ENFIELD — The Upper Valley Disc Golf Association is hosting a Disc Golf Community Day on Saturday at Whaleback Mountain.
The group is angling to construct a disc golf course in the Upper Valley — potentially also at Whaleback. They’ll collect donations toward that effort on Saturday.
But fundraising is not the top priority of this event for the UVDGA. President Dan Walsh said a good turnout and an enjoyable day would make the event successful.
“Getting people out is our main objective,” Walsh said. “At this point, we’re hoping to gauge community support. If we get a bunch of people out there, that’ll be a good indicator for both us and the mountain that this is a project worth pursuing. I would say fundraising is kind of secondary to getting everyone out and having a fun time.”
The rain-or-shine event, which begins at 1 p.m., will be open play for anyone who comes. The UVDGA is setting up a temporary nine-hole course at Whaleback. It’ll also run clinics for new players, and in an effort to raise money, it’ll raffle off some prizes.
Walsh sees the day not just an opportunity to see what a permanent disc golf course at Whaleback might look like, but a chance for people to have a good time.
Of Conscious Mind will play live music, and Whaleback will open its food and bar service.
The event is a joint effort between the UVDGA, Whaleback and Mascoma Valley Parks and Recreation. The UVDGA approached Whaleback about it, and Jon Hunt — executive director at Whaleback — was interested.
He’s paying attention to the support and engagement the UVDGA gets on Saturday to determine if a permanent course at Whaleback will make sense.
“I think (the idea of a disc golf course at Whaleback is) to engage folks. I think it’s to provide a space in the region for people to come and play, but also for us to find another way to engage our population during the offseason when you’re not skiing,” Hunt said. “We’re trying to find ways for people to think about Whaleback Mountain and ways to bring people to the mountain.”
There has not previously been disc golf at Whaleback.
Neither Walsh nor Hunt had an estimate of how many people they’re expecting on Saturday. Walsh said that if 50 to 100 people show up, it would be a success.
Walsh and the UVDGA don’t have a fundraising goal for Saturday. He said they’re looking to raise between $10,000 and $20,000 for the overall project. He thinks that if things go smoothly, they would be able to start work once the snow melted after ski season and have it completed by next autumn.
Walsh said he normally plays disc golf at Storrs Pond in Hanover, and that others from the group — which is around 150 members — play at Oxbow High in Bradford, Vt., and at Newport High.
The group hopes to build a permanent course in the Enfield and Mascoma Valley area, which lines up with Whaleback.
But, as Walsh said, the concept of an eventual permanent course is secondary to a fun afternoon on Saturday.
“Our primary focus is getting people out, showing them the place and having a nice fall afternoon,” Walsh said. “We’re not looking to separate everyone with all their hard-earned money necessarily, though we wouldn’t mind it. That’s a major point.”
Seth Tow can be reached at stow@vnews.com.