Disc golf launches into Naracoorte

DRIVING THE SPORT: Launch Disc Golf's Ryan Nicholson looks forward to holding this Saturday's pop up disc golf tournament in Naracoorte. Picture: JAMES MURPHY

James Murphy

THE sport of disc golf is set to be launched across the region with another pop-up tournament scheduled for this weekend.

Launch Disc Golf will run the Naracoorte Kickstarter event at Naracoorte’s Memorial Parklands tomorrow.

As a sanctioned Australian Disc Golf (ADG) event, Australian Tour points will be on offer for the serious players.

However, with 15 divisions on offer, all levels of experience are catered for.

Launch Disc Golf is the brainchild of Ryan Nicholson, who is a well-known identity within the sport in the Limestone Coast.

He started the company in 2021 and hopes to use it to expose disc golf to councils and people across South Australia and Western Victoria.

“The idea is to take disc golf events to places around the region which don’t have access to any disc golf,” Nicholson said.

“At the moment in South Australia we have the amazing Crater Lakes course here in Mount Gambier, the Tintanara Disc Golf Park in Tintanara and a few courses in Adelaide.

“All the other regional centres don’t have access to any disc golf.”

Nicholson’s passion for disc golf runs deep and he was the driving force behind the installation of the nationally-acclaimed Crater Lakes Disc Golf Course in Mount Gambier.

He helped introduce the sport to the region and has since been an integral part of its rapid rise in popularity.

He now has his sights set on widening the reach of the sport within South Australia and Victoria – and so the idea for Launch Disc Golf was born.

“The idea is these events can attract players from the current player bases around the area and also give exposure to these councils who haven’t had much insight into the sport before,” Nicholson said.

“The goal is to see more disc golf infrastructure and more disc golf being played in South Australia and over the border as well.”

Launch Disc Golf recently ran a pop-up event at Millicent’s Rotary Centenary Park, which was well received.

Nicholson said this weekend’s Naracoorte Kickstarter has attracted a good mix of experience and beginners.

He said the Memorial Parklands was a prime location for disc golf and expected it to provide a good challenge for all competitors.

“Out of all the locations I have looked at – there is potential in Lucindale, Bordertown, Coloraine, Port Fairy, Warrnambool and several others,” he said.

“Out of all of them, I feel like Naracoorte is right up there with the potential.

“It is at the Memorial Parklands in Naracoorte and that location has disc golf written all over it from my point of view.

“The course I have designed for this event is definitely going to give a good amount of challenge to both beginners and experienced players.”

Nicholson said the venue rivals even locations in Adelaide and players from the state capital will make the trip down to compete.

There are also players from Victoria who will venture across to contest the pro divisions.

“Not only am I trying to get experienced players, but also if someone in the region was interested in giving it a go or even just having a look, there are novice divisions,” he said.

“The Naracoorte event is being well supported by registrations in the female novice division, which is great.”

It will be a single-day event, which will consist of two rounds of 18 holes.

“It is a nine basket, dual tee course, so a round consists of two laps of a nine-basket course with alternating tees,” Nicholson said.

Nicholson hoped to reach out to more councils and demonstrate the appeal of disc golf, with his overall goal to work with them towards the installation of more permanent courses in the region.

“It ticks a lot of boxes that councils are looking for,” Nicholson said.

“It is low-impact, affordable, accessible and anyone can play.

“You don’t have to be the fittest, or fastest – if you can walk and throw a disc, you can play disc golf.”