Since 1990, the disc golf course at Brown’s Point has been a gathering place for local families and friends from West Milford and the surrounding communities around Greenwood Lake. It is the fourth oldest disc golf course in New Jersey and has never charged a fee to play. For 25 years, it has also hosted the Ice Bowl, a winter charity tournament that has raised money for a local women’s shelter. We are writing on behalf of the many taxpaying residents who make up the Brown’s Point Preservation Society to ask that our community have a voice in the property’s future.
We fully support the state’s initiative to expand public access to Greenwood Lake, and we understand why Brown’s Point is a logical site for the new boat launch, planned for 2027. We are not opposed to the project. What concerns us is the prospect, now under discussion, of eliminating the disc golf course entirely to make room for it.
The current plans call for clearing established trees and paving a large lot to accommodate trucks and trailers, which would significantly impact the existing course. Brown’s Point is also preserved under New Jersey’s Green Acres program, which sets aside land specifically for public outdoor recreation. We are asking a simpler question: why should one group of longtime local users be displaced so that another can be accommodated, when both could be served?
We believe there is a better path. Our group is confident that the disc golf course can be redesigned in a smaller, modified footprint alongside the boat launch. We are ready to work with the state and with NJ Fish and Wildlife, which will eventually manage the property, to make that happen.
Brown’s Point should not become a choice between fishermen and boaters on one side and disc golfers on the other. It should remain what it has always been: a shared resource for all local residents and taxpayers throughout West Milford and the neighboring towns around Greenwood Lake. We simply ask to be included in that conversation.
Brown’s Point Preservation Society Brownspointdiscgolf@gmail.com.
Craig Cutler
West Milford
