Quad Cities hosts PDGA disc golf tourney

Nearly 300 disc golfers will compete in the Quad Cities for the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) Tim Selinske U.S. Masters Championships beginning Thursday running through Sunday, Sept. 8-11.

The professional and amateur players competing are men and women ages 40 and older and represent 37 states across the country. The qualifications to compete included having the minimum number of tournament points and PDGA membership. The professional level will be competing for more than $15,000 in cash prizes.

The event originated in 2000 in La Mirada, California, with Tim Selinske, co-founder of Innova Disc Golf, as the original tournament director. After his death in 2009, the event was adopted by the PDGA and put up for a bid process to be hosted by various U.S. cities. 

Visit Quad Cities, the region’s destination marketing organization, and Iron Lion Disc Golf Supply, Moline, bid on this event to bring another PDGA Major to the Quad Cities.

“We are thrilled to host another PDGA major event in the Quad Cities,” said Joan Kranovich, director of sports & business growth for Visit Quad Cities.  “Disc golf and the activation of our courses are important to our sports tourism landscape.”

“The event will drive economic development and growth, as well as continue to put our disc golf scene on the map nationally,” she added. 

Ms. Kranovich said the addition of Snowstar’s Coal Creek Ridge Extreme Disc Golf Course to this year’s lineup for the pro-level players “is also a game-changer in terms of adding a new level of competition in the area.”

Here is the tournament schedule:

  • Wednesday, Sept. 7: Registration, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.; with a 6 p.m. player meeting at the host hotel Isle Casino Hotel in Bettendorf.
  • Thursday, Sept. 8: Play begins at 9 a.m.; Fly Mart, 4-7 p.m. – Disc golf vendors and food trucks at Camden Centre in Milan.
  • Friday, Sept. 9: Play continues beginning at 9 a.m.
  • Saturday, Sept. 10: Play continues beginning at 9 a.m.
  • Sunday, Sept. 11: Finals and awards ceremony at Camden I & II in Milan.

 The public is invited to watch the disc golf play throughout the week and attend the Fly Mart on Thursday.

Competitors will travel throughout the Quad Cities during the tournament to play the disc golf courses at Eastern Avenue Park in Davenport; Devil’s Glen Park and Middle Park in Bettendorf; Camden I & Camden II in Milan; and the new course at Snowstar Extreme Sports in Andalusia, Illinois, named Coal Creek Ridge.

For more information, visit the PDGA website at www.pdga.com/2022usmasters.

Local Players

There are several players from the Quad Cities who have qualified for the tournament.  They include: Katherine Betcher, Travis Brown, David Casas, John Conner, Ad Rock Desamero, Jason Fields, Kris Floy, Vaughn Foster, Chad Hein, Tracey Lopez, Bernie Moore, Pedro Perales, Mike Robinson, Melanie SanFilippo and Christopher Sprague.

“We wanted to showcase the Quad Cities scene and provide an economic impact on the area through disc golf,” said Chase Roberts, tournament director.  “We are proud to work with Visit Quad Cities to help facilitate this tournament for our local golfers and more so for the community.”

Local Disc Golf History

Disc golf got its start in the Quad Cities in the mid to late 1980s, with the first major promoter being Dale Haake.  After moving to Longview Park from Lincoln Park, both in Rock Island, disc golf got a foothold and slowly started to expand. After a slight lull, the Quad City Disc Golf Club got active and from there promotion and course growth exploded.  

A perfect storm of Internet access and big city parks led to a massive change in the landscape as the region grew from one 12-hole course in town to 18-hole layouts in Rock Island, Geneseo, Milan, Davenport, Bettendorf, and Moline.  After more courses were added, the tournament scene began expanding in 2006. In 2009, the Quad City Disc Golf Club hosted the U.S. Women’s National Championship and in 2017, the QC hosted the PDGA Amateur and Junior Disc Golf World Championships.

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