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Determination Letter

November 29, 2025 in Club Information

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Club Member Discounts

September 7, 2025 in Club Information

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Planned Formal Actions for 11/21/2024 Meeting

November 20, 2024 in Announcements, Club Communications, Club Information, Uncategorized

Background

As mentioned in our earlier email, we have been on a 2+ year journey preparing to apply for:

  • 501(c)3 non-profit tax exempt status with the IRS
  • Tax exempt status with the State of CA

These are important and necessary milestones to ensure the long-term stability of the organization. At a high level, we’ve had to complete several significant tasks In order to qualify for tax exempt status on the state and federal level:

  • Form a corporation (new legal entity)
  • Open new bank and Paypal accounts
  • Draft bylaws that ensure we comply with the requirements for tax exempt status
  • Draft a Conflict of Interest Policy and Disclosure form

Despite our best intentions and efforts, several of these tasks have taken much longer to complete than anticipated. As a result, we are now up against our filing deadline with the IRS (within 27 months of formation).

Meeting Actions and First Formal Board of Directors

At the meeting on Thursday evening (time & location here), we the “initial directors” must take several formal actions that are required prior to applying for tax exempt status with the IRS and State of CA:

  • Adopt the Bylaws, Conflict of Interest Policy, and Disclosure Form
  • Set the exact authorized # of directors to 5
  • Appoint 2 additional directors to the board
  • Set initial terms of all 5 BOD members
    • 2 will be 3 years, 3 should be 2 years (staggered, per bylaws)
    • After which all terms are 2 yrs per bylaws
  • Elect officers of BOD (1-yr terms)
  • Adopt fiscal year (ending 12/31)
  • Approve applying for federal and state tax-exempt status

Chris Tirrell is the “incorporator” of the corporation but has decided to step down from his role as Vice President of the club (legacy organization). In order to facilitate a smooth transition, Chris has appointed the remaining officers as the “initial directors”:

  • Shawn Mercy
  • Mike Sale
  • Harper Alexander

We are pleased to announce that the above initial directors have identified two very capable club members to fill out the board of directors:

  • Chloe Stein
  • Kevin Smeds

While several other club members have expressed interest in joining the board, we have decided it would be best to limit the number of members at this point in time. We genuinely appreciate the interest other members have shown and hope that you’ll continue to support our mission in a variety of ways. We can increase the size of the board in the future as we evolve as a club and organization.

Officers

Once the board is complete and our terms have been set we will proceed to elect officers of the BOD. We have discussed this topic at length and have decided on the following officers for a 1-yr term:

  • Shawn Mercy – President
  • Harper Alexander – Vice President
  • Mike Sale – Treasurer
  • Kevin Smeds – Secretary

While Chloe will not be an officer in this cycle, she will play an important role on the board of directors offering her perspective and ensuring the voice of the community and underserved demographics are represented in the formal decision making of the organization going forward.

Bylaws Feedback

We would like to thank everyone who took the time to review and provide comments on the draft bylaws. We will review the feedback during the meeting and speak briefly regarding why we have or have not made changes to the bylaws in response to the feedback.

Other Agenda Items

As we mentioned in our first email regarding this meeting, the first half of the meeting will focus on updating everyone on membership, the course, past and upcoming tournaments, club finances, and other important topics. We will not have as much time to discuss some topics as we have in the past but will make sure to cover the important topics in as much detail as possible.

One Last Thing

We need a TD for the 2025 Birthday Bash! Alex Georgopoulos has been the TD the past 2 years and is happy to support the next TD (team?). If you are interested in this opportunity and are not able to attend the meeting, please reach out! We are targeting Saturday, March 29th, 2025 as the date for the event.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading and we hope to see you at the meeting!

Thank you,

Shawn, Harper, Mike, Kevin, and Chloe

Links

Bylaws – Final Draft
Conflict of Interest Policy – Final Draft
COI Disclosure Form – Final Draft
Meeting Notice Email
Meeting Location Email

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GGPDGC CLOSED — RE-OPENING PLANNING IS IN PROGRESS

March 16, 2020 in Announcements, Club Communications, Club Information, Events, The Course

