The fifth annual Whitehorse Disc Golf Association (WDGA) Trilogy Challenge saw record numbers for the two-day event last Saturday and Sunday and the Mount McIntyre Disc Golf Course and the Solstice DiscGolfPark on the second day.

It was a beautiful, hot and sunny day at the course, and the assistant tournament director, Josh Paton, said it was historically good weather for the event.

All skill levels were welcome, and upon registering, the players would receive three new discs which all were required to play with. If a disc was lost during a round, the player had to play the rest of the holes without it.

The players were given a driver, mid-range disc and a putter.

Ryan Norquay, the tournament director, said there were 50 players Saturday for the flex-start and 24 Sunday for the doubles event. As the tournament entered its fifth year, Norquay said, there were a lot of new players participating.

"It is definitely growing," said Norquay. "The flex-start provides excellent numbers. Of the 50 players, about 30 were within their first year of playing or new to the sport. We are seeing they have the ambition to join the event."

Norquay found the sport seven years ago, and said as soon as he found it, he wanted more people to know about it.

"It is a very positive and progressive game," he said. "It is a little awkward at first, but it becomes easier and more fun the more you play."

Paton said he found the game four years ago and said he enjoys watching people get into the game because it has something to offer everyone.

"It is awesome to see the sport progress," said Paton. "It is great for your mental and physical health. I love seeing people discover and embrace it."

Paton said everyone in the disc golf community is growing together.

"In the last few years, it has really taken off, and has been booming for the last two years," said Paton. "Everybody is getting better together. The more people coming out means there is more competition, and it helps the players who travel Outside."

Norquay said the continued growth together really speaks to the community of the sport.

"(Everyone) comes from different backgrounds but we all want to share and grow the sport," said Norquay. "There is a commonality in all disc golf. We appreciate the environment, nature and ethics of the game, those are things that connect us all."

The doubles tournament held at the Solstice course partnered the more advanced players with the newcomers to disc golf. Paton said Solstice is a pro-level course, which is usually nine holes, but became 18 for the Trilogy Challenge.

"It lets them see some of the tricks of the game and give them new ideas about shot selection," said Norquay.

"That's what this tournament is all about," said Paton. "You are there as their mentor to give them a leg up. I had that when I was learning and it sped up my knowledge.

"It helps them grow and go up a level. It is fun to watch them come up."

Both Norquay and Paton said it’s great to see the sport growing. Paton continued to say that a lot of kids can be seen on the courses now. It helps that Whitehorse has many courses available in or close to the city.

"There is a lot of disc golf to be had in Whitehorse," said Paton. "People enjoy the variety, and some people like to get the muscle memory down on one course."

Round one on Saturday had the novice and junior players play one round on modified short tees. The recreational and intermediate players had one round on the red tees. Advanced players had two rounds. Mount McIntyre was 18 holes and par 54.

Dan Reimer shot a nine-under-par to top the advanced category. Ben Monkman, 48, and Noel Sinclair, 50, were second and third. Of the 11 advanced players, only three shot over par.

Vanessa Bro, 60, took the advanced women's title. Megan Stallabrass and Leigh Adamsky rounded out the top three.

Kevin Olson shot 45 last Saturday to win the intermediate category. Shane Andre, 50, and Carl Pearce, 52, were next in line. Cleo Smith and Olivia Olson both shot 72 to tie for the intermediate women top spot.

Luke Eady shot one over par to win the recreational event. Perrin Evans-Ehricht, 56, and Duncan Martin, 59, were the other podium finishers.

Norquay said the results of the event are just a bonus.

"Hopefully everyone gets some value from it and has a fun," he said. "It looked like everyone was having a blast."

The tournament is all but wrapped up for this year, but the WDGA will have four players headed to P.E.I. to compete at Nationals in September, both Norquay and Paton will be attending.

"The players in Whitehorse are so good that I have to travel to win," joked Paton.