(WKBN) — Saturday in Boardman and Austintown, two of the area’s best disc golf courses will host one tournament. It will include 14 professionals competing for a first-place prize of $275.
Luke Shelton and Mike Merwin Friday afternoon walked Boardman’s disc golf course in preparation for Saturday’s Pure Flight Open. Shelton is the organizer. He owns Pure Flight Disc Golf in Hubbard. Merwin will be competing as an armature — one of the 144 players to sign up.
“As far as I’m aware this is the biggest, and I don’t care about biggest. I want it to be the best,” said Shelton.
Stan Boney: You pretty confident you’ll do well tomorrow?
Merwin: Absolutely.
Boney: You think you might win tomorrow?
Merwin: Possibly. If all goes well, yes.
The disc golf courses at both Boardman and Austintown Township Parks will be used with half the field playing one course in the morning then switching to the other in the afternoon.
“These two courses are without a doubt the most used and the most beloved courses here. So I wanted to put them in one tournament,” said Shelton.
When Shelton first announced the tournament over the winter he had no problem filling the field.
“We filled up 144 players in about three or four hours, and then we ended up with about 35 people on the waitlist. So it filled up quick,” said Shelton.
As Shelton and Merwin worked their way around the course they talked about the increased popularity of disc golf. The proof is in the number of courses.
“When I first started playing I lived in Trumbull County and there were a few courses out there. I moved out this way and there was one course here at Boardman and over the last six years or so we now have 20 courses in a 25-mile radius,” said Shelton.
The tournaments start in both Boardman and Austintown at 9 a.m. There will be a break for lunch and to switch courses. The afternoon rounds will start at 1:30 p.m. People are more than welcome to come and watch.