As Vancouver disc golfer, Oliver Jet French, describes taking people to play their first game, he pauses, lifts his arm toward me and says, “I’m getting goosebumps. It’s amazing.” This is a man who is passionate about the game and about the Clark County community that shares it with him.
“It’s my sanctuary. It’s my church. It’s my gym. I get to walk in a forest for two hours, throw discs at trees and drink beer with my friends. But, it’s like it adds a sense of competitiveness to my life as well and companionship,” French explains.
At 23 French was invited by a college roommate to play disc golf for the first time. When his turn came, he promptly threw the disc into a bamboo forest from which it never reemerged. Nonetheless, despite the comical start, he was hooked.
Now, French has been playing for over six years and competing for the last two. Disc golf tournaments are scattered throughout the year, but the big, high-paying ones fall between April and July. During this period French participates in two-day events every weekend.
His participation extends beyond throwing discs. “I am trying to get sponsored again. I’m doing designs for t-shirts and stuff for the different companies around here. I am designing discs and selling them,” French says. The man knows the sport.
Local Courses
There are six prominent courses in Clark County.
Yacolt Recreational Park: This eight-hole course is located in Yacolt. It is lightly-wooded and mostly flat. This course is great for locals but will not provide a challenge for serious players.
Paradise Point: Located in La Center, this nine-hole course is also lightly-wooded and mostly flat. This is a fun course that includes a hole under the freeway. Because it is part of a state park, however, there is an entrance fee.
Abrams Park: This park is heavily-wooded and extremely hilly. This nine-hole course in Ridgefield is in great shape, featuring new baskets and awesome tee pads. But, there is a lot of underbrush and nettles.
Glenwood Community Church: This nine-hole course is located in Vancouver. Like many of the others, it is lightly-wooded and mostly flat. This is considered a great starter course; it moves quickly, the holes have variety and there is very little chance of losing a disc.
WSU, Vancouver: Lightly-wooded and moderately hilly, this nine-hole course in Vancouver could use some maintenance.
Leverich Park: This twelve-hole course is located in Vancouver. It is moderately-wooded and moderately hilly. It provides players with a challenge and a variety of hole types. This is French’s pick for best in Clark County, and he acts as a steward here as well. “A group of disc golf friends and I got permission from the city to do some concrete work extending the tee pads. We cleaned up the course a little bit,” French explains.
Future Disc Golf Courses
It is the popularity of the course at Leverich Park that the county used to justify approving the construction of a disc golf course at Frenchman’s Bar Park in 2014. However, there have been consistent delays in the years since that time, and local members of the community do not hold out much hope for the course.
“That one has been in the works for years now from what I have heard,” French declares. “And there’s a lot of red tape due to it being a nature preserve. So, it’s one of those things that when we see it happen, we’ll start paying attention to it.”
The need, however, for an eighteen-hole course in the area remains, which is why the Clark County council unanimously approved building one at Hockinson Meadows Community Park. If plans move forward as they now stand, the course will open in mid-2018.
Getting Started
If you are interested in playing disc golf for the first time, French offers a way, “I would suggest going to a sporting goods store and picking up a mid-range disc. I wouldn’t pay more than $15 for it. All you need is one disc. Find some friends, grab some water, and go outside. You’ll be surprised how much fun you have.” Discs can be picked up at Big 5, Dick’s, and Play It Again.
If you have played in the past but are ready to increase your commitment to the sport, French recommends tournaments and leagues. “I would start with non-sanctioned tournaments because they’re not as uptight. When you go up to a sanctioned event, it gets a lot more serious,” he says. Non-sanctioned events cost roughly $20 to enter, and players receive swag for participating. Dates and locations of tournaments can be found on websites like DiscGolfScene and 4DiscGolf.
If you are not quite ready to compete in tourneys, “There are weekend groups or weekly leagues that happen,” French explains. “That’s basically $5 a play, and it’s $1 for the ace pot, and that’s basically a hole-in-one.”
French emphasizes how welcoming the community is for newcomers. “We’re really friendly, and we’re always very willing to help because somebody helped me, and somebody helped him, and we like to pass on that knowledge. It’s called grow the sport,” French finishes with a smile.
