Late-spring disc golf

His & her tourney provides rare chance for sexes to compete together

By Troy Lyle

Having fun is a concept seemingly lost in modern sports where winning trumps sportsmanship and losing is simply unacceptable. But fun was exactly the reason for the 3^rd annual Winchester-Clark County Parks and Recreation (WCCPR) His & Her Doubles Tournament sponsored by the Bluegrass Disc Golf Association (BDGA).

For the 16 teams of two that participated at the Ironworks Hill course in Winchester on Saturday, June 12, fun wasn’t the only reason for the tournament’s format. The alternate shot setup provided a rare chance for girls and guys to play and compete together.

“This venue is a great opportunity to expose more women to the sport of disc golf,” said Lewis Willian, BDGA member and tournament organizer. “It’s a fun, social and non-threatening way to get women playing for fun competitively.”

But don’t let all this talk of fun fool you. All 16 teams put forth a whale of an effort to break the tournament’s record of 68 (even par for the course, 14 over par for pros) set by the mother and son duo of Evan and Emily Bennett. And many of the girls took the challenge head-on.

“Many of the girls were more competitive than the guys towards the end of the tournament,” Willian said.

Of the 32 competitors whose ages ranged from 10 to well into the 40s, three teams were made up of fathers and daughters, one was a mother and son, one a brother and sister, four consisted of dating couples, another a set of friends and six were comprised of husband and wives.

This year’s total was the largest turnout on record for the free event, up 6 teams from last year, said Willian, who pointed out that if the weather had been more cooperative participation could easily have broken 20 teams. He said despite the intermittent chances of rain the event went off without a hitch. When all was said and done Team Mike & Jorden and Team Mark & Debbie co-managed the win finishing at a 2 over par score of 70.

All the tournament’s participants received mini disc markers from the BDGA and the top 8 teams left with discs from the WCCPR.

Up Next

Up next for disc golf in the area is the Bluegrass State Games (BSG). The 36 hole BSG Disc Tournament is slated for July 17 with 18 holes scheduled to be played at Shillito and Veteran’s Parks. Pre-registration is $20, onsite will be $25. There will be no discs presented at this non-Professional Disc Golf Association event. Instead gold, silver and bronze medals will be awarded for each of the tournament’s 22 divisions.

If you’d like more information on the BSG Disc Golf Tournament visit www.bgsg.org/sports and click on the disc golf link. For more information on the BDGA and its upcoming schedule of tournaments, events and activities visit www.bdga.org.

WCCPR His & Her Final Standings

• 1. 70, +2 – Mike & Jorden
• 1. 70, +2 – Mark & Debbie
• 3. 71, +3 – Colin & Ariana
• 3. 71, +3 – Adam & Kirsten
• 5. 76, +8 – Lewis & Carol
• 5. 76, +8 – Zack & Melanie
• 7. 77, +9 – Thomas & Julie
• 8. 79, +11 – Rob & Deb
• 8. 79, +11 – Chad & Wendi
• 8. 79, +11 – Tracy & Colleen
• 11. 81, +13 – Jacob & Kim
• 12. 82, +14 – Jason & Laura
• 13. 95, +27 – Michael & Tina
• 13. 95, +27 – Greg & Victoria
• 15. 109, +41 – Greg & Susie
• 16. 121, +53 – Devon & Jess