For those who think golf is a sport where you need clubs and balls, think again.

The sport of disc golf has found a home in Nova Scotia, with more than a dozen courses in the province from Sydney and New Waterford in Cape Breton to New Minas in the Annapolis Valley to East Amherst in Cumberland County.

Disc golf, as with traditional golf, received a boost in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Disc Nova Scotia disc golf co-ordinator Jessie Legate.

“During that time, a lot of people who played baseball, softball, Ultimate Frisbee and other sports during that season, those weren’t happening,” said Legate. “Disc golf was, because you could do safe distancing, and one of the reasons I joined the board of Disc Nova Scotia was to advocate for us to have disc golf as something for people to do at that time, so that’s when we had a massive jump in participation, not just casually but also competitively.”

Disc golf is played in much the same way as traditional golf, but discs are thrown at baskets. There are several types of discs, including putters, drivers and mid-range discs. Courses can be nine or 18 holes. Most holes at courses in the province are roughly 150 to 200 feet long, said Legate, which equates to a par-3 in traditional golf. For bigger courses, usually 500 to 700 feet is the equivalent of a par-5, with some competitive championship-level courses going as long as 1,000 feet.

Just being able to make people aware that this was available was a major advantage during a time where people were largely isolated. Legate says there is still growth in the sport locally, but that has tapered off in the past couple years.

“A lot of people didn’t really know the sport existed, plus the fact that it’s such an accessible sport. It’s very low cost and it’s outdoors. The vast majority of courses are public and free, you don’t have to book a tee time or worry about a dress code. You could play with the one disc and it’d cost you $10,” he said.

 “There’s a different kind of community vibe to it. Often we might be playing against each other but we’re really rooting for each other to defeat the course at the same time. And some people don’t care about the competitiveness, they just enjoy getting together with others to see how they can improve and look at their own personal best and not worry about where they rank compared to others.”

Legate said the sport does offer options for those who have accessibility issues and can be tailored for individual groups. A women’s league started in May at a course in Hammonds Plains and recently hosted a tournament. The Chains for Change Queer Disc Golf tournament was recently held in Hammonds Plains to promote awareness and inclusion, with funds raised going toward the Halifax Sexual Health Centre.

Legate said the biggest issue disc golf is facing is fewer options to play in the growing market of the Halifax Regional Municipality.

“We currently only have the one public one in Hammonds Plains and with the population we have, we hope to get more,” said Legate. “We’re looking at a spot on the Rehab Lands on Bissett Road in Cole Harbour and we had several councillors and the mayor out to play on the Dartmouth Common last year and they seemed interested, so we’re hoping we can do more there.”