Louise Cabana standup paddleboards at sunrise at Shirleys Bay on the Ottawa River on Aug. 10Ashley Fraser/The Globe and Mail
Outdoors activities were among the many things that got more expensive and difficult to enjoy when the pandemic hit.
In 2020 and 2021, campsites were booked up and spots were reselling at outrageous rates. Bike shops were looking at year-long delivery timelines. Popular beginner hikes, such as those in Banff and Vancouver, became clogged with people. And the lineups at ski resorts near major cities made you just want to give up.
Now Canadians have major inflation and the looming possibility of a recession to think about before they decide whether they want to invest in a new outdoor hobby.
With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of a few relatively low- and medium-cost outdoor activities to pursue, whether you prefer exerting yourself or relaxing when in nature.
Whatever the activity, people who take part all say that having an outdoor hobby is a way for them to unplug, be mindful about nature, and improve their overall mental health.
Gagan Singh, a member of Van City United Disc Golf Club, throws a disc towards a basket at Eastview Park in North Vancouver on Aug. 9.Rafal Gerszak/The Globe and Mail
Disc Golf
Some casual disc golfers – also known as Frisbee golfers, or even frolfers – describe the sport as going for a walk, but with purpose.
The premise is simple: Instead of using golf clubs to hit a ball toward a hole, players flick a disc toward a basket. The scoring is the same as in golf, too; there’s a par set for each hole, and the lowest score at the end of a game wins.
Gagan Singh, a spokesman for Van City United Disc Golf Club, says disc golf is addictive because it’s an easy sport to pick up and play, but one that takes a lifetime to master.
A major difference between disc golf and regular golf is the cost. According to an estimate by another Vancouver-area club, North Shore Disc Golf, 90 per cent of disc courses worldwide are free to play.
In terms of gear, a starter disc wouldn’t cost much more than $20, and if you get into the sport, most people can get away with just three discs: a putter, a mid-range and a driver. (The shape of the discs dictate how far they fly, or the curve path they take.) Mr. Singh even says you can use a regular Frisbee if you’re trying out the sport for the first time.
Disc golf has exploded in popularity in recent years, with interest soaring particularlysince the pandemic began. Statistics…
WAVERLY – Discs will be flying and chains will be clattering on Aug. 20 when Wayne Park holds its first-ever organized disc golf tournament.
The park’s nine holes will play host to a 45-person “trilogy challenge,” which pairs beginners with experienced players and provides a crash course on disc golf basics. A round sanctioned by the Professional Disc Golf Association will follow in the afternoon.
Event organizer Abbey Pascoe, the president of the Greater Waverly Area Foundation Fund, said all 45 spots have been claimed, which she said is “amazing.” A lunch will be served from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., and raffle tickets will be available for $1 apiece. Prizes include gift cards to local businesses, disc golf discs, a disc golf basket and a volleyball signed by Nebraska volleyball players. Baked goods will also be on sale, and all proceeds from the event will go to the Waverly Aquatic Center.
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“To bring more awareness to our park, that’s really what it’s about,” Pascoe said. “All the proceeds go to the aquatic center, but I want our parks to be utilized. That’s how we get that ROI on parks is when they’re utilized by the community.”
Pascoe said she’s watched as disc golf courses in Nebraska have seen upticks in players since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, including at the Wayne Park course.
“If you walk by the park, there are people playing all the time. In 100-degree weather and in 40-degree weather,” Pascoe said.
So it made sense for GWAFF to put together a fundraiser making use of the park’s disc golf course.
“Nobody’s ever done a disc golf (fundraiser in Waverly),” she said. “I think that, hopefully, will set us apart and bring us a new demographic and bring awareness to GWAFF and what we’re trying to do.”
GWAFF’s efforts to bring the Waverly Aquatic Center to fruition took a hit in late July when the Waverly City Council voted to reject a bid that would have completed the project by July 2023. After the council crunched the numbers, funding was $400,000 short.
“It stinks a little bit when things like that happen and we think we’re going…
A new retreat and adventure center opened this summer in Thaxton, breathing life into land that has sat vacant for many years.
