Golf in winter is usually, for the most die-hard golfers. At least, in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.
But for disc golfers playing in tournament, the region's recent snowfall meant the competition had to move from Aldergrove's snowy Raptors Knoll to South Surrey's The Hills at Portal for the Feb. 14-16 Trinity Western University Spartan Disc Golf National Qualifier.
Eight men's teams of four players and two women's teams competed in the event, which featured players from Oregon State University, Western Washington University, UBC, TWU, and Gallaudet University from Washington, DC.
At stake this year was a Division I spot and two Division II spots at the College Disc Golf National Championships in Rock Hill, South Carolina in April, where more than 700 players will compete for singles and team titles, TWU disc golf head coach Chris Hartmann noted in an email.
Both TWU women's teams finished in first and second, earning their way to the national championships.
After the third and final round, Oregon State University finished on top with TWU in second, Western Washington third, and UBC fourth. As OSU had already won a Division I spot at an earlier event, TWU secured a Division 1 spot with their second-place finish, while UBC and WWU earned Divisions II spots.
Now in its third year with a varsity disc golf program, TWU has enjoyed support from both The Hills at Portal and Meridian, which hosted a collegiate conference earlier this year, Hartmann — a South Surrey resident himself — added.
"We are so grateful to these two South Surrey golf courses for opening up their courses for these events," he said.
"Both courses offer beauty, elevation change, corridors of large cedar trees and forested areas, and other natural obstacles, all components that can provide for a challenging and memorable disc golf experience."
Disc golf is similar to golf, in that players generally play nine or 18 holes where the objective is to start play in one location and finish by reaching a target in a different location in as few throws as possible.
The big difference is that in the disc version of the game, competitors throw specially designed putters, mid-ranges, and driving discs to a target, usually characterized by suspended chains that deflect a disc into a metal cage.
Top-level players can throw a disc close to 200 metres in a single throw. There are currently more 180 disc golf courses across the province of BC. Surrey remains one of the few communities in the province that does not have a permanent course, Hartmann said.
