A Richmond golf course is getting set to host the city’s first ever disc golf tournament this weekend.
This Sunday and Monday, Sept. 18 and 19, Mylora Golf Course on Sidaway Road will be the venue for the growing sport – also known as “Frisbee golf” - which has no home in Richmond at the moment.
The event is being organized by 17-year-old Richmondite Blake Wardell, who has managed to recruit the help of Mylora, fellow disc golfers and a company called Ace Runners, which is lending 18 disc golf baskets, tee-pads and signage.
The two-day event runs from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. each day and will cost $36 per round, which includes dinner and a drink.
There will also be prizes for closest to the pin and the longest drive.
“About a year and a half ago, while trying to look for fun outdoor activities during covid, I came across some metal baskets with chains on them,” said Blake, who would later learn that his discovery was the sport he came to “fall in love with” was disc golf.
“After playing my first couple rounds, I started to look for a place to play in Richmond, instead of having to drive to Vancouver.
“I found out that there were no courses here and accepted the fact that I had to drive over 20 minutes to play a round.
“A couple months later, however, Rupert Pitch and Putt hosted a 'pop-up course'. This gave me the idea to try and do this in Richmond.”
Disc golf much like regular golf
Disc golf follows the same premise as regular golf, where the goal of the game is to get your disc/Frisbee from the tee-pad into the basket in as few throws as possible.
In order to make this more difficult, trees, bushes, and other obstacles are usually put in the path of your throw, to force you to “shot shape” or curve your disc around, over, and sometimes underneath.
And, like golf, there are varying levels of difficulty, ranging from beginner courses with minimal obstacles, and minimal distance, to professional courses, with many obstacles and some 500+ foot long holes.
Blake has had to pull everything together and design a course and hopes the coming event will be the first of many to come.
To register for one of the rounds, call 604-271-5626.
