So…what do you say we disc around for a while? [wink]
Northwest Pennsylvania has become a much friendlier place for a fling in recent years, as the number of disc golf courses has roughly doubled. One of the newest courses is at Fairview Township’s Pleasant Ridge Park, the site of this weekend’s first annual Ice Chains Open. Sponsored by the Lake Erie Disc Golf Club in association with the Erie Sports Commission, the tournament will feature beginner, intermediate, and advanced divisions, with players trying to float specialized throwing discs into chain baskets in the fewest attempts possible.
As in standard golf, a full round is 18 holes; and like golf clubs, discs are categorized as drivers, mid-range, or putters – with subtle variations in weight, thickness, and aerodynamics for specific approach scenarios and situations. With a significantly lower barrier to entry than standard golf (a decent set of discs can be had for less than $100 and most courses are free to play), disc golf has garnered much popularity among younger adults in particular.
Mastery of the sport, however, still requires a serious investment of time, as the best players will have an innate feel for each disc in their repertoire and the mechanics to maximize each throw. That means the sport is contested year-round, sometimes even in the depths of winter. Ice Chains Open participants can expect cold but not frigid conditions for Saturday’s tee time, with a chance of snow showers in the morning. Players are encouraged to dress in layers and wear waterproof or water-resistant footwear, as significant snowmelt is expected midweek before the tournament.
Registration is $25 per player and includes lunch courtesy of Smith’s Provisions. Those who bring five non-perishable food items with them will receive two mulligans for the day, one for each round. Trophies will be awarded to the top three finishers in each division. Online registration closes on Feb. 17 at 8 p.m., but last-second registrants will be accepted in-person on the day of the event.
As long as you’ve gotten a grip on your plans by 8 a.m. Saturday morning, you should be cleared to take flight.
8 a.m. (check-in), 9 a.m. (competition starts) // Pleasant Ridge Disc Golf Park, 8271 Barker Rd., Fairview, PA 16415 // For more information, and to register, visit fairviewtownship.com/ice-chains-open-disc–golf–tournament.
Derby parks were feeling the love last week, as the parks department and PROS Consulting held a kickoff event Feb. 15 (at Derby’s Madison Avenue Central Park) to launch the community engagement portion in forming the new Parks Master Plan.
The crowd on hand was not shy in giving input, either, which is exactly what PROS representatives said they are looking for throughout the planning process.
PROS assisted Derby with its previous master plan and President Leon Younger commended the community’s reputation as a “can-do city.” Considering that, Younger said his company is looking forward to engaging the community once again to form a plan that will be embraced in Derby.
“We have a great team of people that are here to help you really kind of create the vision for the next 10 or 15 years, whatever it ends up being,” Younger said. “We’re all here to do our best job for you.”
“Essentially what we’re doing is building a level of service and financial preparedness around being able to not just have a great plan, but to be able to implement a great plan – something that is dynamic,” said PROS Principal Brian Trusty.
At the onset, both Younger and Trusty noted there will be plenty of opportunities for community engagement. The kickoff event was the start of a nine-month process, Trusty noted, with PROS looking to gain insight for the master plan through public forums, stakeholder interviews, focus groups, a community survey and more.
That goal for PROS is to understand exactly what the Derby community is looking for in the parks system.
Among the frontrunners for parks features at the kickoff event were pickleball courts and baseball/softball fields, along with some other favorites.
KELLY BRECKUNITCH/INFORMER
“Obviously this is your park system, so this is your plan,” Trusty said. “The input that we receive from you is really the heart of this process, so there’s a number of ways through which we are trying to make sure that we collect input and engagement from the community throughout the process.”
“This is the very beginning of this entire process and so we really want to try and engage people at every possible moment in time,” said Director of Parks Steve White.
City staff have noted one of their goals is to reinvest in neighborhood parks. Some of the crowd on hand agreed, while also suggesting a number of other additions to PROS Consulting at the kickoff event. Among the features suggested were a BMX track, additional disc golf course, more connected trails (with the advent of e-bikes), easily accessible parks, year-round restroom facilities, etc. – wanting Derby to stay on the “cutting edge.”
