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More women embracing benefits of disc golf as it grows in popularity

More women embracing benefits of disc golf as it grows in popularity

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, 2023-05-11 18:24:57,

Pam Fowler, chair of the first-ever tournament being organized by the Greater Niagara Women’s Disc Golf Association (GNWDGA) at Firemen’s Park in Niagara Falls on May 13, is shown at the park with one of her discs.

At a time when a round of golf can set you back close to $100 and a good club set can set you back far more than $1,000, the noble sport is increasingly one that you have to be somewhat well-heeled to afford.

A growing number of women in Niagara are embracing a new twist on the game by ditching the clubs and balls and switching to discs as fans of the surging sport of disc golf.

Pam Fowler, tournament chair of the first-ever tournament being organized by the Greater Niagara Women’s Disc Golf Association (GNWDGA) at Firemen’s Park in Niagara Falls on May 13, said she’s seeing rapid growth in the number of women cluing into the benefits of disc golf.

“It’s a hugely growing sport,” she said. “Last year, our club started the women’s division with 14 members and now we’re up to 54.”

Fowler, of St. Catharines, said that has a lot to do with the camaraderie that comes with disc golf.

“I can post on our Facebook group that I’m coming to play at noon, and people will just show up and play with you,” she said. “Our women’s disc golf is very community-based: we’re all about support and no one is alone in this adventure.”

Fowler’s association has a ladies’ league that plays weekly on Tuesdays, and it’s not uncommon for newcomers to show up and be lent beginners discs to try their hand at the sport that mimics golf with terms such as birdies, eagles and bogeys. “Almost anybody will pull out of their bag and say, ‘here, try it,’” she said.

The sport also has specialized discs similar to golf drivers, irons and putters. Distance discs have a shaper edge while other discs are better at curving around trees. Then there are discs with very rounded edges to toss into the metal baskets that replace cups in regular golf.

Unlike regular golf, it’s not expensive: in addition to the course at the lower Firemen’s Park, there are also free disc golf courses in St. Catharines and Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Fowler said you can get a good starter kit with all the discs you need to play for as little as $35.

The sport is also playable year round. “I’m here all winter,” said Fowler, demonstrating her disc tossing skills at Firemen’s Park.

Like regular golf, disc golf offers physical benefits such as upper and lower body…

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Ken Reid Conservation neighbours launch petition over disc golf project

Ken Reid Conservation neighbours launch petition over disc golf project

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, 2022-11-22 11:04:29,

Ray Denure has launched a petition regarding the creation of a disc golf course at the Ken Reid Conservation Area taking issue with Kawartha Conservation for not consulting area residents and supporters of the agency before firing up their chainsaws.

When Ray and Judy Denure heard chainsaws at the Ken Reid Conservation Area near their home, they figured it was just some typical property maintenance.

They were surprised — and more than a little concerned — to learn the effort was to make way for a disc golf course.

“We had no idea it was happening. We don’t think cutting down trees is the right move … and it would have been nice to at least be notified that this was a project they were interested in pursuing,” said Ray.

Denure pointed out that conservation lands are not like personally owned lands because there are so many other people who aren’t owners yet are fully vested in what happens on the property.

“A consultation process might have helped those who are interested in conservation see why cutting the trees for alternative use is a good idea, or perhaps the process might have helped staff see that moving the course to another place on the property would have been better.”

Judy also pointed out that when the couple wanted to construct a small building on their property, they had to obtain a special variance from the municipality and pay a fee to the conservation authority.

“What they’re constructing seems to be much larger than what was proposed … and I don’t believe the environmental assessment was extensive enough,” added Judy.

Kawartha Conservation director of stewardship and conservation lands Kristie Virgoe said the project stems from a public consultation process held in 2019. With the endorsement of its board, staff successfully applied for funding from the federal Tourism Relief Fund and RTO8. The course is expected to be completed by the end of December.

Virgoe explained the area being developed is a “transitional meadow” — the conservation area was primarily used as livestock pasture before being purchased in 1981 — and the project will have no “significant impact.” The agency also hired a third-party consulting firm to conduct an environmental assessment. 

“We’re not cutting down any trees on the escarpment,” said Virgoe, adding trees are a part of the allure of disc golf. “In fact, 90 per cent of what is being removed is invasive Buckthorn. So it’s actually a positive.”

Although Virgoe appreciates the Denures strong connection to the Ken Reid — she and general manager Mark Marjowski recently met with the couple to address their concerns — it’s not the agency’s practice to consult with area residents on proposed projects….

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Kawartha Conservation adding disc golf course to Ken Reid Conservation Area in Lindsay

Kawartha Conservation adding disc golf course to Ken Reid Conservation Area in Lindsay

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, 2022-11-03 13:05:52,

As part of its four-year strategic plan, Kawartha Conservation is adding a new four-season, nine-hole disk golf course to Ken Reid park near Lindsay.

One of the fastest growing outdoor recreational activities is coming to the Ken Reid Conservation Area — a nine-hole disc golf course.

“When we started having conversations about Ken Reid and our conservation areas, it quickly became apparent that our local demographics were changing and regionally, peoples’ interests were changing,” explained director of stewardship and conservation authority lands Kristie Virgoe. “Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic we saw a significant increase in visitors to our conservation areas, and as things have started to return to a more pre-pandemic normal, we wanted to look at ways to keep those individuals engaged and visiting our green spaces.”

The course, expected to open before the end of the year, connects to the agency’s evolving focus on engaged communities that “love, respect and appreciate our natural environment.”

“Those words mean something, and they mean something different to everyone,” said Virgoe. “We have a lot of visitors who enjoy the quiet and solitude or visiting the trails or the lookout, we have people who enjoy the off-leash dog park, or bringing their binoculars for birdwatching, school groups who learn about bugs and trees and climate, or people who love to walk, bike, hike or just sit and read a book … Being able to introduce people to nature in a way that is relevant to them and connects with them is critical, and that is how we decided upon the introduction of a nine-hole disc golf course.”

