Big Creek State Park....a 2009 PDGA National Tour Event Host

The Des Moines First Class Challenge - a 2009 PDGA National Tour Event

Andrew Irwin - IPF Intern

The 2009 First Class Challenge...a Professional Disc Golfers Association National Tour Event...presented by the Des Moines Disc Golf Club , First Class Credit Union and several other sponsors including RDG Planning and Design. Big Creek State Park's disc golf course will be one of the five Des Moines disc golf courses selected for the PDGA National Tour Event.

The National Tour Event event is scheduled for the weekend of July 17th through the 19th of this year.

In addition to the tournament, there will be a free clinic featuring five of the touring professionals. The clinic is open to all skill levels and you don't even need to be in the tourney to participate. This is an opportunity to learn from some of the sports' best competetors including Jay Reading, Ken Climo, Matt Orum, Cale Leiviska and George Smith.

The free clinic will be on Thursday evening July 16 at Walnut Ridge Recreation Area between 6:00 and 8:00.

Disc golf is played much like traditional golf. Instead of a ball and clubs, however, players use a flying disc, or Frisbee. The sport was formalized in the 1970's, and shares with golf, the object of completing each hole in the fewest number of strokes, or in the case of disc golf, fewest number of throws per hole.

A golf disc is thrown from a tee area to a target which is the hole. the hole can be one of a number of disc golf targets; the most common is called a Pole Hole an elevated metal basket. As a player progresses down the fairway, he or she must make each consecutive shot from the spot where the previous throw has landed. The trees, shrubs, and terrain changes located in and around the fairways provide challenging obstacles for the golfer. Finally, the ‘putt’ lands in the basket and the hole is completed.

Disc golf shares all the same joys and frustrations of traditional golf, whether it's sinking a long putt or hitting a tree halfway down the fairway.

Disc golf is designed to be enjoyed by people of all ages, males and females included. Disc golf can be played from school age to old age, making it the one of the greatest lifetime fitness sports available. Because disc golf is so easy to learn, no one is excluded. Players merely match their pace to their capabilities and proceed from there.

Disc golf courses can coexist with existing park facilities and activity areas. The ideal location combines wooded and open terrains, and a variety of topographical change. Many city parks have golf courses already set up. Most are free to play as often as you like. Disc golfers who do not have the benefit of a permanent disc golf facility in their area often "make up" courses in nearby parks and green spaces. There are currently 144 total disc golf courses located within Iowa's State, County, and City Parks.

Click here to find a disc golf course near you.

The need for more courses is constant, as the sport continues to grow in popularity. The PDGA has created resources for the design and installation of new golf courses, to ensure their success in the community. The Professional Disc Golf Association, with a member base of over 39,700, is the governing body for the sport and sanctions competitive events for men and women. Click here for information about disc golf and the Professional Disc Golfer’s Association.

Click here for a brief video about the basics of disc golf.