It may still be winter and there may still be a pandemic, but Guilford’s ever-popular disc golf course is hoping to host some more friendly competition and outdoor excitement with a five-week virtual tournament running from now until the end of February.

Residents who pay $10 to sign up for the event will be able to put their best scores up against the rest of the community, with five weekly chances to play their best 18 holes starting Monday, Jan. 25, and an overall champion crowned at the end of the tournament.

Parks & Recreation Director Rick Maynard has emphasized that disc golf is one of the safest outdoor activities during the pandemic, with players spread across more than two miles of course and moving as groups of four or fewer. With this format, people can play whenever they want, ensuring there is no crowding, though Maynard said the format is really about letting people learn and enjoy the sport at their leisure.

“People are playing there every day anyway, and [for the tournament] they can just play whenever they want,” he said.

Participants can simply call the Community Center with their scores, and the overall winner will receive a prize, an unspecified “swag bag,” according to Maynard, that will include items and apparel related to disc golf.

The town will also post weekly leaderboards, allowing residents to see how their skills compare to neighbors and the broader disc golf community.

Last fall, the course hosted a tournament that is intended to be an annual fundraiser for Meals on Wheels, raising around $3,000. Money from this winter event will fund improvements to the course itself, according to Maynard, as he and the town look for ways to expand and improve the course, which has grown steadily in popularity since opening in summer 2019.

Extending the length of the holes and possibly adding new baskets are both on the list of improvements, Maynard said. Raising money through events like this is currently preferred to going back and asking local businesses for sponsorship, he added, as current economic hardships are still weighing heavily on business owners.

The sport of disc golf, which functions similar to golf as players try to land a Frisbee-like disk in a basket in as few throws as possible, has grown in popularity across the state with Norwich and East Haddam both building courses in recent years. Maynard said Guilford’s course, located at Bittner Park, now has its own informal league, which is not affiliated with the town.

Maynard said the town doesn’t have huge ambitions to bring in huge numbers of people for the virtual tournament, but knowing people are taking advantage of the unique recreational offering of the course is a good opportunity to get even more people involved.

“People are going and playing anyway, and it’s free, so why not contribute 10 bucks to the cause?” Maynard asked.