Noah Higgins, winner of the MPO (pro) division, receives the trophy from event organizer, Evan Zimmer. (Submitted photo/Battlefords Disc Golf Club)

By Martin Martinson

Record turnout

Gold Eagle Open brings disc golfers far and wide to Battlefords

Sep 12, 2023 | 7:12 AM

Just shy of 200 people came out over the weekend, to Battlefords Provincial Park, to take part in the 7^th Annual Gold Eagle Open disc golf tournament.

Serving as the eighth and final stop on the Canadian Disc Golf Tour this year, the turnout set a new Saskatchewan disc golf attendance record.

Tournament Director, Evan Zimmer said they couldn’t have asked for a better weekend all around.

“It was a tremendous success on all fronts really,” Zimmer said. “The event ran smoothly, the weather was fantastic, and all the players were thrilled with the event and the sights and the sounds and conditions of the course… it was just a grand slam all the way around.”

Featuring both professional and amateur divisions and “A” and “B” pools for each of the divisions, in addition to the regular disc golf course at the Provincial Park, there was also another added through the main area of the park, to accommodate the numbers.

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“We had two courses and running tee-times from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., every ten minutes with players going out on two courses,” Zimmer said, figuratively wiping his brow. “There was an “A Pool” and a “B Pool” with the various divisions so we could fit them on to each course and all the players played two rounds on Saturday and one round on Sunday.”

While there were no shortage of local-area disc golfers out to take part again in this year’s event, the organizers also saw a number of competitors from across the country make the trip, which bodes well for the local economy.

“We had a great turnout from across the country with players from Ontario to B.C., and everywhere in between, so it really put us on the map,” Zimmer said.

“That’s part of the draw of the event: we bring everyone to the Battlefords Provincial Park and everyone just loves it. They’re thrilled with the park and the condition of it, so the sights and the scenery and everything the Battlefords have to offer is a big part of the selling feature of our event.”

The Gold Eagle Open began in 2016 at North Battleford’s Centennial Park, growing each year since a brief one-year hiatus in 2017, leading to their move to the Battlefords Provincial Park in 2019 where it has been held since.

Having seen the turnout for this year’s event, Zimmer said they are already looking ahead to the possibility of extending the event to three days next year, to accommodate the growing numbers.

“Year after year it’s been growing, I think we were close to 180 last year and this year it was more-or-less capacity for the event, so we’re going to try to take steps next year to allow for an even larger turnout,” he said, adding that the continued growth of the event coincides with that of the sport itself.

“Year after year everything just gets bigger with more people playing, more people interested, more people willing to help out, more courses, and more support.”

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1