PROS also had a number of its own ideas for attendees to vote on regarding new design ideas for the Derby parks. The top vote-getters at the kickoff event were (in no particular order) pickleball courts, softball/baseball fields, trails and a natural water feature. Attendees could also vote on features they did not want, with hammocks, way finding and interactive panels among the least popular.
More opportunity for input remains, as Trusty noted PROS and parks staff will not start review for the final master plan until September. Along with more public events, Derby residents also have the opportunity to provide input at derbyparksplan.com and see updates throughout the Parks Master Plan process.
A natural water feature (like the one shown) was another design idea members of the public noted they would like to see added to the parks system.
COURTESY/PROS CONSULTING
Kelly Breckunitch is the managing editor for the Derby Informer. Contact him at [email protected] for questions and news tips.
February 11, 2022 by Charlie Eisenhood in Preview with comments
With sunny skies and highs near 80 degrees, Tucson, Arizona, will serve as an inviting host for the return of professional disc golf for a new season.
The Disc Golf Pro Tour All-Star Weekend kicks off today at the El Conquistador resort on a new temporary course on the Pusch Ridge golf course, co-designed by Pete Ulibarri and Jeremy Herr, the latter of whom was the TD for the Arizona State Championships that were held at the same property in 2021.
On Thursday night, the four team captains — Eagle McMahon, Calvin Heimburg, Paige Pierce, and Catrina Allen — each selected their teams via a snake draft, selecting players in each slot for the three different skills categories: distance, accuracy, and putting. The surprise addition of “wildcards” — an extra pair of players in both MPO and FPO — added some additional intrigue.
“We kind of thought, wouldn’t this be fun to add in a couple wildcards to spice up the event?” said DGPT CEO Jeff Spring during yesterday’s press conference. “We’re having fun with this exhibition, the new Ryder Cup style team format.”
Let’s break it all down.
The Teams
The team captains selected teams in a snake draft, with the highest seeded player selecting first. Here are the teams and the draft order:
Team McMahon
Team Heimburg
Team Pierce
Team Catrina
Eagle McMahon (C)
Calvin Heimburg (C)
Paige Pierce (C)
Catrina Allen (C)
Chris Dickerson (1)
Adam Hammes (2)
Missy Gannon (1)
Sarah Hokom (2)
Kevin Jones (4)
Kyle Klein (3)
Hailey King (4)
Holly Finley* (3)
Drew Gibson (5)
James Conrad (6)
Kona Panis (5)
Jessica Weese (6)
Garrett Gurthie* (8)
Matt Orum (7)
Ohn Scoggins (8)
Lisa Fajkus (7)
Gannon Buhr (9)
Ezra Aderhold (10)
Heather Young (9)
Deann Carey (10)
Nikko Locastro (12)
Paul Ulibarri* (11)
Madison Walker* (12)
Rebecca Cox (11)
Note that each team was required to have one wildcard player.
On Twitter, 63% of respondents said that Team McMahon will win over Team Heimburg; 92% of respondents picked Team Pierce over Team Allen.
The MPO and FPO teams compete separately, with a cash prize going to each player on the winning teams.
Here’s the full video of last night’s draft:
Draft Video
The Basic All-Star Weekend Format
The All-Star Weekend is a three-day event, featuring a Friday skills competition, Saturday head-to-head doubles stroke play, and Sunday head-to-head singles stroke play. The MPO and FPO teams compete separately.
The teams are seeking to score points by winning each element of the head-to-head competition. There are a total of 13 points available.
On Friday starting at 3 PM Eastern, the skills competition features three different categories: distance, accuracy, and putting.
Distance [1 pt]: Throw as far as you can without going out of bounds. The four players involved will get multiple attempts to throw their furthest shot. Each player’s longest shot in feet becomes their score. The scores for each pairing are added together; the highest combined score wins the point.
