Behind the Splash Pad parking lot at Adams Township Community Park, an information board stands next to three par-3 holes that weren't there in August. The board holds loaner discs and a short guide to playing. It also has a QR code. The township's course page asks players to scan the code "each time you visit," so the township can see how often the course gets used and how much interest there is.
The course is an experiment, and the township is measuring it by actual use, not by asking people what they think.
A Survey You Answer by Playing
The township opened the course on Tuesday, Sept. 22, for a six-week trial, according to the Butler Eagle. Brian Perry, the township's parks and recreation director, told the paper that residents had come to ask about disc golf more than once, and that the township chose a working course over a questionnaire.
"Instead of just putting a questionnaire out there or a survey on the internet, we decided to put something tangible out there so people could come check it out and try to make their own judgments," Perry told the Butler Eagle.
So the question of whether disc golf belongs at the park is being answered by whoever shows up, and the township has one tool for counting them. Here's what a visit involves:
- Where: behind the Splash Pad parking lot at Adams Township Community Park
- Layout: three holes, all par 3
- Equipment: loaner discs are kept at the information board
- Hours: daylight only
- Rules and layout: the township has posted a How to Play guide and a course information sheet
Why the Scan Matters More Than the Round
The township page states plainly what the QR code is for: it tells the township how often the course is used and how much interest there is. The page lists no feedback form, email address or comment period. In the township's own description, the scan is how a visit gets counted.
That has a practical consequence. Someone who plays all three holes on a Saturday afternoon and leaves without scanning has enjoyed the course but hasn't added anything to the count. A family that stops by twice in one week and scans both times shows up twice. Because the page asks for a scan "each time you visit," it's tracking how often people come back as well as whether they came at all. No usage totals have been published so far.
What the Course Would Join, and What It Would Replace
Disc golf would be a new kind of facility for this park. According to the Butler Eagle, Adams Township Community Park already has pickleball, basketball, baseball, multisport fields and the Splash Pad. The same article lists the established courses nearby:
| Course | Municipality |
|---|---|
| Moraine State Park, Lakeview Beach section | State park |
| North Boundary Park | Cranberry Township |
| Harcrest Park | Penn Township |
| Alameda Park | Butler |
Right now, an Adams Township resident who wants a full course has to drive to one of those four parks. Moraine has been busy with the sport this year. It hosted the PDGA Junior Disc Golf World Championships in July and was scheduled to host the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Championship on Oct. 10 and 11. The three holes behind the Splash Pad are the township's test of whether some of that interest would stay close to home.
The Clock Runs Out Around Election Day
Six weeks from the Sept. 22 opening comes to about Tuesday, Nov. 3. The township hasn't published a closing date or announced an extension, so take Nov. 3 as an estimate. Counting from Thursday, Oct. 29, that leaves one weekend, Halloween weekend, plus a few weekday evenings while there's still daylight.
Nov. 3 is also Election Day. Adams Township and Mars Borough voters will decide whether the two municipalities merge into a single township, planned to be called Mars Township, with the transition set to finish by Jan. 1, 2028. The Butler Eagle's explainer covers what the proposal would change, including a combined government based at the current Adams Township municipal building on Valencia Road.
The Township Has Been Acting on Resident Input This Fall
The disc golf trial isn't the only recent case of the township responding to what residents said. On Oct. 12, the supervisors voted to limit residential garbage collection to 6 a.m. through 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday, after complaints about pickups as early as 3:45 a.m., the Butler Eagle reported. The article didn't give a date for when the new hours take effect.
The garbage rule started with complaints. The disc golf course started with residents asking Perry about the sport, and the decision on its future rests on the scans. In both cases a township decision followed from what residents did or said.
Getting to the Park Along Route 228 This Week
Most trips to the park this fall involve Route 228, which is still partly a work zone. PennDOT District 10's Route 228 and Three Degree Road safety project includes turning lanes, side-road and signal work, sidewalks and a roundabout. Final overnight paving was scheduled for July 22 through 31, according to PennDOT's July release. The project page still gives November 2026 as the planned end month.
There's also a new stop on the corridor. Chick-fil-A opened just off Route 228 on Oct. 1 with a sensory-feature playground, the Butler Eagle reported.
When the Trial Ends, the Calendar Moves to Downtown Mars
Once the course closes, the local calendar moves on to the holidays:
- Light Up Mars, Saturday, Nov. 28, noon to 6 p.m., downtown Mars at the spaceship. The event page lists a holiday market with vendors and food from noon to 5:30 p.m. It also lists a Mars Small Business Showcase scavenger hunt, with cards due by 4:30 p.m. at the Mars Area Public Library booth. A completed card enters you to win a ride in the parade with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Misty Lanes Performance Horses runs horse-drawn carriage rides from 2:00 to 5:30 p.m., starting and ending at Nosh & Curd, and Santa photos are from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. The tree is lit at 5:30 p.m. and the parade starts at 6:00.
- Mars Agway Christmas Open House, Saturday, Dec. 5, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The store at 101 Grand Ave. lists sales, local vendors and holiday activities on its event page.
- Wreaths Across America, Saturday, Dec. 19. The township's announcements page asks residents to support Mars VFW Post 7505 as it places wreaths at Mars Cemetery, West Union Cemetery and Mt. Olive Cemetery. A ceremony time hasn't been posted yet.
The scavenger hunt at Light Up Mars also works by participation. You get an entry by visiting Mars businesses and turning in the card.
If you're heading to the Splash Pad lot before the trial ends, bring your phone and scan the code at the information board, even if you only play one hole.
I've lived just down the road in Franklin Park since 2006, and I like to follow how places like Adams Township Community Park change from season to season. If you'd like to talk about what's happening near you, I'd be glad to help. Emily Wilhelm | Let's Connect.
