‘Discovery Zone’ designed to make fast-growing sport accessible and easier for beginners to try; ‘We hope residents and visitors will enjoy it for many years to come’

A new $40,000 recreational amenity is giving residents and visitors another reason to get outside at one of Severn’s busiest summer parks.

The Township of Severn officially opened its first disc golf course Wednesday at Washago Centennial Park, unveiling a five-hole compact “Disc Golf Discovery Zone” designed for beginners, families and players of all ages and skill levels.

Each hole is approximately 100 feet long and includes a designated tee area, target and instructional signage. QR codes on the signs connect users with videos explaining how to play each hole.

Mayor Mike Burkett said the new course is another addition to the township’s growing list of outdoor recreation opportunities.

“It has been designed as a safe, fun and family-friendly space where people of all ages and skill levels can get active, spend time outdoors and try something new,” he said during Wednesday’s opening.

“The course (is) … ideal for learning, practising and building confidence.”

Burkett said projects such as the new course can help make municipal parks more active, engaging and accessible while encouraging people to spend time outdoors with friends and family.

Standing in the expansive waterfront park on Lake Couchiching, the mayor also described the property as a “hidden gem.”

“We are pleased to officially open the Washago Centennial Park Disc Golf Discovery Zone, and we hope residents and visitors will enjoy it for many years to come,” he said.

The project took about a year to complete from start to finish.

Craig Belfry, Severn’s director of recreation, parks and facilities, said the idea came from his previous experience installing disc golf amenities while working for another municipality.

He brought the concept to Severn’s Culture and Recreation Advisory Committee as the township looked for another way to increase activity in the park.

“I thought it was a good add,” Belfry said.

The township has already added other recreational amenities in recent years, including a sport court and beach volleyball.

“(We’re) just trying to get more activity, and it is such a great green space that we have here,” Belfry said.

He described Washago Centennial Park as Severn’s busiest park during the summer. The waterfront property also includes a beach and boat docking facilities.

“Recreation is something we want to see all of our residents enjoy,” he said. “You get outside, you feel better.”

The course was designed by Kevin Farley, owner of Huntsville-based Fluent Disc Sport, who said the compact Discovery Zone model is intended to tackle some of the biggest barriers facing traditional disc golf.

Farley said he met Belfry at a Parks and Recreation Ontario conference several years ago. Belfry later reached out as the township considered upgrades and additional recreation opportunities for the park.

“The Disc Golf Discovery Zone, this particular type of install, is specially suited for small parks, small footprints,” Farley said. “It’s meant to be played around other activities safely.”

Farley said traditional disc golf can face three primary challenges: the amount of land required, accessibility and approachability for people who have never played.

Traditional courses often use significant amounts of land and can be located in wooded areas with rough terrain and elevation changes, he said, noting that creates challenges for people with mobility limitations.

The Washago course, by comparison, sits on relatively flat terrain and was designed with accessibility in mind, including for wheelchair users. The compact layout is also designed with safety as a priority.

“The hole lines, the distances on them, we orient it in a way that we’re throwing away from other hazards or people in the park,” Farley said.

The instructional component is intended to make the sport less intimidating for first-time players.

“It’s a sign that will actually teach you how to make throws, what the physical movement is supposed to look like,” Farley said. “One of the signs teaches you the rules, what kind of equipment you need.”

He said the goal is to create a course where someone with no previous disc golf experience can arrive and understand how to get started.

“Getting it into cities where people can see it is most important,” he said. “You would never be able to put traditional disc golf in a park this size safely.”

Farley has been designing disc golf courses for about 15 years and launched Fluent Disc Sport full-time in 2019. He said interest in the sport accelerated significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, when disc golf offered an outdoor recreational option that allowed participants to maintain distance and avoid sharing equipment.

He said affordability is another part of the sport’s appeal, with discs available for around $20.

“You can take your bubble out and go play as a family,” he said of the sport’s pandemic-era growth. “When discs are only, say, 20 bucks, then outfitting an entire family with something to go play in a park like this costs you under $100.”

Farley said organized leagues can now be found in communities across the region, while courses range from small beginner-friendly layouts to large championship facilities.

Orillia, for example, has smaller courses at Homewood Park and Tudhope Park, while larger facilities can be found elsewhere in the region.

Farley believes disc golf is growing at a pace comparable to pickleball, but remains less visible to many people because traditional courses are often tucked into larger or more remote green spaces.

The Washago installation is Fluent Disc Sport’s second Discovery Zone, Farley said, with more projects in development in Canada and the United States.

For Burkett, the new amenity ultimately comes back to making better use of the township’s public spaces.

“Projects like this help make our parks more active, engaging and accessible for the community,” he said. “They also encourage people to spend time outside, connect with friends and family, and enjoy the beautiful public spaces we are fortunate to have here in Severn.”