Competitors in the 13th annual Vineyard Social disc golf tournament set scoring records on a chilly and breezy Saturday last week at the 6,000-foot Riverhead disc golf course at Manuel F. Correllus State Park in Oak Bluffs.
Top-rated New England player Paul Habets shot a course record 49, five strokes under par, for the afternoon round of the one-day pro-am tournament, which drew 119 players to the 20-year-old course.
Tournament co-director Jake Gifford also reported that three players, including Island resident Lucas Brewer, shot 53, one stroke under par, during the morning round, the most players under par for a single round in the history of the tournament. Mr. Brewer finished fifth overall, slightly ahead of his brother, Cody Brewer, who finished 13th.
The tournament features 11 divisions of play, based on age and skill level, playing on the 15-acre site. A list of division winners appears below.
The atmosphere at the 13th annual Vineyard Social was certainly social, and way more mellow than is sometimes experienced on “ball golf” courses, the term disc golfers use to describe the sport of conventional golf.
“Yeah, we call it ‘hiking with a purpose,’” Mr. Gifford said. “If you like nature and hiking, you’ll like disc golf. When you add a game, it’s even more fun.”
Having fun is an important element for the disc golfers, who came from all over New England and as far away as Michigan for the tournament. Competitors include people who played college ball golf and others who’ve never swung a club.
Daniel Nakamota from Merrimack, N.H., has been competing in the Vineyard Social for six years. He said the primary difference between disc golf and ball golf is “the body physics required in disc golf compared with ball golf. It’s more holistic in that sense, and requires you to work with nature and weather conditions and to know your equipment and terrain and how to work within your abilities.
“This is a pretty unique course, not a lot of tree shelter; the wind can definitely add 4 or 5 strokes to your game, even if you are a strong player. It’s a good challenge and the first tournament of the season, so it’s good to come and get going,” he said.
Players on Saturday threw overhand, sidearm, and underhand tosses in every conceivable style to aim their discs at baskets on holes ranging from about 90 yards to 150 yards from the tees.
Most golfers with whom the Times spoke said the benefits of disc golf are experience in nature, affordability, and time. Vineyard Social competitors paid an average of $40 to play in the tournament, using an array of two or three dozen specific-purpose discs that cost $10 to $20 each, though as few as three discs will do the trick for beginners. Skilled players can complete 18 par-3 holes in about an hour.
Disc golf has a governing body, the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA), but it’s not about the money. Paul McBeth, the reigning Babe Ruth of pro disc golf, has made less than $30,000 over eight pro seasons, only slightly more than the 16th-place finisher received last weekend at the Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Classic PGA tournament.
Riverhead offers two discrete 18-hole courses, and can create a third 18-hole course using holes on the other two courses. An all-volunteer cadre of players, including co-tournament director Sean Patrick, who designs disc golf courses, maintain the venue.
Chris Bruno, new park and forest supervisor for the Correllus State Forest, likes what he sees: “It’s great. They are very professional. You can tell it’s more than a hobby for them. They have goals to continue making improvements to the venue,” he said on Saturday.
Mr. Gifford and his wife, Sarah, are Island business people, operating the Lazy Frog toy and game store on Circuit Avenue in Oak Bluffs. Mr. Gifford see his tournament as one of a growing number of offseason events that benefit the Island economy.
“We have well over 100 people coming in, and they stay for three or four days. We see the gift certificates we give as prizes showing up around town,” he said.
Indeed, Isabelle Morley of Isabelle’s Bed and Breakfast in Oak Bluffs loves her disc golfers, who rent the entire property for three nights every year. “They’ve been here for four years, the same group, nice people. And they reserved for next year already,” she said, noting that filmgoers at the Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival and attendees for this weekend’s Chilifest have given her a string of full houses. “It’s really terrific in the winter,” she said.