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.
Correction
This is a corrected article. A previous version said the wheelchairs were permanent at Shamrock Park courts.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
China's latest EV is a 'connected' car from smart phone and electronics maker Xiaomi
Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars.