With the baseball season winding down (except for the few teams lucky and talented enough to make the playoffs), stadiums across the country will go into a stage somewhat like hibernation for the next six months. Sure, there will be a smattering of football played in some venues — like the Bitcoin Bowl at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg or the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in New York — but for the most part, the fields will go untouched while Major League Baseball players work on their golf handicaps.
On Wednesday, another type of golf will fill the void at one of the region’s baseball stadiums, as some of the best disc golfers in the world descend upon Bright House Field in Clearwater in preparation for the United States Disc Golf Championships, to be held Oct. 1-4 in Rock Hill, S.C. Paige Pierce, two-time World Champion and winner of the 2014 U.S. Women’s Championship, Sarah Hokom, winner of the 2012 World Championships and 2013 U.S. Women’s Championships, and fellow professional Zoe Andyke will participate in the Clearwater Disc Golf in the Ballpark series on the specially-designed 9-hole course set up in and around the stadium.
“This is a great opportunity for those in the disc golf community to meet some incredible people in the game,” said Trevor Toenjes, the event organizer and manager at the Clearwater Disc Golf Store. “Disc golf as a sport has exponentially grown over the past decade, and having women make a living at it helps create a more positive image about the sport. We’re fortunate enough to have them in town to see what we have to offer, considering they will be competing with the best of the best in a couple of weeks.”
Toenjes developed the idea after the Clearwater Disc Golf Store partnered up with the Philadelphia Phillies organization to stage a charity event at Bright House Field supporting the Suncoast Hospice. This past spring, Toenjes suggested creating a weekly tournament at the stadium in the off-season and the stadium’s administration quickly jumped at the idea, coinciding it with the Tiki Hut’s happy hours held each day from 5-9 p.m.
“The operations manager said it would work well due to the fact that the baseball season was over and that it might bring other people to the stadium who wouldn’t normally visit,” Toenjes said. “It’s something unique and I think could catch on throughout the rest of the country. We’re planning on talking to the (Tampa Bay) Rays’ people in the next few days about doing something at the Trop.”
The Trop could come in handy, too, considering the weather has played havoc with the event at Bright House Field. Last Wednesday was the second time in three weeks that the group managed to start and complete a tournament at the site.
Despite the weather issues, there has been a solid turnout, with more than 60 people attending the first week and approximately 50 participants at last week’s tourney.
It is free to enter the stadium for people 21 and over, with happy hour lasting from 5-9 p.m. The bar offers free food from 6-7 p.m. and live music throughout the night.
There are two different disc golf courses designed, one for amateurs and one for advanced players. The tournament lasts from 6-8:30 p.m. and costs $2 for amateurs and $5 for the advanced course with the top three scorers in each division taking home cash prizes.
Toenjes hinted at a bigger prize for anyone brave enough to compete against the three women professionals.
“We’ll see who wants to challenge them,” Toenjes said.
For more information, contact Clearwater Disc Golf Store at 727-725-2654 or by visiting www.clearwaterdiscgolf.com.