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Disc Golf Flying High in Central Oregon | The Source Weekly

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, 2022-08-03 15:04:02,

One of the good things to come out of the pandemic is the rising interest in disc golf throughout Central Oregon, and quite frankly, the world. The sport checks all the boxes for social distancing, being an outdoor

activity, and provides an easy entry for all ages and abilities. What Steve Bachtel and other members of a local club see is a lot of interest in the sport.

Steve Bachtel

One of the disc golf baskets at scenic Skyline Park.

“In 2016, we had maybe 45 members, but now we are at 250 plus,” said Bachtel vice-president of the Central Oregon Disc Golf Club. Disc golf benefited from the COVID-19 pandemic, not just in Central Oregon but nationwide, as players were seeking an outdoor activity with social distancing. Inspiring kids and parents to play are also on Bachtel’s radar as he helps teach disc golf workshops through Bend Park and Recreation District.

“When I came on the CODGC board, my thing was, let’s get some new courses here in Bend,” said Bachtel. “If you compare the number of courses we have compared to Salem, they probably have four to five times the number of courses that we have.” Partnering with BPRD, Bachtel and the club raised $4,000-5,000 for baskets and tee boxes, and along with BPRD installed a pilot seasonal course at Skyline Park near Central Oregon Community College, open Nov. 1 to Feb. 28—although in 2023 the course will stay open until March 31. The in-town location and short course proved to be convenient and fun.

In association with that growth, below are some local upcoming disc golf events. Spectators are also welcome to attend.

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Courses

Flying Discs at Bend’s New Course | Outside Features | Bend | The Source Weekly

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A newly constructed disc golf course in Bend has already seen plenty of visitors since its grand opening on Nov. 1. The course is situated on the north side of Skyline Sports Complex in Bend, adjacent to Cascade Middle School. The first tee can be found perched on the hill in between the ball fields.

This technical and obstacle-filled course is suited more for accuracy training than distance or power. The lengths between the different tees and baskets for the nine-hole course range from 205 feet at the shortest, to 313 feet at the longest. The obstacles and technicality of the course come from the trees, rocks and rapid elevation changes that happen throughout the park.

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Courtesy Trevor Bradford

The sweet sound of a disc hitting chains can be heard at Bend’s newest disc golf course.

The disc golfing site udisc.com is filled with commenters praising the new disc golfing course. “Tight, short technical course. Nice to practice accuracy compared to bombing Pine Nursery,” one user said. “Amazing little course!” another comment stated.

The Skyline course is the third disc golf course set up by Bend Park and Recreation District. Its 18-hole course, Pine Nursery Disc Golf Course, is located off of Purcell Boulevard. Nine-hole Rockridge Park can be found on Egypt Drive. Two other private courses near Bend are located at Mt. Bachelor and Seventh Mountain Resort.

When I went to go check out the new course, the wind was up and so were the park visitors. Multiple players were waiting in line doing stretches and sorting through which disc to toss next. Married couple Steve and Katy Segura got caught behind me while I erratically threw borrowed discs around the course. Steve Segura said he’s seen lots of people going to the course since its opening and hopes the course is here to stay.

Bend Park and Recreation District has only temporarily placed the course at the Skyline Park site, with set dates for the short course from Nov.1 through Feb. 28. BPRD Park Planner Rachel Colton told the Source that they chose November through February so that BPRD could see how the course is utilized when summer sports like soccer and baseball aren’t happening. The main goal is to see if the course can mesh with the other sports facilities the park houses, Colton said.

The course is relegated to a small region of the park, which is what makes it so short and technical. Throughout each hole the natural foliage and landscape of the surroundings add to the features and vibes of the course. From hole one, trees and rocks stand in the way as golfers strategically whip their discs at the baskets. There are several interesting little gem holes that golfers can find at this course. During my run I nearly lost discs due to elevation changes and boulders that make finding some baskets nearly impossible if you have an off-angle throw. In the end I finished my game with a score of 52, though the course sits at a par 27. Still, I walked away with a sense of accomplishment because of the effort of traversing the course.

This quirky and fun course makes for a great Saturday afternoon exercise session or a good reason to go get some fresh air any time. The length of the course is perfect for a practice round or two that can make honing accuracy skills that much easier.

Disc golfer Trace Young was working on his seventh round of the course as I finished up my first. “I love it,” said Young. “It’s a great course and I’m super excited to have another great course around.”