The town of Gull Lake has followed up on community feedback with the addition of a nine-hole disc golf course, which was completed on April 10.
“In 2019 our Rec Advisory Committee did a rec feedback survey. It was one of the facilities that people had identified on their wish list, so they really wanted to see it come to town. In mid-2020 that was when we decided that was what we were going to choose and pursue,” explained Gull Lake Recreation Director Sara Kuntz.
Kuntz said the total cost of the course would be around $9,000-$10,000.
“We got grants and used some of the program revenue, so when we ran programs and if we made a tiny little bit of money we just stuck it toward the disc golf course.”
Disc golf has become a popular activity in Saskatchewan in recent years and Kuntz was excited to bring the game to Gull Lake.
“It’s a way to just get people out and moving. It doesn’t cost anything, so we’re bringing facilities like that to town where there’s not set hours or no user fee so people can use them whenever works well for them.”
With COVID-19 numbers rising again in the Southwest, disc golf is a socially distanced activity that can get people outdoors and active safely.
“I feel like the added bonus right now is it’s an activity that can run with covid restrictions on. You can grab your discs and go and play. You don’t have to worry about strict guidelines to follow.”
Kuntz worked closely with Disc Golf Saskatchewan from the beginning of the project until construction was completed.
“Disc Golf Sask has come out now three times. They have just been an excellent resource for us. They came out first of all to do a site assessment to make sure that we had adequate area to put the course in. They then came back and actually planned our course, so they did the design. Then they came back and volunteered and helped us install it. They have been excellent, so helpful, answered all my five million questions that I’ve had,” she added.
DGS representatives worked with local volunteers to complete the project.
“We had about 20 people. We were super efficient and it really only took us two hours. Some of us came back in the afternoon and played a round to break the course in.”
Each of the nine holes is a par three over the 615-metres course. The opening hole is the shortest at 47 metres and the longest is the seventh hole at 90 metres.
“It’s pretty straight forward. There area a couple pretty challenging holes just with specifically trees. There are lots of trees on some of them. Some of the holes are nice and wide open and there’s no hazards. The wind is always a challenge for us too, that’s another natural obstacle,” she laughed.
Kuntz said that people have been out playing over their lunch break. “You could take a half an hour or you could take an hour and a half depending on how many trees you hit I guess.”
Kuntz said the final step is to finish off the signage for the course and maybe, down the road, a different name.
“We’ve done community contests in the past to name our park and our walking trail and they’ve worked out really well. We’ll see, but for right now we’re just calling it the Gull Lake Disc Golf Course and hopefully we can come up with something more creative down the road.”
Discs are available to borrow at the Town Office in Gull Lake. The course is located in the ball diamond area. The first hole begins between diamond #1 and the batting cage.
