New course brings disc golf fans to Bridgeport

John DeRosa of Bridgeport plays his second shot during a round of discgolf with friends on the new eighteen hole discgolf course at 90 Acres Park off Park Avenue in Bridgeport on Sunday, October 16, 2011. DeRosa swaid the course took a full year to construct with the help of many volunteers. less John DeRosa of Bridgeport plays his second shot during a round of discgolf with friends on the new eighteen hole discgolf course at 90 Acres Park off Park Avenue in Bridgeport on Sunday, October 16, 2011. ... more Photo: Brian A. Pounds Photo: Brian A. Pounds Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close New course brings disc golf fans to Bridgeport 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

BRIDGEPORT -- What was once an overgrown, trash-filled eyesore is now a popular destination for the niche sport of disc golf. Veteran's Memorial Park, also known as Ninety Acres Park, has been converted into the 18-hole "Park City Disc Golf Course," and disc golf enthusiasts have been flocking to it ever since it was completed in August.

The course was funded and built through an all-volunteer effort. The co-founders include Adam Goodman, a professionally sponsored disc golfer, and John DeRosa, who owns the general contracting firm Camelot Development.

The course has proved that if you build it, they will come, Goodman said. Disc golfers and hikers come out to the course before work, after work, and especially on weekends. Two men he knows even moved from Norwalk to Bridgeport to be closer to it, Goodman said.

In disc golf, players must throw frisbees into metal baskets. There is a set starting location, and players rack up points depending on how many throws it takes to land the disc from the start point into the basket. There are three different types of discs: a driver for long distance throwing, an all-purpose disc and a putter for close throwing. Discs are typically about $10 each. They can be bought locally at Utopia, an alternative sporting goods store in Norwalk, or at the chain sporting goods store Eastern Mountain Sports.

"We do need more local stores in Bridgeport to sell the discs," DeRosa said, adding that you can also play with a regular frisbee.

The 18 holes at Park City meander through meadows, woods, wetlands and streams.

Wickham Park Disc Golf Course in Manchester and Cranbury Park in Norwalk are reputed as the best courses in the state (there are about 10 in Connecticut), and Goodman and DeRosa said disc golfers are telling them Park City matches them in quality.

"The goal was to bring people back to Bridgeport and also clean up a park," DeRosa said. "We identified this one as the one in worst shape. It was unused and overgrown. There was illegal ATVing and paintballing going on, and there were some homeless campsites in the woods."

The co-founders, which include DeRosa and Dustin Demilio, found 18 sponsors, one for every hole, secured a grant from the New England Flying Disc Association, and started the clean-up process.

"You can't imagine how much broken glass and piles of trash we hauled out of here," Goodman said.

The volunteers also cleared out invasive, non-native species, and Goodman said they saved a number of trees by clearing out invasive vines.

Rob Bonaccorso, 41, played a round of disc golf in Bridgeport on Friday afternoon after work. He said he used to always go to Cranbury Park, but now splits his time evenly between the two. He normally shows up at a course and picks up a game with other players who happen to be there. On Friday, he joined a game between an avid disc golfer and his son, who was trying the sport out for the first time.

"Disc golfers are interesting people," Bonaccorso said. "They're not just into cell phones and shopping."

The course still needs some minor tweaks, such as tee pads at the start of every hole, Goodman said. After the week's rain, the starting point at hole 1 had turned into a muddy pit. Goodman said the pads, made of gravel or stone dust, will probably be installed next year.

The co-founders proposed the course to city officials in August 2010 and quickly got approval. The course was completed in less than a year.

Contact Vinti Singh at vsingh@ctpost.com or 203-330-6285. Follow Vinti at Twitter.com/VintiSingh.