McKinney, TX - McKinney disc golfers now have an official organization to help promote the burgeoning sport in North Texas.
The McKinney Disc Golf Association came to fruition a little over two months ago (December of 2010), thanks to a group of disc golfers lead by McKinney resident DeWayne Furr, director of the MDGA. And this weekend, March 5, the group will hold its inaugural event, the 1st Annual MacTowne Smackdown Membership Tournament, at Towne Lake Park Disc Golf Course.
“I got into the sport about three years ago. Some of us from this area started holding some informal weekly mini-tournaments for fun and then we started talking about forming a club,” Furr said.
Furr agreed to head up the local group, and along with MDGA co-director Trey Gunn, secured recognized nonprofit corporation status from the state, 501c(3) status from the Internal Revenue Service, as well as the necessary insurance to host events. The MDGA also received support from Dynamic Discs, a disc golf manufacturer and supplier of disc golf equipment from Emporia, Kansas that also sponsors a large number of competitions around the country.
“Dynamic Discs is a huge supporter of disc golf in North Texas. They even sponsored our fundraising T-shirts,” Furr said, adding that Dynamic Discs also sponsors the McKinney Towne Lake Pro-Am held annually in mid-February.
The MDGA strives to increase visibility and involvement of the sport through its annual membership drive competition, regular regional contests and eventually large tournaments, including one sanctioned by the Professional Disc Golf Association, the worldwide organization promoting the rapidly-growing sport.
“We have about 25 members so far and have set a goal of about 70 to 80 members. It’s just $20 to join and we hope people will want to come out each year to this Membership Tournament, pay their $20 and then have the chance to play with the MDGA at other courses in North Texas,” Furr said.
The City of McKinney features two city-sponsored disc golf courses - the Alex Clark Memorial Disc Golf Course (1986 Park View Drive adjacent to the Al Ruschhaupt Soccer Complex) and the Towne Lake Disc Golf Course (1401Wilson Creek Blvd. which sits just south of the Towne Lake Softball Complex). The Towne Lake course is longer and more complicated than the Alex Clark course, but both include 18 holes.
The MDGA leadership eventually would like to see the World Disc Golf Championships come to McKinney for both the professional and amateur levels of the sport.
“We could be the center of this sport in North Texas. We’re lucky and other north Texas disc golfers are jealous of McKinney because we have two of the best, more challenging courses in this area,” Furr said.
The MDGA would also like to work with area schools to get a disc golf curriculum introduced in the school physical education departments.
“Disc golf is the #1 fastest-growing sport, mainly because it’s not expensive – you just need a few different sizes of discs to throw – and because it provides great health benefits from being outdoors walking the course,” Furr said. “You don’t have to be an athlete to play and it’s just a great activity for all ages of men, women and kids.”
For more information about the McKinney Disc Golf Association, contact Furr at mckinneydiscgolf@gmail.com or join their group on Facebook.