In sharing the announcement below from the Perth Disc Golf Club, the ADG board extends its condolences to the Hancock Family in the recent passing of Sam Hancock. Many disc golfers may not appreciate the legacy left by the Hancock Family in disc sports overall. Not just through their son Rob, but in the way they nurtured a generation of young frisbee players who have gone on to impact flying disc sports in Australia over four decades. That legacy extends beyond a love of flying disc sports to a spirit of respectful and fair competition, generosity, and inclusiveness that we hope will always signify our game.

Perth Disc Golf Club

Today it is with sadness that we announce the passing of Mr Sam Hancock, father of Rob Hancock. If our sport of Flying Disc had a number one ticket holder it would certainly have been Sam.

Since Rob’s passing in the early eighties Sam and his family have continued to actively support the sport and its players. He proudly attended the Rob Hancock Memorial Golf Tournament every year and presented the winner with their trophy.

Sam would always greet you with a big smile and a friendly handshake from which there was no escape until he found how you were and what you were doing.

Born in 1921, Sam would been 99 this November.

– Orphaned childhood

– 71 years of marriage

– 5 beautiful children

– Pilates at 96

– Tennis until 97

– Driving until 98

He was a truly remarkable man who touched many lives and will be sadly missed. To his family we offer our love and support in this difficult time and to Sam we say thank you and celebrate a life well lived.

Kim Holmes

“It always struck me what an influence Sam and Margaret were on Rob Hancock. I could see a lot of Rob in both of his parents: they were very social people and had a lot of conscience about giving to the community. They were people’s people and always looking out for others. They were very hospitable – the house in East Vic park was basically an open house. You could turn up on short notice and be given a bed and something to eat – similarly Rob was welcoming to people in the frisbee community.

 Sam had the competitive spirit in spades – still playing tennis in his 90’s. Competition was always friendly and never had an edge to it. He had a very well-rounded competitive attitude. That influenced Rob as well which in turn had a lot to do with the spirit of the early WA flying disc community.“

Kris Kohout

“Sam was our link to the beginning of the sport in those days. Without any of the older guys around in 2008 besides Kim, the Rob Hancock memorial was almost unconsciously added to the calendar. When we reached out to Sam and Margaret to it felt like we’d made a connection to our past. Every year that Sam came to the tournament newer players would come up and say ‘is that Sam Hancock?’ and they made the connection to Rob’s legacy too. He also found a quiet moment to palm off a $100 bill ‘for the club’ and he’d say ‘keep doing what you are doing’.“

Chris Himing

“A sad day.  I first met Mr.Hancock (Sam) while traveling to Perth as a 15 year old with his school teacher son Rob.  Rob would drive a few of us Newton Moore SHS students to Perth on weekends just to play frisbee.  We would all stay at the Hancock’s family house in Victoria Park.  Never a nicer family we could have asked to meet and welcome us into their home.

Rob was taken from us way too early but Sam and his family still continued to be there for us all these years later.

Sam you were a true gentleman, and I am proud to say you and your family were a big part of my life.  Rest in Peace Sam.  We will never forget.”

Chris Finn

“Looking at the old photos of Sam today I just felt respect, connection, thanks, sorrow, and happiness. Super happy I got to spend time with such an amazing character. I never met Rob but I sure loved Sam and I expect Rob was just as alive and passionate. The path led by Rob and then through the 78’s led me to the sport and now I fill my days passing it further. I owe a lot to Sam.”

Corey Bandy

“As a club we decided that it was a great idea that we hold the memorial for Rob Hancock in its early days. I remember the first day Sam came down and walked around introducing himself to everyone. He was so excited that someone was still playing frisbee and disc golf – remembering that he had helped set up the course. He stayed the whole day, walking the first few holes back and forth. He was really interested in how everyone was going.

He brought down a whole lot of discs from his personal collection to hand out as trophies – I’ve still got the disc he gave me. It holds pride of place. It’s a HDX-61. That day was still one of my best days ever playing disc golf. It gave us a club, which was still very much in its infancy, a real push to keep developing the sport. It’s something I’ll never forget. Through the timeline there’s just a few a few memories that stick – and this one stays as one of the most positives ones. “

The biggest story in Aussie Disc Golf this year

In 2020, this is really saying something, but the biggest story in Australian Disc Golf this year is one we haven’t told yet. The creation of the Adelaide Park Lands Disc Golf Course is a major step forwards for Disc Golf in South Australia and the game in Australia as a whole. Yet this story has remained in the shade until now because of the relentless news cycle this year that kept bumping it off the ADG media’s equivalent of the front page. Apparently there has been a virus.