Accuracy [1 pt]: Get it as close to the basket as possible to earn the most points. There will be several mandatories, requiring left-to-right, right-to-left, keep it over, and keep it under shots. The target area offers decreasing points from ace to bullseye to Circle 1 to Circle 2. The team that scores the most points wins the accuracy contest.
Here are the accuracy matchups:
Kevin Jones/Nikko Locastro (Team McMahon) v. Kyle Klein/Matt Orum (Team Heimburg)
Hailey King/Madison Walker (Team Pierce) v. Sarah Hokom/Rebecca Cox (Team Allen)
Putting [1 pt]: Make putts in Circle 1 and Circle 2, both open and obstructed. Players will putt on an elevated basket at 20 feet, 25 feet, 25 feet obstructed, circle’s edge (33 feet), circle’s edge obstructed, 45 feet, and edge of C2 (66 feet). The best combined putting performance wins the putting contest.
Here are the putting matchups:
Eagle McMahon/Chris Dickerson/Gannon Buhr (Team McMahon) v. Adam Hammes/James Conrad/Paul Ulibarri (Team Heimburg)
Missy Gannon/Ohn Scoggins/Heather Young (Team Pierce) v. Holly Finley/Lisa Fajkus/Deann Carey (Team Allen)
On Saturday, players will compete in head-to-head best shot stroke play doubles. The doubles teams have not yet been announced by the captains. The combined seeds of each pairing will determine the seeding order for the competition. The wildcard players (Gurthie, Ulibarri, Walker, and Finley) will not compete in doubles. There are 3 points available in doubles, 1 point for each matchup.
On Sunday, players will compete in head-to-head stroke play singles. The matchups are determined by the initial seeds coming into the event (not the draft order). 7 points are available, one point in each matchup.
Here are the MPO singles matchups (Team McMahon v. Team Heimburg):
Eagle McMahon v. Calvin Heimburg
Kevin Jones v. Adam Hammes
Nikko Locastro v. Kyle Klein
Chris Dickerson v. James Conrad
Drew Gibson v. Ezra Aderhold
Gannon Buhr v. Matt Orum
Garrett Gurthie v. Paul Ulibarri
Here are the FPO singles matchups (Team Pierce v. Team Allen):
Paige Pierce v. Catrina Allen
Missy Gannon v. Sarah Hokom
Hailey King v. Jessica Weese
Kona Panis v. Lisa Fajkus
Heather Young v. Deann Carey
Ohn Scoggins v. Rebecca Cox
Madison Walker v. Holly Finley
The Course
The 18-hole temporary course is a brand new design, built atop the Pusch Ridge 9-hole golf course on the El Conquistador resort by Pete Ulibarri and Jeremy Herr. The MPO layout is a 8,601 foot par 57; the FPO layout is a 7,867 foot par 60. MPO will play 15 par 3s and 3 par 4s. FPO will play 15 par 3s and 3 par 5s.
“About half the course is going to be great for exhibitions — ace runs, gotta get that birdie — and the other half will be extra challenging,” said Spring.
As it is a golf course layout in Arizona, there will be a large number of open shots, though the trees along the edge of the golf fairways come into play on some holes. Every hole features out-of-bounds areas, and water hazards come into play on two holes.
Here is the full caddie book.
Schedule & How to Watch
Live coverage of the 2022 DGPT All-Star Weekend will be available on Disc Golf Network with some action airing on the DGPT YouTube channel.
Friday’s skills competition and Saturday’s doubles play will be exclusively available on Disc Golf Network for subscribers, with FPO action beginning at 3 PM Eastern on Friday and 10 AM Eastern on Saturday. MPO action starts at 6 PM ET on Friday and 2:30 PM ET on Saturday.
Sunday’s singles play to conclude the event will air both on DGN and YouTube at 10 AM (FPO) and 2:30 PM (MPO).
Here’s our full post on how to watch.
Storylines
Even though this is purely an exhibition event, it still marks the unofficial start of the 2022 professional disc golf season. It is the first chance to see players competing live since last October at the DGPT Championship.
