Searching for the ET Seton disc golf course

Still no targets

Added 2011-05-06, Updated 2011-05-20

Update 2011-05-20

Yet another Friday evening, another trip to ET Seton park, this time on my own.

Graffiti, likely by the same culprit who gave us "Keep ya loot — give me some truth" (see The ET Seton disc golf course). Too bad about the spelling error.

This plaque explains the diversion which re-routed a section of the West Don River to correct the effects of erosion on the west wall of the valley. (To read the text of the plaque, see the larger image.) You can see the new hill of fill in the background.

Tucked in a far corner of the park below the Ontario Science Centre is this secluded spot with picnic tables for a convenient pit stop during a frisbee golf round.

Here's a lovely location, complete with bench, that could serve as the elevated tee for at least two different holes. When we finally discover where the new disc golf course is to be, I hope this spot will be part of it.

Here's another nice spot for an elevated tee, looking northwest. Sign in foreground says "Have a nice day."

I am reminded that the park is very popular when I spot this gentleman taking pictures of the river despite the slight drizzle. Unlike the frisbee golf course on the Beach, there are no lights in this park. We will therefore need to complete our frisbee golf rounds while there's still daylight, but that's when most other people will be out and about.

Update 2011-05-13

Another Friday evening, another trip to ET Seton park. Aubrey and I met to search for the frisbee golf course, but once again there were no targets or even markings for targets. So we played a while just shooting at random targets.

Here's my frisbee stuck up a tree beside an abandoned wasp's nest that I tried to knock down.

Luckily, Aubrey was able to dislodge my frisbee with his.

ET Seton park offers some stunning scenery. Here's a CP freight train crossing the valley of the West Don River on a high trestle built in the late 1800's.

Original story 2011-05-06

On a cool, rainy Friday evening, I decided to take another look for signs of progress on the construction of the new disc golf course in ET Seton Park.

Coming in to the park from the south entrance, down the access road from Thorncliffe Park Drive, there are two bridges over the West Don river, just a few yards upstream from its confluence with the combined Taylor Creek and East Don River, an area known as the Forks of the Don. A previous wooden bridge on this road once led to the Taylor middle mill, located where ET Seton park begins, and the rail bridge on the right dates back to the mid-1800's, on the main CN line out of Toronto, still used by GO trains today.

To say there were very few markings would be an exaggeration. I could only find this one. But it's a lovely location for a target, on a little hill, amongst some trees.

There are some lovely, secluded spots along the river which I'm sure we will take advantage of once we start playing frisbee golf in this park. Some of these spots seem to have been neglected, and in the interest of making the park more enjoyable for all, my friends and I will volunteer to take stewardship of this spot and keep it cleaned up, regardless of whether the Parks Department gets around to it, and regardless of who messed it up.

Could this be a marking for a tee pad? For a target? No, there are a number of these flags, but they mark the Trans Northern high pressure oil pipeline right of way. Apparently there are a number of such rights of way which cannot have anything built over them. I've actually seen more markings where the tee pads and targets won't be than where they will.

Two bridges towards the north end of the park, looking back south. The big concrete bridge is over a stagnant lagoon, or ox-bow, where the river changed course, and the new bridge is over the new section.

On the way home, I decided to take to the western side of the river. There are footpaths all over the hillside here. And of course I remembered Yogi Berra's advice, so when I came to this fork in the road, I took it.

Climbing out of the valley onto the table land of Leaside, I can see the intersection of Leslie and Eglinton through the trees. The Inn on the Park used to be right over there, where the yuppie car dealership is.

Did you know that there's a section of Leslie Street south of Eglinton? It's right here, between Vanderhoof and Wicksteed. And whaddya know, I can take the 88 bus right to my door!

P.S. Here once again is the link to Project Disc Golf. Nothing of significance has been posted recently, but there is some interesting background on the events leading up to the development of the ET Seton disc golf course.