In an effort to re-vamp Yorkton's Patrick Park, the City of Yorkton has started to design a course to help promote a game known as disc golf.
This past Friday, City workers started to put the little bits and pieces in place for what could turn one of the City's smallest parks into a miniature entertainment 'hub'.
"It's a park," says Brian Dudar, Parks and Arena Manager for the City of Yorkton. "And now we've added a course to try and help bring people out."
The course is nine holes of disc golf.
A three-man crew was out that Friday morning, removing little dirt piles near each of the course's nine holes. In each hole is a large, silver basket, resembling a garbage can. It reaches up 5-6 feet off the ground.
Dudar said the point of the game is to hit the basket with a weighted-down frisbee. Much like the sport of golf, each hole/basket has a par on which to hit the basket, explains Dudar.
The idea to bring disc golf to the City, Dudar told Yorkton This Week, was actually an idea that had been sitting on the backburner for a number of years, adding that he found some files detailing what is now coming into place, and it's resulted in the park (located on King Str.) on the south side of Broadway Avenue, being turned into Yorkton's first disc golf course.
Dudar is quite excited about the potential here.
The designer of the course is from British Columbia, he said, and he took charge of designing the nine-hole course. Talks started on it several years ago. The course designer is Joe Hunt.
"There was a plan (to do this)," Dudar insisted. "There was something on the files on it. Joe Hunt came here and I met with him."
The baskets, which currently are visible from passersby heading down King Street as well as surrounding dirt roads, arrived in Yorkton last spring, Dudar noted.
Everything for the park is going according to plan, he said.
"We're on target. It complements (nicely) what is already there."
Dudar added that he likes the features of Patrick Park, which, when all is said and done, will no problem be able to accommodate a number of social activities, including: walks, picnics, kite-flying and now disc golf. There is also a practice basket set up on the southwest end of the park.
He added that the other good part is that anybody of any age can handle this.
"As long as you can throw a disc" he told YTW.
"It's kind of exciting," Dudar suggested. "It could be infectious," he responded when asked what he envisions the park to look like at some point down the road when everything is put into place. He mentioned that he would like to add directional arrows to show players which way to the next basket, as well as the possibility of adding lights to the course which would allow for night-time play (with neon or fluorescent frisbee discs).
The equipment for the game consists of disc (which take the place of drivers used in regular golf course play) and putters (for use near the basket).
Dudar said cost for the driver discs will likely be around $13.
Dudar also mentioned that there will be no user fees for the game, players will be required to find their own discs, but there won't be any charge involved in using the City's newest game course facility.
"It's fairly inexpensive and there's no user fees. I think this is going to take off."
He said he plans to have a grand opening for the revamped Patrick Park at some point during the summer months, likely June in which the finished product will be fully ready.
There is additional information on disc golf available at the following web site: www.discgolfassociation.com.
