Two Fairfield residents have spent their winter transforming the abandoned Waterworks Park disc golf course, clearing overgrown vegetation and making the nine-hole course playable again—with plans to expand it to 18 holes.
Jason Black and Tucker Pulliam III began the restoration project in late fall after noticing the course had fallen into disrepair. Working every weekend through freezing temperatures, the volunteers have cleared trails, installed directional signs, and created unique course features. Another volunteer who played an important role throughout the process was Lydelle Turner.
“I came out here, it was the end of fall, very early winter, and the course was just completely abandoned,” Pulliam said. “It had obviously not been maintained for quite a while. I think it had kind of been forgotten about, and basically left to die.”
Community Response
Pulliam made a social media post asking about the course’s condition and showing photos of the overgrown terrain and the progress they’ve made since the beginning. The response was overwhelming. “That post has gotten a lot of attention, which is nice. It’s bringing a lot more people out,” Pulliam said. “And we’re actively seeing that, too. The last couple times we’ve been out here doing work, we’ve seen other people come in and play.” The volunteers are now working with the City of Fairfield on plans to expand the course. The city has baskets from when they upgraded the Chautauqua Park course that could be used for the additional nine holes.
The course was originally built approximately 20 years ago and was revived once before about 10 years ago, but it fell into disrepair again. This history explains why city officials want to see sustained use before investing in the expansion.
“Part of the agreement with them to get the new holes is they want to see people playing the course,” Pulliam explained. “So we’re trying to do whatever we can to get more people playing.”
The Transformation
The project has required extensive labor. Some holes were so overgrown that baskets were barely visible, and fallen trees blocked shots completely. The volunteers used pole saws to raise the “ceiling” on shots and cleared paths between holes.
Hole four required particularly intensive work, with both volunteers spending significant time clearing the area. “I’ve put a lot of work in number four,” Black said. The hole was so overgrown that the basket was barely visible, with grass extremely long even after cutting.
Hole eight presented another major challenge. “There was this random primitive camping structure, like somebody came out here and did a build-a-fort workshop,” Pulliam explained. “There was a giant teepee, and it just ruined the hole. You couldn’t even play it.” The volunteers removed the structure to restore playability.
On hole six, near the water, the pair built a small wall to prevent discs from rolling into the lake. “We played yesterday and I think we just got saved by the little wall we built,” Pulliam said.
“We put in our elbow grease, definitely,” Black said. The pair worked through the winter, missing only one weekend when temperatures dropped to near zero. Black created custom signs for each hole showing the layout, and the volunteers added yellow directional markers to help newcomers navigate the course. They even installed a hanging basket on one hole, suspended by cables as a unique challenge. “We’re both very proud of the work that we’ve done,” Pulliam said. “We kind of put our heads down and came out here everyday or every weekend and just kind of got a little bit done at a time. And before you knew it, you looked it up and you’ve got a whole new course, basically.”
Phase One Complete
The volunteers say they’ve completed “phase one”—making the course playable again. The next phases include leveling tee pads, adding the nine new holes, and bringing in sponsors. “We’re really trying to get some sponsors,” Pulliam said. The pair plans to create a business entity to properly manage sponsorship opportunities. They’re also working on a tiered sponsorship system with different contribution levels. Future improvements include leveling tee pads with gravel or mulch (the city won’t allow cement), installing a large sign at the entrance showing the full course layout, and possibly creating a “little free library” style disc exchange for beginners. “One idea I had was like the little three libraries, but using that for people that are beginners that may not have discs,” Black said. “And then also like a lost and found section.”
Disc Golf Tourism
Disc golf is experiencing explosive growth nationally. “It’s the fastest growing sport in the world, right there with pickleball,” Pulliam said, emphasizing why investing in the course makes sense for Fairfield.
The volunteers see potential to bring disc golf tourism to Fairfield. With both Waterworks and Chautauqua courses available, the city could host tournaments that attract players from across the region. “I know I’ve driven a couple hours just to go play a course in Des Moines,” Pulliam said. “We can almost stimulate some disc golf tourism. We can get tournaments going where we play Chautauqua and Waterworks every night, and stimulate some business for the local economy.”
Beyond tournaments, the volunteers are exploring other community programming. “There’s that aspect, sponsorship, throwing tournaments, having maybe a clinic for kids or something,” Black said. “You know, there’s that aspect and then there’s the cleanup manual labor aspect.”
Next Steps and Challenges
The timeline for adding the nine new holes is uncertain but optimistic. Before any expansion can begin, the volunteers must create a detailed map showing proposed hole locations and submit it to the city for approval.
“The way they want us to do it is we’re going to basically take a map of the park and draw out all of the different holes that we want to put in,” Pulliam explained. “And the city will tell us if they can do it or not.”
The city has specific restrictions to consider. Certain areas of the park are used for cross-country running and the sled hill, and city officials don’t want disc golf traffic interfering with those activities. The volunteers will need to carefully design the layout to avoid conflicts.
Another challenge is finding expertise in sponsorship management. “It would be nice to have somebody who is kind of an expert in that stuff,” Pulliam said. “Sponsorship stuff is very unique.”
Despite these hurdles, Pulliam remains optimistic about the timeline. “I’m hoping for early spring to get started with the new holes,” he said. “I really do think by summer they will probably be about it, so long as people are playing.”
Course Features
The restored course now includes several distinctive elements:
- Custom wooden signs at each hole showing the layout, created by Black
- Directional arrows guiding players from hole to hole
- A tunnel shot through dense trees on hole nine—a highly sought-after feature in disc golf
- A hanging basket suspended by cables on hole eight
- A mandatory (mando) shot where a fallen tree creates an overhead obstacle that players must navigate
- A roller shot hole designed specifically for players who can throw the disc to roll along the ground—a unique skill in disc golf
- Scenic shots along the lake
The ‘mando’ shot is particularly distinctive. “A tree fell just perfectly,” Black explained. “It’s like overhead, so the hole is kind of built for a roller shot, to be honest. I see that on a lot of fancier courses. There’s usually like one hole where the only way you’re going to get a birdie on it is if you hit a good roller. And it’s a very unique feat, learning how to throw a roller shot,” Pulliam explained.
The tunnel shot on hole nine is another standout feature. “These tunnel shots are very sought after in the disc golf world,” Pulliam said. “A lot of times when you go to UDisc—UDisc is an app that has all the courses and you can keep your score on the course—whenever you go to a course on UDisc, the first picture, if it has a tunnel shot like this, is always with it.”
The course can be played in under an hour, making it accessible for casual players while still offering challenges for experienced disc golfers. “It’s a good, good exercise,” Black said, noting that the course wraps around the lake and showcases the park’s natural beauty. Both volunteers have received positive feedback from the community. Black said he received tons of compliments at a recent event downtown.
The volunteers continue to work on the course, with plans to do additional edge work on holes seven, eight, and nine, remove invasive honeysuckle, and make other improvements as needed. Anyone interested in playing can find the course at Waterworks Park, as it begins right by the parking lot to the left of the playground. The volunteers encourage residents to try out the restored course and help demonstrate community support for the planned expansion.
