October 8, 2018 at 4:38 p.m.
Newbold celebrates grand opening of Rookery Run Disc Golf Course
Newbold celebrates grand opening of Rookery Run Disc Golf Course
Town officials, volunteers and the course designers gathered Saturday morning to celebrate the grand opening of the disc golf course.
Town chair Dave Kroll noted the history of the land in his brief remarks.
"Every town around here has one of these (old dump sites)," Kroll said, adding he hopes NORA will serve as an example to other towns on how to work with residents to develop such a site.
Pete and Jackie Cody have been with the project since it was first suggested.
The town recently honored the couple for their efforts, but Pete took his speaking time Saturday to thank all the other volunteers and contributors who worked together to made the course a reality.
In particular, he noted that some of the young men from Blackwell Job Corps in Laona who built the NORA privy were in attendance.
"You should be proud of what you built here in Newbold," Cody told them.
The two professional disc golfers who teamed up to design the championship level course were also on hand.
Don "Duster" Hoffman, founder of Wisconsin Disc Sports Association (WDSA) and one of nine master designers of disc golf courses recognized internationally, and Bill "Waldo" Stolpa, a member of the Profession Disc Golf Association (PDGA), recounted their impressions of the course.
Hoffman talked about the early days of the project when he was on the property watching the great blue herons flying back and forth with sticks for their nests. It was this rookery that led to the course's name.
"When I saw how much work that was put into it, I knew this is going to be a great course," he told the crowd of almost 75 people.
Stolpa said the finished product far exceeds what was designed on paper.
In fact, after the ceremony was over, he went out and played a round.
In addition to the 18-hole disc golf course, NORA also includes a trail system that can be used year-round.
NORA is located about a mile off of State Highway 47 on Ole Road. It is free to the public.
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