The Rotary Club of Ucluelet is championing the design and development of a disc golf course right in the heart of town.
Rotary member Jeff Anderson aced a pitch to council during the April 26 regular meeting, gaining full support and momentum for a 9-hole course located behind the water tower and BMX Park on Matterson Drive.
“Nine holes fits perfectly,” said Anderson. “The course would extend the park recreation area up the hill behind the water tower and back down to the BMX track by the volleyball court. It actually makes a big loop up in behind there. There is parking at the (community centre) and it’s very central.”
Disc golf is a family-friendly, year-round outdoor sport for all ages, says Anderson. Disc golf is played using similar rules to golf, but instead of using a ball and clubs, players use a disc and try to get around the course by throwing the disc at a target area, which is the “hole”. According the the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA), Canada had 365 courses in 2021, a 21 per cent leap from the 300 courses it had in 2020.
“At this point, one would be hard-pressed to find a podcast, article or interview that doesn’t bring up the growth of the game. It certainly is impossible to understate or ignore,” reads the intro to the 2021 PDGA demographics report.
Mayor Noel said the new outdoor recreation opportunity is a good win for the town.
“The only one for me would be displacement of wildlife,” said Noel, adding that district staff would need to examine that aspect as they prepare their report.
Councillor Jennifer Hoar expressed her support.
“I love the project. Anything that gets people out and about it he woods and appreciating it and minimal impact on the topography is always a good thing,” she said.
Ucluelet’s manager of community planning, Bruce Greig, lent a word of caution on the project as the water tower site is highlighted in the Official Community Plan for potential housing.
“Take a light handed approach. We caution to invest in too much permanent infrastructure,” said Greig.
To date, Ucluelet Rotary has raised about $5,000 to put towards the project and they currently have a 1000-piece puzzle for sale with proceeds going to support the disc golf course dream. Anderson says the Ucluelet Rotary Club plans on approaching local businesses to sponsor each hole to help with the upkeep of the course, once they have the permission to use the land. Meetings with the school and Bob Hansen at WildSafe BC are also on tap.
nora.omalley@westerlynews.ca
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