There are some key players missing this weekend. Paul McBeth, Ricky Wysocki, and Kristin Tattar all turned down invites. McBeth is starting his season in March, Wysocki is working on dialing in his new Dynamic Discs plastic, and Tattar found out too late to rearrange travel from Estonia.
But the players in attendance are still a who’s who of the sport’s best.
New Plastic
Lots of players will be revealing new bags this weekend. In MPO, Chris Dickerson (Prodigy→Discraft), Matt Orum (Prodigy→Westside), and Nikko Locastro (Westside→Gateway/Clash Discs) will be throwing new discs. In FPO, Catrina Allen (Prodigy→DGA), Hailey King (Discraft→Innova), Kona Panis (Innova→Dynamic Discs), and Madison Walker (Aria→MVP) are making a switch.
How dialed in will the players look after a chaotic offseason in the sponsorship department? There will be plenty of chances to evaluate their feel for their new plastic with skills challenges putting them to the test right out of the gate.
A Season-Long Springboard?
Last year, Kona Panis’ win at the All-Star Weekend foreshadowed her success later in the year. She had her best season as a pro, won her first Elite Series event at the Waco Annual Charity Open, and ultimately signed a huge contract with Dynamic Discs as a reward.
Although this year’s event won’t have an individual winner, strong play this weekend could suggest a potential breakout in competitive rounds later in the year. Can the precocious Gannon Buhr keep raising his star coming off of a DGPT Championship semifinals appearance? Could fuller touring schedules for Dickerson and Orum translate into more success? Could Hailey King’s move to Innova drive her to new highs?
It’s an Exhibition, Have Fun with it
Sure, there’s a little bit of money on the line, and these players are all naturally highly competitive, but this is a fun event that players likely won’t take too, too seriously. And that’s just fine. A little banter back and forth will be refreshing compared to the often subdued interactions during competitive play.
The skills competitions should be a lot of fun. This year’s format also removes the weirdness of last year’s doubles play combining with singles play, which put some players essentially out of the running on Sunday. The team format will create a more friendly vibe, and every day will have drama. Even if a team sweeps all the points in skills and doubles, it’s still possible for the trailing team to win if they sweep the singles competition.
And the trash talk is already starting. Calvin called out Eagle during the draft for slotting Chris Dickerson into putting after Dickerson won the Skillshot Challenge, an accuracy contest at last year’s World Championships. And Paige Pierce predicted on her Instagram story that her team is going to sweep. Mic the players!
WALESKA, GA – Reinhardt University has opened its newly expanded 18-hole disc golf course on Feb. 12.
The original nine-hole course opened on campus in fall 2014. Since then, the popularity of disc golf among Reinhardt students and the public has grown exponentially.
Reinhardt senior, Austin Daman, president and captain of the Reinhardt Disc Golf Club Team, attributes much of the growth to the pandemic.
“When COVID-19 started, people were afraid to go into buildings, but they weren’t afraid to go outside,” Daman said. “Disc golf grew in popularity because people could easily distance from others, no one shares equipment, and the sport is healthy, outdoor exercise.”
Increased growth and popularity have disc golfers searching for courses, and Reinhardt boasts a prime location.
“It’s in the middle of a disc golf ‘dead zone,'” Daman said. “Only one other course exists in Cherokee County – Sequoyah Park in Canton. Now, Reinhardt is on the map for disc golfers in Blue Ridge, Jasper, Ellijay, and Canton.”
Last spring, Daman, who has been playing disc golf for more than three years, approached Reinhardt’s Dean of Students, Walter May, about launching a disc golf club team and expanding from nine holes to a full 18-hole course.
“We had increasing interest in disc golf on our campus, and thought it necessary to re-envision and expand the course from the original nine-holes to a tournament-ready 18-hole course,” Daman said. “Upgrades now make the course both challenging enough and large enough to be competitive and attract more advanced players.”
Mark Sheldon, owner of TrainHopper Disc Golf, led the course redesign. An avid disc golfer, Sheldon started his organization to create disc golf tournaments in the metro Atlanta area. Reinhardt’s course was his first design project. A resident of Cherokee County, Sheldon played the original course and formulated new ideas. He describes the new course as an “intermediate level course that highlights the natural beauty of the campus, designed to blend into the campus scenery.”
