COM_PUBLICATION_niagara_this_week__st_catharines

When Andrea Michaud decided to hold a chapter of the Professional Disc Golf Association’s (PDGA) Women’s Global Event in St. Catharines, she didn’t realize quite what she had signed up for.

The co-founder of the St. Catharines Women’s Disc Golf Club thought it would be fun to host the tournament on Aug. 7.

What she learned was that becoming a tournament director is not the same as becoming a referee for hockey.

“When this opportunity came up to run this event, I foolishly bit off a little more than I could chew,” she said. “It’s not like hockey. You’re either an official tournament director for the PDGA and you can host national level events or you’re nothing. There’s no in between.”

Disc golf is a game where players throw a disc at metal baskets, trying to get it in with the lowest number of throws. The rules are similar to golf.

The newly named Richard Pierpoint Park features an 18-hole course that is free to use. That’s where the team practices and where the tournament will take place.

The tournament now has 37 members signed up to play and Michaud said they have women coming from as far as Pennsylvania to participate.

The tournament will be played in 77 countries around the globe between Aug. 6 and 7. Michaud explained that scores are recorded and compared with women in other countries in the same categories.

“The nice thing about this competition is that every category that the PDGA has must be offered,” she said, adding that they have categories for women over 70, 65, 60, 50 and 40. “Even if they don’t win locally, like some of the ladies that we have that are over 70, they might not do too great in our city competition, but when they’re compared to someone internationally. Realistically, how many women are over 70 playing disc golf in the world?”

Michaud said businesses in the Queenston area have stepped up to sponsor the tournament.

“In February, I started going around to businesses in the Queenstown area,” she said. “Well, within probably two months I had close to $4,000. I couldn’t believe it. They wanted to support the tournament.”

Michaud co-founded the women’s disc golf club about two years ago. St. Catharines already has a coed league, but Michaud wanted something that felt a little more welcoming for female beginners.

“I’d say there’s probably 30 to 40…