A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to spend a week in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada speaking in schools, running some disc golf and ultimate clinics and doing demos and media spots with Davy Whippet talking about being unique, embracing differences, being kind to one another while at the same time sharing more about the history of frisbee, showing the various sports one can play with a frisbee and teaching the possibilities to both discers and non-discers alike.
I had the most time with the disc golf community in Regina and that’s one of the big reasons I enjoy disc golf more than ultimate – it’s so much more accessible to play. You can either play disc golf on your own or with friends. Each time I went to Douglas Park Disc Golf Course (the site of Regina’s first disc golf course), I would post on the Regina Disc Golf Facebook group in case anyone else wanted to join. And inevitably, I would always meet players on the course and join with them. I also was able to hang out with Mike Shiplack and David Brenneman, who run the Regina Disc Golf Club and were instrumental in having the course installed.
It was really great to play the course, talk to Mike and David and get their input on how the course was designed and who certain holes were shaped the way they were. After my first round, my impression was that the course was really short and that I didn’t even throw any distance drivers and only threw a fairway driver on one of the holes (which was around 450 feet). But after playing the course a few times and learning the lines a bit better, I realized that although there aren’t any super long holes, aside from two short holes, the other holes are all medium length so the course is a good challenge. New players will be throwing lots of drivers and more experienced players will be required to throw precision mid range shots and lots of shaped shots (mostly 300 foot hyzers).
When I played the course, they were in the process of installing tee pads and had just put in the first tee. Aside from that, all of the tees were off the grass, sidewalk or well worn down dirt patches. The tee pads didn’t cause me any problems but it will be nice when the tee pads are fully installed.
The baskets are Innova Disccatchers, which are my favourite basket. I have never had a good putt bounce out of a Disccatcher on me unlike the DGA Mach 5 which happens fairly often.
I commend Mike and David on the work they put in to get Regina’s first disc golf course installed. It’s a great course for all skill levels, there is a good mix of holes and Douglas Park is a beautiful space for frisbee – disc golf, ultimate or just playing catch. If you are ever in the area, be sure to bring golf discs with you or you can borrow some from the Regina Disc Golf Club.
Here are a few photos I took along with some I found online. Let me know what you think of it! My best round was a 46 (-8) so see if you can beat me!
