Whitby's first disc golf course opens Saturday, February 6th
Pronounced "Lind-Brook" and named for the babbling Lynde Creek which meanders throughout the property, the Lyndebrook Disc Golf Course joins forces with the Lyndebrook Golf Course, taking up residence in the gorgeous river valley. Weaving through 42-acres of ancient hardwoods, cedars, pines, rivers, ponds and rolling hills you'll find 18 Discraft Chainstar baskets strategically placed and partnered with 2 different sets of teepads; the red tees, and the blue tees.
The Red Tees:
This is the beginner & amateur-friendly layout. Nearly half the holes on this layout are under 250 feet, with 5 par fours and a par five. While par may seem daunting at 61, the average drive-distance-to-birdie (considering the extended par) comes in right around 258 feet; all things considered, there's a lot of appeal in this distance range maintaining the potential to keep beginners coming back out, and amateur golfers challenged & entertained. With a 5:8:5 ratio of left:straight:right-turning drives required off the 18 tees, the layout strikes a healthy (and fair) balance which caters to no specific shot inclination in-particular but will ensure players utilize a variety of shots (or discs) as they play.
The Blue Tees:
This is the advanced and pro-friendly layout. This track features 6 holes under 300 feet with the average drive-distance-to-birdie sitting just under 340 feet. This layout carries the same par as the red tees; however, as par scales with skill level, this layout offers a much more demanding 61 stroke par. The ratio of left:straight:right remains 5:8:5 off the tee with 5 par fours and a par five. Where the red tee layout is meant to provide an entry point for new players to the sport, the blue layout sits much further down the athlete development continuum. Players can expect to face shots with multiple hazards (bunkers,/greens), two river crossings, a large pond and steep elevation changes. We've done our best to utilize the landscape at hand while maintaining a flow to maintain pace with other users on the dual-use property.
The Story
Back in the fall we'd received word that Annandale Golf & Curling Club (in Ajax) would soon be closing their doors for good as they'd sold their property to developers. The ODSA struck a deal with the course and took ownership of their 18 baskets when they eventually, and unfortunately, closed. I've been close friends with Paul Saftich (president of the Durham Region Disc Golf Association) for as long as I can remember playing disc golf and, over the years, we've discussed the potential to pursue a project in the region given that the east-GTA represents a severely underserved demographic of disc golfers. The community density is certainly present, but there's been a glaring void in development (not for alack of advocacy) in this area. The ODSA and DRDGA partnered-up and started pursuing regional leads. We began working with the local conservation authority through the fall and have made some very positive progress with a few sites currently on our shared radar. I'll segue from that by simply mentioning we're excited about our current prospect(s) and optimistic that 2021 could very well yield yet another east-GTA course announcement later in the spring if all goes according to plan. Fast forward to late December and, while we're making progress with our county project, the momentum-swing with ball golf courses adopting hybrid layouts is beginning to come to a head. Without starting a debate, while some folks have mixed feelings on the pay-to-play structure, there is no denying that it's served to develop our sport's bottom line and bring the resource to the masses. Not only that, private enterprise is often motivated to expedite projects and the collective time and effort to install a single municipal course could often easily serve to convert 2-3 (or more) ball golf courses which we're then also left assured, knowing they're being properly maintained and promoted by a motivated party. Back to the backstory; Paul has worked in the area for the last 15 years and passed by Lyndebrook every day on his way to and from work. This is one of those daydreams most disc golfers are probably familiar with; driving along the road, pointing out "good spots for a disc golf course" as we likely annoy our non-disc golfing friends with the sheer daily reoccurrence of that same comment. The property and situation checked-off far too many boxes in our heads during conversations on the topic and the decision to approach the owners with a pitch was made. As is often said, the rest was history. In a matter of days we'd been able to articulate our plan and were met with a resoundingly positive embrace. The property's owner (appropriately enough, Lynn) had previously adopted both cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on her property in the winter during her ball golf offseason and with an open-mind has embraced, with open arms, the concept of bringing our community to her property as well. We couldn't be any more excited to share this beautiful 42 acres with Ontario disc golfers.
More Information
Opening Date: Saturday February 6th, 2021
Address: 5055 Baldwin Street, Brooklin, ON L1M 1T4
Hours: Sunrise to sunset (Frost delays withstanding)
Cost: $15 for 36 holes
Website: https://lyndebrook.com/
Amenities: Washrooms, Snowshoeing, Cross-country skiing. Post-lockdown; the clubhouse an boasts an indoor reception area as well as a covered patio, coffee, tea and cold drinks, soups and sandwiches. Both the clubhouse and property are fully licensed.
Check out Lyndebrook Disc Golf Course on UDisc for layouts, leaderboard, course maps and scorecards.