The February tournament will be the second event hosted at Reinhardt.
“Last summer we had a tournament called Fairways and Fireworks – a fundraiser to help the disc golf team and support course expansion,” Daman said. “We had a full tournament with 18 holes, and considerable attendance and participation – a great display of support that helped raise funds to move us forward.”
North Georgia disc golfers have been eagerly watching the progression of Reinhardt’s new course.
“The tournament sold out within four hours of opening registration in January,” May said.
Amateurs and professionals will compete in the tournament.
Reinhardt’s course is also included on the UDisc app, used by disc golfers worldwide, to find courses and track their scores. During January, more than 100 disc golfers logged their scores on the Reinhardt course, nearly three times more than in all of 2021.
The Reinhardt disc golf course is open daily to the public. For information on Reinhardt’s disc golf course, complete with a downloadable course map, disc golf rules and safety information, visit online.
The foundation’s First Putt initiative hopes to reach 100 schools in year one.
February 17, 2022 by Charlie Eisenhood in News with comments
Ricky Wysocki at the 2021 DDO. Photo: Brittany Dickerson/DGPT
Ricky Wysocki has launched a new charitable organization, the Sockibomb Foundation, that will seek to help disc golf reach the mainstream.
The foundation, which was promised when Wysocki announced his new multi-million dollar sponsorship deal with Dynamic Discs, will initially focus on getting disc golf into more schools through its First Putt initiative. Schools can be nominated or apply directly for First Putt for the opportunity to get 100 putters and a portable basket into the physical education department free of charge.
Las Vegas’s Wynn Elementary School will be receiving the first package from the First Putt initiative in advance of the Las Vegas Challenge next week.
“We’re planning on doing 100 schools in the first year,” said Wysocki. “…I just want to reach a younger generation, give them the opportunity, give them exposure to disc golf. A lot of them may love it. So I think this is going to be good for the sport, growing it from the grassroots level.”
The organization will seek to fundraise through direct donations and sponsorships. Wysocki himself will be putting money into the organization: $25 for every birdie, $100 for every eagle, and $1000 for every ace he cards in the 2022 season. He will also donate $1000 for any other aces at tournaments he competes in. Last year, he shot 426 birdies, 15 eagles, and 0 aces, which would have yielded $12,150 in donations (not counting the additional aces from other players).
The foundation, incorporated in Ohio and applying for 501(c)(3) non-profit status, has already established a Board of Directors comprised of Pete Cashen, John “JT” Thompson, Andrew Young, Lily Jurado, and Doug Bjerkaas. Ari Hyer, Wysocki’s tour manager, is serving as Executive Director. The foundation has already announced pledged support from Dynamic Discs, Latitude 64, Westside Discs, Sunstein LLP, LWS Tax & Accounting, Gatekeeper Media, and Shaffer Sports Management.
Wysocki is following in the footsteps of Paul McBeth, who last year started the Paul McBeth Foundation, which focuses on installing disc golf courses in underserved parts of the world.
The Sockibomb Foundation website will launch on February 25th. Questions about the foundation can be directed to [email protected].
We’re no strangers to winter weather in Syracuse, and no amount of cold and snow can keep us from enjoying our city this time of year. There are plenty of indoor and outdoor winter activities to brighten your day, and here are some of the best.
Go Ice Skating at Clinton Square or Sunnycrest Ice Rink
Clinton Square is located in the heart of downtown Syracuse, where the waters of the historic Erie Canal once flowed. From the last week of November until mid-March, the trickling fountain in the square is replaced by a picturesque ice rink framed by quintessential Syracuse architecture. Adults can skate for only $5, while children and seniors can for just $3. The rink is open everyday of the week, starting at 11am on Sunday through Friday and 10am on Saturdays. Skate rentals are also available for $5.
Another option for ice skating in the city is Sunnycrest Ice Rink, an enclosed rink located on the Eastside. Open through March 31, the rink offers weekly specials, including Wednesday free skate, a lunch special, Skate & Shoot Wednesdays, and Senior Skate.
