Time for Outside Sports Again!

Outside sports have been saviors for many athletes during COVID. With all the snow almost gone, skiing season is now over, and athletes look to the golf course for their spring and summer past-time. Santa Barbara JUCO student Zach O’Hara is one of a few friends that play when he returns to Fredericton for the summers.

“It’s always nice to see the boys again and hit a few rounds,” said O’Hara, “It’s a love-hate relationship once we hit the course though.”

Last week, Carmen Creek Golf Course opened their driving range for the first time this spring. O’Hara and his buddies went to catch up with one another and to clean off the last six months of rustiness in their games. The nine-hole course is still closed as the flood greatly affects its condition; the guys will be forced to practicing at the range until flood levels lower. Luckily over the past few days grass has started to show and the water is lowering day by day.

Carmen Creek isn’t the typical location for O’Hara and his guys to play, they don’t own a membership to any spot and enjoy playing rounds at all locations near-by. Besides Carmen Creek, they play at these courses: Mactaquac, Riverbend, Kingswood, Oromocto, and Gilridge. No courses are currently open, and Carmen is the only one with their range available.

When the weather gets warmer, however, golf isn’t the only sport the guys get excited for. They also play a lot of frisbee golf and generally love tossing the disc around – game or not. Two summers ago, after they graduated high school is when the guys started getting an interest in frisbee, just going to a beach or a random field to throw it around. A friend of O’Hara’s called Xander LeBlanc has been into frisbee longer than the rest of the group, he’s been playing since middle school and also has ultimate frisbee experience.

“I love seeing all the guys gain more interest in something that I’ve loved for a while. Maybe I’ll be able to get them to join the ultimate league.”

O’Dell Park is where you’ll find the frisbee golf. The snow is completely gone and the grass is so close to dry. The park’s been packed the past few days as the wet grass hasn’t stopped the early birds from playing frisbee the first chance they got. The course is a nine-hole, with two of the holes in the woods. A few days ago, Leblanc and his two friends went to play a couple rounds for their first time this spring.

The most enjoyable weather of the year is among us, and there’s going to be plenty of time for the gang to play golf and throw discs all summer long. With COVID and everything going on, being able to see each other again is a big step for a lot of friend groups and it’s great that this one is always hanging together outside rather than in. As the guy’s transition from being full-time students to full-time workers, these hobbies will play a huge part in them actually enjoying their free-time and being happy outside of work. Cheers to a happy and fulfilled upcoming summer!