For many sports enthusiasts, throwing a disc and the winter season are not equated, but for a few brave Orillians and their fellow disc golfers, winter is just the time for an added challenge.
On Jan. 26, the Orillia Disc Golf Club (ODGC) hosted Frozen at Tudhope, an 18-hole journey through wind, snow and aiming discs at baskets.
“Ohhh baby… Sunday’s gonna be a leg day,” ODGC president Travis Brophy posted on the club’s Facebook page along with the Tudhope Park course map for the upcoming tournament.
Brophy started the ODGC in 2017, but he has been playing since he was introduced to the sport in 2010. His first disc golf course experience was on a ski trip.
“It was 17 holes straight up a mountain … It was really cool and, at the same time, I thought it was absolutely ridiculous, but ... I was so enthralled by it that it was hard for me not to look into it further,” he said.
Once back home, he borrowed discs from the Orillia Public Library, and the rest is history. He now has a variety of putters and mid-range and fairway drivers, and says after a decade of playing, he is still learning about techniques and style.
He established the club to provide games at Homewood Park.
“We haven’t really looked back since,” he said.
Eight years later, the ODGC has more than 300 members.
The Homewood Park course is considered entry level, while the Tudhope Park course is intermediate.
Add the natural winter elements, and Frozen at Tudhope appealed to some fairly advanced players, like the 21 people who joined Brophy in January.
Tournament attendance might decrease to roughly 30 per cent in the winter, he said. There is an added risk of injury and discs don’t fly as far in the higher air density. These factors may be discouraging.
“When you get to the zen state of playing, the point is to get the disc into the basket, regardless of correct footing, or your disc may go into the snow. Those all don’t mean anything,” he said.
Players have colourful ribbons tied to their discs for the reason of easily finding them in the snow. Brophy is waiting for the spring thaw to locate a couple of his own discs.
The date for Frozen at Tudhope was set prior to knowing the weather conditions. With the dumping Orillia received, Jan. 26 ended up being windy and snowy.
“The average 18-hole round at Tudhope Park would be two hours. In the snow and the wind, for Frozen, we clocked in at about four-and-a-half hours … Halfway through, everyone was tired sitting around in the snow, I think, but after it was all done, it was all laughs,” said Brophy.
He welcomed the challenge.
“For a passively physical exercise, I don’t think there is a lot better out there,” he said.
“It goes to prove that you can never be sure what you’re walking into, much like life … Whether it be the blinding snow or 60 km/h winds and windchill, these are all factors you push from your mind and just play and focus on your next shot.”
He described trips he makes with other club members to explore and visit new cities and courses.
“In my experience, one of the most profound things that pulled me toward disc golf was going to another town and experiencing a different course and unlocking the pearl in the mollusk,” he said.
In Simcoe County, the Orillia, Midland and Barrie disc golf clubs have designated days of the week to play, so Frozen at Tudhope included players from outside of Orillia.
“A lot of players will play four to five times a week with various clubs,” Brophy said.
He described an accommodating community of disc golf players. In his experience, looking for places to play and players to meet, there is always someone willing to help at a new course.
The ODGC is registered with the Ontario Disc Sports Association and operates in accordance with the Professional Disc Golf Association. Brophy uses the UDisc app for scoring and tracking what is occurring among leagues, and to see live scoring.
ODGC players are always willing to provide assistance or lend a disc, said Brophy.
More information can be found on the club’s Facebook page.