The Peaks Retreat and Adventure Center is located at 1336 Simmons Mill Road in Thaxton. After the WoodmenLife Insurance Company closed its Woods Adventure and Conference Retreat at the site five years ago, the 66-acre property sat vacant until a new tenant, CustomEd, purchased the land in September 2021.
CustomEd, the company that owns The Peaks, is a nonprofit that designs and implements educational and outreach programs for a variety of causes and organizations.
Hunter Gilbert, program director at The Peaks, said the company wanted a place to host corporate retreats, hold summer camps and events.
He said that turned into being able to open up to do various other things, especially in the surrounding community.
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The Peaks Retreat & Adventure Center officially opened about two months ago and has hosted two camps, Anxious for Nothing and Bias Chana, so far this summer.
The center will mostly hold youth camps during the summer months but during the rest of the year is planned to be open for corporate events, field trips, community days and festival-type activities.
Missy Morris, center director at The Peaks, said she is excited there is a new outdoor education and adventure facility in the area.
“Specializing in camps and retreats, The Peaks also provides a great location for private events including corporate teambuilding, festivals, weddings and much more,” she said in an email. “Set in the shadows of the beautiful Peaks of Otter, not only does the facility have scenic beauty, but also the thrill of adventure.”
She said The Peaks offers a unique challenge course including climbing walls and a 400-foot gravity zipline, as well as two miles of hiking trails, a swimming pool, basketball and sand volleyball courts, archery, disc golf and a one-acre pond for canoeing.
Gilbert said the gravity zip line is a little bit different than some traditional zip lines — a person’s weight determines how far they swing down.
It’s also set up so that they’re returned back to the ground by a facilitator just above the platform and there’s a…
Let’s face it, you don’t want to admit that you’re getting older. But you see social media and others getting out there on Tik Tok showing off their chiseled bodies and you think, why not me? If you’re like me, the why not is that I don’t want to become a gym rat and don’t have a ton of money to spend on that kind of thing, not to mention that I am 40 years their senior.
Enter Disc Golf. Years ago, my family was introduced to disc golf through a foreign exchange student that lived with us for a year. He went out with his friends and offered to take us out with him. That was forty years ago and I am here to tell you that I am still playing the sport. Moreover, as I have moved around the country, I have been able to invite others to join me on the course as we throw our discs into the basket.
The Basics
Disc Golf is played more or less with the same rules as regular golf. There are tees and instead of holes, we have baskets. However, there are a few differences that make this an ideal sport as you get older. More on that in a minute. Players throw their discs with the goal of getting the disc in the basket. Holes are similar to regular golf with fairways and are rated with a par rating. Instead of strokes, you can count throws. There are out of bounds, fairways, and obstacles, and putting, although not a putting green per se.
The idea is to go out in parties of no more than 4 so the game keeps moving. You keep score the same way as golf with the low score winning. Most courses are 18 holes and can be played for over an hour or two.
Differences
The first difference you will notice is the course itself. Courses can be laid out in a park or they can wander through the local hills and forests. Instead of having wide-open shots, typically in disc golf, the courses are more in touch with nature. More in touch because more than likely, your disc will be touching nature from landing in water to hitting trees. It is all part of the game. Courses are typically shorter overall than regular golf with holes being 300ft to 600ft on average. You can find some shorter and of course some longer, but most will run in that in-between distance. For families and us older folk, the courses tend to be long enough that we get some well-needed exercise, but also not so long that we couldn’t play without a golf cart.
Next is the disc itself. Disc golf discs come in different weights and are rated on which way they break, how far they fly, and a couple of other measures that can be found on most discs when you buy them. Starting out, you will need a good all-around disc, and as you progress, you can start to add to your collection. I normally only carry three discs, one that breaks right, one left, and a putter. I have friends that drag a card behind them that have 20+ discs in their disc golf bag. The other nice thing here is you can go to a used sports store and get used discs or of course you can buy them new. The cost can be from $5 or so for a used disc up to $30 something for a fancy new one. Bottom line is that you will not go broke on a set of discs like you might on a set of clubs that may find its way to the annual garage sale.
