Bainbridge Island parks officials are getting set to tee off at Battle Point Park.
The park district has announced it will hold the long-awaited grand opening for Kitsap County’s newest disc golf course at Battle Point Park on Saturday, June 9.
The event starts at 10 a.m. with a brief ceremony celebrating the opening, followed by small group clinics on how the game is played that will be taught by experienced local disc golfers from the West Sound Disc Golf Association.
Starter disc sets will be for sale, as well as individual discs and merchandise from 360 Disc Golf, the disc golf store in East Bremerton.
The day will finish up with a mini-tournament for those interested in trying out what they learned from the clinic sessions. The opening ceremony will take place by the southeast corner of the soccer fields and then move on to the course for the skill clinics.
The idea of a disc golf course at Battle Point began in late 2016 when a few island disc golfers imagined having a course available on Bainbridge so they wouldn’t always need to travel to Poulsbo or Bremerton to play. Organizers formed the Bainbridge Disc Golf Club and started talks with the Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park & Recreation District to install a course at Battle Point Park.
Working with the West Sound Disc Golf Association, the designers and builders of the other existing disc golf courses in Kitsap County, the club designed and proposed an open but challenging nine-hole course that met the park district’s objectives for safe and compatible play among existing park uses.
After multiple public meetings, the park board approved a trial nine-hole course and funding agreement last June with the Bainbridge Disc Golf Club. Installation of the course began shortly thereafter; the $4,000 cost of the course was split evenly between the club and the park district.
District officials noted that many local volunteers worked with park staff to install the course.
The opening was some time in coming. While players have been enjoying the course since last fall, officials said the grand opening and clinic was delayed until this June to kick off the summer season of play.
Disc golf is played much like traditional golf but in place of golf balls and clubs, players use flying discs (like the ever-popular Frisbee) that are thrown from a tee area to a chain basket goal at each hole.
Disc golf enthusiasts note that the sport is one of the fastest growing spots in the world, and it’s a fun and challenging sport that offers a low impact and safe means of exercise and enjoyment for all age groups and genders.
Park officials said the Battle Point Park course is well-suited for newcomers who are just learning how to play, as well as offering a challenging option for advanced players.
