East End Putting League brings disc golf indoors for fun times on Coxwell Avenue

By MARCIA DUBSKY

East Toronto resident and local contractor Jack Coney has been playing disc golf for three years, and is spreading his love for the sport across the community.

Coney has created the East End Putting League (EEPL) in the hope of bringing the sport to an even wider audience. What makes the EPL especially interesting is they play indoors during the winter at a local Royal Canadian Legion Branch.

 “I started this putting league because when I started playing, I fell in love with the sport,” said Coney.

He asked people in the community where they would play in the winter when weather conditions made it impossible to be throwing the discs outdoors, and he was told that no one had a place to go.

Which gave him the idea to rent hall space at Legion Branch 1/42 Baron Byng Beaches, 243 Coxwell Ave, so players could practice their shorter shots (putting) indoors.

“It’s very fulfilling to play disc golf. It takes a while to learn the sport, but it’s a lot of fun. You meet different people, you can play with big courses and small courses, but it’s all about fun,” said Coney.

Having fun is one of the main objectives of the EEPL when they meet on Monday nights at 6:30 p.m. at Branch 1/142.

There are six basket putting stations (baskets for the discs to land in) set up in the Legion hall for the players, including one up on the stage so participants can work on their “uphill” shots.

The baskets need to be placed in different locations, said Coney. Some of them have obstacles, and some of them don’t. One of the holes is always ‘uphill’, and the players putt up onto the stage and then putt down off the stage towards another basket.

The evening is competitive for some of the players as scores can be kept for EEPL play.

“In the competition alone, you throw 120 pots at everything, and then you get the practice. The difference between indoor and outdoor is there’s no real tree and no real grass and wind,” said Coney.

Along with the shorter distances for the throws or putts of the discs, there are other differences between the indoor and outdoor versions of the sport. For instance, the type of disc used indoors is different from the outdoor discs that are used for much longer shots.

“Outside you use ‘drivers’ and drivers are shaped differently,” explained Coney. “They’re a little sharper on the edges, and they are the ones that can really hurt somebody, and we don’t throw them in here.”

Along with disc golf, the EEPL Monday nights also features a cash bar, prizes and payouts.

When he first started the indoor league, Coney said he didn’t expect that it would get big in the beginning nor that it would have people helping. But he now has four sponsors including a donation of baskets and brand new discs for participants to use.

Admission is $12 to help cover the cost of the hall rental, and everyone is welcome to attend – but must be over age 19 since there is a full service cash bar operated by the Legion.

“Everybody comes and pays, we take $2 out of that, and put it towards baskets,” said Coney. “We have a lot of sponsors who have donated discs to us and other things for prizes. We give away prizes, and we have raffles.”

He said he is planning on having tournaments on Saturday nights through the winter as well.  “It will be a little bit more structured for a tournament. Hopefully that’ll make it grow.”

Everyone in the disc golf community is friendly and Coney invites people with open arms to come out and play. “I’m trying to grow the sport in a way that is inclusive for everybody,” he said.

For more information on the EEPL, please visit on Facebook or Instagram @EEPL.

Interested players can also contact Coney by email at jackconey@rogers.com or by calling 416-278-5328 for more information.

A player tosses a disc towards the basket during East End Putting League play on a recent Monday night at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 1/42 on Coxwell Avenue. Photo by Marcia Dubsky.