Sunny Colch Disc Golf Glory
Pah! Who needs the Ryder Cup in Sunny Colch when we are currently hosting a major European sporting championship? With the more traditional golfers soon jetting out to Illinois for the Europe Vs the USA showdown, Colchester is at the cutting edge of cool in the golfing world right now.
The *disc* golfing world.
The prestigious 2012 European Disc Golf Championships are being staged up on campus at the University of Essex. This is the showcase event on the European circuit with competitors flying into Sunny Colch from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.
Plus don’t forget the hyperlocal home grown talent from Essex.
Having has a short taster of the highly addictive sport during the Essex Open earlier in the month, I’m not quite qualified to give a comprehensive overview of the sport. European Tournament Director Charlie Mead speaks much more sense:
Ah yes - Charlie Mead.
The first Championships in Sunny Colch were staged in 1982. Charlie was crowned the Open Division winner that year. Head up to Wivenhoe Park between now and Saturday and you will see Charlie proudly directing the high profile tournament some thirty years since he first designed the course.
That’s a true Colchester sporting legacy for you…
Some of the players that I spoke to on the first day of the competition were rather nervous about the “challenging” course. Some of the holes have been specifically re-designed just for the Championship.
You think throwing a frisbee is for the beach only? Nope - you should try the 90 degrees hole that involves turning a corner around the Albert Sloman Library, before putting downhill past the Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall.
This is the seventh time that Colchester has welcomed the leading players from around Europe or even the World for the elite championships. The course has an incredible reputation, aided by a brilliant back up and support from the University in accommodating the players.
Plus don’t forget the spectators too - play continues all the way through until Saturday afternoon. Entry is FREE - just turn up on campus and prepare to be amazed at some of the power in the disc shots.
Better still - why not play disc golf? Maybe not over the next couple of days, but otherwise it is as simple as turning up at the Sports Hall on campus, paying your 80p to hire the discs and then teeing off.
Which make much more sense than heading all the way over to Illinois for some tin pot tournament or other.
Disc Golf - it’s Grrrrreat!
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