By Camilla Hullick

Disc golf, the fastest growing sport in the world just at the moment, is now available in Gippsland and more recently amongst beautiful surroundings in Tarwin Lower.

Leroy Sharrock, a former professional golfer and a resident of Venus Bay for over thirty years, came across the recreational game in Cambodia in 2019, while volunteering with children. After giving disc golf a crack with the kids, who loved it, Leroy was instantly hooked. He arrived home and together with his good friend, Macka, also from Venus Bay, began investigating suitable, local areas to design a permanent disc golf course. Since then, the two have been passionately, tirelessly driving the project.

The Tarwin Lower Recreation Reserve Committee and Pony Club came to the party. Utilising generous help from the community, a laborious twelve months of planning, organising, mowing and removing blackberry bushes was undertaken. Consequently, there is now an eleven hole disc golf course available, comprising of seven metal baskets and four tonal poles, with plans to progressively expand.

Disc golf is much like traditional golf. Instead of a ball and clubs, players use a frisbee-like disc they maneuver down the fairway.

Designed for people of all ages and skill levels, disc golf promotes upper and lower body conditioning, aerobic exercise and a healthy mental state. However, the most fundamental attribute the game offers is sheer fun.

The sophisticated, metal baskets, graciously sponsored by surrounding, local businesses, are manufactured by Blackbear Fabrications in Venus Bay. The baskets are the first to be constructed in Australia and soon to be certified by the official Professional Disc Golf Association in the USA (PDGA).

Tarwin Lower is thrilled to host such an enjoyable, free, community recreation, available all year round. Plans are also in development to hold disc golf clinics and competitions in future. However, the exciting project happening at present is the collaboration between Gippsport and the Shark Disc Golf Club to introduce this free initiative into local and broader school curriculums.

Come try your hand at this brilliant game. You'll love it!

Shark Disc Golf Club is open seven days a week, while discs can be purchased at the Tarwin Lower IGA.

The course is located at the Tarwin Lower Recreational Reserve on Tarwin Lower-Walkerville Road.

For further enquiries, please refer to the Shark Disc Golf Club Facebook page.