GGP DISC GOLF COURSE CLOSED

06/10 UPDATE: RE-OPENING PLANNING IS IN PROGRESS

I would like everyone to know that I met with SFR&P and Park Rangers yesterday at GGPDGC. We have been in discussions for a couple weeks now but as you can imagine, things do not move all that quickly. They have a LOT on their plate so your SFDGC officers are doing everything that we can to facilitate the process. In short, we are actively working on a plan for re-opening.
Per City of SF regulations, the facility must have an approved plan in place in addition to signage that will communicate any safety measures and protocols that are needed to minimize the risk of transmission of COVID-19 at the facility. This is the same process that any other recreational facility or business must go through in order to operate in the context of the ongoing pandemic.
I apologize for the long period of uncertainty but based on our interactions yesterday, our relationship with SFR&P is excellent and we need to ensure that we keep it that way. The course is city property. It’s that simple.
On behalf of the SFDGC and SFR&P, I would like to THANK EVERYONE who has remained patient during these difficult times. None of this has been easy but we will get through to the other side and will be stronger and more resilient because of this experience.
The next communication will be to outline the safety measures and protocols that will be put in place for playing disc golf at GGPDGC.
Shawn Mercy
SFDGC President
===========================================
May 29th Update:
We have received word from SFR&P that they are working on a plan for re-opening Golden Gate Park Disc Golf Course!
While we do not have a date, we wanted to pass along this good news.
SFR&P also wanted us to thank everyone who has NOT BEEN PLAYING for being so patient and supportive to this point. It has been one less problem that they’ve had to deal with while doing their best to keep the vast majority of the park available for people to enjoy.
Given the update to the City of San Francisco’s regulations on face coverings, we are fully expecting them to be required while you are in the park including while playing disc golf. If you don’t already have a well fitting, light weight face covering, now is the time to acquire one or three.
We would also like to re-iterate how proud we am of our disc golf club and extended community. You are all rock-stars!
https://sf.gov/information/masks-and-face-coverings-coronavirus-outbreak
-SFDGC
===========================================

04.28.2020 UPDATE: The city of San Francisco has extended the shelter in place. [SOURCE]

03.31.2020 UPDATE: The city of San Francisco has extended the shelter in place. [SOURCE]

03.24.2020 UPDATE: The baskets have been pulled and will not be reinstalled until the city of San Francisco and SFR&P give us permission to do so. Thank you for your patience and understanding during these very difficult times.

All,
I received an email from SFR&P this evening regarding the shelter in place ordinance issued by the city of San Francisco today, March 16th.
“Dear Park Partners
Today in response to the COVID-19 crisis and to contain the spread of the virus, the City of San Francisco issued an order to shut down all nonessential business and activities until April 7, 2020. In order to ensure compliance please cease your operations until at least April 7, 2020;“
From the city ordinance (LINK):
“This order begins at 12:01 a.m. on March 17, 2020 and will continue for three weeks through April 7, 2020, subject to the limited exceptions and under the terms and conditions more particularly set forth below.“
I understand this will come as a shock and disappointment to many. We are all hoping that this comes to pass and we are able to open again and enjoy our favorite activity with our favorite people soon.
Please stay safe and take care of each other…from a distance. We are stronger than this damn virus!
Shawn Mercy
SFDGC President

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COVID-19: SFDGC Events (03-14-2020)

March 14, 2020 in Announcements, Club Communications, Club Information, Events

COVID-19: SFDGC Events Postponed / On Hiatus Until Further Notice (03-14-2020)

Hi Everyone,

Out of an abundance of caution and in response to the City of San Francisco moratorium on gatherings of 100 or more people (through April 30th), we have come to the following decisions regarding our weekly events and the Birthday Bash.

Sunday Singles / Tuesday Doubles On Hiatus

We are putting these club sanctioned events on hiatus until further notice. We have come to this decision after much deliberation and exploration of various substantial mitigation efforts over the past 36 hours. While we can certainly reduce the chance of transmission during one of our events, we cannot be sure how effective those efforts would be.

As such, we have come to the conclusion that we need to take this somewhat drastic action to do our part in preventing the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which can cause COVID-19 disease.

To be clear, we are not saying you cannot play disc golf in Golden Gate Park. That is up to each individual. However, if you do decide to venture out and play disc golf, please take every precaution possible to eliminate the chance of spreading the virus. In addition to the precautions we urged in our last communication, here are some additions:

  • Only handle your own discs and all other personal items
  • Do not pass a paper scorecard around — this is a great time to start using UDisc!
  • Enforce social distancing of at least 6 feet between yourself and others

We will monitor and re-evaluate this decision in an ongoing manner with the goal of ending the hiatus as soon as reasonably possible — hopefully well before April 30th!

