The Churchbridge Credit Union Disc Golf will be officially opened Friday as part of June Daze festivities in the community.
The opening will take place between 4:00 and 5:30pm at the Churchbridge Campground.
“It will be a chance for people to try out the course,” said Rob Gosselin whose efforts led to the installation on the 12-basket course earlier this spring.
Gosselin said when he had a chance to try the sport he was hooked, and wanted to see his home community have the opportunity to play.
“Just prior to my effort to start a Churchbridge course, my wife and I had been invited by friends to try out disc golf for the first time at the Asessippi Beach and Campground course,” he said. “We had an absolute blast!
“I was impressed by how little was needed to play the game: all you need is a disc. Weather? The game can be played rain or shine (or snow!). Set-up? All you need are Tee’s, baskets, and a good location.
“Being new to the sport, we were impressed by how easy it was to learn, and how accessible it was -- how we could play it as a whole family despite the wild season of family life we are in with toddlers! To find a recreational activity that is fun for both adults and young kids was a real hit. Now as I become more familiar with the game, I really like the challenge of improving my throws and it’s a thrill to get par on a tough basket.
“So I immediately began thinking how I could set a course up in Churchbridge and I had just the location in mind. Within a week or two I had a preliminary design for a course and it just needed to be tested out by those more familiar with the game.”
That is where Calvin Daniels and his son Adam, long involved with the regional Parkland Association of Disc Golf came in, spending an afternoon with Gosselin going over the course area.
“A big thank you to Calvin and Adam for helping test and tweak my course design! I could not have done this without them,” said Gosselin.
But wanting a course is not always enough, and Gosselin turned to Council in Churchbridge to get the green light to fully develop a course.
“In September of 2018 I proposed the idea of a disc golf course at the Churchbridge campground and I showed them my preliminary designs for a 9- and 12-basket course,” said Gosselin. “They were all thumbs up and said, ‘Go for it!’
“Though most were unfamiliar with the game, they saw its potential and encouraged me to do the 12-basket design for the course.
“So I formed a small committee and came up with a fundraising plan. This March we actively sought out sponsors and I was stunned by the support for the project and the generosity of so many from the surrounding communities. Within only a month I was able to raise all the necessary funds to purchase the 12 baskets for the course.”
Gosselin said the support was truly overwhelming.
“I admit that the fundraising part of the project felt like a second job for me at the time but I was so incredibly pleased by the positive response and how quickly everything came together,” he said.
“Within two and a half months of spreading the idea for the Churchbridge course, we had it in the ground.”
Gosselin said it is gratifying to have the course in play already.
“Honestly, it’s a thrill to have it completed. I take my family there as often as I can and my three-year-old son, Nathan, absolutely loves the game,” he said. “The Churchbridge campground is a beautiful area for the course, and the Prodigy baskets are stunning. You simply have to try it out.”
For anyone wanting to try the course, or the sport, discs will be available for rent/purchase at the opening Friday.
There will also be a raffle and/or disc throwing contest for your chance to win a disc golf set.
