Matt Caron of Casco launches a shot while playing a round of disc golf at Dragan Field Disc Golf in Auburn recently. He’s one of the growing number of winter players of the sport. Playing in a blizzard one winter, Caron went two-under-par on one hole. He didn’t see it through the blowing snow, but heard his disc hit the chains. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

The smile won’t go away any time soon.

Matt Caron stepped up to the tee pad on the 11th hole and threw his disc.

Caron, of Casco, and his buddy Ethan Dumont, of Lewiston, were playing a round of disc golf recently at Dragan Field Disc Golf in Auburn.

Matt Caron of Casco was all smiles after throwing a hole-in-one on the 11th hole at Dragan Field Disc Golf in Auburn recently. “This smile is not going away for a while.” Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

The 11th hole was a par three, meaning a good player should lay the disc in the basket in three throws.

Caron hit the chains on his first toss.

“This smile is not going away for a while,” Caron said about his first ace in four years.

Caron and Dumont are regulars within disc golf circles. Even in the winter.

Golf venues such as Dragan Field and Sabattus Disc Golf have seen an increase in people playing throughout the winter.

“Before, it used to be a few hard-core people,” said Dragan owner Josh Connell. These days, Connell said, his parking lot is full each weekend.

“We definitely do get a lot of players in the winter,” he said.

“We have a lot more casual people playing during the winter months,” said Andrew Streeter from the pro shop at Sabattus Disc Golf. “It was not that long ago that you would only find tournament players out during the winter,” said Streeter. Not any more.

On a recent Sunday when the temps hit 46 degrees, Streeter said there were 50-plus people playing the two courses SDG leaves open during the winter.

“Disc golfers just can’t give it up for three or four months,” said Streeter.

“It’s become an addiction. But it’s a good addiction for sure,” said Isaac Salisbury of Manchester while playing disc golf at Devil’s Grove Disc Golf in Lewiston recently. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

On a different day recently, with the wind blowing and the mercury barely above 20 degrees, Isaac Salisbury of Manchester met a group of friends at Devil’s Grove Disc Golf in Lewiston for a round of golf.

“We play all year around. It’s hard to tell if there is a down time,” said Salisbury, better known as “Steaks” in the world of disc golf.

Everyone agrees that playing in the winter has some challenges, but they can be overcome. Conditions range from deep snow that swallows discs whole to ice that sends discs sliding 30 feet past the target.

“We have come up with everything to be able to keep playing in the winter even if there is two feet of snow,” said Salisbury.

Ethan Dumont of Lewiston keeps a score card while playing winter disc golf at Dragan Field in Auburn recently. “It’s just pure fun. I wish I had heard about it when I was a kid. I would have been playing my whole childhood,” Dumont said. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

For instance, disc golfers will duct tape three-foot lengths of ribbon to the bottom of their disc after a heavy snowstorm. The idea is that if the disc buries in under the snow, the ribbon will remain on top to indicate where the disc landed. “Powder days are the tough days,” said Streeter.

“I tell people not worry about their score in the winter. Just have fun,” Streeter said.

Caron and Dumont once played a round at Dragan during a blizzard. “It was white out. You could not see a thing,” said Dumont.

Throwing from the 10th hole tee pad, Caron’s first shot sailed left into the trees. Caron tossed his second shot and heard the chains rattle. “An eagle in a blizzard,” Caron said about throwing a two-under-par on the par-four hole. “I could not see the basket, but I heard the chains. I got up there and the disc was in the basket.”

Connell said COVID-19 is partly responsible for the increased playing time over the winter. “People are looking for things to do with a group of friends.”

“Since the pandemic, more people are wanting to play,” said Salisbury. “It’s easy to keep your distance. It’s outside. What else could you ask for?”

But Dumont believes disc golf’s fun factor is the reason more people are playing during the winter.

“It’s just pure fun. I wish I had heard about it when I was a kid. I would have been playing my whole childhood,” Dumont said.

Dumont picked up his first disc after he got out of the Marines 15 years ago. He and Caron have been playing ever since.

“Get out of work. Go play disc golf,” was the norm for Caron and Dumont until age starting creeping up on them.

“We used to play 18 holes and then play another round,” said Dumont. “Now, I’m older, approaching 40. The cold beats you up a bit more now.”

Sarah Vincent and her son, Gabe, of Auburn play a round of disc golf at Dragan Field in Auburn recently. Gabe plays every day, either on a local course or using baskets set up at his house. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

Gabe Vincent does not need to worry about age slowing him down. Vincent is only 12.

Vincent visits disc golf courses with his mom, Sarah, three times a week. But he plays more than that. Much more.

Devil’s Grove Disc Golf in Lewiston is one of several venues in the area that opens for winter play. Both Devil’s Grove and Dragan Field in Auburn use the “honor box” system during the winter to collect playing fees. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

“At home, he plays every single day. Rain, sleet, snow,” said Sarah Vincent, referring to the two baskets they set up in their Auburn yard.

Vincent caught the disc golf bug before COVID-19 struck, but he has played even more rounds of golf since then because the virus has kept him from playing team sports.

“Disc golf is a good alternative because you’re not near anyone,” said Vincent’s mother.

Disc golf venues reduce the number of courses they offer during the winter months. Sabattus Disc Golf closes its Eagle and Falcon courses, but leaves open its Hawk and Owl courses. Dragan Field owners lay out their course in a different pattern to avoid wear and tear once the snow melts. “We play through the mud,” Connell said about staying open during mud season.

Golf etiquette is equally important during the winter as it is during the warmer months, say those who play.

“We try to follow the footsteps of those playing in front of us,” said Caron. “Random footprints in the snow is a good place for discs to hide.” And those who do find a random disc under the snow should always turn it in to the pro shop, said Caron.

“Disc golf this winter has kept me going,” said Salisbury. “It’s been so much fun to do during this tough time. It’s become an addiction. But it’s a good addiction for sure.”

“We just love to play,” he added. “It’s one of the sports that you can play all year long.”

Ethan Dumont, left, of Lewiston and Matt Caron of Casco chat between holes while playing winter disc golf at Dragan Field in Auburn recently. “We used to play 18 holes and then play another round,” said Dumont. “Now, I’m older, approaching 40. The cold beats you up a bit more now.”  Daryn Slover/Sun Journal Buy this Photo