The Alliance Chamber Ambassadors hosted a ribbon cutting on Sept. 12 for the completed 18 hole Rolling Prairie Disc Golf Course.
It took more than four years of planning, re-planning, fundraising, going to meetings, design and brainstorming before the project came to fruition.
Rolling Prairie Disc Golf Course Board Member Eric Anderson said, “After four plus years, an idea that started on the course among some disc golf friends has finally been realized. We thought there must be some way we could make our home course better. Without the support of our community this would not have happened. After our initial meeting with City Council, the Alliance Park Foundation gave us a much needed boost that gave us the motivation to go to our community and ask for help with this project. With their support we were able to get quite far but not quite over the finish line. When the City said they had some funding that could be used to finish the project we were able to bring it to the finish line. So big thanks to my Alliance Disc golf committee partners, the Alliance Park Foundation, City of Alliance and all those in the community that supported us.”
Robbie Cerv, another board member, said his dream as a disc golf player and board member was to upgrade the disc golf course in town.
“I started playing disc golf in Alliance in 1998 when Dave Kimmel and family designed/installed the original nine hole course at Laing Lake. At the time it was the sixth course in Nebraska. Now there are over 100 courses in Nebraska. Disc golf is growing worldwide and Alliance needed an upgrade after 20 years. It was always a dream for those of us who played disc golf in Alliance to expand the course to the east side of the park. This meant we’d have a full 18 holes. Now that dream has come true,” said Cerv.
“I joined the Alliance Disc Golf Committee when I moved back to Alliance in 2017. We decided to employ 2010 PDGA World Champion Eric McCabe to design the new layout and we went with Dynamic Discs baskets and signage. Everything looks really nice now out at the course. It was a pleasure working with the Alliance Park Foundation, the City of Alliance and all our amazing donors. We raised over $18 thousand to put towards the project. In July this year we had a Trilogy Challenge tournament that brought in over 50 disc golfers. The DISCover United Way tournament brought in over 40 disc golfers. Plans for fall and winter disc golf league in Alliance are in the works,” Cerv said
Board member Kahlin Krohe said he was happy to see how the course came together.
“It’s awesome to see some of the final pieces of the new professionally designed disc golf course by 2010 PDGA World Disc Golf Champion Eric McCabe come together at The Rolling Prairie. It’s a reality for everyone in disc golf and future generations to enjoy in Alliance and the state of Nebraska. The economic benefits it’s already bringing to the city is great as well. The last two tournaments have brought in people from all over the Panhandle, Colorado and Wyoming.”
The new course was made possible with the help of those who served on the Alliance Disc Golf Committee. Current board members include Anderson, Krohe, Cerv, Omar Escamilla and Evan Mehne.
The Alliance Park Foundation, hole sponsors, Alliance City Council, Parks Department, Jeff Sprock, Alliance Chamber of Commerce, World Disc Champion Eric McCabe, and Dynamic Disc also were involved in bringing the course to life.