Crestwood Park: The Perfect Location for Salt Lake County's Next Disc Golf Course

Crestwood Park in Cottonwood Heights, Salt Lake County, is a beautiful and well-maintained park that has the potential to become an even greater asset to the community with the addition of a disc golf course. The course would be a fantastic addition for residents who are passionate about the sport and would provide an opportunity for the community to come together and enjoy the outdoors.

Ben Marolf, a Cottonwood Heights resident and routine user of the park, has been walking his dog, Juneau, through the park for years and has had a design for a disc golf course in his mind for a long time. Marolf has created a preliminary design that would have two 9-hole loops on the unused portion of the property. The course is designed to flow between public pathways and not interfere with any other park use. The two logical loops of 9 allow players to start on either part of the course and are fully contained within unused portions of the park.

Adding a disc golf course to Crestwood Park would fulfill other park purposes and agendas. Local clubs could rent out the large reservable pavilion for tournaments. Expanded walking paths would benefit walkers and disc golfers alike. Additionally, adding disc golf would allow the county to invest more heavily in restoring and improving the natural areas.

A "pay to play" disc golf course could work with a small fee, or an annual pass, and would allow the county to have a small pro-shop at the community pool. With passes to play costing the same amount as to swim, $2.50, charging a small fee has multiple benefits, including adding a revenue stream for the county, but also limits the amount of players that will play the course. Charging this small fee allows yearly self-funded improvements to the course and the park, allowing it to be more sustainable and ensure that it is well-maintained for years to come.

Moreover, a pro-shop would provide additional revenue for the park. The shop could offer a variety of items, including snacks, drinks, apparel, and discs for sale. This would further benefit the park's overall revenue and provide more amenities for park-goers.

ElevateUT Disc Golf, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to growing the number and quality of disc golf courses in Utah, is currently working with West Jordan, Wasatch Mountain State Park, and Draper to install courses. By adding a disc golf course at Crestwood Park, the county could further benefit from the economic impact of a sustained revenue stream. Last year, Creekside Park, the other Salt Lake County disc golf course, had an estimated 82,040 rounds played. If we were to estimate half that usage at this new pay to play course, that would be 41,020 rounds played at $2.50 per round, bringing in an estimated $102,550 + sales items in annual revenue for the park.

Moreover, adding a disc golf course to Crestwood Park would further benefit the pool's yearly income, as more families would enjoy the park for other reasons than the pool. After a hot round of golf, enjoying a swim would be a real treat, and it would drive more revenue to the pool as more people would be in the park. It would also diversify the offerings of the park, allowing some family members to swim, while others play a round of disc golf.

In conclusion, adding a disc golf course to Crestwood Park in Cottonwood Heights would be a fantastic addition to the community. The park is already an asset to the area, but a disc golf course would take it to the next level. Not only would it benefit the community by providing an opportunity for residents to enjoy the outdoors and come together, but it could also provide a sustained revenue stream for the park. We encourage all residents to fill out the Salt Lake County survey and show their support for adding a disc golf course to Crestwood Park.