Wagga Disc Golf founder Janet Cartwright has been crowned Australian champion for women over 50 after winning in Western Australia in November. Photo: Wagga Disc Golf.
Rawlings Park has been given new life with the installation of Wagga’s first disc golf course.
The nine-basket course has been operating for just over two months with the help of volunteers from the Wagga Disc Golf Club, including a recently crowned champion from the Australian Disc Golf titles.
Wagga Disc Golf founder Janet Cartwright won the Female Amateur — 50 or over category in Mundaring, Western Australia, last week, even though Wagga’s course didn’t officially open until September.
“It was a very hilly, very challenging, very long course that is very different to what we built here in Wagga,” Ms Cartwright said.
“It was an absolutely fantastic trip. We stayed over there for eight nights, and it was a four-day competition.
“I was down after the first day. I found it a bit challenging. Fortunately, I was able to fight my way back and managed to win by 16 shots in the end.”
Ms Cartwright has played in several competitions over the past few years, including the NSW Open. Both she and her husband frequently travel to Canberra to join the ACT Disc Golf Club’s activities and train at one of the territory’s many courses.
However, now that Wagga boasts its own course, Ms Cartwright and the Wagga Disc Golf Club are looking to expand the game to more players locally.
“It’s meant the world to us,” she said.
“Before the course in Wagga, we would practise by trying to hit some trees.
“We have been driving to Canberra every fortnight to play in a competition-type setting because we didn’t have a course. My husband and I bought some really lightweight mobile baskets to help us with training.
“If we went out to an oval somewhere, we would set those baskets up and try to use those as a target as well. But it meant a lot of moving around and setting it up. Ever since the course went in, we’ve been going out nearly every afternoon.”
The layout of the course at Rawlings Park. Photo: Supplied.
Ms Cartwright said there were plenty of players from Wagga and surrounding areas who took to the course regularly.
“What surprised us was the number of people who came out of the woodwork and have been playing the course,” she said.
“Not only were they there and playing, but they had proper discs, because the discs are just like golf clubs, you carry fairway drivers, mid-range discs and putters.”
Ms Carwright said she was over the moon that the Wagga Disc Golf course was finally up and running, but admitted it had been a process.
The planning for the course was originally designed by Wagga Disc Golf; meanwhile, funding for the baskets required support from Wagga Wagga City Council through its Annual Grants Scheme.
The recently added course signage was donated by Australian Disc Golf.
Now that the course is finalised, Ms Cartwright said the club would look to attract new members.
“We’re confident we’re going to see the club continue to grow,” she said.
“The reason we wanted to get this happening is that sport can be exceptionally expensive, and this is a sport that’s not.
“You can get a disc for 25 bucks, and you can play with that one disc if you want to. The course is free and open to everyone, and is really accessible to everyone.
“We also have discs available to hire if you’re a member of the club, and membership is only $10 a year. If you’re a member of the club, we ask for a $25 deposit, but you get all of that money back when you return the disc, and you can keep that for a couple of weeks if you want to.
“We’re not for profit. We’re not making money out of this. This is not a money-making business. It is just something we wanted to provide to the community.
“If you want to hire or buy a disc from us, you can email us at [email protected], or you can send us a message on Facebook as well.”