Exshaw Is Getting a New Disc Golf Course

Exshaw is getting a new disc golf course after MD of Bighorn council approved funding this week to help turn the community project into reality.

Council voted on Sept. 8 to provide the Exshaw Community Association with $1,655 toward installing a disc golf course at the Exshaw Recreation Grounds (map here).

The relatively small project comes with an unusual funding story. The money is being drawn from the Bear and Pear Production Film Fund, a $5,000 fund established following filming for HBO’s The Last of Us in Exshaw.

The $1,655 won't cover the entire project. The Community Association has also secured discounted disc golf baskets and donated garbage and recycling bins and will contribute money from its own budget.

Details such as the number of holes, the course layout and an expected opening date were not included in the report presented to council.

The municipality expects the course to encourage outdoor recreation while creating another place for residents to gather and be active.

Council's decision was quick and received no opposition during the meeting.

Disc Golf Is Also Getting Attention in Banff

Exshaw isn't the only Bow Valley community adding new options for disc golfers this year, although what's happening in Banff is considerably different.

Banff launched a free, self-serve disc golf amenity at Sundance Park in June. Rather than a permanent course, the Town provides six portable baskets, practice discs and a distance guide that residents can use to set up their own course within the sports field for the day.

The program was introduced as a low-cost, low-impact alternative after the idea of a permanent disc golf course came before Banff council earlier this year.

The Town is tracking how many people use the Sundance Park setup, information that could eventually help council assess demand if a permanent course is proposed in the future.

For now, however, there are no plans for a permanent disc golf course in Banff, making the Exshaw project a different kind of addition to the Bow Valley's growing disc golf options.