A Ball State University graduate student plans to begin construction on a project this month that no one in Muncie has been approved for before.
Johnny Godfrey said construction for 18-hole disc golf course at McCulloch Park is set to begin. The course will have tee boxes for both beginners and veterans of the game, he said.
Godfrey said the course will have no fees to play.
"Unlike ball golf, this is something that's affordable," he said.
Godfrey said he received a $13,500 grant from the Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County in January.
Godfrey was directed to the foundation through the career center, he said. Godfrey began writing his proposal in October, he said, and it took about three months to complete.
Plans for the project started this summer, he said. He talked to an employee from the Muncie Parks and Recreation Department who told him to speak with the mayor's office about getting a course in Muncie, he said.
He was met with the same answer as several before him who asked for the same thing, he said. The answer was always "no," he said, because of the lack of funding, he said.
He approached about 40 different companies for sponsorship while writing the grant, he said. He offered eight-by-ten advertisements on tee boxes in return for help with funding.
Several companies and institutions helped with the costs, he said. Ball State bought six baskets, Wishbone Gifts bought three, the Fickle Peach bought one and the Indianapolis Disc Golf Club bought one, he said.
Each basket costs $283.50, he said.
Having sponsors was vital to the success of the grant because it told the foundation that several businesses around Muncie think the course is a good idea, he said.
"We're very grateful for the people who got back to us," he said. "They came through big for us."
After hearing about the course being built, members of the Ball State community began preparing for its completion.
Sean Lovelace, assistant professor of English, said he created the Muncie Disc Golf Association, and he is the faculty adviser for the Ball State Disc Golf Club.
The two groups will be related, Lovelace said. Members of the Ball State club will be on the mailing list for Muncie's club. Members will receive information on league nights, tournaments and discounts. He said more benefits will be available when the clubs become more established.
Sophomore exercise science major Jeremy Bryson said he started the Ball State Disc Golf Club after Godfrey approached him through his disc golf group on Facebook.
"It's exciting," he said. "It's a great way to go out and enjoy an afternoon if it's nice."
The club will be casual, Bryson said. It will probably meet once a week to play and will have occasional tournaments through the Muncie Disc Golf Association, he said.
About 12 people showed up to the initial meeting, he said, but he's not worried about numbers because this is an unusual time to start a club. He said he expects more people to join in the Fall Semester.
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