Bids should be submitted to Paul Arden – paul.arden@australiandiscgolf.com by Friday October 18^th 2019.

A bid should include:

• Event Name
• Proposed Event Dates
• Event Location
• Event TD and Contact Details
• Other relevant information

In the event of conflicting A Tier bids (defined as two events falling within 20 calendar days of each other) the ADG Board will initially consult the bidders and attempt to reach a resolution and failing that, deciding by ADG committee vote. Note that preference will be given to state championships and events held in the same month that they were this year.

Once the schedule of A Tiers has been finalized, B and C Tier events can be added to the calendar. Please note that these events can be put in the schedule up to 30 days prior to the event.

An official announcement about the tour schedule will be made at ADGC in Mount Gambier, SA.

Do you have an idea to grow the sport of disc golf that just needs some funding to get it off the ground? Now in its 5th year, the ADG grants program can help you.

Submissions for the 2019 program are now open. To apply just fill out one of the forms below and email it to the ADG board at grants@australiandiscgolf.com by September 29th 2019.

You can download the forms here

PDF and Word

He was there right at the beginning and he remains the calm, wise voice on ADG Skype meetings every month. We spoke recently with the longest serving administrator in disc golf in Australia, about his time on the board and his ever-changing relationship with the sport.

1) Take us back to your first involvement with the organisation of disc golf in Australia. Before the ADG. How did you get involved?

When I started playing back in 2004, information wasn’t as easy to come by as it is today. It took months after I started playing before I even encountered another player on our local course (a now removed course that was installed on the Whittlesea Golf Course). Lucky for me, that player was Ian Whitehead, who was around for the first big wave of Disc Golf through Australia in the 80’s and 90’s. Speaking with Ian it became clear that Disc Golf had once been much bigger in Australia, there was an entire history I was not aware of having just discovered the sport.

Slowly I encountered more players and Ian started to spread word that people were starting to play again. This quickly led to a desire to play more regularly. Even though there was just a handful of us, it was clear very early that if we wanted to play, we needed to put in the work to organise things ourselves. After getting interested in playing a part in rebuilding the popularity Disc Golf in Australia I started to learn that other efforts were already underway.

There were some false starts and a few heated discussions about how things should be organised back then, and I started to become aware of the key players interstate who were facing similar issues to us in Victoria. There was a latent community out there that were all looking for each other. Of course, this is before Facebook was a thing.

Ian had frequently mentioned the name Chris Himing to me when we spoke while playing. To me he was a mysterious figure in a far-off land but one that came from the heyday of the sport in Australia and successfully made the transition to organising large scale Disc Golf events in the US. At the 2006 PDGA Am Worlds in Tulsa I finally meet Chris and we had a chance to chat about Disc Golf in Australia and the types of events he had been running over in the states. It was a whole other level, something to aspire to in the future.

Chris was coming back to Australia at the time of the World Ultimate Championships in Perth in 2006 and wanted to put on a small Disc Golf demonstration at the event. I got a flight over to Perth to be on hand to man the Disc Golf display and was able to spend a lot more time talking to Chris.

In the meantime, in the background I had met Harvey Yarnell, Richard Sampson, Albert Munoz, Tim Marchbank and Dave Bandy (and I am sure others I am not remembering) and we were all discussing how to bring together a national body to help promote and grow the sport; and of course, selfishly, to ensure there were new events we could all play at.

I wasn’t sure what my role would be in the organisation at the time. My recollection is that Chris was the first to take on the president role and we all then looked for some way to contribute on our own. I was most interested in events, getting more of them and having some structure to them, so I took on the Director of Competitions role which I still hold today.

Our first achievements seem mundane now but were fundamental in getting events running. Insurance for example, not the most exciting topic but it had to be sorted out to run events. Others focused on getting this up and running while we also started working on the concept of the ADG Tour which really kicked off in 2007. This is the point at which I would say I was now well and truly involved.

2) What drew you to helping with the organisation of the sport, as opposed to just playing?

Necessity. Back then, if you didn’t help with the organising of the sport, then nothing got organised. There was no one else to do it, you couldn’t show up to an event, play and leave, because if you didn’t run it, it didn’t happen.

My goals back then for being involved the organisational side were 100% selfish, I wanted to continue playing and not just socially, so there really wasn’t any choice but to pitch in. This only changed once we started to get results and we started to see we were actually making a difference.

3) What has kept you involved, when so many of the volunteers seem to burn out, what do you think has kept you involved as the longest continually serving board member?