13th Birthday Bash is Postponed

For the same reasons given above, Sean Jack and the club officers have decided to postpone the 13th Birthday Bash to a future unknown date (previously scheduled for March 28th).

Here are a few additional key points regarding how we are handling the postponement:

  • We will proactively refund everyone their registration fees and addons ASAP
  • All current registrants will have the first opportunity to re-register once a new date is set (multi-tiered registration)
  • We have cancelled the disc and shirt orders

We hope everyone understands that these decisions were not taken lightly. Disc golf competition and social interaction are a big part of many of our lives and we know that losing any of that for the time being does not feel good.

If you have any questions, please respond below or email us at sanfranciscodiscgolfclub ( at ) gmail.com

Warm Regards,
Shawn Mercy
Chris Tirrell
Steve Erle
Harper Alexander

===Links for Reference====

San Francisco Moratorium (03-13-2020):
https://sfmayor.org/article/san-francisco-issues-moratorium-gatherings-100-or-more-slow-spread-covid-19

Previous SFDGC COV-19 Message:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/sfdiscgolf/permalink/10157987652307192/
https://www.sfdiscgolf.org/archives/18518

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COVID-19: Events and Precautions (03-12-2020)

March 12, 2020 in Announcements, Club Communications, Club Information, Club Membership

COVID-19: Events and Precautions (03-12-2020)

As all SFDGC members are likely aware, the spread of COVID-19 is ongoing in the community. In response, local, state, and federal governments are imposing new restrictions on events and gatherings to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. While there are currently limited restrictions on our planned events, the situation is evolving rapidly and we should all be thinking about what we can do to reduce the rate of spread in our communities.

You can find more information regarding COVID-19 and the virus that causes this illness here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html

We as a club have a responsibility to ensure our community is informed and is doing what’s best for society as well as other individuals. We have a responsibility to each other and society to think long-term rather than short term.

Disc golf might be the game that brought us together but it’s the people that make our community so special. While we can understand the frustration that people may feel due to various impacts on their lives, we need to remember that in situations like these, our priorities and behaviors must change.

Social Distancing Practices

No matter your reason for being at the course (event or casual round), we all need to be aware of and modify our habits to help minimize the spread of the virus. We know that those exposed to the virus may not exhibit symptoms for up to 14 days but are still able to transmit the virus. We strongly urge all club members to implement social distancing practices:

  • Maintaining space between individuals of approximately six feet is advisable.
  • Minimize or eliminate physical contact with others. Foot bump, not high five. 
  • Do not share beverages, tobacco, water bottles, or other items. 
  • DO NOT EXPOSE OTHERS TO POSSIBLE INFECTION! If you are feeling any symptoms what-so-ever, please stay at home!

Sunday Singles / Tuesday Doubles

While we are currently not planning on cancelling our weeklies, mitigation policies are evolving quickly. We may change this position in the future as warranted. In the meantime, please do your best to implement the Social Distancing Practices above. 

Birthday Bash – 03/28

On Wednesday, 03/11, we received guidance from SFR&P that our Birthday Bash event is currently still authorized to proceed. However, SFR&P has published guidelines that we will comply with and we must all be prepared for eventualities such as having to postpone this event to a later date. If you do decide that you would rather not attend, please request a refund via Disc Golf Scene and we’ll take care of it ASAP.

Here are the current guidelines from local and state authorities (as of 03/11/2020):

Thank you for taking the time to read this message. We will continue to communicate as the situation evolves. In times like these, it’s best to plan for the worst and hope for the best. Let’s all take care of each other out there. 

If you have any questions, please post them here or email us (sanfranciscodiscgolfclub (at) gmail.com).

Warmest Regards,
Shawn Mercy
Chris Tirrell
Steve Erle
Harper Alexander

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SFDGC Officer Responsibilities

November 11, 2019 in Club Communications, Club Information

SFDGC Officer Responsibilities

The SFDGC is led by a group of 4 officers and supported by a huge number of club members who engage in a variety of ways. Our overall mission is covered, at a high level, by our club constitution which can be found here.

The current club officers were elected at the 2019 General Meeting (12-03-2019):

  • President: Shawn Mercy
  • Vice President: Chris Tirrell
  • Treasurer: Steve Erle
  • Secretary: Harper Alexander

Typically officers are elected for ~1 year terms. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the club did not hold an annual meeting in 2020.

While our officers are ultimately responsible for making sure all the essential items are covered while keeping an eye to the future, this would not be possible without the support by the many club members who volunteer their own time to help out in a variety of ways.

