FAYETTEVILLE -- A rainy Saturday morning and more clouds in the sky didn't deter almost 100 competitors who gathered for the ninth annual Northshore Invitational disc golf tournament at Lake Fayetteville.
"The weather hasn't been great, but we still have about 86 competitors signed up in all the divisions," said Ben Huss, Vice President of the Fayetteville Disc Golf Association. "The weather is just part of it."
Disc Golf Tourmament
Ninth Annual North Shore Invitational
At Lake Fayetteville
Open Men
1st: $541 — Zach Rogers 51/44—95
2nd: $330 — Chris Eads 47/49—96
3rd: $77 — Bill Lyle 48/49—97
4th: $57 — Robert Davis 51/48—99
5th: Zack Asbury 53/49—102
6th: JC Mitchell 51/52—103
7th: Andrew Machinski 53/51—104
8th: Blake Bailey 55/56—111
9th: Byron Vaughn 56/62—118
Open Women
1st: $245 — Andrea Meyers 58/55—113
2nd: Stacey Whitley 69/65—134
Open Grandmasters
1st: $268 — Kyle Norrid 50/19—99
2nd: Darrell Bailey 59/55—114
3rd: Dickie Pool 58/60—118
Open Masters
1st: $273 — Sam Dodd Jr. 51/49—100
2nd: $169 — Heath Whitley 52/49—101
3rd: $68 — German “Tito” Torrijos 56/50—106
4th: $50 — Gregg Bland 56/52—108
5th: Don Cook 55/56—111
6th: Larry Q. 60/53—113
7th: Jason Wiles 56/58—114
8th: Evan McKee 64/60—124
Advanced Masters
1st: Eric Savage 60/51—111
2nd: Vince Voorheis 58/56—114
3rd: Sean Winn 58/59—117
4th: Joe Huss 59/62—121
5th: David Dodd 59/64—123
Advanced
1st: Steven Medeiros 52/52—104 (won trophy in playoff)
1st: Austin Brown 53/51—104
3rd: William Harrison 54/53—107
4th: Nick Gilmore 59/52—111
5th: Mike Chappell 57/57—114
6th: Alex Newby 60/56—116
7th: Justin Williams 62/58—120
8th: Scott Helms 63/58—121
9th: Travis Duncan 72/59—131
Intermediate
1st: Eldon Watkins 55/50—105
2nd: Zach Files 56/55—111
2nd: Dustin May 56/55—111
4th: John McGowan 58/54—112
4th: Jeremy Baker 55/57—112
4th: Donny Vincent 55/57—112
4th: Derek Smittle 57/55—112
8th: Sam Dodd III 61/55—116
8th: Chris Lee 57/59—116
8th: Eric Brewer 59/57—116
8th: Craig Thomas 61/55—116
12th: Mike Hogan 60/57—117
13th: Adam Hackett 61/58—119
14th: Nate Puckett 63/64—127
15th: Lance Buckley 73/61—134
Recreational Women
1st: Taylor Beebe 68/70—138
2nd: Blair Barnes 75/71—146
3rd: Maki Porter 88/80—168
4th: Sara Wray 90/83—173
Recreational
1st: Wade Page 56/53—109
2nd: Kevin Bryant 60/57—117
3rd: Levi Pierson 60/58—118
3rd: David Smith 59/59—118
5th: Corey Birmingham 62/58—120
5th: James Birmingham 64/56—120
7th: Jason Dow 63/58—121
8th: Justin Bailey 63/59—124
9th: Rando 63/60—123
10th: Brian “loppy” Richardson 63/61—124
10th: Eric Wolski 65/59—124
12th: Cat Owens 64/64—128
13th: Jacob Bell 63/67—130
14th: Trey Graves 66/65—131
15th: Clay Doss 64/70—134
16th: Kevin Bailey 71/65—136
17th: Brett Ward 68/70—134
18th: Morgan Cyphers 71/72—143
19th: Kyle Chandler 80/67—147
20th: Matt Taylor 74/82—156
21st: Howard Byford 81/78—159
Disc golfers played 18 holes in the morning, broke for socializing and lunch at nearby Apple Blossom Brewery and then came back for 18 more holes in the afternoon.
"I like to be outside, and I like to be around people," David Dodd of Fayetteville said. "We have a lot of fun, but the competition can be pretty serious, too."
Dodd said he had never played disc golf until his son, Warren, got a disc as a present a few years ago.
"We came out just kind of messing around, and I liked it," said Dodd, who now plays in mini tournaments up to three times a week. "The tournaments are fun, and sometimes we'll just get 3-4 guys and come out and play."
Disc golf is similar in the rules to traditional golf, which disc golfers usually refer to as "ball golf." Competitors try to fly their discs into metal baskets set up around the course in as few shots as possible. A typical hole is about 300 feet long and a par 3.
Discs come in a variety of sizes and weights and each performs uniquely. A "driver" is smaller, heavier and has a sharper edge for longer flight and a "putter" is bigger, lighter and more rounded on the edge to control the disc better on close shots.
"You can play with just one disc and can easily play with two or three," Huss said. "But some guys carry up to 15 or 20 in their bag. Every disc is a little different, and you might want to use a different one based on if its hot or cold or windy or whatever."
The FDGA members, who call themselves the "chain gang," also put in volunteer hours throughout the year to keep the course maintained and are building another course in south Fayetteville at Walker Park. There are more than 100 current members.
Disc golfers frown on the term "Frisbee" now, but Huss says the sports has it roots from the late 1970s, growing out of the popularity of its more recreational relative.
"People started throwing Frisbees at trees and fence posts and making up their own courses in the backyard or the woods or whatever," Huss said. "It's more fun when you have obstacles like tree and bushes or water that make it more challenging."
While discs are a little more specialized and expensive than a Frisbee, starters sets can be found with three discs for less than $20. The highest priced individual discs are usually less than $20.
"One of the great things about disc golf is its very economical," Huss said. "You spend a few bucks to get started, and then you come out and play. There's no cost to play the course; you get some good exercise and a lot of great times with friends."
Sports on 09/08/2014