The 2024 season has officially come to an end faster than a firebird in a windstorm. Each year of disc golf in the Atlatic provinces has proved to be nothing, if not interesting and 2024 certainly fits that description. A collection of TD’s and community organizers did our best to work together to bring a full slate or tour of events to players throughout the region that showcased intelligent course design, player first experiences, and an overall positive atmosphere. All the things that make our part of the world such a great place to play disc golf. Not everything was a smashing success but each event was positive and productive and done to the best of our abilities. We tried to give back to this wonderful community that has grown organically over the last decade plus and for the most part we think we succeed.
This year we capped off our season with a brand new disc golf experience for our region. A temporary 26 hole course built on the mountainous home of Ski Wentworth. This event was certainly an experience. The main course starts with 16 holes uphill as you skirt the least sloped of all the approaches. No matter which way you slice it there is a lot of throwing uphill. There is a small plateau at the top before you begin your epic descent. Hole 20 brings into play your first available lift pole (which was a much bigger target than your first available tree), while holes 24, 25, and 26 are exactly what you picture when you think of throwing down a mountain. Add to this a healthy amount of November wind and you had a wild two day event.
Over the years we have been learning some lessons about player first experience. We have consciously tried to create an atmosphere where all players feel valued and the competition is tough and fair. Access to water, bathrooms, good information, and player parties with fun things to do all contribute to making a great event, but the real meat and potatoes of the meal should be the course design. Building a tournament course that will be used by multiple divisions with varying weather is a delicate dance. Holes should be challenging but fair, they should be diverse but constrained. They should feature beautiful things and subtle features. All the best courses are also fun as heck and generally make you feel like you want to throw the hole again the moment your disc tickles the chains.
For this layout we tried our best to make climbing up the mountain more tolerable by creating holes that drew out interesting shots in strategic places. We did not cut any trees (although we did transplant one tiny beech tree) or permanently move any infrastructure. We did rake, tamp, and (modestly) level every tee pad on the course. Even with that work the tee pads were by far the thing that could still be improved the most. For this course we worked within the confines of already cleared spaces and stayed close to the beaten trails. Each hole attempted to draw out a slightly different shape and give unique looks for each player and their skill set. Not every hole succeeded in this pursuit, some of the middle holes, and especially the uphill holes basically boiled down to ‘throw an understandable disc and hope you get a full flight’. There were however, plenty of really solid disc golf holes that put a high reward on placement and shaping. You did not have to be a huge thrower to score well on this course, simply play good golf and you could be rewarded. In the end it was the final 3 holes that really made this course so incredible. Hole 24 teed off from “Tower 10” and shot almost straight down hill to a basket about 445 feet away. The sheer vertical drop meant that missing your line by only a few feet (or even inches) might mean your discs could sail 500-600 feet past the basket in a laser beam that dropped with the hill. Hole 25 softened the vertile drop slightly but added another 200 feet for the pin placement. Many players teed off with putteers here, and it was downright incredible to see so many 500+ foot putter shots. Hole 26 was about 1000 feet from the short tees and 200 more from the long. It is safe to say most people who played this course during the 2 weeks it was up probably set their own personal distance record on one of these three holes. It wasn’t just the fact that you could throw far here you also got to see your disc do incredible things. Some flip up shots changed directions well after the 400 foot marker and tons of people saw their discs make the full “S” shape in the sky. There were also some comically terrible shots too. Discs that sailed 500 feet wide as they got caught in a head wind (coming off the Head Wall). Over shooting a target could result in a disc flying past by hundreds of feet. Also when you did finally retrieve your discs you would be a significant way down the hill and the hike back up was enough to wind you.
During the construction stages Tiny Changes Scott was our guide in all the mountaineering efforts. As a ski patroller there are hardly any places on the mountain he hasn’t been while trying to rescue a ‘Jerry’. His insight helped shape how people made their way and and down safely and tipped us off to some of the incredible gems this mountain holds. One of the really great things is he and I were at the hill almost daily for a month mapping it out and hucking discs whenever we got the chance. During our disc testing sessions (for science you know) we discovered that it was really hard to find some of your discs because the hill was so big it was almost impossible to have perspective. So over the course of our practice rounds we came up with solutions on how best to spot for each other to minimize lost discs. By the time our tournament came around we kind of settled on the idea that each card would spot for the group behind them. Sometimes it would even make sense to let the group behind you throw while you were still in the middle of the fairway. Even though this seemed a little bit slower in the long run it prevented more lost discs. It also had the added bonus that players got to watch a multitude of shots all over the hill. This proved to be a real highlight in the end.
