When a dream becomes a plan

Hello friends -

Big news! Polk County officially approved our request to rezone land in Clayton, WI to build the Wheels Up Disc Golf Course.

Over the winter I'll be buying the equipment, firming up the course design, lining up the other vendors, getting the landing page and payment process set up for the course, and a few other small things with aims to be open by the Polk County fair next July.

Warning that this post will be a long one. I gave you the meat and potatoes of course updates up front. The rest of this is mainly encouragement for anyone else out there with dreams, and thanking some of to those who have helped me get this far.

So when does a dream become a plan.

We all have dreams or things we wish we could do/have, but when you stop and think about it... do you actually expect to reach them? Or are they in that place in your mind you save for things you would love to have but don't expect to have.

Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of dreams because I think hidden in them is hope for something better.

But to me, a dream becomes a plan when you believe it's attainable.

Belief is the first step, then you can start to plan what it'll take to get there.

A quick story that reminds me of one of the first times I remember hearing this mindset: During a break early in college I was back home picking up a friend. When I stopped by my friend's house to pick him up, his dad asked how things were going. He asked if I was still playing baseball while at college. I said I hadn't found a great league to play in. His response is what I won't forget. He said, "why not the school team?". For context, I was a relatively low level traveling baseball player in high school. I was cut from the 10th grade team during tryouts and never played varsity. So asserting I'd make a DII school's baseball team was objectively a leap. But then he continued - "First, you should reach out to the coaches and let them know you are interested. Then offer to be a bullpen catcher to get around the team and learn." I don't remember where he went from there but you get the point. How often do we decide challenges are impossible because of perceived lack of skill when the truth is lack of will. Thank you, Mr. Sullivan.

Thank you, Mom & Dad. For always supporting and building me up. Letting me find my own path. Without judgement or expectation, always filled with love and steadiness.

Thank you to my wife, who didn't call me crazy when I first told her I wanted build a disc golf course. I first found my own ambition seeing you shine when we started dating. From walking up your snowy Duluth street because my car got stuck picking you up for our first date to now. Look how far we've come.

Thank you to my friends for fueling this passion and so many other passions of mine. My love for disc golf started because it was a place we could all get together and have fun. A tradition I hope never ends.

And thank you to my kids. I hope this course is special for you someday, for us as a family. If nothing else, I hope seeing the work we are doing reaffirms that mom and I want you to do what you love, surrounded by those that support you.

I'd like to end on this: "We build our own prisons" - a line I stole from the show Arcane but wholeheartedly agree with.

If reading this sparks something in your mind that you've always wanted to do but didn't think realistic, why? If you weren't going to take no for an answer (incuding from yourself) - what would it take to get there? I hope you find a way to do it.

PS. Y'all reading this will be first to hear my next plan. I'm going to build this disc golf course in 2026. In 2027 & 2028 - I'm going to publish a board game.

Wheels Up!