Thanks to Innova Discs for this information
Playing the Game
To play disc golf, after you have your equipment, is to find a place to play. Believe it or not, there is a professional disc golf association, the PDGA, where you can find a course directory of most courses in the world. Even if you use Google maps, you should be able to search for disc golf course near me and it will bring up disc golf retailers and nearby courses for you. Just a fun side note, did you know that the average professional disc golfer makes $42,000 a year and the top players like Paul McBeth who won the world championships, with endorsements make over $10,000,000 a year!
Play starts from the first concrete tee pads, but could be plain dirt or even artificial grass for the tee box. Taking turns, players start throwing their discs down the fairway. The player farthest away from the basket goes next and so on until you arrive at the hole. Putters are often used because they tend to go straighter than your regular disc. This is because of a rounder edge and slower spin.
Now the fun really begins for me at least as each course has its own personality and challenges. Players will face narrow spaces between trees, and throws over valleys or across water. These obstacles can be more difficult especially if you get off the fairway, which everyone does from time to time. Even the best disc golfers succumb to these challenges be it at the local course or the disc golf pro tour.
Seniors
Up until now, most of the information can apply to any disc golf player, now I want to focus on the older players. Exercise without feeling like your exercising is one of the greatest benefits. Depending on the disc golf course you play at, walking is a great way to keep moving and stay fit. Most of my buddies and I are in our 60s and 70s and we can hold our own against those 20-something players that are on the course. That is because, in disc golf, so much is not pure athleticism, but technique. While you are on the course, no one cares how fast or slow you are playing, the idea is to enjoy yourself and have fun.
Throwing a disc can be one of the things seniors probably need to watch so that shoulders, elbows or other joints are hanging in there. If you have not been active in a while, play a nine-hole course before you jump up to the 18-hole course. Like any activity, it doesn’t hurt to check with a doctor before you begin a new activity. That being said, I am a firm believer that being outside, walking and throwing for a few hours is a great way to stay young.
Back in the day, I took out the family as a cheap way to get the kids out of the house. Many of my kids (I have 6) play at campus recreation centers at school. I never stopped playing and have found it to be a way to stay young and get my friends out for a little recreation. One friend of mine who works nights will play nearly every day after work as his way to wind down after a night’s work. Like fishing, better is a day on the course than not playing at all.
Conclusion
Disc Golf in the United States has skyrocketed and the rest of the world is quickly catching up. Disc is so much cheaper than traditional golf and is family-friendly. You will find all types of folks on the course and yes, even the women have a pro tour. So I encourage you to get out and play. Check out our course reviews for Hanna Hills if you are in our neck of the woods and the latest news from around the country on our homepage.
On Dairy Queen’s Miracle Treat Day, DQ and the Oregon Trail Disc Golf Club partnered to raise funds for the Children’s Miracle Network. On Thursday, July 28th, experienced and new players alike gathered at the Oregon Trail Park Disc Golf course to play a round to raise donations for Dairy Queen’s annual fundraiser.
Andrew Harris, one of the leading members of the Oregon Trail Disc Golf Club was one of the driving forces behind the event, and several new endeavors the club is undergoing.
“I’m one of a few members that lead the Oregon Trail Disc Golf Club. This year, we joined with Dairy Queen to raise money for their miracle treat day that helps fund the Children’s Miracle Network,” Harris said. “We’re here to hopefully get some new disc golf players and introduce some people to the sport and grow our club and help Dairy Queen.”
The leaders of the club are happy to be able to promote their sport while also helping a good cause in the community.
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“I think this a great way to raise money, it’s fun, and a lot of local businesses get involved and just kind of gives the public a fun afternoon event,” Harris said.
Along with pairing up with Dairy Queen for their fundraising event, the club plans to work with local governments to help promote disc golf in the Gering and Scottsbluff areas.
“The Oregon Trail Disc Golf Club will soon be a state non-profit and we will be working with local businesses to rejuvenate some of our local courses. A lot of them were put in in the early 2000’s and have really aged, and possibly be putting in some new courses as well,” Harris said. “So we hope to grow the sport in the community and gather new members, while gathering more energy in the community for the sport of disc golf.”
One of the club’s first plans is to revamp the Riverside Disc Golf Course in Scottsbluff, adding new formats to the course, and removing Par 2 hole’s which have been phased out in many other disc golf courses.