Plan your next skating excursion here!
Try the Food at Salt City Market
Opening its doors January 2021, Salt City Market is Downtown Syracuse’s exciting new culinary and communal destination. Providing international cuisine and a sense of civic pride in one place, the food court is truly unique. Talented cooks from the diverse Syracuse community have come together under one roof to offer up cuisines from Burma, Iraq, Jamaica, Vietnam, and more. Visiting the food court feels like a thrilling trip around the world – without ever having to leave Syracuse.
The market also offers cooking classes, demos, and a food-history series, along with other events for wellness, entertainment, crafting, and gaming are also offered at the market. Make sure to check out all the upcoming events!
Salt City Market is located at the southern end of Downtown Syracuse, where the multicultural neighborhoods of Southside and Westside meet. Open every day of the week, the market offers information on hours of operation and ways to get there on their site.
See the Indoor and Snow-Loving Species at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo
The summer might seem like the best time to visit the zoo, but the winter is just as great! This time of year, the zoo offers half-price admission for “Snow Leopard Days” through February 28, where guests can catch glimpses of all the snow-loving animals like red pandas, elephants, wolves, and penguins frollicking in the outdoor exhibits. A large number of exhibits are also located indoors, where you don’t have to worry about the cold. Plan your visit to the zoo here!
Enjoy Winter Sports at a City Park
Syracuse is home to many hills and parks, which bodes well for winter recreation! Head to one of the City’s parks for sledding, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. All activities are offered weather permitting, so check out the Syracuse Rec Desk or Parks & Rec Facebook page to plan your winter recreation day.
Even when the winter weather isn’t cooperating, other free recreation activities, including cornhole, disc golf, and indoor yoga, are offered at the City’s winter lodges. The lodges at Burnet and Sunnycrest Parks are open for winter activities on Saturdays and Sundays, and on weekdays during December and February school breaks between 10am and 4pm. Both ski lodges have bathrooms and provide a comfortable space to warm up!
Syracuse Orange Basketball & Syracuse Crunch Games
In this town, winter time means it’s college basketball time. There is arguably no bigger force of Syracuse pride than congregating in the Dome to cheer on the Orange. Wintertime events like Manny Breland Day make attending SU basketball games even more special for Syracusans.
And those looking to watch some fun winter sporting indoors can get their fix by attending a Syracuse Crunch hockey game downtown at the OnCenter!
Spend the Day at a Museum
Looking to get out of the house but stay indoors? Syracuse has plenty of museums to enjoy when the winter weather is less than ideal. The Erie Canal Museum is a wonderful option that offers an immersive look back at the history of Syracuse and the Erie Canal. The museum is housed in the historic 1850 Weighlock building, where canal boats were once weighed for tolls. The only remaining structure of its kind in the world, the building itself is a treasured artifact that houses . Don’t forget to check out the murals, statutes, and Locktender’s Garden outside before escaping from the cold. Visit the museum’s site to check out the special exhibits and hours of operation.
The Museum of Science and Technology (MOST) in the heart of Armory Square is another year-round family destination. And it’s not just for kids! With numerous exhibits, the IMAX theater, and the planetarium, it’s easy to spend several hours at the MOST. Loads of interactive displays let you have fun and learn at the same time.
The Everson Museum of Art offers exciting social activities for both families (like the free Winterfest on Sunday, February 20) and adults, so make sure to check the museum’s events page. And of course, don’t forget to check out the museum’s permanent and rotating fine art exhibitions.
Check all websites for current operating hours before you plan your day.
If you’re looking for more winter fun in Syracuse, check out Visit Syracuse! You can also keep up with the latest Syracuse content on Instagram by following @Experiencesyrproject.
Majors matter a lot, but so do top finishes at Elite Series events.
February 18, 2022 by Charlie Eisenhood in News with comments
Last updated before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, the PDGA World Rankings are returning in 2022 with a revamped formula.
