Christopher DeRosier, 36, owns My Boy Chris’s Disc Golf Shop located in Eastman Place Plaza, Suite 171 on Eastman Avenue in Midland. He sells new and used disc golf discs, carry bags, carts, baskets, minis and accessories. DeRosier also works as a cook in M’s Café, which is located in Eastman Plaza. DeRosier is a graduate of Bay City John Glenn High School. He earned a culinarian certificate at the Florida Culinary Institute in West Palm Beach. He’s now in the electrician program at Delta College. His fiancée is Aeriel Bickham. DeRosier has a boy and two girls, Aiden, Marvel and Koriann. They have a fourth child on the way.
How long have you owned your business? Just had my one-year anniversary last week.
What inspired you to start this business? Playing disc golf as a hobby for about 10 years. It’s such a growing sport. (Example) My PDGA (Professional Disc Golf Association) number is 84289. It’s your number for life. I just signed somebody up yesterday whose number is over 220000. These are not casual players. These are people who pay $50 a year to play in tournaments.
What makes Midland a great place to own a business? The people, very friendly. Midland has been awesome. The people who come in, they’ve made my first year as successful as it is.
What are some ways your business is active in the local community? For the last year five years, I’ve run a local doubles league for new players interested in getting into the sport on Wednesday nights at 5:30 p.m. at Hayes Park in Freeland. I’m also a Freeland Lions Club member. Run a disc golf tournament during the Walleye Festival. Also run PDGA tournaments, do 13 a year. Last year, we held the Michigan Pro-State Disc Golf Championship in Freeland, Midland (Chippewa Trails), and Sanford (the Jungle, at Sanford Lake Park). We had 300 players.
What are some of your interests and hobbies? I love disc golf. Hanging out with the family. Enjoy volunteering for the Lions Club. I’m the Lions Club chef. Absolutely love the Lions Club, most rewarding thing ever. I’m all about charity.
What are some local businesses you work with that help make your business a success? All around Michigan are manufacturers who create minis, discs. Feature a lot of local artists who put their work on discs. Dye Fly, Dan Straley of Midland has Dye Strangely. He got into discs. I showcase a lot of his work. I also have Disc Golf and Pour discs. From Detroit, they make handcrafted resin minis. In disc golf, you are supposed to mark your disc (just like a golf ball on the putting green). Flinging Birdies, they make resin minis. Mitten Bags in Michigan, they feature an embroidered chalk resin bag full of clay that helps keep your hands dry. I carry the discs of 16 different companies.
Final thoughts to share with the community? I do have a lot of local players interested in giving lessons. I’m a one-stop shop. I would like to encourage new players to come and see me. We are very beginner friendly. I would like to thank the community and my team for all of their hard work this season