EASTON, Md. — Opposition is mounting to a plan that would bring one of the nation's fastest-growing sports to an Easton town park, as the town moves forward with a one-year trial disc golf course at John F. Ford Park.
Peggy Ford lives two houses down from the park, which is named about her late husband who served on the town council. Peggy says she has no problem with disc golf itself, but doesn't want to see a course built there.
"It would be really much better if it was in another area," Ford said. "Doesn't have to be in Easton and it can be in Talbot County and more people could have access to it. This particular park needs to be preserved because of its uniqueness in our area, because it is nature."
Ford says that the meadows in the park should be preserved and not disturbed by the installation of the course. She said that she has seen parts of the meadow mowed for a previous disc golf tournament in the park last spring.
“This particular property is the only publicly accessible property in the town center, which is the walkable part of town that has, you know, it's like you're totally in nature,” Ford said. “There are no telephone poles. There's no there's nothing. It's just a past grassy area, meadow trees. And it goes, you know, it's a very big circle, you know, kind of oval. But, it's just, to me, a special place like, like S.O.S.. Save our serenity. Isn't it important for people to have a place where they can go and just be in nature?”
Jason Beveridge is one of the disc golf players who brought the idea for a course to the town. He loves the sport so much he built a course in his own backyard. He said a course at Ford Park would not disrupt the environment of the park.
"We are in a disc golf dead zone here, and it would be nice to introduce the community to disc golf," Beveridge said. "It is a sport that is accessible by everybody of every age. It's fairly minimally invasive on the environment. You know, we use what's there."
The closest existing disc golf course is at Tuckahoe State Park, about 30 minutes from Easton.
Some neighbors say they are worried about how many cars this will bring to their streets, which they say is already a problem.
The town says the board of education parking lot can be used for parks purposes.
"I'm concerned that it's just going to increase more and more of that traffic, more and more of the cars," said Kathie Middleton, who lives nearby. "The people aren't willing to park at the provided parking lot because it's a little bit extra walk."
Beveridge said organizers plan to post clear parking instructions on UDisc, an app disc golfers use to find local courses.
The town's Parks and Recreation Advisory Board evaluated three sites identified in the 2026 Parks and Recreation annual plan and researched how nearby jurisdictions have handled similar courses before recommending Ford Park. The board determined the park was the most suitable location because of its available space, accessibility, parking and low environmental impact, along with low installation and maintenance costs.
Most recent draft of the Disc Golf Course Layout. According to Easton town staff this will not be the final layout as more changes will be taking place in the coming weeks. (Credit: Greg Mueller, City of Easton)
Under the pilot plan, crews would install wooden tee box frames but hold off on artificial turf surfacing until the town decides whether the course will become permanent. Baskets would go in with removable sleeves in case they need to come out.
“What we're doing is not going to hurt the environment,” Beveridge said. “It's not going to drastically affect the ecosystem that people are worried about. Everything is removable. The tee pads are removable…It's good for, it's good for activity, health. You know, when I go out and play around, I'll get 10,000 steps just playing around. You know, and it's low impact and you're out in nature, right? You're not. You're not on a ball golf course where everything is manicured and there's all the fertilizer and everything else. It's literally you use what's there.”
At Tuesday's town council meeting, Council President Abbatiello said the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board's report found the course would affect about 1.25 acres of the park's more than 14 acres of meadow.
Not everyone on the town council supports the plan. Councilwoman Maureen Curry, whose ward includes the park, spoke out against the decision during Tuesday’s town council meeting.
“I am crestfallen because I genuinely believe this decision will forever change the beauty and tranquility of John Ford Park….I believe the neighborhood in and around John Ford Park will be overrun every time there is a disc golf tournament,” Curry said.
Curry also said she was worried about the process by which the course was approved. The disc golf course requires the approval of the town park board.
During Tuesday’s meeting, the town attorney said the matter is already settled procedurally. "I think it was before you in the budget as well as in the annual plan, which you have already approved," the attorney said. "And once you all approve something in the budget, it's for the mayor and the town staff to carry out those functions."
Curry asked to be kept in the loop about any tournaments held at the course.
Town Manager Andy Kitzrow read the recommendation from the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board at Tuesday’s meeting. He said the Parks and Rec board would ensure that there will not be any pop-up tournaments.
Additionally, some neighbors WBOC spoke with say they would like a way to inform the town how they feel about the course when it is installed and throughout the year trial period.
“It would be nice to have in the public purview a way to evaluate how this is going to be, is it going to be successful or not,” Ford said. “Not do it at the end of the year, but have it like a rubric already in place before, so people know what is going, you know, what is going to determine whether it is going to stay or go.
The Easton Town Manager said the next step is finalizing the course layout, with the goal of moving forward with the plan this fall.
