Grasses, wildflowers and trees along the course have started to rebound, prompting U.S. Forest Service officials to reopen the popular Frisbee golf area on the Lolo National Forest.
The length of the folf season this summer will depend on the weather and how folfers treat the course, officials said.
The course work was completed by Forest Service employees, the Montana Conservation Corps and local folf players. It included moving two tees, fairways and holes, fencing off sensitive areas and creating a new trail.
About a dozen folf players were cited recently for trespassing. Vandals also caused minor damage to the course.
Andy Kulla, resource staff officer in the Missoula Ranger District, said the violations were frustrating, but that most people complied with the closure.
“The resources have responded tremendously to the rest period, so things are looking good,” he said. “We're trying to determine what the capacity of the land is to withstand use within the existing footprint, so there's hesitation to expand the course until we're confident we can rehabilitate the old areas.”
The Garden City Flyers, a folf group, plans to install rubber tee pads and baskets this summer to further reduce impacts at the course.
The course closure also was enacted to protect the groomed wintertime Nordic ski trails.
Kulla inspected the course Wednesday and found standing water and soft soil on some of the fairways, but he said he expects the hot, dry weather in the forecast to help dry things out.
“Unfortunately, I followed a trail of discarded beer cans on the course,” he said. “We're asking folfers to please pack out their litter and any other garbage they find and to respect the restoration work.”
Acting Missoula District Ranger Tom Rhode said the land will be protected by allowing the vegetation to re-establish and the soil to dry out each spring and by maintaining a Forest Service presence in the area.
“Protecting the resources while providing a quality experience for folfers, picnickers and other visitors will help to ensure a sustainable folf course in Pattee Canyon,” he said.
Folf players set up the 40-acre course unofficially more than 20 years ago.
In 1997, the U.S. Forest Service recognized the course as a bona fide recreational use, but the sport's growing popularity has drawn concern about environmental damage and littering.
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