Hitting the target
Island Disc Golf Company providing gear, guidance for growing sport on P.E.I.
BONSHAW — The trees stand still, and the sun’s rays bounce off of them as discs soar toward their glistening silver target with hopes of crashing into its chains.
A number of Islanders have made the pilgrimage out to Hillcrest Farm Disc Golf course on a May afternoon. Some are trying their hand at the sport, which is similar to golf but with discs in place of balls and silver chain baskets in place of cups in the ground, while some are more versed at propelling their discs in order to curve around trees and avoid ricochetting off of them.
The experienced players all recognize Jacob Smith.
“Have any discs with ya?” one devoted disc hucker asks.
Smith, owner of Island Disc Golf Company, hasn’t brought any to sell since he was only planning to huck (toss) a few discs himself. But he directs the patron to check out the online catalogue and assures him that he’d be ordering new inventory soon.
“You’ll definitely be able to find something on there, for sure,” Smith says.
He hadn’t planned to restock until later this summer, but P.E.I.’s disc golf scene has grown, and the demand has increased since starting the business in May 2019.
“I feel like I’ve kinda become the hub for the sport in general,” he says. “And that is obviously my goal.”
He only got into the sport just a few years before through his involvement with go!PEI. He organized an event for people to try it out, which prompted him to start looking into where it could be played.
“It blew my mind when I learned we had Canada’s number one disc course right here on the Island,” he says, speaking of Hillcrest. “I very quickly fell in love with it because it brought together the things I love to do.”
Some of those things include
being competitive and being out in nature. He soon saw the business potential in being the Island’s resource for all things disc golf, which includes selling the gear needed to get into it – discs, a bag to hold them in and a basket to toss them into.
“That’s really all you need,” he says.
The baskets aren’t necessary to own since there are
five courses across P.E.I. – and possibly more to come – that have plenty. But they can be useful for those looking to hone their huck, he says.
“A lot of people will set them in the basement in the winter and practise putting.”
Smith is also working to help grow the disc golf scene by pitching the potential of setting up more courses to
landowners, namely in Kings and Prince County. He’s also a part of the Disc Golf P.E.I. association, which plans to continue holding monthly tournaments once COVID19 health measures allow for it.
Island Disc Golf currently operates out of Smith’s home in Charlottetown, but he hopes to one day set up a storefront or perhaps a mobile
shop. The sport is great for people who like to enjoy the outdoors with friends, strive for their personal best and have fun for a cheap price, he says.
“It’s easy to get better at – it’s challenging to master.”