I really don’t know to be honest. I must admit I feel a certain sense of obligation, I’ve made a lot of close friends playing disc golf and been fortunate to play at many events over the last decade. I want to ensure others have the same opportunity. I don’t think it’s a sport people do by halves. Usually you’re either obsessed or you stop playing. It still feels surreal to see baskets installed in public parks that were not there a few years ago. There is still lots to do.

4) Which aspect of the ADG, have you noticed, the disc golfers understand the least? People who aren’t close to the workings of the board form all sorts of impressions, which is the one they get wrong the most?

While I think in general there is some degree of taking the ADG for granted these days, I also think that is something of a good thing. The work we do well goes unnoticed, as it should be, players shouldn’t have to worry about anything other than playing in an ideal world.

Insurance is one thing I think people often undervalue. The arrangement that ADG has been able to secure with AFDA is essentially what has enabled Disc Golf events to be run on such a large scale in Australia. Without insurance events would be on precarious legal ground and many councils would simply refuse to allow the events to run.

I think TD’s also have the same problem as the ADG in that if you’re doing your job well people don’t see it. One thing we have tried to do as much of as possible is support TDs and make sure if they have questions there are people that can help them, particularly those who are running their first event. There is a lot to organise in an A-Tier event and we field a lot of questions from first time TDs.

Balancing the differing demands of the different states is also a continuing challenge. Different states always seem to have different issues at different times, so there are competing demands on ADG resources for attention and often and approach that works in one state doesn’t work in another. Each of the states are in various phases of growth with unique challenges.

I hope we are making a difference. While at times we are dealing with many issues and problems, I also have the benefit of being able to look back in my mind to a time when there were just a handful of us playing and even less organising. The numbers show that we are having an effect, not the least of which –  that there is actually someone around to measure those numbers so we know we are growing, even if the daily tribulations of running events and working through issues can sometimes make it feel otherwise.

5) How did you find the sport in the beginning?

My friend Ian Bycroft had heard about Disc Golf through the Victorian Flying Disc Association. They had a map for an object course in the Fitzroy Gardens in Melbourne to lamp posts to be played with Ultrastars. We grabbed some discs and went down and played. It was so cool we had to have more, so hunting around the Internet we found out there was a course installed in Whittlesea on a regular golf course. We decided to head up and check it out.

This was an eye-opening experience. The pro shop had a few discs for sale, and they were completely different to the Ultrastar style discs we had so we grabbed some. I think I just had the one disc, an Innova XD (which I still have) which I played the entire round with. I didn’t realise there was such a thing as a driver until we came back from the round so we grabbed some more discs from the pro shop and set out again. I was instantly hooked.

6) Any thoughts on what your long term involvement with the sport might be? As a player and an administrator?

If the community will have me then I have no plans to change my involvement and hope to continue to serve as Director of Competitions and PDGA Country Coordinator. I think having been around from the start of what I often refer to as the second wave of Disc Golf in Australia helps give me a little perspective on the issues that come up.

As a player I am much less active in competition these days, mainly as I don’t travel to as many events but I still play most of the local events and most ADGCs. I do miss the days where I would play every event in the country I could possibly get to, but looking at the calendar today, I can see even if I wanted to it would barely be possible. It’s such a nice problem to have after barely being able to fill the calendar in those first few years.

I suspect I may put my hand up as TD again for an even in the future but it’s been great to see so many new organizers getting involved with running events.

We aren’t too sure how Cassie Sweetten feels about us giving her the title ‘Queen of Aussie Disc Golf’ but we’ll run with it until advised otherwise. The six-times Aussie champ is heading overseas soon to compete in the United States Women’s Disc Golf Championships in Spotsylvania, Virginia, USA this September 19-22.

York Pennsylvaina. Saturday July 27. 3pm

Australian Disc Golf is, to a person, very proud to announce our first world champion today. Bruce McNaughton, playing in the MA65 division, won going away in the final nine of the world championships tournament, to triumph by 11 throws over Garry Hanley from Oregon, USA and 13 ahead of Buz Ryalls-Clephane from Florida, USA.

The amateur world championships is a grueling, week-long test of stamina, nerve and skill: with 6 preliminary rounds over 4 days, followed by an 18 hole semi final and a nine hole final for the top four. Bruce built a solid lead in the mid-week rounds and was never really headed, although a slight miss-step in the Saturday morning semi-final left him with only a 6-throw buffer over a fast-charging Ryallis-Clephane going into the final nine.

