From Explore Huntsville
Explore Huntsville, the tourism-promotion entity of the Huntsville Municipal Accommodation Tax Association (HMATA), is pleased to support the 2024 Ontario Provincial Disc Golf Championships, being held October 18-20, 2024, with a $10,000 grant for the creation of a temporary disc golf course at Huntsville Downs Golf Club.
“Disc golf is a growing sport and one that aligns with our desire to increase opportunities for low-impact, year-round, outdoor activity,” says Kelly Haywood, executive director of Explore Huntsville / HMATA. “We are excited to support the 2024 Ontario Provincial Disc Golf Championships and look forward to seeing the sport grow in the Huntsville area.”
Funds granted by HMATA are generated by a portion of Huntsville’s Municipal Accommodation Tax and are earmarked for tourism promotion and product development.
From left, Kelly Haywood, executive director of Explore Huntsville / HMATA (second from left), presents a $10,000 cheque in support of the 2024 Ontario Provincial Disc Golf Championships to (from left) Gareth Cockwell, managing partner at Huntsville Downs; Spencer Young, tournament director; Matt Stein, head of operations at Limberlost Forest and Wildlife Reserve; and Sarah Sangster, general manager of Huntsville Downs and Limberlost Forest and Wildlife Reserve. (Photo: Explore Huntsville)
Spencer Young, tournament director for this year’s event, says it’s been a multi-year process to bring the 2024 championships to Huntsville. The event is being held at three area disc golf courses — at Bondi Resort, Limberlost Forest and Wildlife Reserve and Huntsville Downs — and is expected to draw between 200-300 players, including several world champions.
“We’ve been working to build a course repertoire that could challenge our top-level pros but also give our amateurs and age-protected players a very good chance to challenge their skill level as well,” he says. “All three courses complement each other in difficulty.”
Disc golf competitor Alissa Saunders makes a practice shot at Huntsville Downs. (Photo: Explore Huntsville)
Young, who has played the sport since 2021 and recently competed in the 2024 Canadian Nationals in Clearwater, B.C., notes that the Huntsville Downs course, despite being temporary, is currently one of his favourite courses in the province.
Sarah Sangster, general manager of Huntsville Downs and Limberlost Forest and Wildlife Reserve, says staff at both properties are excited to be part of the event. “Disc golf is a growing sport and we hope the competitors have a great time on the course and enjoy the conditions that our team has been working so hard to create. We are happy to have them.”
Matt Stein, head of operations at Limberlost, adds that the “disc golf community has been really supportive of the work we have been doing at Limberlost. We recently expanded to an 18-hole course and the feedback has been so positive that we are even looking at a further course redesign to make it more of a championship-level course while still keeping it accessible for those new to the sport. Our goal is to take Limberlost from a really nice course to the best course in Ontario.”
Spectators are welcome at all three courses. As well, the pros will be featured in national-level coverage following the event on the Parked Pro YouTube channel.
Don’t miss out on Doppler!
Sign up here to receive our email digest with links to our most recent stories.
Local news in your inbox so you don’t miss anything!
Click here to support local news
My Huntsville based company, Fluent Disc Sport Inc., designed and built (with the support of the wonderful Tapley family at Bondi Resort) the Wolf Tracks course. It was Muskoka’s first Championship course, and one of only a handful of Championship courses in Canada, and has served as the anchor course and primary attraction for players in three successive Championship events since it’s opening in 2022! Not only that, but it’s attracted thousands of players to Muskoka to experience it throughout the rest of the year. I’m very proud that it’s been able to elevate the visibility of the sport and show what long term investments in disc golf can achieve. It’s wonderful to see this level of investment in the sport locally, but it’s too bad that it couldn’t have been used for a permanent legacy resource that could be re-used for future events or towards a disc golf tourism strategy.
John, we have even more disc golf courses than those two, but they’re not all suitable to host a provincial event. The mandate of the Municipal Accommodation Tax Association is to spend their dedicated fund to promote and develop tourism within Huntsville. Disc golf is one of the world’s fastest growing sports, with the 2024 world championship estimated to draw 20,000 spectators. To host a full scale provincial playoff with three championship level courses is an accomplishment that shows the best side of Muskoka and puts us in a good position to benefit from future tourism development from the permanent courses in Bracebridge, Dwight, Huntsville, Limberlost, South River, and the new Big East course opening this fall.
We built our own, 18 holes, two tees on each hole, going to three tees next year.
No grants, no subsidies, hey! we are in Lake of Bays!!
We used all local talent and labor to create this course too. Local suppliers for everything except the actual targets that are not sold locally.
It has been a lot of work over the last three years but everyone seems to enjoy their game. We like it too.
Bondi Village Resort
Wow! Huntsville already has two disc golf courses. One at Deerhurst and one at McCulley-Robertson sports complex. Wake up this sport is already very popular in Huntsville. Why waste money on this?