Photo and Story Contributions from Sam Cann #48589

The Marco Polo Program was conceived and approved by the PDGA Board of Directors in 2011, with an official start date of January 1, 2012. The goals of this program are to support the introduction of disc golf into new countries and to strengthen its development in other countries around the world. The program provides funding for innovative international projects that promote the growth of disc golf, and create links between PDGA, the countries involved, and the local disc golf communities.

Costa Rica provides the perfect location for adventure seeking activities such as rafting, zip lining, sport fishing, rappelling, and hiking. So prominent is Costa Rica as the place to visit for adventurers, that nearly half (46%) of all tourists in Costa Rica participate in some form of eco-tourism. Based on the strong emphasis on outdoor activity you would think that at this point disc golf would be firmly rooted as a more laid back alternative to the high adrenaline activities that the country is known for, but that has not been the case…until now.

Disc golf was not absent in Costa Rica. It's been around since 2009 when a local installed a nine-hole course in his backyard. Unfortunately, when he moved away, so did the course. Then came the short-lived object courses in Villa Paz and Pura Vida DGC in the Central Valley region. Fast forward to 2014, and disc golf is reborn in Costa Rica with the installation of the permanent 9 holes at The Permaculture Country Club (PCC) of Costa Rica at St. Michael’s Sustainable Community by Justin Dolan #72490.

Justin, originally from Atlanta, GA, moved to Costa Rica in 2010 with the vision of creating a self-sustaining community focused on working in and with nature. It was through a client, Don Bainbridge, that Justin first heard about disc golf nearly 4 years after moving to Costa Rica. Don, an avid disc golfer, brought a practice basket down to demonstrate the game and bought Justin his first discs for Christmas in 2013. From that moment on Justin was hooked.

Sam Cann #48589 first contacted Justin about coming to play the course at PCC in early January of 2015. Sam was intrigued by the idea of sustainable agriculture and an eco-village and he was excited about playing disc golf in a Spanish-speaking country. Having minored in Spanish in college and made previous trips to Peru, Puerto Rico, and Nicaragua, the course was a combination of his two interests: Hispanic culture and disc golf.

Through their discussions, it became clear that what Justin and the course at PCC needed was experience in course design to make improvements and help with the expansion of the course and the club. It was then that Sam applied for the Marco Polo grant from the PDGA, and also sought donations from various individuals and disc golf manufacturers to help jump start disc golf in Costa Rica.

Sam traveled to Costa Rica in early February and instantly began working on course improvements. With the help of the locals and staff at PCC, the course got a much-needed makeover; they installed new tee signs that Sam had brought down from the States, performed additional clearing of the rainforest to widen fairways, made hole redesigns where needed, added benches and stairs for beautification and even made “next tee” signs to improve course navigation. The last step of the process was to design the additional 9 holes, for which they now have a layout and a plan to install in the very near future.

Sam has since returned to the US, but the newly formed Costa Rica Disc Golf Association has big plans on the horizon. Other than completing the installation of the back 9 holes at PCC, they have some ideas on how to bring disc golf to the locals. There are plans and allotted space for an additional 18-36 holes at PCC, which would surely make it a disc golf vacation destination. CRDGA has already laid the foundation; they printed and distributed Spanish pamphlets provided by the PDGA explaining disc golf and will continue to use those as a resource to promote disc golf education. They have also begun inviting schools and churches to bring groups out to PCC to learn more about disc golf and experience the course.

In a country filled with plenty of outdoor activities, Costa Rica can now feel secure in the continued growth of disc golf. As eco-tourism in Costa Rica continues to experience an incredible spike, a club such as the Costa Rican DG Association can only strengthen the relationship between the locals and their visitors. Next time you find yourself down in beautiful Central America, be sure to stop into the Permaculture Country Club of Costa Rica at St. Michael's Sustainable Community and say hello to Justin. He may even be able to take a break for a round of disc golf in paradise.

For more information, stop by the PDGA Marco Polo page for a full report of the Costa Rica project.