The Ken Reid disc golf course will be a four-season attraction that can be used for tournaments or for individual play. Designed by Fluent Disc Sport, the course will be integrated into parts of Ken Reid’s escarpment loop and grasslands area.

“With common goals like ‘Nature for All’ and the protection, preservation, and promotion of our natural resources, conservation areas and provincial parks can be ideal homes for disc golf courses,” explained Fluent disk sport designer Kevin Farley.

Although similar to traditional golf, it doesn’t need any of the things that play the biggest role in its environmental footprint, notes Farley. Rather, disc golf prefers landscapes that conservation areas and provincial parks try to promote, healthy natural surroundings.

As an added feature, each hole will provide information on a local bird species and connect golfers to the more than 170 species of birds that visit or live at Ken Reid.

For more information visit www.kawarthaconservation.com.

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‘I’m loving it:’ Disc golf takes flight at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Community Centre

‘I’m loving it:’ Disc golf takes flight at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Community Centre

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, 2022-09-17 14:02:57,

Pam Fowler, a disc golf enthusiast from St. Catharines, enjoys the new disc golf course outside the Niagara-on-the-Lake Community Centre and Public Library.

Pam Fowler and Catherine Dambrauskas were happy to spend a couple of hours enjoying the last of September’s good weather at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Community Centre. Although they’re from St. Catharines, as avid disc golf players they came to town just to enjoy its brand-new disc golf course.

“I’m loving it,” said Fowler, who’s been playing disc golf for a year and a half. “It’s perfect. It’s great for everybody.”

The course has its grand opening Sept. 27 at 1:30 p.m. Discs can be borrowed at no cost from the community centre during its hours of operation, all four seasons of the year. Or you can use your own discs if you have them. Playing the course is free.

The project was spearheaded by the Niagara-on-the-Lake Rotary Club, as a collaboration with the town to bring the affordable and accessible game to the neighbourhood. They’ve been working on getting it off the ground for four years, and got the go-ahead on the $15,000 project in May.

Paul Lalonde, chair of rotary club’s community service committee and the project’s leader, said once word got out that this course was coming to town, the response they received was “overwhelming.”

“People who love disc golf are fanatical about disc golf,” he said. “Myself, with the Rotary Club, and the town, really felt like, ‘boy, we really got to get this right,’ because we didn’t realize how much people love this sport.”

Nine disc golf “holes,” which are upright, metal baskets, are located throughout the green space in front of the community centre and library, facing Anderson Lane. For the unfamiliar, the object of the game, like golf, is to throw the disc into the basket in as few turns as possible per hole.

“We’ve used a part of the community centre property that wasn’t being utilized before, and I think we’ve maximized the use of it,” Lalonde said. “We’re super happy with it, and the response has been pretty much more than I ever expected.”

Fowler and Dambrauskas, who are part of the St. Catharines Women’s Disc Golf Club, have played at this course a few times since it was installed this summer. They bring their own discs.

They say they’re fans of the sport because of its low barrier for entry — regardless of age, gender, or skill level.

“It doesn’t matter what your skill level is,” Fowler said. “Anybody can come out and play, have a good time, laugh and giggle, and get some exercise at the same time.”

“Everybody is treated the same — and fairly,” Dambrauskas said.

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‘Players are coming from all over’: Haute Goat Farm in Port Hope expands with 18-hole disc golf course

‘Players are coming from all over’: Haute Goat Farm in Port Hope expands with 18-hole disc golf course

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, 2022-07-20 16:11:15,

Haute Goat in Port Hope has expanded to include an 18-hole disc golf course at its picturesque 200-acre farm.

With help from one of the top disc golf designers in North America, Port Hope is now home to a top-tier 18-hole disc golf course at the scenic 200-acre Haute Goat Farm, says owner and goat herder Debbie Nightingale.

The addition of the 18-hole tract — with short and long layouts for all calibre of disc golf enthusiasts — marks the latest expansion at the picturesque farm, which also offers goat Shmurgles, Alpaca walks, horse cuddles, tranquil trails, farm-to-table freshness and more after several expansions and additions in recent years.

Haute Goat held an official grand opening celebration earlier this summer at the farm — and interest in the course is growing.

“ … The golf players are coming from all over the place and the word is getting out,” said Nightingale, noting the course was developed in partnership with Darrell Bankes, who’s considered one of the top disc golf designers in North America. He’s also “a real fun guy,” added Nightingale.

“People are saying it’s a really great course, and the reviews on the disc golf sites are very positive. And I don’t how to say it without tooting our own horn, but people are saying it’s one of the best disc golf courses they’ve played.”

“And it’s a huge course — it’s quite large.”

Disc golf is much like golf, except players use a flying disc while trying to complete holes in the fewest throws.

“We’re thrilled because it’s new and it’s sort of a really interesting added component for Haute Goat. It’s kind of unexpected in a way. On the other hand, it sits very nicely here because we are all about nature, farming, rural (and) country, so it really is a nice addition.”

For those who aren’t hardcore animal lovers, it’s also another option. Some are bringing their families to Shmurgle with the goats and then go off to disc golf, explained Nightingale.

For a lot of people, it’s also been an introduction to the sport, noted Nightingale, adding what’s cool about it, is it’s low-impact and accessible for all ages and abilities. It’s an easy way to exercise in the country air while enjoying the farm and scenery, said Nightingale.

Where the course is situated was an area people weren’t really using, despite trying to get more visitors to use some of the trails in this area over the years, explained Nightingale.

In addition to tournaments, Haute Goat…

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