Napier’s new disc golf course tipped to be busiest in Hawke’s Bay

Hawke's Bay Disc Golf Club president Leon Crellin (front) with his children Hugo, 9, and Luka, 11, at the Napier course alongside fellow members of the club. Photo / Gary Hamilton-Irvine

Napier has opened its first disc golf course, and it is expected to become the most popular in Hawke’s Bay.

The nine-basket course has been installed at Anderson Park following a $25,000 investment from Napier City Council.

Disc golf, also known as frisbee golf, is growing in popularity with about 100 courses nationally.

All the baskets and tee pads at Anderson Park have been installed, and permanent signage next to each tee pad is going up soon.

The course is free to use, and an open day was set to be held today (weather permitting) from 2pm, with discs (frisbees) freely available.

Hawke’s Bay boasts four courses, at Flaxmere Park, Black Bridge, Te Pohue Golf Club, and now Napier.

The new course came out of a partnership between Hawke’s Bay Disc Golf Club and the council.

Club president Leon Crellin said Anderson Park was a perfect fit, with a lot of wide open spaces, and he expected it would become the most popular course in Hawke’s Bay.

“This is a park that has a good amount of usage, it is a very visible location, and we expect the growth of usage will be pretty high.”

Crellin was excited about the sport growing in the region as a result.

“Here in Greenmeadows we have five schools within half a kilometre of this location. That is a lot of kids in this area that will be at this park, see it, and get involved.”

Like any good game, disc golf was easy to pick up but hard to master.

The course design is aimed at beginners, but any level of player would enjoy it.

Napier councillor Graeme Taylor said the council had been looking at ways to activate parts of Anderson Park that weren’t used often.

“Anderson Park’s been a popular place for families and visitors to spend time in for decades.

“The introduction of another facility extends the range of experiences we can offer people in our open spaces.”

All “holes” face away from paths for safety. Until the signs go up, you can use the Udisc app on your phone to navigate the course, which starts opposite the playground on the other side of the creek.

As of last weekend, the best score was a 9 under par, on the Napier course.

Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.