Greater Binghamton Disc Golf Club to host NYS Championships, September 6-7

The Greater Binghamton Disc Golf Club is hosting the New York State Disc Golf Championships on Sept. 6-7 this year at a couple of different locations.   

On Saturday, Sept. 6, 100 players from across New York State and beyond will compete at Nathaniel Cole Park and at the Campville Commons Disc Golf Course, with play beginning at 9 a.m. The final round will be held on Sunday at Hope Lake/ Greek Peak Disc Golf Course.

Pro and advanced players will play at Nathaniel Cole Park on Saturday morning, and the other amateurs will play at Campville in the morning and at Nathaniel Cole Park in the afternoon. On Sunday, tee times will start at 8:30 a.m. Pros are expected to tee off around noon. 

This event rotates every year between regions. This is the first time the Greater Binghamton Disc Golf Club has hosted this event, which is expected to draw players and families from all over the Northeast to compete and experience the Greater Binghamton area.

The Binghamton Club expects a field of 144 players for this event.

The Greater Binghamton Disc Golf Club was established in 2014 to help promote the sport of disc golf as well as other flying disc sports. The GBDGC, now about 50 members strong and growing, works in cooperation with the area’s parks and recreation departments in maintaining and improving the many public courses in the area.

Most club activities involve taking care of courses, running leagues and smaller local and regional events, and working with communities to get new courses installed. The Club also supports Tioga County Rural Ministry, the Tioga County Boys and Girls Club, and The Church in the Wild, raising almost $40,000 for these groups.  

GBDGC helps local parks departments because, besides being a great sport, disc golf is an excellent low-cost, healthful, and fun recreational opportunity for people of all ages. Members of the GBDGC have been involved, in varying capacities, with the installation of all of the free-to-play courses in the area.

In 2017, the club installed the Campville Commons Disc Golf Course in Endicott, N.Y., which was completely funded and installed by club members.

In 2019, in cooperation with Broome County, Nathaniel Cole Park Disc Golf Course construction began and was completed in 2022; this is a championship-level course. The club raised $10,000 to support this project. 

Besides taking care of courses and running weekly local events, the GBDGC runs or promotes special regional events, such as the Southern Tier Open and Ice Bowl.

The GBDGC is currently a registered not-for-profit corporation in New York.  

Disc golf is similar to golf in procedure, pace, and psychology. Instead of clubs and balls, disc golfers use golf discs (smaller, heavier, and aerodynamically superior to the Frisbees used for playing catch). Instead of a cup, disc golfers “hole out” in a disc golf basket or target.

Usually made of steel, it features a basket that is attached to a pole about two feet above the ground and has chain assemblies above the basket that act as a backboard, stopping the disc’s forward motion and causing it to drop into the basket. Disc golfers play the throw from where it lies and count each throw until the disc lands in the basket or within the chains.

Disc golf shares the same joys and frustrations as traditional golf, whether it’s sinking a long putt or hitting a tree halfway down the fairway. There are a few differences, though. Disc golf rarely requires a greens fee; you probably won’t need to rent a cart, and you never get stuck with a bad “tee time.”

“It is designed to be enjoyed by people of all ages, male and female, regardless of economic status,” said Rick Powell. “Disc golf is a lot of fun, quite challenging, and relatively inexpensive to play.” 

If you have any questions about disc golf or the upcoming championship event, contact Rick Powell, Tournament Director, Vice President, Greater Binghamton Disc Golf Club, (607) 972-7525 or by email at Rick@hydroheaven.com; Tucker Middleton, President, Greater Binghamton Disc Golf Club, (607) 621-1944, or disctherapy@gmail.com; and Troy Widden, Assistant Tournament Director, (607) 644-3594, or email at disc24996@gmail.com.