Has anyone ever played or installed a course that is in a "bad part of town"?

I ask because I am thinking of proposing -haven't talked to anyone about it yet- a course at a park that's around a rough neighborhood that in the past has had some theft, shootings, etc. I know that one of the selling points of a disc golf course is that it can help run the thugs and crime out of an area, but was wondering if anyone had actually seen this happen. This park has somewhat of a bad reputation and I don't want to get it installed only to have no one come play it or worst someone get robbed or hurt. These things do not happen all the time but it seems like in the past few years there have been several incidents.

I will say that most of the incidents that happen in and around the park happen at night, and I personally would not be scared to play a course in this park. Just wondering if it would be worth it to try and get a course installed.

Any thoughts or advice?

Thanks

Jason O

Man evidently you havent played in too many courses in Louisiana......Most of them are in BAD parts of town. You just deal with it.

"HOGMAN"
HyZer Nation

Hogman you must be higher than a kite. That's about as inaccurate a statement as you have ever made, and you've made quite a few doozies in your day.

I've never been afraid to park my car at any course in Louisiana, but of course I'm not a big scaredy-cat. Must be tough going through life being afraid of your own shadow :)

Jason, if the land is good for a course and the park will cut the grass, it will definitely be worth the effort. Disc golfers are known to drive out the really bad elements in a park and it is one of the better ways to add life to a park in a shady place. The secret to success in shady parts of town is to make the course challenging and long enough that younger, tougher disc golfers want to play. And let's be honest, some disc golfers are attracted to the shady parts of town ;)

Lol, didn't we have to skip a few holes at Laughing ear at the SNAC cause of a hostage situation? Lol

Yeah that happens every tournament out there LOL

No wonder they filmed 21 Jump Street at Lafreniere.

Let me begin by saying that the "bad part of town" is relative to which town you are talking about.

All of our courses in Lafayette are in statistically high crime areas but I can drive through the "worst parts" of town and not feel unsafe because they really aren't that "bad" compared to the "worst parts" of other cities.

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selling points of a disc golf course is that it can help run the thugs and crime out of an area, but was wondering if anyone had actually seen this happen.

Disc Golf has undoubtedly had a transformative effect on Acadiana and Pa Davis Parks. We are working on getting a permanent course at another location not far from either and one of the topics of the conversation that I had with our Parks Dept was about how both parks that have courses in them are much more family friendly than they used to be.

Neither is perfect and I'm 100% sure some unsavory stuff still goes on in both but the increased traffic and greater visibility has definitely been a deterrent.

One of the new courses in Jax is in the Bad side, in the directory should tell You to "GET OUT" before dark! Have had No problems.

Which golfer got their car broken into at Scottlandville? Shooting at Laferinere? Dude getting arrested for peeing outside at pa Davis?

All great courses, but all in bad parts of town..... Yes scottlandville was a temp, but greenwood isn't in Beverly Hills either. It is almost expected from me that disc golf courses will be in not so nice areas and I am excited when it is not.

"HOGMAN"
HyZer Nation

Al I think you need to grow a pair. Lafreniere is in a nice part of town, I could walk around the neighborhood pretending to be drunk with fistfuls of $100 bills and I wouldn't get robbed. Just because the SWAT team coincidentally happened to close a couple of holes on the same weekend as the 2011 SNAC doesn't mean that happens every day, week, month or even decade. I've been playing Lafreniere since 1995 and never had anything happen like getting robbed or my car being burglarized or even scratched.

So are you just that paranoid or just too stupid to look up the crime rates for the area before spouting off your unbelievable nonsensical hysterically paranoid rantings? If you don't feel safe at Lafreniere you won't feel safe anywhere...and you probably don't. Is that a monster behind you? BOO!

Run Al you big @#$%& and Louisiana hater!

How am I a Louisiana hater. I freaking live in Louisiana by choice. I'm not scared to play at any of these places either, but they are not in good areas as the post suggested. If I wouldn't have felt safe I would not have played multiple tournaments at each of these locations and brought my family to most.

Thanks for making me feel special again Kerndog. Always try to get people riled up.

"HOGMAN"
HyZer Nation

the course in the worse part of town in the entire state is La Cote DGC in French Settlement La.

Come out on 12 January and play the Benefit an Angel Doubles Tournament and see what I am talking about.

___________________________________________________________________________
Keith "Sunshine" B

I wish all courses could be in place like La Cote!

"HOGMAN"
HyZer Nation

Hogman you are special. You come in here and proclaim that most courses in Louisiana are in bad neighborhoods and you expect people that know better won't call you out for being a paranoid idiot?

I don't want idiots who tell lies to feel welcome. There's 26, 27 courses in Louisiana and I've played almost every one. Maybe Pa Davis is in a bad neighborhood, but that's the only one if you ask me. Special Al if you are scared of Greenwood you are scared of Sesame Street.