Why the Adelaide Park Lands Disc Golf Course is such an important development

It comes down to how people actually take up a sport like disc golf. Because we love the sport we can succumb to the illusion that others will automatically love it too. All we need to do is promote it right? Unfortunately, if that were true then all we’d need is a bunch of – ‘Disc Golf! It’s Awesome!  – bumper stickers and the sport would grow on its own. No, Disc Golf isn’t for everyone, but at the rate the sport is growing it’s clearly for someone: that person out there who is looking for just that right mix of outdoor activity, athletic test, mental challenge, social connection and aesthetic pleasure that our game provides. The trick is – giving them the chance to see it.

Back in the days before most Aussie Disc Golfers had access to a course in their community it was remarkable how many of our players had been given their first exposure to the sport in Queenstown, New Zealand. Indeed, one of our game’s super-spreaders here, Andrew Ferguson, first saw Disc Golf on a snowboarding trip to Queenstown. The course there is on the shore of Lake Wakatipu and a few hundred metres from downtown. In Adelaide, it’s barely a 20-minute walk from the Rundle Mall to Ityamai-Itpina (King Rodney) Park, otherwise known as Park 15. Lots of people are going to see it; including that person who disc golf is just right for. Having a Disc Golf Course that is so accessible to a broad range of people will also show how this gentle, fun and social activity can be of measurable benefit to a community.

It’s all in a name. Ityamai-Itpina

William Light, the Malaysian born ex-British navy Commander, who had been appointed Surveyor-General of the new province of South Australia, was about 150 years too early to be a disc golfer. But the well-travelled seafarer, warrior and artist had seen enough of the crowded, filthy cities of post Napoleonic Europe to know the value of public open space and recreation. One of the three Kuarna elders he negotiated with for the use of the land around what they called ‘Tartanya’ (red kangaroo place), was Ityamai-Itpina. If you are wondering how to pronounce it, have a listen. There are very few cultures in the world who don’t use patronymic naming (eg Ferguson – son of Fergus etc) and the Kuarna are one of them – they name themselves after their children when they are born; which, when you think of that for a moment, is a beautiful idea. So Ityama-itpina means ‘Ityama’s Dad.’ To the colonists he was known as King Rodney.

A Disc Golf Course in the Community

Any disc golfer visiting Adelaide would immediately note the lush parklands that surround the city and have their thoughts drift in the only logical direction, which is, ‘this place would make a great course’. Some may be surprised to know that the course in Ityamai-Itpina Park wasn’t the first. Neil Williams, who ran the SA Recreation Association at the time, had arranged with the City of Adelaide to install a 9-hole course with permanent poles and concrete tee pads in Bonython Park in early 1980’s. After being popular in its early years the course fell into disuse and was removed by a new council regime that was concerned with public liability. Neil and Mark Powers also made other temporary courses around Adelaide at the time in places like Noaralunga.

“It took us 6 years but we finally did it.” Said Adelaide Disc Golf Club founding member Andrew Simpson. “Right from when (now ADG President) Luke Turnbull created the club, I remember that the goal was always to create a free to play course in the Adelaide vicinity. Todd Brooks, was a massive support and served as president while we built our relationship with council. Gareth Morgan and Jonathan Dragt were also key in helping apply for grants and continue the momentum from the foundations that Todd and I had laid.”

The relationship with Julia Wallace at the City of Adelaide was key. She had the foresight to understand the benefits that Disc Golf could provide in activating public spaces. As many councils in Australia are now discovering, disc golf puts positive, active people in parks, providing passive surveillance and social benefit as they do. A spot was found on West Terrace but this area proved to be unsuitable due to the existence of rare grasses in the area and the fact the it wasn’t zoned for recreation.

Then, in 2018, Ityamai-Itpina Park was put forward by the council as a suggested site. The SA Open was held in the park that year, using temporary baskets on holes that have now become part of the permanent course. A come and try day was also held with the support of the council and based on the success of this, a grant was provided for eight more similar days and the purchase of 100 discs.

