Holiday Spin

Lynx frisbee golf tourney hits Cottage Grove for Memorial Day weekend

photo by Tobiah Orin Moshier
photo by Tobiah Orin Moshier

If you spend enough time around folks who play frisbee golf, the phrase “growing the sport” eventually comes up.

Frisbee golf has blossomed in popularity over the past few years — with new courses and tournaments emerging in Eugene and across the country. The 2015 Lynx Tournament, presented May 22-24 by Dynamic Discs, provides participants an opportunity to play the gargantuan 18-hole Middlefield Golf Course in Cottage Grove. The 13,000-foot course is known as one of the top five distance courses in the world.

“The tournament gives a chance for new players to come out and see some of the top players in the state and how they perform,” tournament director Warren Hollinshead says. “You can help new members in the frisbee golf community grow with visual learning.”

Hollinshead says that more than $2,600 in merchandise and cash prizes are available during the event. Unlike traditional tournaments, however, prize packages are given for various reasons (e.g. longest putt, longest drive, solving a riddle, etc.) rather than vouchers given to just the top players. This way, every participant is always playing for a prize.

So far the tournament has received 155 registrations, which is a significant increase from last year’s total of around 75. Jonas Perrin, a senior in the University of Oregon’s frisbee golf club, traveled with his team in April to compete in Georgia for the national competition. He says he plans to spend Memorial Day weekend on the course.

“The best thing is that it’s so casual,” Perrin says. “If you want to go out with your buddies, have a chill day not really counting points, that’s a great thing. If you want to go out and compete, that’s another thing you can do with disc golf.”

The public is invited to play Friday, May 22, with a $10 registration facility fee for the green with carts available to rent for $10. Players can call the golf course at 942-8730 to register for a tee time.

The competition begins 7:30 am Saturday, May 23, with tee times until 1:30 pm Sunday, May 24. The finale showcase begins 1:30 pm Sunday — if you’d like to watch just as a spectator, this is the time to come hang out.

For more information, visit the “The Lynx presented by Dynamic Discs — 2015” Facebook event page.