MANITOWOC (NBC 26) — It's winter now but during the summer some Manitowoc parks become a disc golf course.
- The 2025 Women's National Disc Golf Championship will be in four courses across Manitowoc County.
- Jim Van Lanen Jr. of Discover Eastern Wisconsin Disc Golf says this took decades of work to draw the event.
- Manitowoc Parks and Rec Division Manager, Curt Hall says that he is proud Manitowoc will get to show off their parks and courses.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
There's a big national disc tournament coming to our city and I'm looking at what it took to get it here.
Jim Van Lanen Jr. of Discover Eastern Wisconsin Disc Golf was instrumental in creating the bid that drew the 2025 Women's National Disc Golf Championship to Manitowoc.
"They said ours was far superior to our competition,” Lanen said of the bid. “Replacing signs and just doing the little things. When a tree falls, we get out there and try to help clean it up."
He says his group and other local enthusiasts have bid for this tournament multiple times before. He believes it's the quality of the four local courses included that helped him grab the opportunity.
Like Silver Creek Park, run by Manitowoc Parks and Rec Division Manager Curt Hall. He says the course is ranked in the top 100 worldwide.
"It is a lot of effort as far as keeping the facility maintained and looking sharp,” said Hall.
An event that will bring 300 of the sport's top athletes and many more spectators.
"We want them to have a great first impression when they get here,” said Hall. “And a long-lasting impression when they come to Manitowoc, see what we have to offer and hopefully it's something that they remember when they leave."
An accomplishment that has been decades in the making for Jim.
"You keep making that course a little bit better, a little bit better, a little bit better and you get an event like this that says what we have been doing is worthwhile,” said Lanen.
Jim says that for all the work that went into getting the tournament here, there's more to go to get ready. He says the event will be sometime during the summer of 2025. A specific month and day hasn't been determined yet.
