Flying Lea Disc Golf Club

See the Tribune’s story on the tournament

Click here to read Andrew Dyrdal’s story about Art Schorn narrowly beating Derreck Walk in the Flying Lea Championship.

Sign up for the Flying Lea Championship

There is no entry fee to participate in this tournament, which happens at 1 p.m. Aug. 28 and 1 p.m. Aug. 29. All you need is to be a club member and to have attended Sunday League at least six times and to let Tim Engstrom (402-9555) know by Aug. 26 you plan to be there.

Everyone in the tournament gets a disc!

These golfers have registered for the tournament so far:
Eric Harbacheck
Derreck Walk
Tim Engstrom
Deric Moore
Tim Engstrom
Robert Suniga
Hunter Distad
Dustin Lynch
Buck Monson
Andy Richardson
Joe Beausigneur
Lars Tonding
John Lerum
Nick Flores
Frank Walls
Tommy Martinez
Robert Friday
Tristan Sather
Art Schorn
(full list not quite here)

Prizes:
1. $150, trophy, PDGA membership
2. $75, trophy, PDGA membership
3. $50, trophy, PDGA membership
4. $25, trophy, PDGA membership

Prizes for consolation tournament
Players who lose in the first round Aug. 28 become eligible for the consolation tournament Aug. 29.
1. $30
2. $20
3. $10

Party on Saturday
There will be a party at Art Schorn’s place in the Twin Lakes trailer court following tournament play on Saturday evening.

Progress is happening on new disc golf course

The state approved a $5,000 grant for disc golf baskets and a $3,000 for signage. Now the grants have to be received by the county commissioners Sept. 7. Read the story in the Albert Lea Tribune. The city will order baskets Sept. 8. Our club’s board needs to make a recommendation.

What’s next?The board of directors have approved a final design. Now it is a matter of getting price information for the grant. The board this Sunday have to vote on which baskets to get for Bancroft Bay Disc Golf Course.

Other issue: It was mentioned at the big meeting Wednesday that our disc golf club might use our funds for tee pads at the Riverland course in a year or two after we all have had time to see what we like and dislike about the course.

Points race is updated

Deric Moore leads the points race in the advanced division, with Nick Flores in second place. Tim Engstrom has caught and passed Dustin Lynch in the intermediate division. Both have been close races all season. Click here to view the points. Keep in mind, the points race doesn’t end until after the Doubles Tournament on Sept. 11.

Advanced or intermediate?
You can sign up for whichever category you like, but if you sign up for intermediate and you beat par (raw score of -1 or better), you get moved up to advanced. If you sign up for advanced but never beat par all season, you get moved down to intermediate.

Doubles League is at 5 p.m. now!

Doubles League continues to take place on Thursdays but now happens at 5 p.m. instead of 4 p.m. so people who work can make it. The change starts June 24. Sunday League action still starts at 4 p.m. every Sunday.

Kody Phillips wins Clarks Grove

An eighth-grader with accurate tee shots and super putting skills tied Flying Lea club member Brian Gustafson at -18 in the Clarks Grove Disc Golf Tournament on July 5. Then Kody Phillips, who is from Hollandale, defeated Gustafson in a tiebreaker to take home $28.

The course was a par 108, with three rounds of 12 baskets. Nine of them were the usual course. The other three were created with temporary targets. On all 12, flags defined the tees. One hole, No. 11, was given a mandatory.

Gustafson, of Owatonna, took second place and $21. Deric Moore of Albert Lea won third place and $14. He had a score of -12. Eric Harbacheck and Derreck Walk tied with scores of -8. Harbacheck won a tiebreaker to take home $7.

Also, CTP prizes come to us with a discount through PDGA National Tour vendor LSDiscs. Luke Boyer took home three of the four CTP prizes: a Latitude 64 Halo, an LSDiscs disc golfer cap and a Gateway Wizard putter marked with the LSDiscs logo. Phillips took home an LSDiscs jersey.

Results
1. Kody Phillips, -18 (won tiebreaker)
2. Brian Gustafson, -18
3. Deric Moore, -12
4. Eric Harbacheck, -8 (won tiebreaker)
5. Derreck Walk, -8
6. Art Schorn, -7
7. Luke Boyer, -5
8. Ray Besco, ±0
9. Robert Suniga, +1
10. Tim Engstrom, +3
11. Lars Tonding, +4
12. Dale Anderson, +6
13. Dustin Lynch, +7
14. Greg Anderson, +9

Do you qualify for the Flying Lea Championship?

