Abbotsford could be getting its own disc golf course, if a proposal presented to a city committee last month gets final sign-off and funding.
Andrew Phillips and Dalton Jones have asked the city to consider installing a disc golf course in a local park. Disc golf operates on the same principles as golf, except participants use their own discs or frisbees to try and hit elevated metal pins in as few throws as possible.
Phillips and Jones are avid disc golf players and former Abbotsford residents who thought the city was a prime spot for a new course. He said a course is a good way to “gamify” recreation and provide more incentives for residents to use parks.
“It’s a very accessible sport to all ages, all genders,” he said.
Any course would be free to use, and Phillips said the pins could be placed in positions that wouldn’t affect others residents’ use of the park.
“They really blend into the scenery of parks,” he said. “You don’t even notice pins unless you’re there to play.”
The poles or metal baskets that golfers try to hit would be the main cost to any course, according to the submission to the city. They estimate nine pins would cost around $3,000. The city could also choose to install cement tee pads that would provide a stable basis for golfers’ first shots.
Phillips presented the idea to the city’s parks, recreation and culture advisory committee last month. He said he found the reception to be positive, and said the city indicated they would be interested in further exploring the idea and possibilities for grants.
Although the initial proposal to council suggested Clearbrook Park as a potential destination for the course, Phillips said Monday that no location has been determined.
In 2014 a disc golf course was installed in Mission’s Centennial Park. The course has nine holes that range from 200 to 400 feet.