The disc golf course on campus has only been open for about two weeks ago but has already brought out hundreds of players from the school and community. Unfortunately, with many new players attempting to huck discs into the tees, a few shots have gone astray and caused some property damage. One of the worst incidences of damages came last Sunday, when a stray disc went through a third floor window in the Susanna Homes residence hall.
SOU freshman and ROTC cadet, Andy Read, was working on a midterm paper in his dorm when he heard the shatter of glass and looked up to see shards of the window littered across his bed. Seeing the disc as well, he quickly pieced together what had happened and stuck his head out to see if the golfer was around.
Read went outside to return the rogue disc to the golfer, who he says was very apologetic and sincere about the incident. “There was no harm done and it’s not like I haven’t broken a window before,” Read said.
During the tournament’s grand opening, a week earlier, a similar incident occurred when another disc shattered a window on the backside of Susanne. On Wednesday, a window repair company came to fix both of the damages.
To combat the problem of noobs breaking windows, a large net has been installed along the side of the fifth hole. This will hopefully catch discs headed towards the building and prevent further damages to the property.
In a response email Ryan Brown, the head of marketing and communications at SOU, said that the university is looking into who caused these problems and that they will be held accountable for damages.
However, Charles Mathias, the planner and constructer of the course, claims that when he presented his project to the capstone committee last year, the university told him that they would cover damages since it was on school property.
Mathias, believes that the problem of discs causing damage is only temporary and that as people play more, their aim will become more accurate.
In closing, Brown stated, “At this time there are no plans to remove or close the course, though we will be reevaluating hole placement and may relocate some holes or aspects of the course in the interest of safety and mitigating potential damage to property.”
While the course was built for fun and enjoyment, it’s important to be aware of your surroundings while disc golfing and play every hole with care.
