Friday, July 11, 2025
FORE! CVTC students turn passion into disc golf course plan
As the story goes, Chippewa Valley Technical College classmates Trent Lindner and Trenton Smith could not be contained.
When the sun was shining and there was barely a breeze, the 19-year-olds would slip out of mechanical design classes at CVTC for a rousing game of disc golf.
You know what they say: A bad day on the disc golf course is better than a good day in mech design class. (We’ve never heard anyone say that. We digress.)
Lindner wasn’t shy to admit the story was true.
“Trenton and I are pretty big into disc golf, we skipped Joe's class, and we would go play disc golf around Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls,” Lindner said. “And then Joe suggested we design a course for the school using five acres behind the building.”
When their instructor, Joe Vydrzal got wind of this, instead of punishing the students, he challenged them.
“The challenge isn’t in direct correlation to what they’re learning in class, but they did use AutoCAD to design the whole layout,” Vydrzal said. “They gained more of the soft skills like project management, teamwork, working with other people and communicating with others.
“If you listen to these guys, you actually hear them improve over time. That’s how it fits into their future.”
Vydrzal knew that Lindner and Smith wouldn’t get away with simply creating the specs for the course. The students would have to present their proposal to CVTC’s Cabinet members, student government to secure funding, Residential Construction students to build benches, and Marketing program students to help with signage.
The students jumped their first hurdle at the beginning of the spring semester with their presentation to CVTC administrators. With a resounding approval, they retooled their PowerPoint to go in front of student government to ask for funds for the excavation of the land behind the Manufacturing Education Center, disc golf baskets and materials.
With one swift vote, CVTC student government voted to move forward with the disc golf course with $80,000. Much of that money is excavation and making at least two holes accessible for those with disabilities.
Although they graduated in May, Smith and Lindner set up the framework for a disc golf club at CVTC. Club members will be expected to maintain the course among other tasks.
Students could make it a point to frequent other disc golf courses in the Chippewa Valley, but that would draw them away from campus, which is what the students and Vydrzal are trying to avoid.
“If we can get this disc golf course up and running, student can play a few holes between classes,” Vydrzal said. “They won’t be skipping classes because they won’t have to travel to play. It will be right here. And it promotes health and wellness, as well as some fresh air for students.”
