Folks from all across western Canada were throwing discs and competing for big wins at the Riverside Park this past weekend.
Swift Current’s disc golf course may be new, but it was the host of the 17th annual Saskatchewan Open Provincial Disc Golf Championships.
Evan Zimmer, deputy executive director for Disc Golf Saskatchewan and the tournament director for the competition, said it was great to see such an event take place here.
“I can’t say enough about how excited we are to see the growth of the sport in this corner of the province, and the response from the public as well as the City,” Zimmer expressed. “We’re looking forward to a great future of disc golf here.”
He was part of the crew that helped to design and install the course over the years, with its final of 18 baskets going up in 2021.
The presence of disc golf has a number of benefits, being an outlet of accessible recreation within the city.
“Riverside Park is friendly terrain, so regardless of your physical ability or mobility, you can still manage to access most of the course,” Zimmer explained.
It has socioeconomic perks as well, being an inexpensive sport to participate in; a set of discs can be found for around $45, and the course is free to visit.
There’s also a tourism standpoint with Swift Current being on the Number One Highway.
According to Zimmer, traveling disc golfers often check the app UDisc, which contains every course in the world complete with maps and scoring, and will stop at different locations.
“They’re going to stop, play disc golf, they’re probably going to eat, they’re probably going to fill up,” said Zimmer. “It has a tourism and an economic impact in a positive way to the city as well.”
Disc golf is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, accessible to everyone, and an activity that people have fun with.
Zimmer encourages anyone who hasn’t tried it yet to head down to Riverside Park and give it a try.