Efforts Pay Off as Disc Golf Course Begins To Draw Players to St. Ignace
By Paul Gingras

Steve DuFresne (left) and professional disc-golf player Michael Wildner pause at hole 16 during a tournament at Doc Holle's Silver Mountain Ski Hill Saturday, September 30. The course, considered world class, is bringing many players to St. Ignace, Mr. DuFresne said.

Four years of enthusiastic effort have paid off for Steve DuFresne and Mike Wildner, the minds behind Moran Township's 24-hole disc golf course at Doc Holle's Silver Mountain Ski Hill, which hosted its second tournament Saturday, September 30, a successful event that Mr. DuFresne hopes will increase local participation and augment what he described as

healthy stream of players coming to St. Ignace from outside the area.

Although rain affected Saturday's turnout, "Everyone had

good time," Mr. DuFresne said.

Mr. DuFresne built the disc golf course, which was originally proposed by Joe Durm and designed by Mr. Wildner, a professional player. Without Mr. DuFresne's continued maintenance efforts, however, the course would quickly fall into disrepair, so he has taken up the task himself, with infrequent help from community service workers provided by the court system, and assistance by high school students such as Rob Olsen, who earned community service credits at LaSalle High School for his work.

Since Mr. DuFresne installed the first nine holes in 2002, he has been steadily improving the project, adding 10 holes the second year, and finishing the last of five holes in late August.

Creating the course has taken substantial effort, but Mr. DuFresne doesn't seem to mind.

"I didn't do this for personal credit," he said. "I did this for the kids in the area."

Responding complaints by local teenagers that St. Ignace lacks activities for their age group, Mr. DuFresne has poured effort into the disc golf course.

To build it, he used existing cross-country skiing trails, which were like tunnels through dense forests. He trimmed trees, cut brush, and mowed, making the trails into corridors wide enough for players to throw discs.

That was the easy part.

To create new paths to holes, Mr. DuFresne cut trees, removed stumps, and cleared brush.

He broke his own chain saw and a city riding mower in the process, but purchased a new mower so he could maintain the course.

To set each basket, Mr. DuFresne dug a hole and cemented a two-foot metal sleeve in the ground, and the baskets and metal poles were inserted into the sleeves.

Each March, he sets up the course and inserts the baskets. On November 1, Mr. DuFresne takes them down to make way for winter skiing.

Much of Mr. DuFresne's effort over the past three years has been tied up in maintenance. The recreation area encompasses 56 acres, and the disc golf course takes up most of it. This means mowing grassy corridors between trees, in addition to mowing flat fields, steep slopes, and berms. To do this, Mr. DuFresne buys the gasoline.

Owing to the hills, slopes, fields, and forests, creating the project was difficult, and it is a chore to maintain, but it also makes for a world class course, Mr. DuFresne said.

Many courses are nothing more than big, flat fields, but the Moran Township course even offers views of area forests and Lake Michigan, in addition to its varied topography. Further, some courses have uneven, bumpy ground, but Mr. DuFresne's labors keep the Moran Township course smooth.

The day before the tournament, the quality of his course was confirmed by touring player Steve Orlando of Dayton, Ohio, who now comes to the area for two reasons, to visit family in Epoufette and to play disc golf.

"This course is amazing," he said. "It's got everything. The first two holes are teasers, and then there's this 752-footer."

Atop a grassy slope overlooking a multi-colored autumn forest, he pointed to his next basket, paused, and threw a bright, neon disc, which was easy to find when it spun into the woods.

"I'd like to clear more of this ridge," Mr. DuFresne said.

In terms of difficulty, "On a scale of one to 10, I'd say this course is an 8.5 to 9.5.," Mr. Orlando said. "If down-staters could see this course, they'd all be up here. It's like a five-star hotel.

"Eventually, we'll get our spot on ESPN," he added, laughing. "The last time I turned it on they had dominoes. I mean, come on."

Mr. DuFresne and Mr. Wildner acknowledged that disc golf is underrepresented, and Mr. DuFresne also noted that he'd like to see an increase in local participation.

"I'll bet 90 percent of the people who use the course are from elsewhere," he said.

This year, Mr. DuFresne set up sign-in sheets at the beginning of the course. From September 13 through September 25, nine players signed in. Two called the Moran Township project their "home course." The rest came from Minnesota, Ohio, Midland, Kalkaska, and Traverse City. People have even come from Alaska and played in Moran Township, he added.

"The great thing about this course is its location next to US- 2," Mr. DuFresne said. "People play courses on the way through, and then they play on their way back. They're like golfers. They're just rabid about disc golf."

The sport is popular downstate, and players often have to wait for a tee-time at the Professional Disc Golf Organization course in Brighton.

Mr. DuFresne has conducted several side projects to promote disc golf in and around St. Ignace. At the 2002 4-H Centennial Fest in Allenville, he set up a temporary, six-hole course. For the St. Ignace Family Fun and Fitness Day in May 2005 and again in 2006, he set up a temporary, three-hole course near the Father Marquette National Memorial.

For his next improvements to the Moran Township Course, Mr. DuFresne plans to install cement tee-pads and permanent signs at each hole to guide players through the course. Steve Promo of Moran is designing and building the signs.

Poison ivy growing around four of the holes has been controlled with herbicide provided by the City of St. Ignace, and Mr. DuFresne plans to clear more areas to help keep weeds down.

Specialized discs and maps used for the sport are available at the St. Ignace Barber Shop. Discs cost $8 to $15. For beginners, Mr. DuFresne loans discs.

The disc golf course is paid for by a grant from the St. Ignace Community Foundation, donations by local merchants and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, and continued financial support by Mr. DuFresne.