Mountainview disc golf organizers pleased with turnout (8 photos)

Nearly two years ago, members of the Jocelyn Township recreation committee pursued an idea with the 18-hole Mountainview Disc Golf Course opening in October 2019.

“Since we opened, we’ve had an overwhelming response to the use of the course,” said golf course coordinator, Cori Murdock said, adding it's not uncommon to see golfers daily. “We’ve had nothing but positive feedback. It’s been well used. It’s been great.”

On Saturday, 15 adults and 12 children were present for the grand opening of the nine-hole Mountainview Orchard Loop, Family Friendly Disc Golf Course extension.

The opening was originally scheduled to open in 2020 but due to COVID-19 was put on hold, purchasing supplies were deemed non-essential.

The nine-hole offers users a family-friendly course that winds its way around the orchard of the Mountainview Centennial Grounds, starting and stopping at the parking lot.

It offers shade and benches to rest if needed.

The course was designed with beginners and those with mobility issues in mind.

Demographics on the island show an aging population with several grandparents with grandchildren, and the nine-hole course is shorter in distance between holes and is not as rugged terrain as the 18-hole.

“If you can walk Harvest Festival, you can walk this course,” Murdock said. “It’s a park. It’s not perfectly flat but it is mowed and fairly open.”

Members of the St. Joseph Island Disc Golf Club and the Jocelyn Recreation Committee were on-hand to take in the newly opened course, some accompanied by their young families, while others offered tutorials for first-timers on the fundamentals of throwing a disc.

The orchard loop is laid out by letter while the hardwood course is numbered.

There are three audible or tonal targets that when hit make noise.

Two of the three are memorial targets named after St. Joseph Island residents who passed away – Jocelyne Stevens, Hole-C and Wil Duma Hole-F.

On the F-hole, a drum symbol owned by Duma reads, “Do It For Duma” which was donated by his mother.

The third recognizes the Gapp family, the original landowners.

The course is maintained by volunteers and is free to play with donations accepted.

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The first tournament for the nine-hole, Glow in the Dark is Aug. 21. It’s a late in the evening event.

The first of two tournaments for the 18-hole for 2021, Gapp’s Gambit 2021, is July 10.