New 9-hole disc-golf course at Bolduc Park named in memory of Chris Daigle

LACONIA/GILFORD — Bolduc Park unveiled its new Chris Daigle Disc Golf Course Tuesday morning in a ceremony attended by Laconia and Gilford officials and the parents of the former standout athlete at Laconia High School for whom the course is named.

Jeff and Lorraine Daigle said that their son, Chris, was an avid disc golf player who played practically every day in Florida and had expressed the hope that their would more disc golf courses developed in New Hampshire so he could play at them when he made his planned move back to his home state.

They said that at a family gathering held in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, just before his sister Lynn was to be deployed in Afghanistan, he insisted that the family find a disc golf course and play a game.

''It was the last time we were together as a family,'' his father, Jeff, recalled yesterday, saying that Chris' untimely death at the age of 34 about two years ago left its mark on the family.

''It's been a difficult couple of years for us.'' he said, recalling that Chris had been involved in sports all of his life.

An energetic child, Chris had played youth sports and became a standout tailback for the Laconia High School, where he was a member of the 1995 NHIAA Division III state championship team, and was also a catcher for Laconia High School and later in college at New Hampshire Technical Institute in Concord.

After his move to Florida he became involved in youth sports there as a baseball umpire and a football referee.

Daigle said that it was ''unbelievably healing for us'' to see the disc golf course and thanked Bob Bolduc, owner of Piche's Ski Shop who developed Bolduc Park, which straddles the Laconia-Gilford boundary, about 20 years ago as a non-profit public recreation area. The park has a nine-hole golf course as well as cross-country ski trails and now offers one of the few disc golf courses in the Lakes Region.

'Every organization takes on the personality of its leader. He was the driving force to get this done,'' said Daigle, praising the determination Bolduc showed in making the disc golf course a reality.

Bolduc said that Eric Petell of Meredith Village Savings Bank helped design the course and thanked sponsors who helped make the course possible.

Bolduc said that he is proud of the volunteers who help run Bolduc Park and noted that the new recreation opportunity was built at no cost to taxpayers.

Also attending the ceremony were Gilford Parks and Recreation Director Herb Greene, Gilford Town Administrator Scott Dunn and Laconia Mayor Ed Engler.

Engler congratulated the Daigle family for their efforts on behalf of the disc golf course and said that the course offers ''an amenity we have been lacking'' noting that in his travels through the Midwest he saw a disc golf course in virtually every community.

Bolduc Park will hold its first annual Chris Daigle Disc Golf Tournament this weekend as well as its 22nd annual Bolduc Park Golf Tournament. Play gets underway in both tournaments on Friday and winds up on Sunday with a 4 p.m. barbecue.

CAPTION:

The first annual Chris Daigle Disc Golf Tournament will be held at Bolduc Park on August 21-22-23. Shown at a ceremony unveiling the Disc Golf course are Herb Greene, Gilford Parks and Recreation Department director. Ed Engler, Laconia Mayor; Roberto Pabon of Meredith Village Savings Bank; Tom Messmore, vice president of Bolduc Park; Scott Dunn, Gilford Town Administrator; Eric Petell of Meredith Village Savings Bank; Lorraine Daigle; Jeff Daigle, Jeff Moses of Bolduc Park and Bob Bolduc of Piche's Ski Shop and founder of Bolduc Park. (Roger Amsden for The Laconia Daily Sun)