South Jersey disc golfers fight to save their Stafford Woods course

VOORHEES — Within three days, more than 11,000 people had signed a petition to save the Stafford Woods disc golf course by Sunday afternoon.

After years of disc golf enthusiasts playing at the property on Evesham Road, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) called for the beloved course — with 18 “holes” (baskets) stretching over more than 7,000 acres — to be removed, along with porta potties and other structures.

The department determined that using the property for disc golf violated the Deed of Conservation Restriction, Voorhees Township said in a notice posted Friday.

The state agency conducted a routine survey of the course after receiving a complaint from Bill Green, owner of the adjacent Saddlehill Winery, according to the Change.org petition.

Finlay Buchanan-Jacobs, who drafted the petition, wrote that Green “deliberately misrepresented the truth to the DEP to further his own business goals.”

Buchanan-Jacobs also made efforts to work with Green, “but it is now clear that his vision for an idyllic farm retreat includes the removal of his neighbors,” the petition said.

In its announcement, the township said that the area “will be used for passive recreation,” as defined by NJDEP.

In an emailed statement, Green said, “As DEP recognizes, passive recreational land isn’t meant to be used for disc golf or any other organized sport. New Jersey preserved the space for everyone, not one special interest group.”

“The disc-golf group has made false accusations about me — their disagreement is really with the state government which is protecting the land. The area will now be available for all people, as intended.”

Buchanan-Jacobs countered that the DEP inspections in 2014, 2017, and 2020 for its Green Acres Program found no issues with how the property was being used, “indicating that the state had already acquiesced to the property’s use many years prior to the claim from Mr. Green.”

According to the petition, disc golf was deemed to be “passive recreation” when the course was installed in 2012.

“Given the nature of the initial approval and property acquiescence laws in New Jersey, it is our belief that the classification of disc golf as passive recreation should stand — as it is considered so in numerous other states,” Buchanan-Jacobs said.

For Buchanan-Jacobs, the removal of the course would negate the group’s restoration efforts. The petition said when they first arrived at the property, “vines suffocated trees, farm trash was abundant, and the park was very rarely used.”

“After tens of thousands of volunteer hours and more than a decade of maintenance at the property, we have removed thousands of pounds of trash, saved hundreds of trees, and expertly installed a variety of soil compaction remediation structures throughout the course.

“As an environmental engineer, I could not be more proud of the work that our club has done to preserve and maintain the property at Stafford Woods.”

The petition said that the disc golf course has “served as a positive beacon for the local community throughout its existence.” The petition surpassed its original goal of 10,000 signatures by Sunday morning and set a new one of 15,000 signatures.

“To put this in perspective, this course is rated No. 33 in the world out of 14,000+ potential courses in the world, everyone in the national disc golf community should be involved in this. Jersey needs to keep these public community driven places open,” one commenter wrote in a Reddit post dedicated to saving the property.

Another commenter added: “What a bummer! This is the best course in NJ for a reason. It would be great if everyone, even those who don’t live in the area, could at least sign the petition. Show the state department how much love there is for this course.”

The township said it will “work on closure procedures in the coming weeks.”