A MAJOR boost for the sport of disc golf is set to glide into the Blue Lake city, as a permanent course is in the works for the Brownes Lake area.
With the course design and mapping currently underway, Mount Gambier Disc Golf president Ryan Nicholson has called on the expertise of Disc Golf Park Australia general manager Andrew Ferguson to plot and install a total of 27 holes.
“It’s going to be an 18-hole course,” Nicholson said.
“There will be 18 long tees, along with nine beginner tees to make the course a bit more beginner friendly.
“It’s going to be a pretty high standard course, which will definitely be suitable for a tour competition.”
Since discovering the sport just over 18 months ago, Nicholson has since established the local club and now, with the approval from council to install a permanent course, hopes to see its popularity soar to new heights.
“We formed the committee in April and started doing monthly league days,” he said.
“We’ve had a total of 24 participants play, after starting with eight.
“Considering we haven’t actually had a course, to still have growth and the interest we have had, it’s shown there is a lot of promise.
“The interest is there, so it’s just creating more awareness and making it accessible.”
Having already hosted a pop up event in March – the Mount Gambier Volcano, Disc Golf Eruption competition – which featured players from Adelaide, Geelong and Melbourne, Nicholson hopes to move on to even bigger projects once the course is installed.
“I have been talking with the guys from SA Disc Golf about the potential of having the SA Open here, possibly even next year,” he said.
“But there is nothing locked in yet.
“The course is going to be available for anyone who can get their hands on a disc.
“Every day of the week it will be there and ready to use.”
Ferguson has designed and installed disc golf courses all over Australia and it was for this reason Nicholson decided to get him involved.
“I wanted as good a quality course as possible,” Nicholson said.
“The area has the potential, so I really wanted to make sure it was the best possible install.
“Having someone with experience like Andrew come and help us is really going to pay the benefits.”
The course will be permanent, but will have the option of removing baskets temporarily to use the area for other purposes.
Nicholson expects some holes to be installed before the end of the year, but said others will take longer as the areas require more work.
The course will be embedded in the heart of the scenic Brownes Lake area and Ferguson said the location is “absolutely superb”.
“To play in an extinct volcano inside these crater walls, just being here itself is an amazing experience,” he said.
“This course is going to really be something special.
“I think it has the potential to be one of the best courses in Australia.
“It will be real draw card for not only national, but international players to come and experience.”
Ferguson not only believes the course will attract players from far and wide to the unique location, but he also stated the positive effects it will have on the community.
“I think it’s going to be fantastic for the local community to discover and have access to a disc golf course,” he said.
“With the trees and the great elevation it’s going to be a really fun, but challenging course.”