How about naming the other 19 or so courses in Louisiana that you are scared of if you insist on proclaiming that "most" of the state's courses are in bad neighborhoods? If you can't, then shut the F up and quit it with the negative and untrue publicity. And to think, you think you're qualified to be on the SN Board with your pathetic public relations skills.

Thanks Mike. A winner as always.

"HOGMAN"
HyZer Nation

hi al; this is kind of what i was talking about in that other thread ; be carefull how you word things; just saying!!!! and mikey i love the way you beat around the bush. your kindness is just; well POWERFUL!!!

Yes, we in Little Rock have installed a few courses in the "bad part of town". We installed two 9 hole discolf courses (Hindman Park and Morehart Park) in southwest Little Rock and an 18 hole course at Reservoir Park (not really a bad neighborhood but a park the attracted the wrong type of people because of its seclusion). Hogman you may be familliar with these areas...some were very, very, bad. The parks were never in use and definately were used for the riff raff to come in and do as they pleased. Since the parks have been put in there are kids playing on the playground, picnics going on, and schools take their fieldtrips there (some we teach to play disc golf!!).

None of this would have been possible without the volunteers that helped create a better qualtiy of life around these parks. I need to give a big thanks to the DSDGA (Diamond State Disc Golf Association), the MBNA (Meadowbrook/Brookwood Neighborhood Association), the LRPD (Little Rock Police Department), and many many more people that volunteered their time and hard work to make it possible.

Now these courses have been added to our mini schedule and we have 7 parks to choose from in the Little Rock area to go play. It is a relief to be able to play more golf and not have to worry about the riff raff getting in the way.

Remember when you do this there are important factors involved: Get the city to back you, get the local club (if availbale) to go out and knock on doors to let the neighborhood know what you are doing so they can be involved (in our case we reached out to the Neighborhood Associations surrounding these parks), THROW AN EVENT that will thank the community and the people that made it happen,

Lecy

Jason if you are thinking of the park I think you are give me a call.

Speaking of Louisiana danger golf, remember how the Cook brothers used to both carry a piece in their Disc Golf bags? That even made me question where I was. Although I was surprised that either one of those guys were worried about anything.

The big thing about placing a disc golf in a sketchy area is the amount of support. If the grass is cut every week, and the trash is in cans and not on the ground, and the grounds are well maintained. And also depends on if the golfers of that area make their presence known. If there is people out there every day, and it looks nice, then the problem will just work itself out. Crime doesn't like to be all out in the open

If the bathrooms aren't clean does that mean its in a "dirty part" of town?

Okay Al;

I have to chime in on this one

Greenwood is NOT in a bad spot, and or bad part of town, as it is in the middle of about 1,000 acres or more of BREC property, ZOO, two Ball golf courses, 1 really long 18 hole and the other 9 hole, soccer fields ect. ect.

The problem Greenwood used to have was all the seclusion in the park and lack of patrolling, which made it easy for crime, break ins and Homo's in the park.

With the new layout, having the Ball golf clubhouse, pro shop, water pads, canoe reantals, huge playgrounds and rerouting of the road, tennis center, (they now sell disc) I have to agree with Mike it is like sesame street in the back, and a great playground which my grand kids love

So please visit Greenwood again, cause it is quite a drive to Beverly Hills

Dex

Dex you know I love Greenwood and all the courses in Louisiana....I answered a question as to Bad parts of towns. Greenwood, like you said is in a park, but not in the greatest of Areas. Of course Kernan has to blow everything to extreme as usual. I did not ever once say I do not enjoy playing these courses or will ever stop coming. I

Ive played more Baton Rouge tournaments than anywhere else.......and the most at Greenwood I do believe.

Sorry for an confusion I may have caused or allowed Kerndog to spread with his LOUD keyboard.

"HOGMAN"
HyZer Nation

I know that you love playing Greenwood, I just wanted to explain it so others would know more about it.

The way it use to be made it easy for thugs and punks to break in vehicals, plus destroy the park

Now we are pretty much assured of better conditions, and a great working relationship with BREC

Catch you at Keiths, hope you and your family had some great holidays


Dex

Never forget that guy trying to use a basket there as a BBQ Pit

"HOGMAN"
HyZer Nation

Ok, the neighborhoods all around greenwood aren't the best, but nobody really messes with you there, and I believe before disc golf, no major crimes went on. Scottlandville is surrounded by high crime neighborhoods and the park is not the safest. A cop sitting out there laughed and told me good luck to us putting a course in there. But yes that was one of the factors that brec was looking at, to create more "good" traffic to hopefully run the "bad traffic out. I know one of Atlanta's best courses is in the heart of a crime spree neighborhood, just not sure how the actual park was before disc golf. Laf disc golf helped those parks out a lot.

Terry Zeringue