In The Basket

Last month (August 10-11) we partnered with the Onslow Flying Disc Association (OFDA) and hosted the inaugural Onslow Cup disc golf tournament at Northeast Creek Park. There are several disc golf tournaments in our area but there has never been one with this kind of a cash prize. Tournaments typically take the entry fees and that is the cash prize. With this one, we had $5,000 added cash on top of the entry fees, thanks to our title sponsor, Moore Buick GMC, as well as several other sponsors and contributors. Several holes had closest to the pin prizes but the biggie, again thanks to Moore Buick GMC, was a Hummer electric bike valued at $5,000. This was in addition to the added cash.

This level of prizes definitely attracted attention and the event sold out at 90 participants. Players also received some great swag from one of the premier disc golf manufactures, Innova. Players came from North Carolina, South Carolina, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and we even had a young man from New Zealand. One of the participants was the winningest player in PDGA (Professional Disc Golf Association) history. This was a great kickoff for what we plan to be an annual event. The ultimate goal would be for a world-class course to be built in our area and for us to host national or world championships.

Onslow Cup Tournament Director and OFDA Board Member Tyler Batchelor added, “My goal for disc golf is always to encourage more people to get out and play the sport that saved my life.
Not only does partnering with a sports organization such as the JOSC give us some credibility as more than just a hobby or a few people getting together throwing frisbees, but it also gives us opportunities far beyond our normal scope. The ability to show what disc golf can bring to the community and, as a result of that, potentially add another course to our area where my children can learn the sport, means exponentially more to me than how many birdies or pars I get.”

Full tournament results can be found here: https://www.pdga.com/tour/event/82936

M. Scott Smith
JOSC Executive Director