There is no entry fee to participate in the Flying Lea Championship, a bracket-style tournament that takes place Aug. 28 and 29 with trophies and more than $500 in prizes. However, to qualify, you must:
1. Be a member of the Flying Lea Disc Golf Club.
2. Participate in at least 7 out of the 20 Sunday League dates.
3. Be willing to play 36 holes of disc golf on a Saturday, followed by 36 on a Sunday (if you advance that far anyway).
Top players receive prizes, and there are CTP prizes, too, but keep in mind that all participants, regardless of performance, are eligible to win through the drawings. So mark your schedules.

Nick Flores wins Bancroft Bay Open

Disc golf tournament at Bancroft Bay Park, June 12
36 holes, par 108; one round on 18-hole course and two rounds on 9-hole course
Tee time: 10 a.m. June 12
Note: The wind and rain on Saturday affected attendance, but once it cleared off, things went more smoothly.

Advanced Division
1. Nick Flores, 107, $34
2. Deric Moore, 108, $25
3. Luke Boyer, 110, $17
4. Derreck Walk, 114, $8
Others: Eric Harbecheck, 115; Art Schorn, 117; Joe Beauseigneur, 120

Intermediate Division
1. Lars Tonding, 121, $19
2. Ray Besco, 125, $14
3. Robert Suniga, 128, $10
4. Tim Engstrom, 129, $5
Others: Dustin Lynch, 130; Grant Boyer, 131; Buck Monson, 142; Frank Walls, DNF

Closest-to-pin and most-pars-in-a-row prize winners: Deric Moore, Joe Beauseigneur, Nick Flores, Luke Boyer, Ray Besco.

See the Tribune’s photo of Nick and Art.

Brian Gustafson wins Great Safari Tournament

Brian Gustafson shot a +4 on the difficult safari course, tying three others. Sudden death playoffs of three safari holes shed two of the competitors. Brian ultimately defeated Tommy Martinez in a closest-to-pin throw, per the tiebreaker rules for the day.

So the order was:
1. Brian Gustafson, $16
2. Tommy Martinez, $12
3. Luke Boyer, $8
4. Nick Flores, $4

Other prizes were handed out for people who $3 prize fee.
CTP: Throw Your Life Away T-shirt (large) — Deric Moore
CTP: Discwing Transcend disc — Lars Tonding
CTP: Innova Fly Dry towel — Hunter Distad
CTP: Aeropod — John Lerum
Most birdies: — Tommy Martinez
Most pars in a row: Back9Designs Towel — Nick Flores
Longest putt on 18: Vibram mini marker — Joe Beausigner
Most bogies: Ultimate disc —

A thrilling part of the day was the Putting Challenge, which ultimately was won by Chris Gowin. He won a Discraft Nuke from Martin’s Cycling & Fitness.

The big number was how much money was raised for the baskets: $149. Excellent! Good work, everyone.

Check out this video. It’s hilarious!

Frisbee Golf, Through the Eyes of the Pros - Watch more Funny Videos

Albert Lea Open scores posted

This was a J&J Disc Golf tournament that awarded points in the Southern Minnesota Disc Golf Association points race and offers cash prizes.

Ace Pool went to Shawn Vierus for a CTP after the round $40
$40 went to course donation. $40 closer to new baskets :p Thanks for your work Tim !

Par was 108 for 2 rounds

Pro:
Tim Schmidt Jr 96 $105 + trophy
Nik Johnsen 98 $67
Chris Schmidt 99 $50
Shawn Vierus 100
Bob Hoy 102
Ben Keist 105
Dean Anderson 111

Advanced:
Mike Jindra 101 $55 + Trophy
Art Schorn 105 $30
Nathan Washa 105 $30
Jason Linnett 109 $20
Darin Finley 110
Nick Flores 111
Eric Harbacheck 111
Dino Mason 114
Gary Sell 115

Intermediate Masters:
Seth Kim 117 $20
Chris Carson 120
Brian Wells 122

Intermediate:
Terry Fraser 106 $28 + Trophy
Gabe Soehren 108 $20
Dan Henry 110 $15
Justin Hoekstra 112 $11
Ryan Theissen 112 $11
Derreck Walk 113 $8
Luke Boyer 114 $7
Ben Enger 119 $6
Andres “Bear” Cardenas 122
Torrey Christensen 124
Will Crowley 124
Ray Besco 124
John Lerum 126
Alvaro Almaza 129
Jon Bosma 132
Dustin Lynch 134
Scott Johnson 138
Jordan Enger 140
Jake Thompson 144
Claire Nelson 151

Junior:
Collin Wilson 147 $8

The Albert Lea Open raised $40 for the effort to replace the baskets. Thank you, J&J! For more about the Albert Lea Open, visit the page on the SMDGA site.

Who won?