In general, our responsibilities are meant to:

  • Lead and grow the SFDGC by providing structure and transparency
  • Ensure that the Golden Gate Park Disc Golf Course continues to be well maintained and in good working order for club members and others to enjoy for years to come
  • Ensure that the SFDGC continues to foster and build an effective working relationship with SFR&P
  • Empower club members to contribute to course upkeep and improvements, hosting events, etc…
  • Ensure the legacy of the SFDGC by planning for the future and adapting to change
  • Interact with, coordinate with, and support the regional disc golf scene

Below we have listed out many of the current responsibilities and duties that need to be covered. If a club member wishes to run for office, they will have to assume many of the duties below. However, specific roles and responsibilities can shift as needed to ensure everything is covered by a given group of club officers.

General

  • Coordinating/overseeing all tournaments – (BTC, Birthday Bash, Safari)
  • Tournament responsibilities include but are not limited to:
    • Scheduling to avoid conflicts
    • Applying for and securing permits
    • Solicit donations/sponsorships
    • Secure artwork for player’s pack items, merchandise, bag tags, and trophies
    • Planning or review of course layouts
    • Planning human and material resources
    • Tournament central facility & volunteer personnel
    • Add’l baskets, tents, tables, other
    • Payouts
    • Merchandise sales
    • Cleanup
    • Ensure compliance with the terms of permit
    • Procure bag tags, shirts, discs, other materials
    • Scoring and uploading results
    • Maintain disc inventory and sales efforts
  • Course Maintenance
    • Support the essential work of the BP through club donations and ensuring that club owned tools are in good working order
    • Assess near-term course needs — plan and execute projects accordingly
    • Assess long-term course needs and begin planning to meet those needs
    • Enable others to plan / execute projects via club funds, tools, and communication resources
    • Coordinate work parties
    • Interface with SFR&P for approval and / or assistance with work
    • Empower / enable other club members to plan and lead projects
  • Maintain good records of any purchases made on behalf of the club
  • Ensure baskets are pulled and re-installed for Outside Lands and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass
  • Look for opportunities to increase revenue and  reduce costs, to ensure the financial stability of the club
  • Outgoing Donations: Respond to requests and maintain ledger for accounting purposes
  • Incoming Donations: Engage with and guide prospective donors to ensure funds are used as requested

President

  • Develop and maintain relationships with SF Rec and Park personnel (maintenance and administration) and Park Rangers to ensure the stability of the GGPDGC and increase cooperation with SFR&P as the course matures.
  • Coordinate with Outside Lands management regarding fencing, access during the week, etc.
  • Coordinate with Hardly Strictly Bluegrass regarding fencing, access during the week, etc.
  • Weekly Payout – maintain Weekly Box and distribute Weekly payouts
  • Coordinate/allocate capital expenditures for maintenance (dirt, rocks, grass seed, maintenance equipment)
  • Run meetings

Vice President & Secretary

  • Club Membership / Tags
    • Look for opportunities to increase membership benefits (examples that have been added recently)
      • PDGA Affiliate Program
      • Raffles for members throughout year
    • TD the Bag Tag Challenge (265 participants in 2019)
    • Promote membership / bag tag sales as it is the primary revenue generator for the club
    • Mail all tags not claimed at BTC (150+)
    • Mail all tags for online registration (100+)
    • Maintain Current Year Tag Tracking spreadsheet via Google sheets
    • Maintain Master Member List via Google sheets
    • Ensure all funds from club memberships are transferred to the club accounts
  • Club communications
    • Website
      • Create and manage all content and events to ensure people can easily find information about the club and events
      • Ensure website is functional and up to date (requires technical background)
    • Facebook
      • Create and manage events to ensure people are notified of upcoming club events
      • Create and publish other announcements as necessary
    • “Contact Us” Emails
      1. Respond to inquiries from the general public that are submitted to our club email address (accessed via the website)
    • Constant Contact (emailing)
      • Craft email newsletters to ensure that members past and present are informed of important events and announcements.
      • Maintain contacts list throughout year as new members are added
  • Sunday Weekly
    • Enable new TDs by providing resources and support to ensure each weekly is run well
    • Procure supplies for volunteer weekly TDs
      • Ensure the TD box is stocked prior to Sunday AM
        • Andy Hale currently building and stocking packets
    • Update Weekly Calendar / TD Sign-up spreadsheet via Google Sheets
      • Ensure there is a TD for every weekly, recruit when needed
    • Procure and distribute Season Awards
      • Hoodies for 1st -3rd, Most Improved, TD Raffle, Weekly Warrior get a custom embroidered Hoodie

