Isel Park disc golf gets family friendly face lift

Nelson Tasman Disc Golf have completed a full overhaul of the course at Isel Park to make it more beginner friendly.

As the sport continues to grow in the region, they decided to reimagine the park as an introductory ‘pitch and putt’ course.

With hole distances ranging from approximately 30-to-45 metres, the seven hole course is designed to be a great way to give the sport a go while also providing a good challenge for experienced players.

Nelson Tasman Disc Golf council member Andy Klun says all the holes are all par threes, with advanced players using it more of a warm-up area before they play.

“It’s a beautiful park but we were invading. . . It became a victim of its own success.”

Andy says the course at Isel park is part of the history of the club, but it had become dangerous to have discs flying around at high speed with how much it was being used in its previous state.

With the Saxton’s complex having recently opened an 18-hole course, he says the timing was right to reduce their footprint in Isel Park and make some more accessible offerings.

The previous course at the park had multiple holes which played over the water, which has been removed from the new design along with blind holes from the tee-box.

Andy says they have plans to continue expanding the courses around the region, with work starting on an advanced course on Rabbit Island that will be as challenging as anything else in the country and a course to be installed at Branford Park.

Red Stone Golf Park also has a nine-holel disc golf course, which recently hosted the 2022 Armageddon, a national event.

The new family friendly course has been designed to complement all of the other courses planned for the region so disc golfers of all abilities have something they can test themselves on.

The course is free and open to the public, which Andy says aligns with their values of making the sport as accessible as they can.

“It’s cheap too, while we have hundreds of dollars of discs and a big bag all you really need is one or two discs and you’re ready to go.”

They were able to reuse a lot of the previous course in the new design, meaning that costs were kept to a minimum.

A $400 grant was provided by the Nelson West Rotary Club, who have put aside $1500 in total for funding if it is required.