Knox Mountain disc golfers score deal with city

KELOWNA – If disc golf is gaining popularity as a sport it’s because of guys like Ryan Derksen.

Despite the rain this week, the young man from Saskatchewan was chucking discs at far-off holes, enjoying a solo practice round at the Knox Mountain Park disc golf course.

“I played in Calgary yesterday. Whenever I travel I like to find a local course. It doesn’t take much space to bring a few frisbees along,” Derksen says, adding good weather will bring out the enthusiasts. “If it’s nice out, there’s usually lots of people around and usually someone is willing to have you play along.”

His take on Knox Mountain’s course?

“It’s a nice setting, but they could do a better job of marking the tee boxes.”

Those improvements could be coming soon after an agreement was reached this week between the City of Kelowna and the Kelowna Disc Golf Assocciation, a local non-profit society that boasts between 40 and 50 members.

The three-year license of occupation lays out terms of use and gives the association the confidence to make some improvements to the course, which was originally installed in 2003.

In a report to council, real estate manager John Saufferer said the relatively short term means it doesn’t intervene with long-term park planning.

“It should be noted that all infrastructure relating to the disc golf course has been designed to be temporary and is removeable in short order in the event the course is no longer active,” Saufferer said.

The course covers three city-owned lots along Poplar Point Drive, all of which are currently zoned for parks and open spaces.

To contact the reporter for this story, email John McDonald at jmcdonald@infonews.ca or call 250-808-0143. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.