Bio

• Landscape Architect: Utah #13481991-5301, California LATC #6457, Nevada #1503
• Master of Landscape Architecture : Cal Poly Pomona
• Landscape Contractor: California CSLB: C-27 #1011018
• American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA): Associate Member
• Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) Environmental Committee: member and writer
• Capstone Landscape Architecture Project Advisor: Garrett Knobl's project at U of Delaware - To greener fairways: The future of disc golf course planning and design. May 2024.
• SuperAdobe Workshop Certificate: Cal-Earth Institute of Art & Architecture 2012
• UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Certification: Fall 2013 Tahoe Training

Mike Plansky has been exploring his interest in how landscape design can affect the experience of space and place, from theory to practice, since 1990. His projects have been informed by studying native plants & trees, city planning, landscape architecture, permaculture principles, trail-building techniques and experimenting with landscape materials. His approach to hands-on collaborative learning alongside Will McKissock informs the production of custom drawings and supporting documents for each project that ensure the application of sustainable landscape practices from design development to specification and construction details. A studio-culture of teamwork supported by his coursework at Cal Poly Pomona focused on ecologically and culturally sensitive master planning in order to bid for grants. Disc Golf Course Design: Inscribing Lifestyle into Underutilized Landscapes (2013) was his Master's Thesis.

• Construction Foreman, Lead Designer: lifetime of experience
• Trail Leader Certificate: American Trails
• Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) Enivronmental Committee: member and writer

Will McKissock carries on a strong family tradition of community volunteerism. His parents were instrumental in the formation of the City of South Lake Tahoe, CA and Barton Memorial Hospital through their participation on boards, committees and community programs. From teaching classes in multi-media at Lake Tahoe Community College to Club Volleyball team organization & coaching, Will has been involved in many different activities as well, and is now fully investing his time and passion to helping by designing disc golf courses for the people.

Will has a lifetime of experience in the building trades. Over the years he has stayed abreast of new construction techniques, and technology, and incorporates them to his art and his craft. He has designed & built structures to specification, and also successfully applies adaptations that suit the functions and intentions of his projects. His creativity and knowledge of building materials, environmental weathering, surfaces, facades and hardware translates into cohesive landscape themes in our designs, and his experience as a foreman allows him to be comfortable and effective in supervising and directing workers.

• Licensed Professional Geologist: Utah No. ‍5248599-2550
• Certified Engineering Geologist: Oregon
• Registered Professional Geologist: Oregon
• Registered Geologist and Certified Engineering Geologist: California
• Geotechnical & Mining Engineering: University of Utah
• M.S. Geology: University of Oregon

Mr. Payton is a professional engineering geologist, licensed in the State of Utah, No. ‍5248599-2550, with over 58 years of experience in the fields of geoengineering and engineering geology, including geological hazards and mining geology. His experience comprises a wide variety of civil, environmental, and mining projects that have required detailed geologic mapping, soil & rock drilling and sampling, and field and laboratory testing of soil, rock and concrete. He also has engineering management and project construction management experience, working with developers and civil and geotechnical engineering firms on geologic hazards studies. He has served as an adjunct professor at the Utah Valley University teaching physical geology, reviewed guidelines by the Utah Geological Survey, and served as Senior Engineering Geologist for AMEC Earth & Environmental, Inc. in their Salt Lake city office. Charles worked for Dames & Moore Inc. as a Project Engineering Geologist for surface and subsurface investigations and preliminary design of the Utah Winter Sports Park near Park City, Utah in the late 1990s. The facilities included the 120K, 90K and 65K ski jumps, bobsled and luge track, access roads, and support facilities. Charles is excited to lend his experience and expertise to the DGLA team in order to realize projects that raise the quality and standards of disc golf course design and development to engage the public in community-building, educational outdoor recreation! View Charles' complete C.V. here.

• Master of Landscape Architecture : Kansas State University
• Council of Fellow's Scholar: Landscape Architecture Foundation - awarded for innovative disc golf course design ideas
• Professional Landscape Designer: 3 years of experience

Mr. Ryan is a landscape designer with 3 years of professional design experience across firms located in San Diego, California and Kansas City, Missouri. Mr. Ryan has experience in designing everything from small, intimate spaces on residential lots to masterplanning large commercial campuses for Fortune 500 companies. These experiences gained as a placemaker and landscape architectural designer have provided Mr. Ryan the skills necessary to generate bespoke landscape architectural solutions regardless of the project parameters. Touted for his critical thinking and outside-the-box ideas, Mr. Ryan has been celebrated in academia through scholarship and accolades in design. While earning his Non-Baccalaureate Master of Landscape Architecture degree, Mr. Ryan received the Council of Fellows Scholarship by the Landscape Architecture Foundation for his design ideas in innovating disc golf course design — a notable student award named after the highest honor a licensed landscape architect can receive from the American Society of Landscape Architects. The Council of Fellows award is a testament to not only Mr. Ryan’s future impact as a landscape architect but as a future innovator in disc golf course design.