Here we are at Guindon Park again! Today, we are enjoying a nine-hole round of Disc Golf on the course created by Fly-Boy Canada in the fall of 2023 near Floral Drive. Since then, a few improvements have been made. The great thing about this course, besides being right here in our community, is that it is free to play. All you need is a disc, or you can borrow the demo disc located in the first basket. If you take to the sport, you can purchase a starter set of three discs for about fifty dollars. It’s a healthy and inexpensive recreational activity for people of all ages.
If you haven’t heard of Disc Golf, you’re not alone. If you know the basics of traditional golf, then you are already ahead of the game. The terms are similar—putter, driver, par, and so on—but instead of a club and ball, you have a disc, similar in appearance to a small Frisbee, and instead of a hole, you have a basket. That is pretty much it in a nutshell.
Hanging out outdoors, even with the summer’s annoying mosquitoes and humidity, can be worthwhile when you’re doing it with others. Personally, I prefer being here in the fall, but Disc Golf can be played anytime—even in winter. The deeper the snow, the better the workout, but be prepared to lose a few discs that may not be retrievable until spring. It is always a good idea to put your name and telephone number on the reverse side of your discs in the hope they will eventually be returned to you.
Today, we have a mixed group ranging from age 4 to 60-plus: beginners, Ultimate Frisbee players accustomed to throwing a different type of disc, more competitive players who practice regularly, and people like me who are just out to socialize, spend time together and get a little exercise. Unless you join a league and start playing with serious competitors, you can keep it as relaxed as you like. You may recognize the dedicated players by the backpacks or carts they carry, often filled with discs for every possible situation. It’s all up to you.
The competitive player in our group carefully selects her disc from her collection and takes aim, while I just throw in the general direction of the basket and hope for the best—much like the young child among us. Does that make me youthful-ish or just plain lazy? I follow the child’s lead once more when she discovers a pretty butterfly, a Canadian Tiger Swallowtail, and I feel compelled to stop and take a few photographs while it perches on the dandelions. In doing so, I missed the birdie—not the avian kind, but the best throw of the day, one stroke under par. I certainly heard the cheering, but it was too late to capture the victory leap.
One of the things I like about Disc Golf is that it gets you walking without making you feel like you are exercising. You are too busy watching where your disc lands, chatting with the others and occasionally searching for a wayward throw to notice that you are getting your steps in. And because you are outdoors, there is always something to see. On this particular outing, it was the butterfly, but on other visits it might be a bird, an interesting plant or simply a beautiful day in the park.
Disc Golf can be competitive if you want it to be, but it doesn’t have to be. You can work on improving your throw and keep score or simply wander around the course with friends and enjoy being outdoors. For me, it’s definitely the latter!
If you have never tried Disc Golf, Guindon Park is a great place to give it a shot. You never know what you might encounter along the way—a competitive throw, a colourful butterfly, a wayward disc or perhaps even a birdie. So, the next time you find yourself at Guindon Park and see something flying, take a closer look. It might be a bird… it might be a plane… or it just might be a disc!
For more information about the Cornwall Outdoor Club de Plein Air, visit our website at www.cornwalloutdoor.ca or follow us on Facebook.
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