New disc golf course headlines Shamrock Day in Saint John, N.B.

Disc golf lovers in Saint John, N.B., will no longer have to travel the province to play their sport. Shamrock Park now hosts a full 18-hole course for all to enjoy.

“It’s nice having a course here,” says local disc golfer Travis Tufts. “They did a great job and it’s nice having something in your backyard. Sussex is really nice, and I would say this is on par with Sussex. It’s great.”

The opening of the course headlined “Shamrock Day,” the first of five Passport to Parks events to be hosted by the city this summer. It’s the first time the program has ran in five years.

The free event included a barbeque, face painting, balloon animals and games for all ages to enjoy. The event series will pop up at multiple city sites over the summer, aiming to advance and enrich the health, well-being, and quality of life for residents of Saint John through a sense of community.

“The goal really is to get people out and kind of reimagine or rediscover some of the parks that are around,” says event organizer Greg Cutler. “We do have a lot of great parks, a lot of waterways. And again, it’s just a way to get people out with the family, enjoying the sun. We have free activities and its just about getting out of the house and enjoying your community.”

The first of five “Passport to Parks” events this summer saw hundreds of residents make their way out to Shamrock Park, with many excited to try their luck on the new disc golf course that is two years in the making.

“It’s the love and the passion that everyone seems to have for it once they play,” says Saint John Disc Golf president Jeremy Rasch. “That’s what’s keeping them coming back and bringing their friends out to try the game.”

Disc golf is fairly similar to its traditional counterpart. Players begin on the “tee pad” and aim to get their disc in the basket in the least amount of strokes possible. The sport also gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“They are popping up everywhere,” Rasch says. “Disc golfers are growing everywhere in New Brunswick and all over the Atlantic provinces.”

Rasch says the Shamrock track is the perfect place for newcomers to try the sport. He is soon hoping to have regular league nights available to the public.

“Ideally, we’d like to have a mixed league night, a women’s league night, and if it allows it and the interest is there, we are hoping to have a youth league night,” according to Rasch. “We’ll be trying to get involved with the local schools and grow the game as much as we can.”

The disc golf course wasn’t the only new sports-related addition to make its debut at Shamrock Park on Saturday.

After pandemic-related delays, Shamrock Park’s new score clock and score booth on its main artificial field are up and operational.

“This is just a gem of a city for anywhere in Atlantic Canada, Shamrock Park,” says Saint John City Councillor Barry Ogden. “We are just really really happy.”

An accessible tennis event also took place later in the day on the Shamrock Park courts, where five sport wheelchairs from Para NB were available for use. Ogden says the sports-related additions to the city park come at the right time.

“I’ve really noticed a number of people now getting involved with sports,” Ogden says. “All the numbers are up for sports, and maybe that is a good sign because sport is so good for our mental and physical health.”

There are still four “Passport to Parks” event remaining this summer. The next one will be held in July at Little River Reservoir.

For more New Brunswick news visit our dedicated provincial page.