When winding up for a big side arm drive at Thornhill Park’s disc golf course, players like to feel as if they are in the middle of a naturally forested paradise.
With active residents of Maple Ridge itching for out door activities, the course had been getting some heavy use in 2020.
Originally built in 2004, its natural beauty was beginning to be affected by the traffic, and the course began to fall into disrepair, Maple Ridge Disc Golf Club’s Ben Beyer said.
To help preserve the environment, and give the course a much-needed upgrade, the club has been doing some volunteer work recently.
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“There’s a bunch of us who go through the park every week picking up garbage,” Beyer said.
“And just recently, the City of Maple Ridge agreed to drop off a large supply of much, so we’ve been going over the course protecting roots, and preserving some of the natural habitat.”
Clayton Maitland, Alex Jacobs, and Jordan McConnell, are the members Beyer said went above-and-beyond this past year putting in abundant hours at the park doing cleanup and maintenance.
The club’s members have also been replacing the tonals – target poles which make a noise when hit – and hope to work on the tee pads when the opportunity presents itself.
Beyer said some of the funds for the repair have been coming from the club’s members.
“We’re hoping to put together more of an official club where members pay to be part of the club, and then we’ll use [those funds] for upkeep on the course,” he said.
“Right now, we’ve got a really good collaboration with the city, where they are agreeing to provide some materials, as long as we’re willing to do some of the work.”
Local disc gold enthusiasts are lucky to have such a great course to play on, Beyer said.
“It’s a beautiful forested course, which is unique to the Lower Mainland area,” he said. “There are very few courses that are in a nice old-growth, rain forest environment.
“It’s very wooded, so it makes it challenging because you have to make sure you angle your shots certain ways to get around the trees.”
Beyer recommends the sport for its accessibility.
“I can go with my three-year-old daughter, I can go with my wife , even my sixty-five-year old dad has come out a couple times.”
It is also affordable, he adds.
“You only need two-or-three discs to start,” he said.
Discs are named like golf clubs - so a driver, a putter, and a mid-range disc will suit any beginner looking to give the sport a try.
The future looks bright for the burgeoning leisure activity.
“Hopefully looking ahead we can build another course with baskets,” Beyer said.
“You just need some park space, a nice open area, and you’re good to go.”
ronan.p.odoherty@blackpress.ca
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