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Study: Three Medford parks would work for disc golf course By Damian Mann Updated: Jun 10, 2022 05:32 PM A A Bear Creek Park, seen here, is considered to be one of the three best options for a disc golf course in Medford, along with Donahue-Frohnmayer Park and, the first choice, Midway Park, according to a new report. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune] Bear Creek, Donahue-Frohnmayer and Midway parks are the top contenders for a long-awaited disc golf course in Medford. A $15,000 city-commissioned study by Terrain Landscape Architecture that will be reviewed at Tuesday’s Parks and Recreation Commission meeting found those three parks made the most sense as possible sites for a disc golf course, which is similar to regular golf except you throw a round disc into a basket. A community survey showed the strongest interest in placing the disc golf course at Midway, an undeveloped 25 acres in north Medford along Bear Creek. The game started in the 1970s when people used trees in wooded areas as targets for Frisbees. Currently Medford has only one pay-to-play course, Bear Creek Disc and Golf, though other communities have courses as well. If the city builds its own course at a local park, it would be free to the public. The parks commission Tuesday may make a recommendation to Medford City Council on which park is the best place for the disc golf course. “This doesn’t mean it can happen,” said Rich Rosenthal, director of Medford Parks and Recreation. He said it just provides the city with options as to the best locations for a course. The study grew out of a request by the council to find a location for the disc golf course. Based on community feedback, Midway Park was the favorite location, and it would cost an estimated $457,908. The 25-acre park could support either a 9-hole or 18-hole course, though the 18-hole course would be more problematic to build. Midway is undeveloped, and the city is contemplating building a bike park there, which might conflict with the disc golf course. Rosenthal said there is not enough acreage at the park to do both the bike park and a disc golf course well. Bear Creek Park could support a full 18-hole course, but the cost would be an estimated $701,919. Disc golf enthusiasts had created a course in Bear Creek Park around 2008, but it was removed and never replaced. Previous studies indicated this was the preferred location for a course. Donahue-Frohnmayer was the cheapest at an estimated $39,664, but it would be a 9-hole course. Each of the three candidate courses would require varying levels of investment, and disc golf courses can generally coexist with other park activities. Bear Creek Park would require new pathways, more parking, a new restroom and a footbridge across Crooked Creek. Donahue-Frohnmayer would require new pathways. Midway would need a small parking lot, a driveway and a restroom. Other parks were considered such as Chrissy, Howard Memorial and Prescott, but they had various issues. For instance, Howard Memorial is too close to roads, presenting a hazard from flying discs. Chrissy is an undeveloped area in east Medford that will likely be developed in the future and has enough acreage to support a disc golf course. The type of terrain at Chrissy would suit a course as well, though there could be access problems along Cherry Lane. Prescott Park provides 1,740 acres but access is also a problem, and the area is covered with poison oak and is home to rattlesnakes. Reach freelance writer Damian Mann at [email protected].