The growth of disc golf in the Parkland region took another step recently with the formation of a new association to promote the sport.
Representatives of a number of area courses met in Yorkton November 14, when the framework of the association was forged, and an interim board put in place.
鈥淲e have seen dramatic growth in terms of the number of courses in the region in the past six or seven months and we wanted to build on that,鈥� said Calvin Daniels who accepted the role of interim chair of the new Parkland Association of Disc Golf (PADG).
Daniels explained that there have been three disc golf courses in the region for a number of years; Patrick Park Disc Golf Course in Yorkton, Kemoca Regional Park at Montmartre, and Shaker City Disc Golf at Benito, Man. This summer the sport mushroomed with seven new courses installed, and five more under development for opening in early spring.
鈥淎nd, there are six or seven other communities where courses are being discussed, and we are optimistic a good number of those will move forward with course development in 2016,鈥� said Daniels. 鈥淲e know there are several very viable areas for courses to be installed because we鈥檝e walked areas such as Saltcoats Regional Park which would be ideal for a long course, and a locale in Canora which could be a nice short community course. So we know there is more potential in the region.鈥�
The idea of a PADG grew out of the growth in the number of courses.
鈥淭he association is a way to create synergies to grow the sport in the region by networking,鈥� said Daniels.
Each course within the region will be able to appoint an interim director to the board, with that process already begun.
It will be the Board鈥檚 job to move forward with incorporating the association as a non-profit sports body.
Brenda McKay represented North Ridge Disc Golf Course at Birtle, Man. at the meeting. She said the idea of the PADG is one she said should be a positive in raising awareness about disc golf.
鈥淟ocally we are excited about North Ridge opening for play in the spring,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e think it will be a great asset in terms of recreation for all ages in Birtle.
鈥淏ut being part of a larger regional association we can draw on expertise we don鈥檛 have yet, and that is going to be a big help. In fact it鈥檚 already been a huge help, as our course was designed by two disc golf lovers from Yorkton: Calvin Daniels and Trevor Lyons.鈥�
鈥淭here are lots of opportunities we can explore through the association,鈥� offered Christopher Istace who is the interim director for the recently installed course in Rocanville. 鈥淲e can work together as a network of courses in areas such as youth involvement, or help other communities take the step to building a course.鈥�
鈥淭hat was the case for us at Sandy Beach,鈥� said Kelly Butz, who is the interim director for that course. 鈥淲hen the idea of a course was first brought up we didn鈥檛 know much about disc golf, and having some help to get us started was essential to us moving forward.
鈥淗aving an association will just make it easier for the next community that starts talking about a course.鈥�
Daniels said disc golf course offers a recreation opportunity at a low installation cost for communities of just about any size, and the new association will certainly be available to help any community, regional park or First Nation in the area thinking about a course. The PADG covers an area within a 125 kilometre radius of Yorkton.
That said the new association has other goals as well.
鈥淲e definitely want to encourage play at our existing courses, and that will mean helping where we can in terms of how-to-play workshops,鈥� said Daniels.
鈥淪uch workshops can be for the community at large, but we will also be targeting youth. We really hope to get schools involved as this is an excellent sport to learn as it can be played for a lifetime, and the cost of participation is low to.鈥�
A starter set of three discs is less than $40, and in many communities with courses there are discs available to use either for free, or very low cost.
Plans are already under way to create an informational brochure on the sport, the association, and member courses as a resource.
The idea of a youth committee specifically geared to helping build youth participation has already been highlighted as a priority for the interim board meeting early in 2016.
The PADG is also launching a tournament series in 2016.
鈥淭here were a number of successful tournaments at courses in the region this year, and we want to build on that next year,鈥� said Lyons who is acting as tournament chair to oversee the series for PADG.
The plan is for each course in the Association to host one tournament in 2016 where participants will earn points toward year-end awards, although the details of the events and series rules are still being worked on, a committee has been struck with that as its mandate.
鈥淲e hope a series encourages some players to travel for events, which creates a level of disc golf tourism,鈥� said Lyons. 鈥淚t also raises the profile of disc golf to have a series of events. It shows this is a legitimate sport, as well as a great recreation.鈥�
Since many of the tournaments are based around receiving discs as part of entry fees, it is a great entry point for new players and new courses.
鈥淲e like the idea of an event where inexperienced players can have fun, and take home discs they can then play with as they become more involved with the local course and sport,鈥� said McKay. 鈥淚t should be a great way to get the sport off on a good foot when we host our tournament on May 28.鈥�
Membership in the PADG is $20 for adults and $10 for youth under 16 and are available from local directors now.
鈥淲e feel it鈥檚 important to support the grassroots courses and the sport and we really hope players, even casual ones will be part of that by buying memberships,鈥� said Daniels.聽
