Disc Golf Course Prepares For Renovation

The disc golf course on campus at Bismarck State College is currently a 15-hole course, but the BSC Student Government Association is working to remodel it again. The course was established in 2017 as an 18-hole course that spanned most of the BSC campus. In recent years, it has undergone significant changes.

“Everything keeps changing at the campus,” Grounds Supervisor David Rohrich said. “[Campus] keeps growing, and the green spaces are getting smaller.”

Construction on the Advanced Technology Center began in Nov. 2022, causing a shift in the layout of the disc golf course. Some of the holes were situated on the land that formed the foundation for the ATC, so the BSC Buildings and Grounds crew dug them up. They then altered some of the other existing holes and added new holes to restore the course to a full 18 holes.

In June 2024, BSC started construction on the Bavendick Center, a new athletic facility on campus. This plot of land had formerly housed holes 15 through 17 of the disc golf course, so they had to be removed. Since then, the SGA has been attempting to alter the course to accommodate the space they have to work with.

Part of this process involves collaborating with the Buildings and Grounds department at BSC. Rochrich, who is in charge of pouring concrete to form tee pads, has been in communication with the SGA regarding the future of the disc golf course.

“When it comes to doing some changes, we get together and try to come up with a plan to see if some of the holes are logical or not,” Rohrich said.

Sometimes, wires or fiber are buried in the ground under prospective disc golf holes, prohibiting any attempts at placing a disc golf hole there. Once the SGA and Buildings and Grounds agree on pin and tee pad locations, Buildings and Grounds works on pouring concrete, placing baskets, and installing tee signs.

One proposal to restore the course to 18 holes was to have disc golfers throw at one basket from multiple tee pads.

“To me that seems like that can get confusing,” Rohrich said. “I don’t know how it works.”

Members of the student residence life staff recommended Academic Advisor Mark Voigt to aid the SGA in replacing the removed holes with three new holes.

He developed a plan to place more holes on the hillside to the east and south of the Health Sciences building.

“I had come up with some recommendations that … the SGA had initially accepted,” Voigt said. “It just has … taken a detour since then.”

One proposal for the disc golf course was to transform it into a ninehole course instead of an 18-hole course.

“I would say the direction right now is probably leaning towards … a well thought out nine-hole course,” Voigt said. “I would like to influence future student government [toward] some sort of 18-hole course.”

A potential layout for a nine-hole course would be starting at the current hole four and ending at the current hole 11 with a few changes made to the holes in between.

Voigt said the SGA is preparing for the new student government members coming in next year, so he does not expect a permanent change to the disc golf course this summer.