Frustration leads to guerilla action for red zone
Dog walkers and fruit foragers could soon see flying saucers in Christchurch’s Avon River red zone.
Chris Davies, a long-time disc golf advocate, has become so frustrated with the lack of action in the city’s largest open space, he plans to set up a guerilla course.
‘‘We’re just keen to get people into the red zone, playing disc golf and enjoying the space,’’ he said.
Disc golf is reminiscent of its ball sport name sake, replacing golf balls for frisbees and holes for metal-chain baskets. Now a professional sport, predominantly in the United States, Davies said at least 1000 people Chris Davies played the burgeoning sport in Christchurch.
‘‘Any 10-year-old kid who takes up disc golf today can rightly aspire to travel to the USA and make a living playing professional disc golf, and in
10 years’ time they could make a good living too,’’ Davies said.
The city’s first official course was set up at Burnside’s Jellie Park in
2015 and a second was set up in Queenspark Reserve, in Parklands, in March. At the time, Christchurch City Council head of parks Brent Smith said the course delivered ‘‘an excellent recreational resource for Parklands’’.
Davies submitted a proposal to Regenerate Christchurch last year for a disc golf course in the red zone but the lack of activity in the space was a headache. He invited Regenerate staff to ‘‘chuck on some sand shoes’’ and try the sport with Christchurch’s best players but found ‘‘they are just totally not interested in that’’.
Potential plans for the red zone will be on show at an exhibition from May 26 till June 30 in Cashel Mall, in the central city. They will also be available online and a mobile exhibition will travel to Greater Christchurch centres.
In the meantime, Davies said he wanted to install a semi-temporary course in the Avonside Loop.
‘‘Then when Regenerate or whoever decides what is going to happen with that area, great, we’ll come in and rip the disc golf course out and put it somewhere else,’’ Davies said.
‘‘In the red zone, we now have the potential to install more courses in Christchurch than any city in the world. We are very fortunate in that regard.’’