Graham Long, Free Press
A proposal that will see a nine hole, par three disc golf course set up in Ivan To Park took a step forward this week. A Zoom meeting held to gather public input on Monday evening passed off with no concerns raised.
The proposal first came before town council earlier this year. Annette Dreissen, the Town’s acting CAO said the idea had received support, but that public engagement was an important part of the process before the course can become reality.
Outlining the idea, organizer Curtis Buchan said that the concept of the game is similar to ordinary golf in that you try to get your disc into the basket using as few throws as possible. The game has exploded in popularity over recent years, in part because it is easy to learn and low cost to play.
“It’s extremely economical,” he said. “Everyone can play it. It’s an inclusive sport where they are promoting play for everyone who wants to.”
Disc golf is also Covid-friendly, in that it’s played outside by small groups, with ample opportunity for social distancing.
Buchan said the aim for this particular course is to be accessible and beginner friendly as a complement to the existing course available locally north of Drayton Valley.
“We have a course at the ski trails that is more advanced,” said Buchan.
The design proposed for Ivan To Park aims to keep players and discs away from the houses that back onto the area and from both the playground and the sledding hill, which are high use areas.
The project will be paid for by the Drayton Valley Hospitality and Tourism Authority, which sees the idea as a way to attract visitors to the area.
“We’re excited that this is going to come to town,” said DVHTA president Ryan Fynn. “When Curtis (Buchan) approached us we saw this as a great opportunity.”
Fynn said some of the hotels involved in the DVHTA would be looking at having disc sets available for guests to borrow if they wanted to give disc golf a try.
As the meeting wrapped up Driessen said there were still some loose ends to deal with, such as the availability of parking at the top end of the course. Buchan added that if things went smoothly the course could be operational fairly quickly.
“I think we could be playing in a few weeks,” he said.
