Holmes County Disc Golf ends season
Alan Hilty, left, won the recent Holmes County Disc Golf fall tournament at Deer Run Park. Glendon Yoder, middle, was second, and Corey Carpenter, right, was third.
The first week in October proved be an active one for the local disc golf scene. The first event was a parent/student disc golf night at Millersburg Elementary.
It all got started with a conversation Holmes County Disc Golf Club board member Doug Gray had with Megan Stryker, a physical education teacher at Millersburg Elementary, concerning disc golf. It turns out she is no stranger to the sport, as her brother has been playing semi-professionally for years in the Columbus area. So when disc golf came to Holmes County with the installing of the Deer Run course, she was excited to introduce it to her students. The only setback was there was no safe way she could get her elementary classes down and back to Deer Run Park.
“When we learned how interested Ms. Stryker was to introduce disc golf to her students, we were more than ready to help.” Gray said. “We were able to purchase some used baskets just pulled from the course at Mount Vernon Nazarene and put them in the ground on the lower field of the elementary school.
“We then approached Hershberger Lawn Structures, a huge supporter of disc golf in Holmes County, about sponsoring the project. HLS generously purchased two portable, standing baskets, along with 40 brand-new mid-range discs with custom West Holmes logos on them for the school.”
Stryker was elated with the donations and immediately integrated disc golf into her school P.E. classes. It was an instant hit with the kids — so much so that some of the students wanted to show their parents how to play. So Millersburg Elementary held an Introduction to Disc Golf Night on Oct. 5. All told, 15 families took turns playing the course.
With all this youth interest, there are bigger plans in the works.
“Schools are starting to introduce disc golf as a fall high school sport,” Gray said. “Who knows? Maybe one day we can field teams at both Hiland and West Holmes.”
The second big event of the week was the annual fall tournament held at Deer Run Park.
Though the weather turned blustery and threatened rain, many disc golfers showed up to battle it out. At the end of the day, it came down to a playoff between Alan Hilty and Glendon Yoder, two of Holmes County’s best disc golfers, to determine the winner.
Hilty, after throwing one of the longest drives ever from the long tee on hole one, picked up the win. Following Yoder in second place was Corey Carpenter of Wooster in third. The longest drive award, after regulation, went to Glendon Yoder, and the closest to pin winner was Travis Miller.
This event brought an end to a successful year for Holmes County Disc Golf. Players are encouraged to watch the group’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/holmesdiscgolf for the listing of event dates for 2024.
The HCDGC thanks HLS for all their support of the area’s youth over the last year. Players are encouraged to check out the selection of discs and accessories, and if anyone would like to purchase one of the special discs with the West Holmes logo, there are a few remaining at the HLS store, 8990 state Route 39, Millersburg.