The 2023 Harvest Huck disc golf tournament in Clearwater over the weekend (Sept. 28 - Oct 1) attracted over 200 participants.
Competitors came to Wells Gray Country to compete for up to $37,000 in cash prizes at the B.C. Provincial Championships.
Local sponsors Best Western Plus, Quality Inn Clearwater, Bigfoot Trading Co. and Discraft were on hand to support the golfers during the popular sporting event, as well as to provide information about the sport.
The tournament was played in two locations; Wells Gray Golf and RV in Wells Gray Park and at the Clearwater Ski Hill course that has been professionally designed. Spectators gathered at either site to cheer on their favourite players.
Inside the lodge, amateurs and professionals took advantage of a pop-up disc golf equipment store and refreshments at the ski hill site, or drove into famous Wells Gray Park for the competitions there while enjoying the colourful fall scenery.
Epic cash prizes for both the pros and top amateur players, as well as the two beautifully-prepared disc golf courses, attracted enthusiasts to the North Thompson Valley for this action-packed weekend.
Saturday, Sept. 30 kicked off with the second round and accuracy competition, followed by the third round on Sunday.
There were nine holes of Glow Golf available at each location for those who just wanted to enjoy the sport at their own pace, along with a putting and long drive accuracy competition.
In an interview with Black Press on Saturday, Harvest Huck tournament organizer, Dennis Greffard shared his interest in the sport.
“My wife, Christine, introduced me to the sport in 2009 when she was involved with the Clearwater Ski Club,” he said. “The club decided to develop a disc golf course here in Clearwater in 2010, bringing something to the hill that could be a draw during the summer season. The ski hill executive has been behind the concept from the beginning and now the community is beginning to understand it and realize it’s here. With the support of local businesses like the Quality Inn and Best Western as sponsors this year really helping to push it to the forefront with regards to local interest.”
Greffard and his wife Christine, parents of three kids, are also business owners operating Big Foot Trading Company in both Clearwater and Kamloops, a successful souvenir, gift and clothing store that boasts the theme ‘Gifts that don’t suck’ offering unique handmade products, novelty lines and high quality foot and work-wear. Since becoming disc golf enthusiasts they are offering brand named discs as well.
When asked about getting started in the sport, Greffard has some great suggestions for beginners.
“The sport is very inexpensive to start. You need one disc which will run you from $15 to $35 depending on type. A beginner starter pack of three discs can be bought for about $40 and 90 percent of the courses around the world are free to play, including two here in Clearwater.”
The organizer explained this year’s provincial tournament in Clearwater had 208 registrants with the youngest age group as 12 years old and under.
“But there are age protected groups down to as young as six and under as well. We also have age protected groups up to 90 years old,” he said.
Disc golf is a “growing market’ not only in B.C. but around the world, he said, adding their family has travelled all over the province and to some tournaments in the U.S. as well.
He feels the main advantage to expanding and promoting disc golf in the North Thompson Valley will be towards tourism.
“This tournament alone, when using the District of Clearwater’s ‘sports tourism economic benefits calculator’ has an estimated value of 190k to the valley’s revenue. It’s one more thing to entice people to come to Clearwater. It is also a low cost, low impact and environmentally sustainable form of recreation for our locals to enjoy in the great outdoors we have to offer all ages.”
There are three courses in the valley, Clearwater Ski Hill, Wells Gray Golf Resort, and the Clearwater Secondary School and all courses get maintenance and upgrades every year.
This year the largest improvements went into the ski hill course where new tee pads were installed and significant cleanup, brushing and limbing were done.
“We are so fortunate with our new professional golf residents, Geoffrey McNamara and Nicoletta who have put in approximately one thousand hours of labour into the course voluntarily this year along with about $8,000 in materials,” Greffard said.
Similar to the sport of golf, disc golf is played very much in the same way but instead of a ball in a hole you throw a disc into a basket, he said, suggesting anyone interested take advantage of some excellent YouTube tutorials on how to throw as well as online courses, adding, “practice is key.”
During the finals on Sunday the B.C. Provincial Champion Mixed Pro Open Division winner was Max Regitnig who was awarded $2,608.00 in prize money.
The Clearwater Times will share further tournament wrap-ups in our next issue as winner results become available.