But our newly crowned champion was nerveless in the final nine holes, streaking away with birdie after birdie, dominating the final round and increasing his lead to 11 at the end.

Bruce knew he was in a good position mid-week as he’d built the early lead on the the shorter, more technical courses that suited the playing-style of his rivals. With longer courses to come later in the week, tracks suited his booming forehand drives , he knew he just had to stay consistent to be in with a chance. ‘I missed heaps of birdie and par putts though’ he said. Something that obviously didn’t trouble him in that brilliant final nine performance.

Well done Bruce. The rest of Aussie disc golf is celebrating with you this week. 

Story by Kingsley Flett

‘So what do you guys actually do?’ was a question thrown to one of the ADG board members at a tournament recently; and we get it – it’s sometimes hard to see what governance is, and the role it plays. But what unfolded recently, around what will  undoubtedly become one of the signature moments in the sports history, is a good example of what is possible when a local crew, their tournament, independent media and the ADG all pull together.

As soon as Queensland Disc Golf Championships TD and Granite Mountain owner , Nathan Lee messaged a few people with the news ‘Rhys just won with an ace’, we knew this was going to be a big story. So did everyone involved. Oscar Feldberg at Cut Roll Media, who’d filmed the event, bypassed his normal workflow and burned some late night oil to get the highlight posted up on his youtube channel as fast as he could. Our media guy used his connections with the sports biggest online publication Ultiworld, to get the video posted there and also worked late at night to knock-up a few hundred words to go with it.

Then, in a sign of how well Nate lee has communicated with his local media in recent years, the local Stanthorpe Border Post contacted the Granite Mountain crew, asking them about the tournament (not the other way around – can you believe that?) But Nate had been hospitalized with a severe bout of influenza. Thankfully Carmen Lee was available to give them an interview. We chipped-in with another press release to help the journalist write her article, while disc golf photographer extraordinaire Rhinda Larsen, kindly donated two high resolution pictures to go with the story.

Rhys Kruger used the press release and some of Rhinda’s pictures to spread the word among his local Gold Coast news outlets as well. It’s a moment like this, that has the potential to ‘jump the tracks’ and not just spread the word about our sport to the uninitiated, but convey it’s passion and skill. It seemed that everyone who cared, got behind this story as best they could.

Oh, and congratulations to Rhys Kruger on an amazing win.

The northern hemisphere summer of 2019 is proving to be the season that the most ever Aussie disc golfers have traveled internationally to compete. As the sport develops in Australia, we are starting to produce players who qualify for top level international competition. The Aussies travelling away to play are (from top left to bottom right):

Jonathan Jonas, Shaun Batey, Sue Summers, Kairi Koobakene, Ken-Kristjan Toomjoe, Priit Koiv, Matt Lamy, Archer Shaw, Ken Summers, Jacob Stanley and Andre-Kristopher Toomjoe; who are all heading to the WFDF 2019 World Team Disc Golf Championships (WTDGC) in Alutaguse, Ida-Virumaa, Estonia this August.

Jordan Wheeler is currently homeless, roaming the USA in a van and will be playing in the Pro World Championships in Preoria Illinois in August. Also Jordie has been on tour competing in a host of smaller tournaments as well as some National and Disc Golf Pro Tour events, like the Ledgestone Open and the Silver Cup.

Toosje Frequin is travelling with her good friend Cassie Sweetten, the queen of Aussie Disc Golf, to compete in the prestigious US Women’s Disc Golf Championships in Spotsylvania Virginia in September.

While Bruce McNaughton, Tim Bohan, Patrick Ferris Jr and Kim Holmes are all playing in the Amateur World Championships in York, Pennsylvania starting this week.

The best of luck from everyone in Australian Disc Golf to you all.

Australia just had its 70^th disc golf course installed this past week. Compared to most other recreational facilities, our sport imposes quite minimal hardware on the environment: in this case it’s nine baskets, eighteen tee-pads, a practice basket and some signage. The installation took a matter of days. But the real story of the Bald Hill Park Disc Golf course, in Melbourne’s south eastern suburbs, stretches back further than that. It’s a story of how driven individuals, clubs, municipalities and professional designers all come together to establish a community facility.

The story begins three and a half years ago at a Melbourne Disc Golf Club community league day in Aspendale. That day the City of Kingston Mayor, Councillor Georgina Oxley, along with Councillors David Eden and Tamsin Bearsley, saw disc golf for the first time, tried it for themselves and were sold on what it could bring to the community. Then the long process began.