The PDGA announced this week a new US Tour ranking (available now) with plans to roll out a European Tour ranking this summer around the time of the European Open, the continent’s major championship. In addition to the continental rankings, a combined world ranking will be released in early 2023. Each of the ranking sets will be updated after every major to provide an updated list of top-ranked players throughout the season.
Although the ranking formula is similar to the previous one, feedback from pro players led to some changes, including an increased emphasis on wins, top three finishes, and top 10 finishes, each of which is given its own category in the overall player score. The US rankings also include a category for rating (at Elite Series events and Majors, not overall player rating), average finish at Elite Series events, and finish at each of the US-based majors.1
There are numerous mechanisms in place to tamp down the impact of a bad tournament performance, including dropping a player’s worst major finish (if they attend all three US-based Majors), only keeping the top 12 Elite Series finishes, and assigning players that miss the cut or fail to finish or skip an event the same result: the finishing position of the cut line +1.
“The formula is designed to be a little less volatile and more of a bigger picture of performance over a year,” said PDGA Marketing Director Danny Voss.
Nearly 30% of a player’s score is their two best finishes at majors2, making it a significant factor in the rankings. “The Majors are the highest tier of competition, and those are the tournaments that players want to win,” said Voss.
The separate US and European rankings will only consider performance at tournaments on each continent: Kristin Tattar’s #5 US ranking is based on her stint competing at Worlds, The Preserve, Great Lakes Open, and the Des Moines Challenge. Other top European players like Eveliina Salonen and Henna Blomroos are not ranked, since they did not compete in the US in 2021.
Here are the US top 10 rankings for both MPO and FPO under the new PDGA ranking system:
Here are the full US MPO rankings, FPO rankings, and a deeper explanation of the ranking system.
Stuart Mullenberg couldn’t wait to check out the disc golf course at Washougal’s Hartwood Park when it opened in April 2021. Once he got there, however, he couldn’t wait to leave.
Mullenberg walked around for a bit but soon left, dissatisfied with what he considered a confusing layout and lack of safety precautions. To this day, he still hasn’t played a single round at the 18-hole course, which sits just a few miles from his house.
Mullenberg soon discovered his opinions on the course were shared by other local disc golf enthusiasts. The course also has drawn criticism from local residents who were tired of watching golfers accidentally throw discs into their backyards and listening to their loud and sometimes profane banter.
To fix the problems, city of Washougal officials decided to rip the course out and start over.
This time, the city is working with renowned disc golf course designer Avery Jenkins to create a new nine-hole course at Hartwood Park that they hope will be an improvement for disc golfers and the park’s neighbors.
“It feels like a fresh start since Avery got here,” Mullenberg said. “The stuff that should’ve happened the first go-around is happening now. I would describe it as a reboot — that’s the perfect way to put it. It’s like, ‘OK, we tried once. It didn’t go well. Let’s get a fresh start for everybody.’ We talked about where the compromises are with the neighbors, and I think we got some. It’s a better course for the neighbors and the golfers.”
The city is hoping to open the new course in June.
“It’s going to be a great experience to have a legitimate, really nice, fun, playable nine-hole disc golf course at Hartwood,” said Jenkins, who lives in Oklahoma. “It revitalizes and renovates that park in general, and is going to make it more of a draw.”
“Avery’s goal was to make a safe and great playing course for Washougal,” Washougal public works director Trevor Evers added. “He worked with the neighbors and the disc golf community to see what worked best for everyone.”
Mullenberg is much more optimistic about Jenkins’ layout than he was about the original design, which he labeled “a disaster.”
“It just wasn’t good. It was trying to be too much,” he said. “It was not done well. But I think we got lucky that it was so bad. It was demonstrably poorly done. The city didn’t know any better until everybody in the disc golf community came and said, ‘We know it doesn’t work for the neighbors and it doesn’t work for us, either. Here’s how you fix it — you have it professionally designed.’”
Wright took Mullenberg’s advice and reached out to DiscGolfPark, a Colorado-based course design company, and was eventually put in touch with Jenkins, who won the 2009 Disc Golf World Championships event and has designed 30 courses around the United States.