The initial proposal for the course was for the Adelaide Disc Golf Club to own the baskets but this created complications for the insurers. Eventually a solution was reached where the council funded half the baskets and the club donated the other half. Another issue was the directive that no permanent infrastructure is to be built in the Adelaide Parklands. To comply with this the baskets were installed in sleeves so that they can be removed for major events. The fixed baskets were installed in May this year under a 5-year trial agreement. The result is a par 28 9-hole challenge with a surprising amount of elevation change that cleverly uses the creek lines and a 100 year old olive grove to create some tight fairways.

Since the installation (with the help of SA company Ausdiscs), the Adelaide Park Lands Course has proven to be extremely popular. Currently the second most played course in Australia according to the international website, Disc Golf Metrix, the course has been played close to 2000 times both casually and in competition. The small band of existing Adelaide players have been joined by many newcomers and a bunch of travelers and expats who picked up the game overseas and have been delighted to find a local course. The Adelaide Disc Golf Club which is based at the course has also gone from strength to strength and has had more than 40 players at its last two league days.

“It’s a great casual and competitive sport, great source of exercise and a new way to experience the beauty of the Adelaide Parklands. I can easily take my young son out with me and my friends for a round, and finish at the playground next door.” Says local business owner Thomas Rodan. “Disc Golf  caters to players of all skills and is very inexpensive to play. I like disc golf in the parklands because of its accessibility and ease of use. The community is welcoming and the sport’s impact on the environment is low, which is great when considering its implementation in urban green areas.”

Another local who lives opposite the course, Chris Harris, said “I was out walking the parkland, when the SA Disc Golf Club was inserting the tees and baskets for the 9-hole golf course. I asked what they were up to and one if the club members explained about disc golf. I have been hooked ever since and it couldn’t have come at a better time because I suffer with stress and anxiety, the sport really helps calm me. I congratulate the council for allowing the club to put the course in.”

“As a stay at home dad looking for an excuse to take my young daughter out and about the Adelaide parklands disc golf course has been amazing!” Says Ben Foley. “It’s so easy to access by bus or car and is such a nice way for my daughter and I to spend a morning or afternoon walking around the parklands before stopping for a play and snack in the neighbouring playground. It’s also been so helpful to stay connected to all my friends in a way my daughter can participate in. “

Anna Kolodina has been playing for a year and a half. “What I love most about this course is the fact that the holes can be technically challenging, especially the ones with lots of olive trees, so it feels more satisfying when you get it right. I like disc golf because it is a mental challenge. It takes a lot of practice to get the hang of it but that makes it more worthwhile when you see progress. It’s also great to be out in nature, and good to hang out and meet a bunch of nice people. It’s a great social sport but you’re not relying on anyone but yourself. I encourage everyone to give it a go.”

Sincere congratulations from everybody in Australian Disc Golf to the City of Adelaide, The Adelaide Disc Golf Club and its committee members past and present for the creation of this outstanding facility that will serve the community of Adelaide and the sport of Disc Golf in Australia in the coming years.

Story – Kingsley Flett. Pictures – Tim Marchbank

If you have a  quick scan down the results page for the 2020 Queensland Disc Golf Championships you’ll notice something quite unique – the 31 novice players that contributed almost half the record field of 64. It’s a tangible sign of the recent explosion in disc golf participation in the sunshine state.

‘We had 14 more than our biggest ever year’ said Tournament Director Rhys Kruger. ‘It’s a record attendance for the event, which is pretty good considering the borders are closed and all but one were local players.’

Rhys Kruger was also pleased at the big number of novice players in the event. ‘It’s usually pretty difficult to convince novice players to step straight into a 2-day state championship. But it just shows how keen most of the new players are. Our furthest travelled player was Nicholas Greg from Townsville. One of the novice players, Nick Halstead, I’d only convinced to play five days before and he ended up one-throw off the win in second.”  

The big story of the day though, was provided by someone who was playing novice only four years ago himself. Michal Durand played his first round of disc golf in Augusta Georgia USA, some years ago, but it wasn’t until after his dad returned to Queensland in 2015 that Michal was convinced to play the league days at Yeronga. A steady climb through the ranks had him making to decision to play open this year. The result, in only his second tournament as an MPO player, was quite unexpected.

