September 20, 2023 by Charlie Eisenhood in News with 0 comments
The PDGA announced today that “a large portion” of the International Disc Golf Center’s premier disc golf courses — the WR Jackson and Jim Warner Memorial — will be lost due to an infestation of the southern pine beetle that will require the removal of hundreds of pine trees.
129 acres of Wildwood Park, where the IDGC is located, including 29 acres of the disc golf property will be affected by “cut-and-remove” tree clearing, which forestry departments around the country suggest as the best approach to eliminating the southern pine buttle.
Due to the extensive changes to the courses, the PDGA is planning to rebuild “at least two championship-level courses and a shorter, beginner-friendly track” on the IDGC property. As a result of the needed changes, the PDGA is rescheduling next year’s Champions Cup to October 31 – November 3, 2024, months after its typical spring calendar spot and after the typical end of the season in mid-October.
“The change in date for 2024 is to ensure that there is ample time for testing the new layout, including input from key stakeholders, and beautification efforts to guarantee that the standard set for PDGA Majors is met,” wrote the PDGA.
The loss of the John Houck-designed WR Jackson — one of the most popular wooded courses on tour — is a huge blow to the tour and the IDGC. The PDGA has not announced plans for who will design the new courses following the tree removal.
