'We are making history here': Sask. First Nation hosting North America's first sanctioned disc golf tournament on Indigenous land

Gage McKay plays on his family's course on Peepeekisis Cree Nation. (Donovan Maess/CTV News)

Peepeekisis Cree Nation and Disc Golf Saskatchewan will make history at the 18th Annual Saskatchewan Open.

When golfers tee off Aug. 19th, Peepeekisis will become the first Indigenous community in North America to host a Professional Disc Golf Assoc. (PDGA) sanctioned event.

“It just makes me proud that people are willing to come out and play the course,” said Sasquatch Alley course operator Ian McKay.

McKay and his son Gage were introduced to the sport in 2018.

“My wife, my boys, my girls. We all play disc golf,” McKay said.

Their passion for disc golf quickly grew, prompting them to begin building a course in their home community.

“I was thinking it’s good for the community,” said McKay. “It gives the kids something else to do. They won’t have to travel far to go play.”

Sasquatch Alley started as just a nine hole course. The targets were just buckets screwed on top of fence posts.

Disc Golf Saskatchewan board members and tournament co-directors, Jeri-Ann Brownbridge and Arlen Nickel, found out about the course where the idea to bring the tournament to Peepeekisis was sparked.

“[The Mckays] had been talking for a long time about wanting to put a course in,” said Nickel.

“We really wanted to hold a tournament out here. So we made a big push to do it this year.”

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Each year, the Saskatchewan Open is hosted by different communities or courses across the province.

To make the course tournament-ready, nine new hole layouts were created and 18 brand-new baskets were installed.

“We are making history here,” Nickel said. “And I know for the McKays it’s a dream come true.”

Ian McKay plays on "Sasquatch Alley" the first disc golf course on Indigenous land in North America to host a PDGA sanctioned event. (Donovan Maess CTV News)

It’s also a dream come true for disc golfer Samantha Dustyhorn.

She will represent Kawakatoose First Nation in the tournament.

“I’m so excited to compete,” she said. “I’m driving to play my hardest and represent First Nations people as much as I can.”

The 18th Annual Saskatchewan Open, co-hosted with the City of Melville, runs Aug. 19th and 20th.

DISC GOLF AND RACE

At the end of 2021, the PDGA had nearly 10,000 active members.

On its website, it tracks demographics by age, gender and country. But not by race.

Disc golf is known to be predominately white but Mckay hopes events like this are stepping stones to growing the sport in the BIPOC community.

“We are all the same,” he said. “That’s why I built the course here.”

“People can come and see it’s just like going to any small town and playing their course,” McKay added.

(Donovan Maess/CTV News)

Dustyhorn was introduced to the sport in 2020 by her mother.

She compared her experience to the several other sports she’s played growing up.

“Disc golf was the most opening,” she believes. “The community was really great. I never had any stigma behind my last name.”

Dustyhorn hopes to see more Indigenous women and girls find a community within the sport.

“You can make it as competitive as you want or as casual as you want,” she described. “The best part is the laughter.”

For many golfers, it may be the first time they’ll visit a reserve or experience First Nation culture.

McKay was happy disc golf could be an avenue to bring people together and proud of Peepeekisis for making it happen.

“When I watch the people tee off, I may have to hold my emotions in,” he said. “It is a big thing to have this out here.”

NEXT STEPS

McKay’s goal was to hold the Saskatchewan Open within 10 years of opening his course. He did it in four.

Now he’s setting his sights on an even bigger event.

“We have the Indigenous Summer Games. In 10 years I want to see disc golf included,” said McKay.

In 2022, those games featured golf, archery, beach volleyball, track & field, canoe/kayak, soccer and softball.

(Donovan Maess/CTV News)

The PDGA does have disc golf-based school programs that bring the sport to physical education classes.

With the help from Chief and Council, McKay has already started a youth program on Peepeekisis. He wants to see neighbouring reserves and towns do the same.

“If we can get courses close to the schools, or on the reserves, why can’t the school play each other in tournaments?” McKays asks.

“Sports are very important for kids,” said Dustyhorn. “[Disc golf] is such a simple sport, too. You can put baskets almost anywhere you want and you can play.”

Disc Golf Saskatchewan also runs clinics and lessons throughout the summer.