A few disc golf players from the southwest travelled up to Jackfish Lake last week to compete in the Golden Eagle Open tournament. 

The three local competitors were DeShawn Klassen from Swift Current, Kirt Turgeon of Gull Lake, and Shaunavon’s Morgan Anderson.  

Klassen, Turgeon, and Anderson finished the MA2 Intermediate Division in 4th, 16th, and 23rd, respectively.  

Klassen said the B Tier tournament was a bit bigger than the Saskatchewan Open that was held in Swift Current, which he had also participated in earlier this summer.  

“They’re trying to make [the Golden Eagle Open] an A Tier for next year,” he said. “So, it’ll be even bigger then.”  

The sport has seen growth in popularity since the pandemic started. It was around then that Riverside Park had its course installed, to which Klassen attributed his knowledge of the game. 

Along with the physical perks of playing disc golf, Klassen said he finds it important to recognize the mental aspect of it, too.  

“A lot of people think it’s just throwing frisbees,” he said. “But there is a mental side of it when you’re competing against other people.” 

He added that he feels it can improve mental health by being an accessible hobby for folks that takes place outside.  

Swift Current had an influx of visitors from all over Saskatchewan as well as other parts of western Canada when it successfully hosted the Saskatchewan Open in August. 

Due to the event being too big to fit everyone at Riverside Park, a temporary course was set up in the Highland coolies, where the terrain is much more difficult than the south side location.  

“It sounded like a lot of the more veteran players appreciated that course quite a bit,” Klassen said. “It would be great to have two courses like that in Swift Current—that would put us up there with Saskatoon and Regina, and hopefully be a spot that people travel to, to play disc golf in the future.” 

Anderson spent a lot of his time volunteering at the Saskatchewan Open, and Turgeon put time helping for the week leading up to the Golden Eagle Open.