Silicon Valley Disc Golf Club

Dear Members & Friends of Disc Golf @ Hellyer Park

It’s been an up and down and then up again year for disc golf at the friendly confines of Hellyer Park. There was hope that we’d open the long awaited illusive front nine, but, those hopes were dashed in the spring when we were informed by the County Park & Rec staff that the City of San Jose had “taken back some land that they owned” and that land grab by the City eliminated about 3 of the baskets on the front nine. Not a good development. Furthermore, the County Park & Rec staff wants us in the near future to remove the 2 baskets on the grassy area by the lake that are numbers 1 & 2 because the County’s going to build a structure in that vicinity and they wanted to avoid a mixing of disc golf with the general public. Not a good development. So, after working for over 6 years to get to the point of being ready to finally finish out the original plan of an 18 basket course during the “dry” season, we were getting short-changed in a matter of months.

The Board of Directors this past summer decided to present a proposal to the City of San Jose as to developing a disc golf course at Kelly Park. In September, the Board visited the site at the edge of Kelly Park in the old orchard and liked what they saw. Currently, we’re in the process of assembling pictures from the early days of play at Hellyer Park through the present to tell the story of all the different kinds of people that play the game of disc golf. We’ll be able to put together a PowerPoint Presentation through the pictures and text to show the work that’s been done to improve the land and the lives in our community. We look to have a proposal ready for presentation to the City of San Jose by the first part of 2005.

Meanwhile, we just received a call from the County Park & Rec with some potentially exciting news re disc golf at Hellyer Park. The County is reviewing and renewing its Master Plan along Coyote Creek with a push to have more creek crossings. One of the crossings would link to the other side of Coyote Creek at the La Raza Group Picnic Area! The La Raza area is directly across Coyote Creek from our existing nine baskets. And for those of you that played in the special monthly disc golf tournament in November at La Raza, you’re probably drooling over the thought that our other nine baskets could be at La Raza!! La Raza has a paved parking lot, bathrooms, water fountains and picnic tables. But, most importantly, La Raza is one of the most fun and challenging courses in northern Califonia. In 2005 we’ll be having some more events at La Raza to include some monthly tournaments as well as some special Doubles Events on a Sunday following the Saturday monthly.

Check out the web site at www.svdgc.org. Steve Ganz has been doing a great job in developing the site and we’re fortunate to have his services helping the Club. We’ll be developing an extensive web site library of “official”
documents that’ll include the Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws of the Silicon Valley Disc Golf Club, the Revised Negative Declaration of the Environmental Impact Study (our guiding operating document) for disc golf at Hellyer Park, correspondence with the County Park & Rec re the development of the course at Hellyer, copies of the Annual Use Permit and much more.

There will be work days in 2005 on the last Saturday of the months of January, February and March. The Annual Meeting of the Silicon Valley Disc Golf Club will take place on Saturday, February 5th, 2005. The Meeting will start at 9 AM at 3880 South Bascom Avenue, Suite #115, San Jose, CA 95124.
If you are a CURRENT DUES PAYING MEMBER, YOUR PROXY IS INCLUDED IN THIS MAILING. PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR CURRENT DUES FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR ALONG WITH YOUR PROXY. IF YOU SHOW UP AT THE MEETING YOUR PROXY WILL BE RETURNED TO YOU.

See you at the Annual Meeting and see you at the course.

BOD SVDGC

Dear SVDGC Member,

Thanks for all your help in 2003! We’ve installed some hillside RAILINGS, planted lots of BUSHES and TREES, provided BENCHES for most of the tee areas and created something somewhat original that we’re calling “BAG TREES”. Hellyer Park Disc Golf has never looked so good.

The ANNUAL MEETING and ELECTION is scheduled for SATURDAY, JANUARY 31ST @ 9AM. The location is 3880 S. Bascom Avenue #115, San Jose, CA 95124. It’s going to be a busy day as we’re scheduled to ALSO have a WORK DAY FROM 10:30 AM TO 2 PM. See you at one or both of the venues.

BEN MEYER has put in a great year of help with his directing/conducting of the DOUBLES LEAGUE on Thursday evenings during the spring and summer. When the sun starts to shine most of the day again we’ll be back at the League, probably towards the end of April.

JASON FAUTH, BEN MEYER & JIM CHALLAS were the inspired WATERING CREW who spent a lot of their summer and fall Saturday mornings providing water to all the trees, bushes and vines that have been planted over the years. The watering-guys look forward to recruiting some additional muscle for next summer’s watering and ask that anybody with a guilt complex contact us about the beginning of May.

Thanks are also due to ERIC STACKNICK & STEVE GANZ for their continuing efforts in directing/conducting of the MONTHLY TOURNAMENT that occurs on the 2 Saturday of every month. Our financial survival depends largely on the efforts of these dedicated players/workers.

As we go forward into 2004 there is the very real possibility that we’ll be able to open the long awaited FRONT NINE. In September we had a meeting on-site at Hellyer Park with the Park & Recreation Department and plans for the expansion were discussed. We’re going to tweak the BRIDGE design and get the O.K. from the P&R Dept. and proceed to concurrently present our plans to the necessary agencies involved in the creek crossing: SANTA CLARA VALLEY WATER DISTRICT, STATE FISH & GAME & U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE. If we can gain the various agency approvals for the temporary pedestrian bridge, then we can SET-UP the bridge in MID-APRIL and REMOVE it in MID-OCTOBER. Good luck to us and get your wallets ready.

See you at the course!

Dear Disc Denizens of Hellyer Park,

The new year has arrived and it’s time for the Annual Meeting of the Silicon Valley Disc Golf Club. Join us at 9 AM on Saturday, January 25, at 3880 South Bascom Avenue, Suite 115, San Jose, CA. Enclosed is your proxy in the event you are unable to attend the meeting. Use the enclosed, postage-paid envelope to return your membership application, annual dues, donations and proxy. Just as a reminder, the Silicon Valley Disc Golf Club is an IRS 501(c)3 non-profit charitable trust and your donations are tax deductible and greatly appreciated.

We used your donations recently to plant 8 Sycamore trees, 8 rose bushes and 24 Toyon bushes. We placed a couple of new basket locations on #17 & #18. There’s a new bench on #16 and the hillsides are sprouting rock hedges. The rock hedges prevent your errant putts from rolling down the hillside as well as putting a stop to the slide shots up the hillside. The next regularly scheduled work day is the 5th Saturday of March or March 29th. We’ll be there at the usual time of 10 AM to 2 PM.

The most consistent money-maker for the Club has been the monthly tournament. We’ve averaged about $150.00 per month and our continued thanks go to Mark Bruce for conducting this event almost every 2nd Saturday of the month for the last 3 years.

We’ve developed a sponsor program for benches. For $500.00 you can have a bench located at either a front or back tee location and you’ll be acknowledged with a placque on the bench. The bench will be park-quality with a seat-back and be anchored in with cement footings.

Thank you for your continued support of disc golf at Hellyer Park. Your money and time spent to improve the course has benefited untold numbers of your fellow disc golfers. Spread the word and we’ll see you at the course!