“I’m a bit blown away” he admitted the day after. “I’m still processing it. I never thought I’d be taking a win this weekend or be the QLD champion – I was going to play the best as I could and be happy with whatever the outcome was.  I started the event in the mindset of turning up and focusing on playing good golf. I always think about its just me vs the course and being able to maintain that focus was key.”

On life in the top card he said “I always was looking up to the open players. When I made the call to play open my goal was to grow and learn from the people who inspire me. Apart from my Dad, who got me into disc golf, the people I really have to thank are Rhys (Rhys Kruger), BJ (Brian Clevenger) and Gavin (Gavin Cowan) for shaping me as a player. Over the whole weekend all my fellow competitors supported each other and that was special to me.”  

After a windy day one which played havoc with the scores. Michal went into the final round one throw back from leader Aaron Moreton. The turning point came after the pair had matched each other in birdying 4 out of the first 5 holes. Moreton threw his drive on the par-5 hole six into an early tree and defected into the water. The two-throw swing gave Durand the lead and, although Moreton was able to level again after birdying hole nine, he was unable to match Durand birdying 3 out of the last 7 holes.

“Sinking my last putt was such a mental release of relief” Said Durand. “We all felt for Aaron when his drive kicked into the water on hole six. But I guess there were a lot of unlucky moments on the card – clean putts pushing through the chains or bouncing out of the basket etc. But the spirit on the card was great, we all we all picked each other up when unlucky moments happened and pushed on. The on the other hand it’s amazing to share moments of brilliance with people on your card.”

Durand credited his forehand for much of his success in the event. “It felt pretty faultless all weekend.” He said. “In round one I lost my favourite ballista pro. I went long on a hole and sent it 120+ metres into the river. But otherwise I felt really consistent. I threw the 4^th Circle Dingo and the Firehawk a lot over the weekend. Rhys Kruger has done such a great job with those discs.”

The spirit shown on the top card seemed to extend to the whole event. “Without the community and dedicated people helping each time we would not have this event.” Said Durand. “I’d really like to thank all the people who were there with us each day setting up and packing up, and to Rhys for such a great event.“

“It was a little tough running an entire event just on metrix with no physical scorecards.” Said Kruger afterwards. “But the players were very patient to get it working which made things easier. So many people had an amazing time.“

Other winners from the tournament were

MA1 – Abraham Garfield

FA1 – Natalie Jones

MA40 – Bradley Adams

MA50 – Russell Wolf

MA2 – Aaron Cuerel

MA4 – Luke Bayne

FA4 – Mikayla Haka

MJ15 – Archer Shaw

One country

One tribe

One tournament

Many venues

This November 21 the Aussie Disc Golf community will come together in an event that will span the nation. Despite the best efforts of the coronavirus to keep us all apart, this is something that can unite the Aussie Disc Golf tribe. The Aussie Disc Golf Day will be a multi-venue virtual tournament which, depending on restrictions, will be played at a course near you. Results will be tabled Australia-wide and ranked according to PDGA rating for your two rounds on the day. Prizes will be awarded in every division.

We intend keeping the events small, local and at club level to avoid both unnecessary travel and large gatherings. Any given city may have multiple tournaments depending on who is keen to run them.

Every player will receive a collectible, first run, custom stamped, all-Aussie designed and manufactured disc

Click here to register.

If you don’t see an event near you to choose from in the drop-down list. Don’t worry, it just might be that your local club hasn’t organised theirs yet. Just select ‘non-Playing participant’ from the drop-down list and we’ll add you to your local event when it’s registered with us.

Event fees will be minimal. If your event is cancelled due to a change in Covid-19 restrictions in your area, you will be issued a partial refund but you get to keep your disc.

Living in a part of the country where you are almost certain that restrictions will prevent an event, but want a disc anyway? Register as a non-playing participant and we’ll get you your disc.

Want to organize an Aussie Disc Golf Day event in your area? Send an email to competitions@australiandiscgolf.com with the venue and name of your event and we’ll get you started.

Click here to see who has registered already.

Unfortunately, the good progress that had been made in controlling the Covid-19 pandemic in Australia has been reversed in some locations. New South Wales has published a list of hotspots where community transmission has been confirmed. In Victoria, stay at home orders have been reinstated in some areas.

It is important that you check if these more restrictive orders apply to you.