Treasurer

  • Maintain proper accounting for all club financial transactions
  • Manage and monitor bank account and Paypal account
    • Transfer funds as needed
  • File for and pay quarterly taxes
  • Advise the club and officers regarding financial health of the club
  • Coordinate payment for many, many expenses throughout the year
  • Facilitate ordering for items that need pre-payment
    • Often requires use of personal card when time sensitive
  • Review balance sheets of individual events
  • Maintain financial records for the Club
  • Work with tournament directors on individual events
    • Pay vendors
    • Obtain cash for payouts when needed
    • Repay individuals who front funds

This is an exhaustive if not 100% complete list of officer responsibilities. If you think we left out something important, please let us know!

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Club Meetings

October 4, 2012 in Club Information

The San Francisco Disc Golf club holds official meetings from time to time as needed.

The time and location will often change but is generally held very near the course if not at the course itself.
This is a great place to get together with fellow club members and discuss club business and how to keep our course being one of the best out there.

We encourage visitors to check out the Club’s Facebook pages.
For more information about our club meetings, contact the club President.
If you can’t make a meeting, we will generally post meeting minutes via our blog and forum shortly after they are held.

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GGPDGC Work Party Program

October 4, 2012 in Club Information

The SFDGC constructed the new course using volunteer labor and donations, and continues to play an integral part in the ongoing maintenance of our world-class 18 hole course in Golden Gate Park. While we strongly encourage the “pack your trash” mentality on a daily basis, we also recognize the need for occasional dedicated cleanup and maintenance work parties.

Enter the GGPDGC Work Party Program. The aim of this program is to keep the course in tip-top shape while getting more people involved in the caretaking of our beautiful course. This program will be led by Daniel Humphreys and organized in coordination with the Beautification Project — led by the heroic efforts of Matthew McDonald.

Our primary goals are to:

  1. Recruit and empower club members to lead at least one event per year
  2. Set and publish a schedule
  3. Hold events at least once per month (on average)

Please check the events section of this website which are displayed on the home page for the next planned event.

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Club Overview

October 4, 2012 in Club Information

San Francisco Disc Golf Club Inc. is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity whose mission is to promote and develop the sport of disc golf in San Francisco for the benefit of the general public. Our primary activities are focused on the continued maintenance and improvement of Golden Gate Park Disc Golf Course as a free public resource for recreational purposes.

According to UDisc, a free scoring app used by many disc golfers, the course has provided a minimum of 60,000 recreation hours to nearly 5,000 unique users over the past 12 months!

You can find our “Determination Letter” and other club documentation here. Additional information regarding our tax-exempt status can be found on the IRS website below. Our Federal Employee Identification Number (FEIN) is 88-4362708. Search here: https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/

Originally founded in 1997, the San Francisco Disc Golf Club is managed and supported entirely by volunteers. Our primary goal was to build permanent disc golf courses, complete with baskets, in the San Francisco area. In 2005, this hard work paid off when the former 12-hole trial course in Golden Gate Park was approved for expansion to the 18 hole permanent course that thousands of players enjoy today.

The San Francisco Disc Golf Club continues to maintain their beloved disc golf course which officially opened on March 28th, 2007 and continues to attract more and more golfers each day.

Every time we play disc golf we are ambassadors for our sport, and we endeavor to promote disc golfing as an environmentally and socially beneficial sport. We prove on a daily basis that disc golf is challenging and rewarding for people from all ages and backgrounds, and that the sport coexists amicably with other recreations in urban parks.

All funds raised support our guiding principles:

  • Maintain a sizable membership base of disc golfers in San Francisco and Northern California.
  • Establish ourselves as responsible members of the San Francisco community, and establishing that disc golf courses would have positive impacts on their respective parks and communities within the City of San Francisco.
  • Encourage the growth of the sport by offering beginners the opportunity to come out and learn disc golf in a friendly, rewarding environment.
  • Operate on the principle of inclusion and encourage diversity.
  • Offer weekly tournaments and a handicapping system for disc golf competitors.
  • Host the annual San Francisco Safari Tournament.
  • Maintain a world class disc golf course in San Francisco, CA.
  • Support efforts by those in the region to promote the growth of disc golf.

Join our mailing list for more information , or contact us through the website to become more involved in one of our committees.

We appreciate all feedback from members and non-members alike.

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