OLEAN — The city’s number of disc golf courses is about to double.
The new Franchot Park Youth Disc Golf Course, an initiative of The Twin Tiers Disc Golf Association (TTDGA), is a 9-hole course designed with youth and novice players in mind.
Sponsors and invited guests will gather at 12:30 p.m. Sunday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating Olean’s newest disc golf course — the second in as many years.
The ribbon cutting will be followed at 1 p.m. by the area’s 27th Annual National Children’s Day celebration. As part of the living memorial to all children, living or deceased, a prominent part of the celebration will be to plant flowers in the Children’s Memorial Flower Garden. Everyone is welcome to bring an annual flower of choice to plant; otherwise flowers will also be made available this year through sponsorship of the students of Olean High School and the National Honor Society. Gardening tools and gloves will be helpful.
The disc golf course project was made possible by local businesses, the city of Olean and a generous grant from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Funds administered by the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. Olean Mayor Bill Aiello will be on hand to officially open the free course to the public.
The youth course is located in the eastern half of Franchot Park, near the Children’s Memorial Flower Garden. The mission of the memorial garden has been incorporated into the layout of the course as TTDGA offered donors the opportunity to dedicate trees and memorial stones to the memory of their loved ones.
Providing a way to help families preserve these memories while also providing the opportunity for family recreation was key to the concept of the course, said TTDGA member Dave Haynes, whose idea and efforts inspired the course.
The TTDGA is responsible for installing the full 18-hole disc golf course in Gargoyle Park in the spring of 2021. The youth course fits perfectly into the nonprofit group’s mission of growing disc golf in the Twin Tiers region with a focus on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.
The Franchot youth course is the first of its kind in Cattaraugus County and is perfect for kids and inexperienced adults. Haynes said that, during his frequent visits to work on or play the course, he takes a great deal of satisfaction from seeing families who have been already out enjoying the course before installation was even complete.
“That’s what it’s all about,” he added.
Partnering with the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation and Educational Disc Golf Experience (EDGE), TTDGA was awarded two Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Funds Grants for Franchot Park and Youth Programming.
Thanks to these organizations, a free two-week disc golf program will take place in July for ages 7-13 at Franchot Park. Parents should contact twintiersdiscgolf@gmail.com for more information and to sign up.
Coaches and PE teachers from Olean, Hinsdale, Portville and other area schools will receive training from EDGE founders Jay and Des Reading as well as free equipment for their classrooms.
Last year, TTDGA hosted five summer youth day clinics and after seeing a positive response from over a hundred kids, sought to install a permanent youth disc golf course while ramping up 2022 youth programming.
EACH HOLE of the Franchot course features two tee locations. One tee will make each hole more challenging and is designed for youth between the ages of 9 and 13. A second tee will make the holes more manageable for kids between the ages of four and eight.
“We’re excited about how many families will be able to benefit from this course,” said TTDGA president Rich Longer. “It’s easily accessible and free, and it’s playable with a disc that can cost as little as 10 dollars.”
Longer announced the group will be giving away free discs to kids at the ribbon-cutting event as well as making a donation so any resident with an Olean Public Library card will be able to borrow discs for free from the library.
“The Olean Public Library will be stocking a variety of discs and offering up to two disc rentals for cardholders of all ages to give disc golf a try at Franchot Park,” he said. “We’re so excited to be partnering with the Olean Public Library on this. It’s emblematic of the amazing support we’ve enjoyed from the community.”
TTDGA expressed thanks to the city of Olean, Children’s Memorial at Franchot Park, the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Funds and all of the individual sponsors they plan to recognize on the Course Welcome Map Sign.
The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Funds were established at the Community Foundation to provide support to four areas that were important to Wilson — caregivers, community assets, design and access, and youth sports. Endowment funds, like those created to honor Wilson, are designed to grow over time and provide funding for charitable causes according to a client’s wishes.
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