“I continue to perfect my craft,” said Jenkins, who works for Discmania, a Finland-based disc manufacturer, as well as DiscGolfPark, which is owned by Discmania. “I just surpassed 1,300 courses played in 21 countries and 49 states, and I like to learn from courses that I play — certain features that I want to incorporate and also some things to avoid when I’m designing. There’s not a more critical disc golf course designer out there anywhere in the world.”
Jenkins first suggested the Hartwood Park course should be nine holes “due to spacing,” according to Evers.
“Ultimately a nine-hole course was a better option to address homeowner concerns about the course while also taking into consideration existing wetlands and buffers,” Evers said. “The nine-hole course designed by Avery also goes further to accommodate multiple uses inside the park — walking trails, play structure, open space and disc golf — then the 18-hole course did.”
Jenkins also prioritized safety while designing the new course.
“The previous course played right next to the playground, and a slip or errant shot could really do some bad things,” he said. “I made sure that when I designed (the new layout), I was going to have all safety parameters and spacing and buffers in place so that nobody was going to get hit with a disc.”
Mullenberg said that the new course will be fun for casual and experienced players alike. He hopes to organize kids’ events at the course as soon as this summer.
“I can say that it is (a good course),” he said. “When you stop trying to bite off more than you can chew with the size of the space, all of a sudden you’re making a lot fewer compromises in safety, playability and the quality of the shots that you’re going to throw. The redesign took the course away from the neighbors’ property and made safer shots and shots that are more family friendly. It’s a more playable, fun and enjoyable course.”
After Jenkins sketched the new layout, city officials, council members, parks board members and disc golfers, including Mullenberg, walked around the park with some of the local residents to address their concerns.
“My sense is that real progress was made,” Mulllenberg said. “(The neighbors were in a) totally different mood (at the end of the conversation) than they were at the start, which was pretty contentious. I really think they saw we put a lot of care into the redesign. We’re taking care to answer their questions, address their valid concerns, make some compromises where we’re able. I think some minds were changed.”
The city hired Vancouver-based PBS Engineering and Environmental Inc. to conduct a mitigation plan, which recommended that the city plant at least 10 Oregon Oak trees and eight Douglas Fir trees within the park’s riparian habitat zones and install a split rail fence around the habitat perimeters.
The city is also removing prickly blackberry bushes, which threaten to swallow errantly-thrown discs and cause safety hazards, from the perimeter of the course.
“(Golfers are) looking for variety and variations, not the same monotonous throws of the same distances,” Mullenberg said. “I wanted to create something more than that. I recommended that they plant some more trees out there, and Michelle threw out 20 to 25 tree placements in certain choice areas that are going to dictate certain shots or shape those holes. And eliminating blackberries is going to provide a way better experience for the players. They were definitely overgrown in certain areas, and I did my best to avoid those areas and provide enough spacing so that people weren’t aren’t throwing (discs into them) all the time like they were in the previous design.”
The course will not impact the existing wetlands and their designated base buffers, according to the study.
“The strategy of the mitigation efforts is to increase the overall value of the riparian habitat given the conditions of the site,” Evers said. “(The study concluded that the) proposed project is not anticipated to have an impact on the functions of the existing riparian habitat, but the loss of emergent vegetation lawn areas can be successfully mitigated through the installation of native vegetation.”
Mullenberg joined the Washougal’s parks board in January at the request of mayor Rochelle Ramos, who learned about his involvement in the project.
“Stu was a big advocate for getting things going and pushing them through,” said Jenkins, who has known Mullenberg since 2014. “I indirectly got him involved with this by staying at his house (when I came to Washougal in September). When things got kind of rough and bumpy, he steered the ship and quieted a lot of concerns. He was the catalyst for all of this.
“And the cooperation of the city of Washougal and Michelle and her team has been great. There’s been a lot of red tape and hoops (to jump through), a lot more than most courses have to go through, but she’s been persistent. I’ve had very good communication with her, and it’s been a pleasure working with her throughout the project.”
