Organizers let it fly for Maricopa Meadows Disc Golf Tournament

Tthe second annual Maricopa Meadows Disc Golf Tournament has reached its limit of players, but organizers welcome everyone to come out and watch the competition.

The Maricopa Meadows Open is Jan. 17. Registration starts at 7:30 a.m. Competition starts at 8:30 a.m. Maricopa Meadows is at 45725 W. Honeycutt Ave. east of Maricopa High School. Mayor Christian Price will throw out the first disc.

This is a Professional Disc Golf Association-sanctioned event of 40 holes in two rounds, according to Paul Brenner, an advanced master player. He said it is a $10,000 tournament.

This year, Dave Feldberg not only directs the tournament but will also be among the competitors. He is from Scottsdale and, likewise, many of the players come from all over Arizona – and beyond.

“It’s golf for the next generation,” Feldberg said. “It’s exactly what you want from golf, but ball golf takes too much time. Kids today don’t have six hours to spend and they don’t have 100-dollar bills to pay for equipment or greens fees.”

Almost from the time he moved to Arizona, he has been proselytizing about the sport.

The Maricopa tournament started last year, Feldberg said, “Because of Javier Kowalski.”

Kowalski and Feldberg had been involved in disc golf in the same town in Michigan and met up again in Maricopa. As soon as they started playing again, they said “We gotta have a tournament.”

They designed the disc golf course at Maricopa Meadows.

From that the inaugural Maricopa Meadows Open was born. For the second tournament, there is a 100-player limit, and they still have a waiting list, Feldberg said.

Feldberg has been playing disc golf since 1999. Michigan is one of the leading states in the sport, even producing world champions, like Feldberg. Arizona, he discovered, needed some work.

Together, he and Cynthia B. Whitaker hosted competitions to raise money for charities like food banks and Toys for Tots while also raising awareness about the disc golf. “They try it and maybe think, ‘Hey, this is fun,’” he said.

He said disc golf is accessible and affordable.

“It’s the only sport that I can think of where you can take your great-grandpa and your kid and everybody can play together,” he said.