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Disc golf competition coming to Battlefords

Sep 7, 2018 | 2:00 PM

The second-annual Gold Eagle Open is coming to the Battlefords.

Evan Zimmer, founder of the Battlefords Disc Golf Club, and tournament director for the event, explained to battlefordsNOW how the sport is quite similar to its partial namesake.

“Instead of hitting a small ball with a club into a hole, we’re using specialized disks similar to Frisbees and the players throw them at the basket targets,” he said.

Beyond swapping golf balls for discs, the two sports are essentially the same.

“We tee off from a tee-box, we do a shot from the fairway, we approach the putting area and we put it in. It’s not a hole, but a basket you have to get it in for it to count,” he said.

Tomorrow’s event is for anyone who enjoys the sport, regardless of age or ability, according to Zimmer. He invited participants and spectators alike to come and check it out. He expects golfers ranging in age from seven all the way up to those in their 60’s.

There will be multiple groups teeing off this weekend, including some professionals.

“We have a recreational division, an advanced division, and an open division, which is the top professional one,” Zimmer said. “We have a couple of sponsored, professional players that are seasoned on the tour coming to this event.”

Although the Gold Eagle Open is only entering its second year, there are a number of high-calibre players making the trip to the Battlefords from outside the province to take part.

“We have some great disc golfers from across Central and Western Canada, we have players coming from Winnipeg, Edmonton, Buffalo Narrows, Yorkton, Saskatoon, Regina, and kind of everywhere in between,” he said.

As far as participation, Zimmer said the people of the Battlefords and area make the event a great turnout each year.

“We get a lot of community support for this event,” he said. “We usually hit between 50 and 70 participants for our current event and this year is no different. We’re kind of sitting around that 60 [person] mark, which is really nice because it looks like we’re being blessed with good weather tomorrow, and we’ll take it.”

Zimmer encourages people curious about the sport to come and watch the action to see what it’s all about.

For more information on the Gold Eagle Open, or disc golf in the Battlefords in general, visit their website or find them on Facebook.

 

Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 11:39 a.m. on September 10, 2018 to correct a typo. 

 

Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1