The Meadow Lakes Golf Club was a busy place last Saturday. All the fairways were full and golf carts moved along the paths.

One thing was different. There was not a golf club in sight. That is because for the first time in the Yukon, a disc golf tournament, the 2019 Whitehorse Disc Golf Association (WDGA) 2019 Fall Classic, was held on a ball golf course.

Tournament director Josh Paton said there is a growing trend in disc golf toward using ball golf courses.

"It's really common," said Paton. "Ball golf courses are struggling, and this makes it more sustainable for them. A lot of courses have installed permanent baskets."

Paton said the idea of playing a tournament on a golf course has been an idea he has been bouncing around for a while.

"It's been a bit of time in the making," said Paton. "I've played in a few tournaments on ball golf courses (Outside) and I thought it would be nice to take what I've seen and bring it back to the territory."

As it was the first tournament of its kind in the Yukon, Paton said the appropriate steps were taken to make sure everyone was ready for tournament day.

"We had lots going on to get people prepared for the tournament," said Paton.

"We had practice rounds on Friday and that was a blast. We also had drone footage of the courses for people."

The Fall Classic had five categories and there were three sets of T-boxes for people to drive off of. This, Paton said, made the divisions fairer.

The Advanced category was won by Ryan Norquay, who was also the assistant tournament director.

Norquay, who most recently played at the Canadian Nationals in P.E.I. in early September, said what he had been working on this year helped him out at the Fall Classic.

"What I've been practising benefited me for the tournament," said Norquay. "I had been working on hitting my lines and bigger drives.

"We all faced similar challenges. We aren't too familiar with water and open areas."

Norquay admitted to playing a boring style of disc golf last Saturday, but it proved effective.

"I just played my game," he said. "I didn't battle tree ticks, and kept it direct. It's important to hit your lines."

He explained that while playing on a golf course, there is more open space. If the disc gets away from the thrower, it had more space to travel off its path, compared to a forested area where the trees will knock the disc back onto the course.

Norquay gave a lot of credit to his win to his son, who acted as his caddie.

"It helped me win having my son as my caddie," he said. "He helped me warm up by playing catch, which really took the load off. It was a real pleasure to have him out there. I couldn't have done it without him."

The tournament started with a shotgun start, so all the teams began on a different hole. Each division played all 18 holes, at par 57.

Norquay was the only player under par with a 55. There was a three-way tie for second place in the Advanced class. Dan Reimer, Kevin Caron and MacKenzie Pemberton all shot 61.

Megan Stallabrass won the Amateur Women category shooting three-over-par.

This was not her first time playing on a ball golf course, and she explained the different set of challenges.

"Wind is more of a factor, but you have so much room to work with," said Stallabrass. "(There is) more opportunity to have your discs do the things they were made to do. There is some water to contend with on the ball golf course. I lost a couple of discs between the practice and tournament rounds."

Last Saturday, she believed she had a clean game and was pleased with the score she shot.

"I am pretty happy with how I scored," said Stallabrass. "I think I connected well with many of my drives, hit some good putts, and played smart. I didn't really have too many struggles or much need for recovery from bad shots."

It was hole nine that she found the toughest.

"I struggled with hole nine a bit. Both during the doubles game the night before the tournament and on a day of set-up, I managed to get my disc into the pond on that hole. It is deceiving because the basket is right there and looks easy to make, but the pond is right there too, and wind can be a factor."

The ladies division had eight players competing, and Stallabrass said she had some healthy competition with some of them.

I knew most of the ladies I was competing with," said Stallabrass. "I play regularly with Leigh (Adamsky), who placed second, and Vanessa (Brault), who placed third.

"We all have our own style but usually score very similarly in all of our games.

We have a good balance of competition and support toward one another."

Adamsky shot a 63 to get the second position, one stroke lower than Brault.

The Amateur Masters 40+ was won by Richard V who shot a 62. Carl Pearce, 64, and Gabe Kutcher rounded out the top three.

Will Becket shot par to win the Intermediate division. Duncan Martin shot two-over to secure second, and there was a four-way tie for third.

Brandon Hagen shot one-over 57 to win the Recreational class. Stu Paton, 60, and Corey Zahora, 62, came second and third respectively.

There were two Junior players competing. Kayden Smith shot par 57, and Ian Paton scored 63.

The tournament saw 65 people register to play and had more than first expected said Paton.

"We were able to accommodate everybody," said Paton. "Everybody was thrilled with the uniqueness of it because it is different than what they're used to."

With the success of the first tournament at a golf course, Paton hopes that momentum will continue forward in the future.

"People said they can't wait until next year, and Meadow Lakes is eager to work with us again," said Paton. "I would love to see some permanent baskets at a golf course."

Stallabrass also hopes to see more tournaments at ball golf courses.

"I would love to see more tournaments, maybe even a weekly league at the ball course," she said. "Everyone loved the layout and gameplay during the tournament."