Disc drivers

To achieve a unique home, the design is the couple’s own. They engaged Lloyd Sage Building Designers to bring the plans to life. When it came to a builder, without question it would be Kristie’s dad Paul Crawford. “Working in interior design and having moved so often, we had a very clear vision on what we wanted to achieve. Although we are on five acres, our building envelope wasn’t huge so we had to make sure we could position it correctly on the block,” says Kristie, who runs Simplism Interiors. “Dad is a fourth-generation builder and knows how to complete a high-quality custom build. He has built all of our homes.” High ceilings feature throughout, and give the “dream kitchen” a grand sense of scale and practicality with plenty of storage behind matt black cabinetry. Appliances are integrated, with the fridge “hiding” in a smart walk-in pantry that holds the “must-have splurge” instant hot-water tap. “No more kettle and hello instant hot water,” Kristie says. The splashback and large island bench, with a curve at one end (courtesy of the creative team at VGroup Bendigo), are finished in natural stone. “The kitchen, dining and living space is my favourite area. We have a view from every angle – into the pool, to the other side of the house, up the bush and out the back. With lots of natural light coming in from the large windows, it’s where we spend most of our time.” With the onset of warmer months, the next project is the garden. “We have grass out the back and are already sharing it with hundreds of kangaroos that settle in the paddock. We often wake up with them right near the alfresco,” says Kristie, excited about their future plans. “We will definitely be in this home until the kids are older. It has everything we could ever need and we are surrounded by beautiful bush scenery and lots of privacy. We could not be happier with the space and absolutely love it.”

An unusual sport has taken flight in Bendigo, offering a different spin on the age-old game of golf by combining the fun of Frisbee throwing with the challenge of navigating obstacles to make par.

By Raelee Tuckerman - Photography by AJ Taylor

To the layman, the nine steel structures strategically placed around Quarry Hill Golf Course could possibly be mistaken for possum traps. Or plant trainers. Or ball storage units. But no, these eyecatching devices are targets for players of disc golf – a pastime fast growing in popularity. As its name implies, the game has similar goals, rules and etiquette to traditional golf and is played on existing fairways and greens or on custom-built courses in public or private parks. Rather than using clubs to hit a ball into a hole, these golfers aim to hurl their weighted polypropene discs into the elevated chain-andbasket stands that catch them mid-air. Each disc golf ‘hole’ has a designated number of throws as its par score. Bendigo Disc Golf founder Jackson Adams remembers the first time he encountered the sport four years ago, driving past Barwon Valley Park in Geelong. “I saw some baskets and wondered what the heck they were,” he says, “so I went home and Googled, found disc golf on YouTube and thought it looked pretty cool. “My fiancée and I had a Frisbee at home that we used to throw for fun, so we thought we’d have a crack. It’s a sport where you can just grab a disc, walk around different courses and get right into it.” Jackson was quickly hooked and when he moved to Bendigo, was keen to establish a local venue. The result is the nine-basket, 18hole, par-62 disc golf course, which launched on the Quarry Hill site in January last year. “We are lucky in Bendigo because Quarry Hill is very hilly, and the uphill and downhill holes make it different to any other disc golf course in Victoria. You get some great views from the top of the course – you can see right across to the Cathedral and the Bendigo Hospital.

“We call Hole 5 ‘Top of the World’ because it’s so high and you throw the disc down a massive hill, which is a lot of fun. And on the 18th hole, you can try to throw it over the dam, which is a 75-metre clearance, otherwise you have to throw around it.” Disc golf spans all ages and abilities, from recreational through to professional leagues offering monetary prizes. At the top end, it can be extremely lucrative with American icon Paul McBeth recently signing a 10-year, $10 million sponsorship deal. “He’s the best in the world, but that’s a lot of dosh,” quips Jackson. Casual participants can use a single Frisbee to play, while serious athletes choose from a wide variety of discs, each designed to have different speed, glide, turn and fade properties, making them suitable for different distances, angles and throwing skills. “Similar to golf, our discs come in putters, mid-rangers, fairway drivers and distance drivers,” explains Jackson. “That can be hard for beginners to learn, so I get my mates started by throwing a putter and a mid-ranger and build up their skills from there. Keep it simple is the motto.” Throwing techniques involve backhand and forehand. “Backhand is easier for beginners because it’s the way we all learnt to throw a frisbee as kids,” says Jackson. “As a cricketer, I find the forehand action similar to throwing a cricket ball. But it all takes practice and time. We always say, don’t try and throw too hard – the smoother the throw, the further it goes.” The origins of disc golf are slightly unclear. Canadian schoolchildren reportedly played a version in 1926 – decades before Frisbees were invented – using tin lids. Other accounts of casual games date from the 1930s through to the 1960s, with several attempts at commercialising the idea or turning it into a formal organised activity. It wasn’t until 1970 that a small group of New Yorkers started playing disc golf regularly, including competitive leagues, and four years later held the inaugural American Flying Disc Open national tournament.

Australia’s first course opened in Hobart in the mid-1980s. There are now more than 70 nation-wide and 8000 internationally, with an estimated 20 million regular players. Jackson co-designed the Bendigo layout with Geelong-based expert Andrew Ferguson, whose company Recreation Activity Design has installed over 40 disc golf courses across Australia. It took about two years from their initial approach to the City of Greater Bendigo to get the course in the ground, which was ultimately achieved with the help of a council grant and funding from both the Rotary Club of Bendigo Strathdale and their supportive host, Quarry Hill Golf Club. While the pandemic has hindered attempts to establish itself and build its local following, Bendigo Disc Golf plans to run regular come-and-try days, a pro-am tournament and Friday Night Disc-o events – with coaching, a mini-round and barbecue – when restrictions and daylight allow. “Disc golf is a great sport to play with friends,” says Jackson. “My mates and I go every Wednesday night in non-COVID times to have a throw, chin wag and catch-up. “People can be as into it as they want; they can use one disc or several; they can play socially or seriously. There are courses everywhere and new ones are popping up all the time. Tournaments are held most weekends somewhere in Australia, and there are social days where groups of the not-so-serious can still compete. “As a physiotherapist, I know the importance of getting outside and moving and disc golf allows people to do that amongst nature. It gets them out and about and helps fulfil health guidelines of doing five 30-minute sessions, or 150 minutes a week, of moderate exercise.” Bendigo Disc Golf is based at the Quarry Hill Golf Club and costs $5 for a casual round, with discs available to hire or BYO. For details, visit facebook.com/bendigodiscgolf