‘It did seem to stall a few times’ Said Melbourne Disc Golf Club’s point-man for the project, Darren Stace-Smith. ‘There were initial meetings with the City of Kingston’s sports and recreation staff. They researched the feasibility of a few different parks and we worked hand-in-hand with them all the way. But it’s a big municipality, over 200,000 residents, so there are a lot of people who needed to, or just wanted to, have input. It all takes time. Everything was done with the support of the club (Melbourne Disc Golf Club). Members wrote letters of support and they got behind every community event we held.’

The Bald Hill Park story seems to be one of patience and persistence on many fronts. ‘Fergie (Recreational Activity Design’s Andrew Ferguson) was instrumental’, Darren said. ‘I know he went above and beyond plenty of times; patiently dealing with all of the requests that were made of him and, of course, being a major input on the design.’

‘There’s a lot of disc golfers who’d like these things to happen quickly’ said Andrew Furguson. ‘But you’ve got to be in it for the long haul. Especially with the city of Kingston. They were very diligent in ensuring this was going to be a top-class facility; so as well as evaluating the site, we also worked in with a risk management consulting firm and an environmental consultancy before engaging with the contractors themselves.’

The project survived a vote at three council meetings: one to begin consultation, one to approve the project and one to approve spending the money to install. ‘Bald Hill wasn’t always the council’s first choice,’ said Darren. ‘But I kept dragging it back into the conversation because it was definitely our preferred park’.

Fresh from enjoying the first round of doubles with his MDGC mates at the new course. Darren spoke of the positive reactions already seen from the locals. ‘Everyone I’ve talked to is excited about it’, he said. ‘One of the old blokes who came over had actually worked on the park from when they converted it from a rubbish tip. He knows where the old car bodies are buried, and his kids had planted some of the trees there. The park is criss-crossed with walking paths and most people tend to stick to them. Whereas the disc golf course uses a different area to that. The old fella noticed that and said that ‘it was nice to see the park being used for something else besides walking.’

In the community consultation process the course had an unprecedented high approval rating of close to 96% (where 50-60% is more the norm with projects that get the green light). Municipalities all over Australia are looking for ways to get people recreating in parks and, although we may be biased, we believe that disc golf is one of the best avenues for this.

After all of his work, Darren Stace-Smith was relieved when the project was confirmed. ‘When the contractor got hired to do the installation – that’s when I knew it was happening.’ He said. ‘We’d had an approved course map sitting there for a year but up until then I always worried the bottom might fall out of the project, until a month ago.’

‘It’s nice to have installed a course where there’s nothing left to do,’ Said Andrew. ‘Baskets, tee-pads, signage, a practice basket as well as all of the promotional material provided to the council. It’s fully completed. Now we’ll just work with them to help promote the course in the community.’

For more information about disc golf in Melbourne, contact the Melbourne Disc Golf Club.

https://www.melbournediscgolf.com/

story by Kingsley Flett

We are pleased to announce, along with Gail Lynch, the induction of Tim Marchbank into the ADG hall of fame in 2018. Tim started his life with frisbees at the University of Queensland in 1994. A former champion orienteering competitor, he started playing ultimate and object disc golf before acquiring his first golf discs when John Bray park was installed. Ultimate remained his main focus for the next 10 years though; and he represented Queensland in that sport a number of times.

In 2003 he traveled to Canberra for the Australian Ultimate and Flying Disc Championships and it was at this point that he began the transition to disc golf.  Tim was involved in the early development of the ADG as it grew its independence from AFDA. He has served on the ADG board for many years along with his involvement in the administration of Ultimate in Queensland.

As a player his list of achievements is extensive: He won the Australian championships in 2004 and 2009, has won the QLD championships five times and finished 2^nd three times. He won the ADG tour in 2007 and even has an international win – the Crater Cup in New Zealand in 2005.

He helped design and install the Fehlberg Park Course in Brisbane in 2007. Tim has also coached at numerous come and try days, Brisbane City Council’s Active & Healthy Parks Program, Moreton Bay Regional (& forerunner Pine Rivers Shire) Council’s school’s programs and others.

Tim’s also an accomplished photographer and one of his disc golf pictures have featured on the cover of Disc Golfer magazine.

‘Rowdy’ as a few people call him, is the definition of a quiet achiever. His humble manner, high intelligence and clear vision for the sport will stand out to anyone who takes the time to get to know him.