Athletes tee off on P.E.I. at first ever leg of Disc Golf Pro Tour in Canada

It’s a big day for disc golfers in our region. Prince Edward Island hosted the first ever Canadian leg of the Disc Golf Pro Tour this weekend.

Sunday was a perfect day for disc golf. The sun was shining and the wind was light. Over 50 pros are on the island, with another 200 amateur competitors.

The main event is taking place at the 18-hole course in Rose Valley, P.E.I. The island has more than a dozen courses, five of them are capable of supporting pro-level play.

The event is newly updated after hurricane Fiona, with an increased challenge for the pros, including former and current world champions.

“These are the people who’ve played at the highest level across the board, and, you know, they’re enjoying the challenge,” said Ben Smith, tournament director. “Neither of those, the current nor former world champions, are leading their divisions right now, so that shows you what the rest of the competition in the field is.”

Disc Golf is a lot like regular golf, or ball golf as the pros here call it, even borrowing a lot of the same language with different discs named after golf clubs, like driver and putter.

Some pros carry as many as three-dozen discs with different characteristics for various shots in different conditions, though a golfer just starting out doesn’t need nearly that many.

“You can actually still use Frisbees,” said Michael Strickland, with Halifax-based Chain Reaction Disc Golf Supply. “It’s still Frisbee golf, but if you want to throw further and more accurate, discs are the way to go.”

It’s an important moment for the local disc golf scene. A chance to show they’ve got what it takes to compete with countries where the sport is more developed, and this level of competition elevates the calibre of play in our region.

“It’s hard to get better when you’re just looking at everything at, sort of, the same level,” said Nathan McCarty, from Coldbrook, Nova Scotia. He’s a local pro, the level below touring pros, though he’s not playing in this tournament. “Really bringing it up a couple of notches, I feel like, you can push yourself. See how good people can be, and want to be as good as they are.”

The first place winner at this weekend’s tournament takes home nearly $5,000 dollars.

It’s an important tournament for the pros competing here, but it's particularly important to the organizers here in the Maritimes, and across Canada, who see this as a major step up for their growing sport.

For more P.E.I. news visit our dedicated provincial page.