The 8 Best Disc Golf Courses In And Around Castlegar

Once the leisure activity of hippies and frat boys, disc golf has become a bona fide sport across the globe and Castlegar is one of the best places in British Columbia to enjoy it. There are no less than 8 areas to play in the city as well as within a 30-minute drive and they range from manicured fairway-strewn courses to old-school, heavily treed ones.

Patrick Audet is a long-time Castlegar resident as well as the president of the Kootenay Rockies Disc Golf Society (KRDGS). He got bit by the disc golf bug three years ago because “it’s so easy to get into,” he says. “The discs aren’t that expensive and most of the courses are free to play. Plus it’s a very welcoming sport in terms of playability. You’ll meet people who are phenomenal players but they’re not uppity about it.”

Disc golf is played exactly the same as regular golf except instead of trying to sink a little white ball into a hole with a club, you attempt to get a disc, which looks like a small Frisbee, in a chain-link basket with the fewest throws (or “strokes”) as possible. You can easily play with just one disc but the pros uses “drivers” to throw from the tee pads that mark the start of the hole, then they move to their mid-range discs, and finish with the heftier putter disc. Holes can stretch upwards of 400 feet but most are shorter. A typically hole is a par 3, meaning you want to get your disc into the basket in three throws. Discs usually cost less than $30 each and other than decent footwear, they’re the only equipment you need to partake in the sport. They can be purchased at such sport shops as Mallards in Castlegar.

Audet is a retired high-school principal and says he has time to not only perfect his game, but he’s also able to help get more disc golf courses established in the region. In fact, it was the KRDGS that was instrumental in getting the 18-hole Thin Air course built in Rossland. The organization also enlisted the help of pro disc golfer Spencer Munro to come up with an 18-hole course design that was eventually used to create the one at Little Bear Golf Course in Castlegar. “Little Bear is one of the few private courses around but it has groomed fairways and so the style can be completely different. I’ve seen guys do skip shots of the fairways. It’s so fun.” Little Bear offers season memberships for approximately $275 or a drop-in fee to play 18 holes is about $10. Below is a list of the best disc golf courses in and around Castlegar. (NOTE: Little Bear is closed for the season 2024 due to renovations).

The Best Disc Golf Courses In And Around Castlegar

Little Bear Disc Golf in Castlegar [NOTE: Little Bear is closed for the 2023 season for repairs.]

Holes: 18
Season: April-October (Closed season 2024 due to renovations)
Tees: Turf
Fees: $10/18 holes or $18/day. Seasonal membership is $275
Directions: 872 Waterloo Rod, Castlegar
More info: Little Bear Golf Course

Oasis in Trail – Located 24km from Castlegar

Thin Air in Rossland – Located 42km from Castlegar

Marsh Creek near Fruitvale – Located 42km from Castlegar

Situated in the Marsh Creek Campground just East of Fruitvale off Highway 3B, this 18-hole course has mostly three-par holes although there are two longer par fours, including the 503-foot-long 13th hole. The first tee is just off the parking lot by the washrooms.

Holes: 18
Season: Year round
Tees: Concrete
Fees: Free
Directions: Follow Hwy 3 east out of Castlegar and then turn south onto Hwy 3B. Follow this for 11km and then turn right onto Marsh Creek Road. Google instructions here.
More info: UDisc Marsh Creek Page

Clover Bear in Ymir – Located 54km from Castlegar

Art Gibbon’s Park in Nelson – Located 44km from Castlegar

Highwater in Blewett – Located 25km from Castlegar