In Victoria

https://www.vic.gov.au/coronavirus

in New South Wales

https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19

For NSW in particular, you should check the list of specific places and times, and if you were there, self-isolate.

https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/latest-news-and-updates

For other states, players and tournament organizers should stay aware of the local requirements.

In South Australia

https://www.covid-19.sa.gov.au/

In Western Australia

https://www.wa.gov.au/government/covid-19-coronavirus

In Queensland

https://www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19/current-status/public-health-directions

In the ACT

https://www.covid19.act.gov.au/

In Tasmania

https://coronavirus.tas.gov.au/

and the Northern Territory

https://coronavirus.nt.gov.au/

In order to keep running disc golf events it is important that everyone follows the ADG COVID-safe play guidelines.

These state that you must not attend an event if you:

·       have a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19

·       have been in contact with a known or suspected case of COVID-19 in the last 14 days.

·       have been told to self-isolate by a medical authority

·       are unwell or had any flu-like symptoms in the last 14 days.

Most areas still require people to practice social distancing including avoiding large gatherings, maintaining 1.5 m between people and limiting travel.

It’s especially critical that you check your local guidelines if you are planning on travelling between centres to play tournaments or league days (Sydney to Newcastle for example).

Disc golf is unique in the way it connects people. Unlike many other sports, the social activity doesn’t stop when the field of play is entered. Also, all levels of play – casual to highly competitive – usually occur among the non-playing public. We’d like a code of conduct that more closely suits this unique social context. A code that represents all of us in Australian Disc Golf. We think it would serve a few purposes:

It would assist in explaining the culture of our sport to other potential stakeholders (such as local government).

It would help educate the many newcomers to our community on their responsibility to be good representatives of the sport in public and good custodians of the parks that we play in.

It would give us a more explicit set of boundaries around anti-social behaviour: on the course, off the course and online. What constitutes an acceptable way to treat other people in disc golf is obvious to nearly every one of us. Nearly – unfortunately, there are a very small number of people who didn’t seem to ‘get the memo’ about this somewhere in their development. We need to be clearer and more direct with these people about how to act toward other disc golfers if they want to stay in our tribe. We’d like to do what we can to keep the Aussie disc golf community as safe, respectful and inclusive as possible.

It would be our code. Something about Aussie disc golf that says ‘this is us’. It isn’t intended to duplicate the PDGA players code; we want to expand on it for the environment of Australian disc golf and to cover the out-of-competition and off-course behavior that our rules of association require us to address.

So we’d like to hear from our members. Submit any comments or ideas you have for our code to secretary@australiandiscgolf.com. We’ll use all of these submissions to help us write the new code.

Disc golf in Queensland is about to change in a big way. We had a chat with Queensland Disc Golf president Aaron Moreton about the huge weekend they’ve got coming up in Brisbane.

So this weekend might just be the biggest weekend in Queensland Disc Golf history. Tell us about what is happening.

We are celebrating the completion of two new disc golf courses in the Brisbane City Council catchment (BCC). A 12-hole course in Rocklea and an 18-hole course in Carindale. Both courses with large teepads and signage. No doubt it will be a weekend that we will look back on with a smile.

Take us back to the beginnings of the new courses. How did the process start?

Two courses, two completely different stories…

The Rocklea course had been in the pipeline for some time. We were hoping to upgrade the existing course at Fehlberg Park, Yeronga, which had been our home ground for 13 years. Council however had flagged that course as unsafe due to population growth and increased foot traffic. As sad as it was, we did acknowledge this growing concern. Simply put, Fehlberg Park was to be removed entirely once we identified a suitable replacement location. After a bit of ‘back & forth’ we ended up with a 12-hole course in a beautiful park only 5kms away.

“Strike while the iron is hot”…..

During the final design stages at Rocklea I received a phone call from a lady at Brisbane City Council. She worked in a different department with a different purpose – to activate parks in Brisbane to promote a healthy lifestyle. She had heard of me through her dealings with others at BCC who were involved with the Rocklea course. I’ll never forget that first conversation with her, “we might want to install another course or two, could you meet me to explain what exactly Disc Golf is”. At that point in time she knew nothing about our sport, but after a 15 minute meeting with me at Yeronga, she was onboard.

The process of getting a disc golf course in the ground is never smooth. What hurdles did you hit on the way?