Want to know who won cash on Sunday? Visit the page for Sunday League by clicking here. The winners names will be posted on the Sunday League page each week.

Correct distances now available

Click here and scroll down to find the updated and correct distances at the Bancroft Bay Park Disc Golf Course.
Holes 200-299 feet: 7
Holes 300-399 feet: 8
Holes 400 feet or more: 3

Upcoming events

July 5: Clarks Grove Tournament
The 9-hole Clarks Grove course is short and takes less than 30 minutes to play. Therefore, we will add three more baskets and make this this a 36-hole tournament. Participants will play the course three times. Best raw scores win. It’s that simple. There is a $5 entry fee. Club gets 40 percent of the proceeds. Rest goes to prizes. There is a $3 fee to be part of the CTP contests. Remember, it’s for a good cause (buying baskets). The Fourth of July is on a Sunday in 2010, so many workplaces might have July 5 off. Location: Clarks Grove in the park by the Baptist Church. Registration: 1:30-1:55 p.m. Tee time: 2 p.m.

Aug. 28-29: Flying Lea Disc Golf Championship, or FLDGC
This two-day bracket-style tournament will determine the best disc golfer in Albert Lea. There will be big prizes and no entry fees but participants must be a member of the Flying Lea Disc Golf Club and have attended league at least 7 times. Bag tags and handicaps factor into determining tournament seeding. The better you do through the season, the more likely you are to get a bye. Last year, the FLDGC, Nancy VanderWaerdt State Farm Insurance and Martin’s Cycling & Fitness gave out more than $500 in cash prizes and drawings, plus more in goodies. Deric Moore was crowned the champion and took home $150. It was a great time except people wanted the tee time not in the morning. This year, we also plan to have a separate tourney for women golfers. Location: Bancroft Bay Park. Registration: Must notify Tim Engstrom by Thursday, Aug. 26. Tee time first round Aug. 28: 1 p.m. Second round Aug. 28: 3 p.m. Third round Aug. 29: 1 p.m. Final four Aug. 29: 3 p.m. Awards ceremony Aug. 29: immediately following final four.

Sept. 11: Doubles Tournament
This disc golf tournament is open to members and non-members alike. People who show up will be paired into random doubles, who will then compete for the prize money. This is the final event in the FLDGC Points Race. Location: Bancroft Bay Park. Time: Undetermined.

Sept. 20: Live United Disc Golf Outing
This is a fundraiser for the United Way of Freeborn County, not the club. The hope is to get the Albert Lea business community to come out and try disc golf. Participants compete in 3-person teams of their choosing for cash prizes and CTP prizes. People showing up without a team are assigned to teams. Entry fee is $10. CTP is $2. Pizza is available for $5. Location: Bancroft Bay Park. Time: 4 p.m.

Club goal: $6,000 for 18 baskets

At the March 3 club meeting at Jake’s Pizza, the following was decided:
• The club will work to raise $6,000 that will go toward the purchase of 18 new, PDGA-sanctioned baskets (such as Chainstar or Mach Series) to replace ones at the 18-hole Bancroft Bay Park course and for any ancillary costs, such as taxes, alternative footings, etc. Reaching the goal could take a couple of years.
• The existing baskets at Bancroft Bay Park can be given to Riverland Community College and Albert Lea High School for the sake of an 18-hole course that can be enjoyed by college students, high school P.E. classes and the general public.
• The club will pursue fundraising through sponsorships, grants, raffles, tournaments, contests, T-shirt sales and any other ideas.
• A motivator for upgrading baskets is so the club can host PDGA-sanctioned tournaments (even if they are B and C tier) and attract more players to Albert Lea for the sport.
• The club will no longer have elected officers. However, it will have positions. Tim Engstrom has the position of club director. If any member desires a role, such as running a tournament, they can take the initiative and do it. For instance, Deric Moore is the doubles league director. Art Schorn and Tim Engstrom split the duties of director for the Sunday league. If a member wishes to take on a project, the person can just let the club know. Less red tape. Nice and easy.
• The 2010 bag tags were accepted. They are nice. Click here to see them. Jeshua Erickson designed them. Ad-Art made them. Nancy VanderWaerdt graciously agreed to pay for the cost.

• The women’s league will take place at the same time — 4 p.m. Sundays — as the men’s league will. Tim Engstrom will handle number crunching for both.
• The existing course needs to be measured this March for proper distances because the baskets and tees were moved last August. This will allow for a correct course rating, which is needed for player ratings. It was agreed to ask the PDGA discussion forum about the best way to measure a course.

Questions? Suggestions?

E-mail your comments to Tim Engstrom at engstromcampout@gmail.com.