Keeping up positive spin for disc golf

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This article was published 10/08/2020 (2207 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When avid ultimate Frisbee player Dan Cote got injured two years ago, and could no longer play competitively, he turned his attention to disc golf.

“A unique aspect to disc golf is that it gets the competitive juices flowing, whether you’re playing by yourself or there’s someone on the course with you,” Cote says.

Disc golf has been great for the 41-year-old because it’s a fun activity he can do with family and friends, and it’s less taxing on his body than ultimate Frisbee.

“It’s also a COVID-friendly sport, where you can have a great game and still easily physically distance from one another.”

Cote channels his love for the sport into his volunteer work as the chairman of the eight-person Disc Golf Manitoba committee.

Disc golf is played using the same general rules, terminology and etiquette as golf, but with different equipment.

A player throws a flying disc into a standardized target that usually features metal chains. The objective, just as in golf, is to complete the course in as few throws of the disc as possible.

All that is needed to get started is a disc, which costs $20 or less, and a course.

There are four in Winnipeg: two at Kilcona Park, and one each at Scurfield Park and Happyland Park.

“I love disc golf because it’s the type of game that takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master,” says David Wiebe, 40, who volunteers as Disc Golf Manitoba’s director of programming. “There is almost nothing more beautiful to me than a well-thrown disc.”

In his role on the committee, Wiebe provides input on how to teach disc golf. He also organizes and leads clinics.

“I’m enthusiastic about volunteering for this because disc golf is awesome and extremely under-appreciated,” Wiebe says. “I also know that disc golf can lead to improved physical and mental well-being, which is a really great bonus.”

Kelly Chabbert, who co-chairs Disc Golf Manitoba, agrees.

“It’s amazing when people experience it the first few times and they really get hooked,” says the 42-year-old, adding the learning curve with disc golf is “more friendly” than that for traditional golf.

“You can see improvement on a regular basis. It keeps you coming back for more.”

Disc Golf Manitoba is running an eight-week league each Monday evening at Kilcona Park. The committee is also organizing two tournaments next month.

The 2020 Pembina Valley Open will take place Sept. 12 at Stanley Park in Morden, and the DGM Fall Classic & Provincial Championship will take place Sept. 26-27 at Kilcona Park.

Cote encourages anyone who is interested in the sport to download the UDisc app, which measures shots, tracks scores and shows maps of Winnipeg’s courses. There is a Disc Golf Manitoba group on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/modsdiscgolf, or an email can be sent to Cote (dancote779@gmail.com).

“I really enjoy bringing a smile to people’s faces, and with the community that disc golf has, it makes it so much easier to put time into organizing great programming,” Cote says.

“It’s a sport that really is accessible to everybody,” adds Chabbert. “From nursery school to nursing home, people can be playing this sport.”

If you know a special volunteer, please contact aaron.epp@gmail.com