Full send: How the Calgary Disc Golf Club is helping grow the sport around the world
The sport of disc golf has exploded in popularity during the pandemic, namely because it's relatively easy to do and fairly inexpensive to get started.
Depending on the wind and topography of a course, those at the intermediate level and above can carry 10, 20, or even 30 discs in their bag during a round, costing about $20 each, but a beginner can get started with just one or two — a mid-range and a putter.
For most people in Canada and the U.S., that means the cost of entry into the sport represents about two to three hours of work, but for people in other parts of the world, the barrier can be much higher.
That reality hit home for Calgary Disc Golf Club president James Koizumi during a 2019 trip to Colombia — where the monthly minimum wage is just under C$300.
So he decided to do something about it.
Many disc golfers use an app called UDisc to find different courses to play, which show up as a basket icon on a map. While visiting Colombia two years ago, Koizumi, who was relatively new to the sport at the time, noticed there was only one course marked in the city of Medellin, so he reached out to the contact name connected to it and headed there for a round.
The course was a temporary nine holes put together in a park by a retired American, Ken Loukinen, who had brought a few hundred discs and some portable baskets with him when he moved to Colombia from Florida. The pair became fast friends and Koizumi even hit that country's first-ever verified ace, or hole-in-one, during his initial trip.
The reason Loukinen had brought so many discs and baskets with him, he told Koizumi, was a desire to grow the sport. Ultimate (think of a cross between football and soccer but with a Frisbee) was already somewhat popular in Colombia, but only one disc is needed to play that, as opposed to several being needed for each disc golfer.
A worker builds a tee pad at a disc golf course in Colombia. (Courtesy James Koizumi)
Koizumi ended up leaving the discs he had with him behind to further benefit the local players, and based on their reactions, he made a commitment to himself to fundraise for more.
Then COVID-19 happened, slowing that effort down, but it didn't stop, and this week, Koizumi is headed back to Colombia. To help celebrate his birthday in November, Koizumi hosted a fundraiser at the course in North Glenmore Park, asking participants to donate any discs or other equipment they could part with.
That brought in more than 200 discs, along with things like bags, towels and markers, which he and Lethbridge disc golfer Erik Fast are taking to Colombia to hand out, departing Dec. 7, where they will reconnect with Loukinen and spend a week playing the handful of courses now there.
"You can pick any benefit, the social benefit, the physical benefit, the mental benefit of being able to do something during COVID that's positive," said Koizumi.
"The community, the volunteer spirit … we're now sharing that globally. It's something that's going to bring worlds together, even though we don't speak the same language."
Members of the disc golf community in Colombia. (Courtesy James Koizumi)
The timing of this week's trip was also somewhat serendipitous for Koizumi as members of the Paul McBeth Foundation will also be in Colombia, including Paul himself, where they are also working with Loukinen to grow the game.
A five-time Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) world champion, McBeth is arguably the best disc golfer in the history of the fledgling sport. And Koizumi already has a connection.
While flying home from Colombia in 2019, Koizumi had a layover in Nashville to attend a friend's 40th birthday, and decided to disc golf too.
"I went to the store and bought three new discs and walked up to the course I wanted to play and sat there at first tee and was like, 'I'm going to make sure I play with a local so they can show me around the course.' I did that and guess who I ended up playing with – Jon McBeth, (Paul's) brother."
The McBeth Foundation's work in Colombia is part of efforts they're doing in four countries in 2021 — Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia and the U.S. — which includes building five courses and giving away more than 700 discs.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.