In the event, Harris won the advanced division with a -13 from par score, Ty Hageman at -11, and Trevor Harris at -10. In the intermediate division, Quentin Robbins…
Hoover Ridge Park 20th anniversary celebration todayMadison County Parks and Recreation is hosting a 20th anniversary celebration of Hoover Ridge Park today from 2 to 6 p.m.
There will be live music on stage with a special presentation at 3 p.m., bounce houses, slip-n-slide, volleyball, wiffleball, disc golf and many other activities at the park.
The July 31 celebration will feature local food vendors, craft and business vendors, county departments and more, showcasing the best of Madison.
Participants will include Over the Top Chef, Salsa Street Grill, the Madison Library, Madison Learning Center, Madison Booster Club and more.
For the first time, Parks & Rec will showcase plans for an outdoor recreation center.
The event is free, but donations toward the rec-center project are welcome.
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Show and Shine Car Show set todayCulpeper County’s Old Trade Brewery is teaming up with WarFighters MC, Patrick Henry Chapter, for a car and motorcycle show on Sunday, July 31.
Raffles, silent auction, brewery drinks and food, information booths, live music and trophies for best car and bike, according to the Culpeper Tourism Deptartment.
The veteran charity event runs from noon to 5 p.m. at Old Trade in Brandy Station.
Golf tourney to be held Monday at country clubThe Salem Volunteer Fire Department Inaugural Tap It In Golf Tournament will be held Monday, Aug. 1, at the Country Club of Culpeper, at 2100 Country Club Road.
Registration is at 7:30 a.m., tee time at 8:30 a.m., with a shotgun start. Lunch and prizes will be immediately afterward. Collared shirts are required, no jeans area permitted.
All proceeds will benefit the Salem Volunteer Fire Department.
Triangle lot closing for fixup workThe Culpeper Public Works Department will remove a tree and debris, and do general landscaping maintenance in the town’s Triangle parking lot. The lot is bounded by North Commerce Street, Wausau Place and East Spencer Street.
Weather permitting, work will be done Aug. 3-4, with Aug. 5 as the weather makeup day. Portions of the lot will be closed each day.
Pedestrians and cyclists are encouraged to make alternative parking arrangements.
When it’s hot and you’re looking to get out of the house for things to dy, there are plenty of parks in Porterville, the movie theater, museum, Success Lake, and more.
A great destination for flying, or the right place to learn to fly, but it’s also a terrific place to meet interesting people and get to see innovative aircraft… both production and experimental alike.
To make a reservation at any of county parks, call 559-205-1100.
CENTENNIAL PARK
Downtown park with the “Marching Through Time Mural”, “Time Marches On” Clock, and a gazebo that hosts community events including Music on Main throughout the year.
296 N. Main St.
DIVE-IN THEATER
Friday, August 5
Enjoy the view from inside the City Pool at the Dive in Theater. The Pool is transformed into a theater experience with a family movie, The Bad Guys, shown when it gets dark.
Gates open at 7:30 p.m. and the movie begins around 8:30 p.m.
City Pool at 97 N. Park Drive
Admission is $2 for children 12 and under and $3 for adults.
Space is limited.
Make your reservation starting August 1.
Contact Porterville Parks and Leisure or call 559-791-7695
GALAXY THEATER
Movie theater shows current releases in its 9 theaters with all digital sound, including 3-D films
This fabulous local historical museum in the 1913 Southern Pacific passenger station.
Has marvelous displays including Native American artifacts, local pioneering and homesteader collections, and much much more. An outstanding toy and train collection and display after Thanksgiving and through the end of the year. Christmas
By Madonna Mogul, director of the York Area Chamber of Commerce
This has certainly been quite the summer for the York community. Just a few weeks ago, we had a fantastic weekend of summer fun in York. Sidewalk sales were strong and the various children and family activities were a hit. Thank you to all who participated as businesses, organizations and patrons. York was definitely buzzing with activity during the Balloon Days weekend.