Obviously COVID-19 played its part and at one stage threatened to derail the Carindale course entirely.
As expected there were numerous ‘robust’ conversations around public safety, course design, flora and fauna protection, hardware quality and available space. Hurdles that were slowly overcome but took considerable patience and effort.
Most recently we have had complaints from residents – people by nature are resistant to change.
On the other hand, we have had complaints from residents that the existing course at Yeronga is being removed – sometimes you can’t win!

What lessons can you share for other people who are keen to get courses developed in their area, in how to overcome some of the common hurdles?

If you plan to go down this path put your marathon shoes on, this ain’t a sprint. I have been ‘running’ for some 200+ hours and can only just see the finish line. My tips include:

Communicate professionally in all its forms – you and the sport will be judged on your early interactions

Stay positive and pivot as needed – a ‘no’ today doesn’t mean a ‘no’ tomorrow

Be reliable – no one likes having their time wasted

Show flexibility and open-mindedness – you’re probably not going to get everything exactly how you had originally envisioned

Respect the process – slow progress is better than no progress

Respect the people – and there may be a lot of them to respect!

Patience is critical – even the slowest stream can cut through rock over time

Diplomacy is really important. Smile and say thanks – people are more likely to help us if we show gratitude

Oh, and learn to explain what Disc Golf is in under 20 seconds – you will be explaining it more than once.

What personal lessons did you take out of this long process? What would you do differently next time?

As it stands, I am proud of the outcomes I have achieved. Some things I can control, and other things I can’t. Where possible, I have gotten what we wanted.
If I had my time over I would like to get everyone in the same room at the same time so we can iron out all potential issues from the start – easier said than done though!

What overall attitude, or spirit, does the sport need, particularly in how we approach local government to tell them about the sport?

I think as a collective we are quick to sell the sport, but slow to sell the benefits. We must not forget that 99% of people do not know what our sport is. Nor do they care about learning about it. So, we should inform them of what our sport can ‘give’, rather than what we ‘deserve’.

What do you think the two new courses mean for disc golf in Queensland? How will they help the game develop?

Massive would be an understatement. The sport is already booming locally, and these new courses will only add fuel to the fire. I dream of 1000 regular players within 12 months across South-east QLD.

What is the feeling for you now? Having been the point-man for the development of these courses and having been through the ups and downs of getting them in the ground.

Initially when I heard they were going in it was excitement. But as I have had time to reflect and dealing with delays due to the pandemic it is more relief.

I’m sure you’ve had some help in all of this too. Who would you like to thank for that support?

Three key areas of thanks:

The Councillors who bought into the sport and my vision. Without their approval the courses would not proceed.

Internal BCC employees, namely Sarah and Dean for being the voice of Disc Golf within the council chambers.

Bruce McNaughton and Stephen Kearney. My go-to minds throughout the journey.

For more information, go to Queensland Disc Golf

After a few long chats with the ADGC Tournament Directors from Geelong Disc Golf, we’ve reached a mutual decision to cancel the 2020 Australian disc golf championships. Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the restrictions followed, it was clear that, if it were to run at all, the nationals would be severely impacted: there’d be a much smaller field, no (or very few) interstate players, no major sponsors, none of the communal gathering of disc golfers that have come to symbolise the nationals, and very little connection with the Inverleigh community.

This last issue became the tipping point for the decision. For the Geelong Disc Golf Club and Inverleigh, it would have been an opportunity missed. One that wouldn’t come around again for at least seven years. We reached a point where we feel that disc golf in Australia would be better served by running an alternate event this November and holding the next Australian championships in 2021 in Inverleigh.

Planning is now underway for a nation-wide event involving tournaments run in different places across the country simultaneously. We will not be crowning any Australian Champions in 2020, but we’ll still have a day that celebrates our sport.

Effective: May 28th 2020                                                     

All Australian disc golf competitions including local leagues and national tour events have been cancelled since March. However, as government restrictions on participation in recreation and sport are currently easing, it is now time to prepare for the resumption of competition.

Given that Disc Golf is a non-contact sport played outdoors using a player’s discs and that play occurs in small groups of 3-5 players per hole, these guidelines outline the steps needed to start leagues and tournaments again. As each state is easing restrictions at a different rate, the main requirement is that events are run in accordance with local government orders.

