events. The Battle 4 is in the plans. PM me any time and follow us on FB for info!

Steve Nolff

Thankless work all the time, Nick. So thanks for the work you and the crew put into this project.

Nick Oliver

Andy and I, along with guys like Ryan Ripaldi, are 100% devoted, but between mother nature, assholes with mouths who would rather bash than support, and a set of issues we are ironing out with the park system, it has been a tough year. We are still confident that this course will improve and be a place that people come from far and near to play.

Nick Oliver

TY for the endless support, Steve.

Andy Smith

We don't open till 12:00 is part of the deal. And there is someone there now cause we're open.

Ed Stack

Sorry I assumed 8am on weekends and 10am on weekdays Sorry my bad

Ed Stack

Andy will you update hours of operation on the info page please! Would love to play but need to know weekday/weekend hrs