The Leadership York Steering Committee wanted to put a reminder out that applications are open now. Employers, your team members can gain leadership skills and learn more about York while making connections that could benefit your organization by taking part in the 2022/23 Leadership York class. The application is open and ready for one or more of your associates to apply. Leadership York is a nine-month course focusing on the vital aspects of the community. Class members will have the chance to build professional relationships that can be helpful in the future. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity. The application deadline is August 5. If you or someone within your business or organization is interested in being part of the class complete the application at: https://yorkchamber.org/leadership-york/.
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Yorkfest registrations are open now! There are several activities taking place throughout the 4-day celebration! Pre-registering for events helps organizations be best prepared for participants the day of their events. Register early and don’t miss out:
• The Fun Run (Thursday, Sept. 8) Registration is free (if registered by Aug. 19) and comes with a commemorative Yorkfest t-shirt. Registrations after this date will have a $10 fee for the shirt.
• Mayoral Prayer Breakfast (Friday, Sept. 9) ticket and table sponsorships are now open. Tickets are just $15 per person.
• Coronation Luncheon (Friday, Sept. 9) is set for noon on Friday. Don’t wait, tickets are $15 per person.
• The INCREDI-BOWL Night of Bowling (Friday, Sept. 9) will take place at Sunset Bowl.
• The Street Fair will take place Saturday morning, Sept. 10. Registrations are being accepted now!
Local nonprofit Discing4Kids is offering free Summer of Fun events twice weekly through Thursday to introduce families to disc golf and help them develop their skills.
Baskets have been set up around Bushmaster Park on Tuesdays and Thursdays since July 12, creating a course for kids and their families to navigate with their discs. A bin of discs sits on a picnic table next to free snacks — watermelon, packets of crackers, sports drinks.
“What we do, anywhere and everywhere we go is we take the fun to the kids. We can build a course like this anywhere we go,” said Eddie Diaz, the organization’s founder.
He said he chose Bushmaster Park because he used to play there as a child.
Thomas Garcia, 10, works on his disc golf skills Tuesday morning during a Discing4Kids event at Bushmaster Park.
Jake Bacon, Arizona Daily Sun
The day camp’s attendees are a mix of regular participants in Discing4Kids activities and families who happened to be in the park that day. There is no age limit and adult family members are encouraged to participate alongside their kids.
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Events also often include backyard games (for example, disc-tack-toe and bowling) that can be played at home, with giveaways of discs and, on special occasions, baskets to eliminate any socioeconomic barriers to the sport.
The two rules for the event are “have fun and be safe.”
Chesterfield County will be holding a community meeting next Tuesday to share draft recommendations for the Genito/Route 288 Special Focus Area Plan.
The open house will take place from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Clover Hill High School, where residents can ask questions or discuss the proposal with Supervisor Chris Winslow, Planning Commissioner Gloria Freye and officials with the county’s parks and recreation department.
A major point of contention is the future of Southside Speedway, which sits at the intersection of Genito Road and Oak Lake Boulevard and is adjacent to River City Sportsplex — a major hub for athletic tournaments that has generated millions in revenue since being acquired by the county in 2016.
The Speedway, a 47.1-acre property assessed in 2021 for about $1.8 million, was purchased by the county for $4.5 million last year from a family who had owned it since 1958. Currently, no racing is taking place.
Winslow said in an October community meeting that he had not been made aware of any formal offer to bring racing back but is “absolutely open to that.”
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“We want to be intentional about getting a direction in place and so that means that if those folks who have financing for plans or have plans to finance, we want to hear about what those are,” Winslow said.
During that same meeting and last week’s board of supervisors meeting, people spoke up about the need to save what they called a site filled with history, where NASCAR champions such as Denny Hamlin, David Pierce and Wendell Scott, the latter of whom was the first Black driver to compete full time in the pro circuit, once raced.
County officials have voiced plans to “incorporate elements that highlight the racing history” in board documents.
In a public comment period during last week’s board of supervisors meeting, Chesterfield resident Rob Beals said he chose to move to Chesterfield County to be close to Southside Speedway, noting how the site has brought in industry experts and entrepreneurs to the area to work on the cars.
“Racing is a way of life for us. It’s part of our culture. It’s a passion that requires us to invest every bit of time, talent and treasure…
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