Silicon Valley Disc Golf Club

Dear Disc-tinguished Discers,

There’s lots of news to report and the first item is a change in the date of the Annual Meeting. The Board of Directors, in a meeting in September, moved the date of the Annual Meeting to mid-December from the first weekend of February. With that in mind, the date of the Annual Meeting will be Saturday, December 16, 2006 at 9AM at 3880 S. Bascom Avenue, #115, San Jose, CA.

There is a Proxy Statement included in this mailing. Do not name yourself in the proxy. The proxy is used when you are unable to attend the meeting and you assign your vote to another person who will attend. It’s very important to get your proxy statement in so that we can establish a quorom.

You should all have your SVDGC t-shirts by now and if you don’t, let us know. Upon renewal this year you’ll receive a limited edition SVDGC marker mini. The mini has the SVDGC basket logo and says Hellyer Park on the stamp. Just “show us” the renewal money (by sending it in) and your mini will come flying through the mail along with a 10% disc-count card from Mel Cotton’s Sporting Goods for disc related purchases. Membership has its privileges!

We’re conducting a tournament at Parque de La Raza on Saturday, December 9 and Sunday, December 10. It’ll be singles on Saturday and doubles on Sunday. Pre-registration can be done by contacting Tournament Director Bill Sherman at bill@easternfurniture.com. Come try the challenge of La Raza.

And speaking of Parque de La Raza, it appears that we’ll be able to establish a semi-permanent course at La Raza during the “low flow” season from mid-April through mid-October. That’s right, if all goes well with the environmental report and public hearings scheduled for late this year and early next year, we’ll be playing at La Raza this summer!!!!

The long range plan calls for a new 18 hole course near the Highway #101 exit at Coyote Creek Golf Club in south county. The area is known as Perry’s Hill. When Perry’s Hill comes on-line in about 7 – 10 years we’ll vacate La Raza as it is in a flood plain. We’ll always have our existing 9 holes at Hellyer and for the next 7 – 10 years we’ll have the use of La Raza during the summer!

See you at the course.

Dear Disc Golf-hers and Disc Golf-hims,

WE NEED YOU to show up for the Public Hearing of the Santa Clara County Park & Recreation Board. The time is 6:30 on WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7th. The location is 70 West Hedding Street, San Jose. The Commissioner’s of the Park & Recreation Board will be render their decision on a proposal that the Club presented at the Hearing in May. The proposal: we want to lease the LaRaza group picnic area on an annual basis to establish a nine hole disc golf course. We would lease this area until the Park & Rec Department develops a new setting for a disc golf course in south County. The new setting is off Highway #101 near the Coyote Creek Golf (ball) Course. However, this new area, called Perry’s Hill, won’t be ready for development for another 7 – 10 years. Eventually, the LaRaza group picnic area will be no more as the Department will turn it back into a natural area as it is in the flood plain of Coyote Creek. When the new area is ready we will vacate LaRaza. We’ll always have the original nine at Hellyer and that will stay when we begin developing the new course of 18 baskets.

Speaking of LARAZA, there’s a TOURNAMENT this weekend of MAY 20 &21. We’ve rented out the site and we’ll have a singles event on Saturday and a doubles event on Sunday. There’s a paved parking lot, bathrooms, running water and picnic tables for our use. The course is extremely challenging and fun to play. The LaRaza group area is off Coyote Road just east of the freeway. From the Hellyer original course it’s about 2 miles to drive to LaRaza.

ENCLOSED you’ll find a business card from Mel Cotton’s Sporting Goods. There’s a stamp on the back of the card to show that you’re a member of the Club. Present this specially stamped card and you’ll get a “DISC”-COUNT on disc golf merchandise while shopping at Mel Cottons. Thank you Gavin McClements for this membership perk.

Thanks again to TORY JAMISON for leading the charge to acquire a RIDING LAWN MOWER for the Club. Hellyer has never looked better. THANKS are also in order to STEVE GANZ for establishing and maintaining the discussion board at Google as well as maintaining the web site.

See you at the course!

Dear Hellyers and Hellyettes,

Greetings! Tis the season for play at our green pastures in San Jose. With a little rain and before the “grass” turns into two feet high weeds, it’s time to enjoy the disc golf experience at Hellyer Park. And just in case you’d like to go beyond the realm of being a player-only type, we’re offering the opportunity for you to help out on our WORKDAY-SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31ST, 10AM TO 2 PM, WITH PIZZA AT NOON !!! We’re going to plant some trees and bushes, do some weed whacking, rebuild some of the rock walls, repair and rebuild some of the protective screens around the Toyon bushes, pick-up of wood debris and various other clean-up type projects on the course. Bring some work gloves and appropriate tools if you have them. Also, bring a friend!

Speaking of bringing it for a non-playing activity, how about being present at our ANNUAL MEETING, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4TH, 2006, 9 AM. The meeting place is our world headquarters at 3880 S. Bascom Avenue, #115, San Jose, CA, 95124. And just in case you can’t be physically present for the meeting, enclosed you’ll find a PROXY statement. You give your vote, via the proxy statement, to someone who will be present at the Annual Meeting.
If you give your proxy (vote) to someone else before the Meeting and then you are able to make the Meeting, then you get your vote and the proxy is cancelled. Please FILL OUT the PROXY and RETURN it with your annual MEMBERSHIP DUES.

And we’ve had some good speakers and excellent attendance by Hellyerites at various Public Hearings and Public Meetings that have been held regarding the rework of the Master Plan for Coyote Creek. The Club, via its members present at these meetings, has publicly expressed a desire for the EXPANSION of the course to the PARQUE DE LA RAZA group picnic area, which is along the Coyote Creek right of way. There will be future Public Meetings and Hearings and the best way to keep informed for this and other non-playing activities is through our discussion group at Yahoo.com.

SCOTT VAN TYLE has been the MODERATOR for the Yahoo discussion group and deserves a big thanks for his time spent in opening and keeping this communication tool available so that we’re all informed on an up to the minute basis as to disc golf locally and globally. Many thanks are also in order for the effort by JEF WIND in handling the Club T-SHIRT PROJECT from artwork conception to delivering the final product for issuance to the members. Please let us know if you have not received your official Club T-Shirt. STEVE GANZ continues his work in progress for the CLUB WEBSITE at svdgc.org and we all say thank you for your expertise in displaying our e-message on the goodness of our game.

See you at the course!