The event itself featured wild winds and only moderately cool temperatures. We had a players party on Saturday night that wrapped up by 9pm and finished Sunday with plenty of daylight even with the stupid time change. The staff at Ski Wentworth were wonderful and the venue was as beautiful as it was challenging. It was a lovely cap to a great season. This was the tour final and it did make a huge difference in the season tour standings. Here is the full list of the 2024 season winners:
MPO: Kyle Reid
MP40: Jody Wagstaff
MP50: Alan Gallant
MJ18: Dylan Wood
MA50: Scott Guthrie
MA40: Mitchell Murphy
MA2: Jessie Legate
MA1: Oliver Murphy
FA40: Kim Gill
FA2: Mandy Isenor
FA1: Nicole Kading
Going forward Flickline is once again trying to refine our product. We have noticed that players' desires have changed over the years. Our focus remains the same; to produce high quality disc golf in all its forms. In 2025 we are going to run a 4 event series called “Experience Disc Golf”. These will feature 4 'B' tier events that all showcase a different disc golf experience. Although the dates are not finalized we are almost certainly running at least 1 event in May, 1 in Sept, and 1 at Ski Wentworth again in late Oct early Nov.
On top of creating new layouts and unique player experiences at each event we are also going to sell season passes for players who wish to play all 4 events with modified payouts (Season Bonuses at the end). For now we are starting at 50 Amateur passes and 15 Professional passes. If these sell well we may consider adding more. The season passes will get you registered into all 4 events plus give you 3 unique and exclusive player packs that will only be offered to members. Season passes will go on sale as soon as the final details are confirmed for all 4 tour events. Overall we are happy with the way things went this year but we still have a vision that we are working on bringing to life. We are close, but not quite there yet and we hope with each year we can offer a better product. There is every reason to believe 2025 is going to be amazing.
A few notes before we leave:
Flickline would very much love to have a person in charge of social media again. Ben has decided to take a break from social media for a few months to focus on some other very important aspects of life but we can certainly see how important reaching a wider audience is. We have some ambitious plans for next season outside of just the 4 events we have listed above. There are some very unique course builds on the horizon and at least 2 special events that we have been working on. At the same time our partnerships with provincial school boards is growing. Upping our communications game is a top priority so if you or someone you know might be interested in this role please reach out and we can see if there is a way to work together in the future.
We have one quick little story to share with you. Once the Wentworth course was set up Scott and I played it together basically every day. As some readers would know, when our dear friend Pat passed away I contacted Udisc and asked if I could pay to keep his account open so that, at least on digital paper, we could continue to play with him. The three of us used to have a fairly regular gambling routine when we would all play together. I know that Pat and I were the gamblers at heart but Scott went along with it because he is a good sport about that kind of stuff. One particular day Scott and I couldn’t meet at hole 1 so we each started our own round and planned on meeting on the mountain. When we finally connected (around hole 6) we discovered that both of us had started a card with Pat. I was interested in how he scored his rounds with Pat and it revealed the biggest difference between us (disc golf wise that is). For Scott, whenever he starts a round with Pat he always pairs his best score with Pat. That is to say if Scott gets a birdie he gives Pat a birdie on that hole. If Scott takes a bogie he gives Pat a par. So it basically amounts to Pats score reflecting that best of what Scott can shoot. Me on the other hand still likes competing against Pat so I give him all pars on every hole. Some rounds Pat still beats me, especially if the course is hard or conditions are rough. Sometimes I still smile when I ‘beat’ him on any given hole. I thought it was a wonderful little gesture that we may never have known about each other. I also love the thought that our friend Pat is still ‘playing’ disc golf and no matter what will never card another bogie.
Although we are taking a bit of a break on social media we have a few things we are still going to write about in the coming weeks. As always, thank you for being a part of disc golf in Atlantic Canada and making Flickline something special.
Wallace River is up until Nov 24th, get out and enjoy it. If the weather stays decent we will host a small C tier either Nov 23 or 24 so stay tuned for details.
As always, shoot a little and have a lot of fun.
