Almost a decade in the making, the Wellness 18 at Cranberry Disc Golf Course on the Cranberry Area School District’s campus is receiving some finishing touches.
First conceived in 2017 by health and physical education teacher Shawn Bean as a bridge between the school district and the community, the project aims to offer a free, accessible outdoor activity for local families and visitors.
“This was designed intentionally, as I mentioned, with the community outreach program,” Bean said during Monday’s Cranberry Area School Board meeting. “This was designed to bring people in from the community with the hopes that maybe families could come in and say, ‘We don’t have anything to do tonight, what are we going to do?’ … This is free. Come out and play.”
The course features tournament-grade baskets, which Bean described as “top of the line” and standard for professional-level courses.
Bean also highlighted technological integrations, including plans for QR codes on tee signs linked directly to drone fly-through videos with narration of each hole, as well as a website where players can submit direct feedback. Bean said the course has drawn players from neighboring states, such as Ohio and West Virginia.
Players are also able to track their stats through the online service UDisc, which shares those stats with course owners.
According to stats shared at the school board meeting, Wellness 18 has slowly climbed state rankings since it joined UDisc in 2025, making its way up from 284th in the state to the 206th spot in September.
“I think everybody here has probably seen people use the course. They’re not all using the UDisc app,” Bean said, emphasizing that actual local use is higher than the digital tracker suggests.
Looking ahead
Bean said he is still working on some final steps to complete the course, such as building tees for holes two through 18 and clearing out some remaining thorn bushes.
“Once you start, it’s not that bad, although I will tell you, a lot of this has been a one-man show, so it takes time. So I ask for your patience as I continue to work on it,” he said.
He said plans are also in the works to host a large-scale fundraising tournament to generate funds for the course. Bean said he also intends to incorporate the course into physical education classes.
Whose paying?
Funding for the project was largely driven by grants — including multiple Highmark grants totaling around $13,000 — alongside local company sponsorships and funding from the Empowerment Collaborative program — a multi-state initiative that “aims to bridge the gap between academics and real-world applications” by simulating a business, according to the program’s website.
Hole sponsorships of $1,000 or more have designated local businesses as “Gold Star sponsors,” with their names featured prominently on course signage.
“In regards to what we have so far, the district doesn’t have any cost in it, which is really great in a lot of ways because we’ve got something good going there,” Bean said.
Individual donations for the upkeep of the disc golf course can be made to by check to the Cranberry Advocates Nutrition & Activity (CRANA) Club with Disc Gold in the memo line. Checks can be sent by mail to 1 Education Drive, Seneca, PA 16346.