By Trevor Jackson
DISC golfers will descend on the Valley Lakes on Sunday to compete in a virtual national competition.
The Aussie Disc Golf Day pits players from around the country against each other on their own courses.
The day was original planned for the Mount Gambier Disc Golf Club on November 21 but with the COVID-19 restrictions placed on the state it had to be postponed.
The club had up until December 14 to complete the day and now face another challenge.
Two rounds need to be completed, with an early cycling event on Sunday closing the road to the public.
That has forced a later start to the day, with the hope all players complete their rounds before the sun goes down.
A random format day was also planned for tomorrow, which the club has postponed to accommodate the national event.
Club president Mat Weyers said it had been a tough slog to ensure the competition went ahead, with council permits and COVID safe restrictions to comply with, added to the cycling event.
However, all is set to go in what is an important day for the club.
“We have been fortunate Australian Disc Golf allowed us to change the event dates due to the (coronavirus) circumstances,” Weyers said.
“It is good for our members otherwise we would have missed out.
“Our members being able to pit themselves against the other clubs nationally I think is pretty important for the year, considering the year it has been with no national events run due to the COVID restrictions.”
Weyers said there was plenty of excitement around the club about the chance to compete in a national event, with the numbers suggesting just that.
“We have picked up extra players who weren’t available on the original day and everyone has gone out of their way to be a part of it,” he said.
“We had registered 40 players, which is a fantastic result considering our member numbers are about 40, so it is almost a maximum effort.
“I think it will be a good opportunity for our club to see where we stand in the national standard.”
At the end of the competition all scores will be compared nationally.
However, the Mount Gambier players could be at a slight disadvantage due to the nature of the course at the Valley Lakes, which is known as one of the best in the country.
“I think it will say a lot about our course,” Weyers said.
“It may not favour our members because it is a challenging course.
“Maybe some players on easier courses may have better scores but we won’t know until it all unfolds, the results come in and we see where our players stand.”
Weyers said the undulations, trees and various other aspects of the lakes course provided plenty of challenges for players.
Rounds will tee off at 12.30pm with a rush to ensure it is done in time but Weyers said he is not too concerned with the time constraints.
“The event has to be two rounds so we will have a mad push to try to fit it in,” he said.
“It can be anywhere from two to three hours for a round but because of where we are in the world at the moment you have to make do and work forward.
“We have daylight savings on our side too so you can’t complain about that.”