Sanctioning the event

ADG is considering application for event sanctioning in areas where restrictions have been eased to allow sport to resume. Sanctioning will not be approved until restrictions are lifted in the area the event is to be held. TDs wishing to run an event should follow the steps outlined in the Checklist for TDs in order to have their event sanctioned. Where sanctioning is provided for an event it is important to still be prepared to respond to changes in your area due to the need to manage a local outbreak. The event proceeding will depend on restrictions in place on the day of the event.  

Requirements for Participation

Players, officials and spectators must not attend an event if they:

• have a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19
• have been in contact with a known or suspected case of COVID-19 in the last 14 days.
• have been told to self-isolate by a medical authority
• are unwell or had any flu-like symptoms in the last 14 days.

Participants must be:

• ADG members with up to date contact details recorded.
• willing to work with contact tracers should they be diagnosed with COVID-19 following the event.

Before attending the event, participants should assess their own risk considering their age, medical conditions, situation and contacts.

Strategies to minimise the risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19

The following strategies are to be followed by participants (players, officials and spectators) at the event. TDs can also download our social distancing rules for disc golf and distribute this to all participants prior to the event.

• Maintain group size below limits set by State Government directives. This includes before, during and after play.
• Take a “get in – play – get out” approach
• Practice social distancing of 1.5 m
• Wash or sanitise hands on arrival and departure from event.
• Keep a record of who you play with.
• Minimise physical contact with the Disc Golf Basket
• Avoid touching other participants equipment including but not limited to discs, minis, towels, drinks, food, stools, bags or prams (sorry, carts)
• Remove your disc from the basket prior to other players holing out.
• Ensure tee box is clear before entering.
• Follow hygiene measures- cover mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing with tissue or elbow, wash hands often with soap and water or use hand sanitizer, avoid touching your face, avoid touching others eg no high fives and avoid touching others things.
• Carry your own hand sanitiser, water and food. Public water fountains and shared water coolers should not be available.
• Check event website or facebook site to keep up to date on how the event will run
• Review PDGA COVID recommendations and best practices.

Running COVID-Safe event

Some changes are needed to the way events are run to ensure they are safe.

• TD to retain a record of names and contact details of all participants (players, officials and spectators), including player groupings eg via Disc golf metrix.
• TD to have hand sanitizer available for players to use when they arrive and prior to leaving.
• Use Tee-times, flex start or ‘go straight to your hole’ shotgun starts to avoid entrants gathering.
• Avoid gatherings of participants
  • Move players meetings to an online format (eg facebook live) where practicable.
  • Post tee times, hole assignments and scores online
  • Move award ceremony to an online format where practicable.
• Use electronic scoring systems.
• Collect payment and registrations online
• Consider using electronic vouchers as prizes and doing payouts by electronic transfer.
• Ensure any toilet facilities have soap or sanitizer available.
• Minimise spectator numbers
• Align with PDGA COVID recommendations and best practices, unless the State Government is more onerous.
• Communicate with players about how the event will run, using the event website, facebook page or mailing lists. TD’s may wish to use our social distancing rules of play to spread this message.

As a self-refereed sport disc golfers are experienced at knowing the rules and playing by them. We expect these new steps to be upheld in the same way in order to protect our diverse community.

Please contact us at secretary@australiandiscgolf.com if you have any questions.

All ADG sanctioned events are suspended from today until 18^th May 2020. This includes all A, B, C and X tier tournaments and leagues. ADG will be reviewing this situation and extending the suspension if needed.

Any government restrictions will supersede this statement.

The ADG tour events which are impacted by this suspension are:

• The Stony Creek Revival
• Baw Baw Alpine Disc Golf Classic
• Yeronga Memorial
• Sunshine Coast Open + WGE
• Victorian Disc Golf Open
• South Australian Open 2020

At the moment these events will not be rescheduled however this may be a possibility later in the year depending on how the situation progresses. We have placed the ADG tour on hold until we are better placed to make a decision about whether it can continue.

Our decision comes on the back of PDGA suspending sanctioned events worldwide https://www.pdga.com/announcements/covid-19-statement. AFDA have also suspended all on-field Flying Disc Activities until 18^th May 2020 https://www.afda.com/p/afda-coronavirus-statement-update-18-march-2020.

We appreciate your understanding in these uncertain times. We will do our best to communicate any updates as soon as possible. 

For most recent COVID-19 information, please refer to the Australian Government Department of Health link below

https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-cornoavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert