Disc golfers from across the country have trod the course all week in Prince Edward Island during the 2022 Canadian National Championships.
More than 468 players representing Canada and five other countries came to the island for the multi-day tournament.
Organizers say it’s the largest turnout ever seen at a Canadian event for the sport, which, unlike golf, uses a frisbee instead of a ball and club.
Tournament director and Maritime Disc Golf Association co-founder Benjamin Smith said disc golf has exploded in popularity during the pandemic, with the number of players in the region more than tripling in the past two years.
“We’re very socially distant, friendly, very easy to play outside, easy to keep equipment clean,” he said.
“There’s something about it that’s got a bit of a mystique to it. These discs shape and bend and do all kinds of things, and when you unlock that magic, that secret sauce, there’s just that feeling that’s so euphoric. C It’s really hard to explain, and I think every single person here has shared that feeling at least once in their life.”
The open splits were held at the Hillcrest Farm course in Bonshaw, which was recently named the third best disc golf course in the world based on user rankings on a disc golf directory app.
“Islands people should definitely be very proud. You probably have four of the top 10 courses in the whole country here,” Smith said.
“We are getting more and more requests from Finns, Swedes and all over the United States to come here and experience this.”
A creative sport
Disc golf has very similar rules to golf, with players trying to get a disc into a basket in as few throws as possible. But Smith said other than some standardization in where you can throw the discus from, the rest of the sport is very free-form.
“Everything else is creative,” he said.
“Some people can only physically throw one or two ways and that’s totally legal…Instead of a golf ball where you have to stand up and address it exactly the same way everyone else does, you’re free to choose left, right, up, over, roll it sideways, backwards, upside down.”
Jacob Smith’s Island Disc Golf Company is the only store on the island that exclusively sells disc golf equipment. He said there were over 1,000 types of discs approved for use, and the average disc golf aficionado would have around 15 to 20 discs in their bag at any given time, some of which are intended for shots. specific.
But Jacob said a beginner could buy all the records they need for around $45.
“It’s pretty reasonable to get into the sport,” he said. “And people really love getting into it. There are so many different plastics that you can look, touch, smell and throw and see how they fly. So it can be quite addictive.”
“Huge Community”
The professional purse for the championship is $10,000. But players of all skill levels participated in the event.
Torontonians Heather Gilmore and Lauren Ho came to PEI. just for the event. Both are at the amateur level, although Gilmore played ultimate frisbee for about 20 years.
“The pandemic happened and the ultimate was shut down. So my ultimate team was immediately like, ‘How do we keep playing? ‘” Gilmore said. “[With disc golf] you always obviously have the support of everyone around you just to do well. But it’s all up to you and how you’re doing.”
Ho has been playing for about a year. She said that although it is a very individual sport, there is a “huge community” of disc golfers who are very welcoming and ready to lend a hand to new players.
“It’s really great to get out there and exercise, walk around and be able to meet other players from all over the world,” she said.
The championship ends on Sunday.
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