An AF Tournament Profile
Friday, April 28th through
Championship Sunday, April 30th
DGPT Elite Series Event
aka
Jones
Tournament Director: Brad Pietz
Assistant TD: Matt Lloyd
Team: Jonesboro Disc Golf Club
Title Sponsors
Prodigy
Play It Again Sports
Course in play for 2023 event
Disc Side of Heaven
Championship Course
Course Designer: Brad Pietz
Disc Side of Heaven also a recreational course on the property
Championship Course established 2013
Located in Jonesboro, AR
This is the 7th annual Jonesboro Open
54 total holes in play during the 3 round event
Turf tees with Prodigy T1 Pro baskets
…. designed to challenge the best players in the world. The hills, the trees, the wind – all come into play on every shot thrown on the course. It’s a course that demands physical and mental stamina. And it does this every year.
TD Brad Pietz
There are no updates to the layout in 2023
from the 2022 Jonesboro Open.
FPO Par = 66 on 8572 feet Disc Side of Heaven
MPO Par = 64 on 9995 feet DSoH
Hole Lengths FPO
• 8 par 3’s = 255 to 385 feet
• 8 par 4’s = 520 to 630 feet
• 2 par 5’s = 715 & 818 feet
Hole Lengths MPO
• 9 par 3’s = 270 to 520 feet
• 8 par 4’s = 560 to 820 feet
• 1 par 5 = 855 feet
Disc Side of Heaven
A decade ago, a new course opened in the rolling hills of Jonesboro. Designed to have all facets of the sport: noticeable elevation changes, woodsy navigation, water hazards, and playing long. An elite course.
The Championship Course sits on 50 acres of nothing but disc golf and is very scenic while being quite challenging, at the same time.
TD Brad
In its 5th year, it would host a B tier Pro/Am, with a small field of 66 total pros. In both divisions, combined. Yet big names, with Ricky and Pierce winning in 2017, and Simon and Hokom as runner-ups. The following year had over 100 in MPO, and 15 in FPO. Ricky and Pierce won that year as well.
Last year’s Jonesboro Open, had a combined pro field of 163 players. Around 9th strongest field on tour in 2022, for fantasy relevant events. 10th strongest for FPO with 44 who played. Calvin and Kristin won. It was Tattar’s first elite win of 2022, in a most historic year.
And in 2023, 7 more FPO are registered for the event, on a course that has become a staple in the early southern play of every pro season. And so growing by leaps and bounds, in just a decade.
Putting the event together and making it one that elite pros keep wanting to return to takes dedication and a whole team of supporting members. The Jonesboro Disc Golf Club appreciates all the help it gets from devoted regulars to event volunteers. Or as TD Brad puts it:
Our Club does all of the upkeep and extensive preparing for the tournament. There’s too many to thank, and several team members who put in countless hours.
photo credit
All photos and logo are courtesy of Brad Pietz
Hit The Links
- Jonesboro Open Tournament website
- PDGA Event page
- DGPT Caddie Book link
- UDisc Live link
- Highlight reels – 2022
- FPO – Round 1 – Front 9 (GK Pro)
- MPO – Round 1 – Back 9 (Jomez Pro)
- FPO – Round 2 – Highlights (DGPT)
- MPO – Round 2 – Back 9 – Chase (Gatekeeper)
- FPO – Final Round – Front 9 (GK Pro)
- MPO – Final Round – Back 9 (Jomez Pro)
- 2023 Highlight Reels
- FPO – Round 1 – Front 9 (JomezPro)
- MPO – Round 1 – Back 9 (JomezPro)
- MPO – Round 2 – Front 9 (JomezPro)
- FPO – Round 2 – Back 9 (JomezPro)
- FPO – Final Round – Back 9 (JomezPro)
- MPO – Final Round – Back 9 (JomezPro)
Nearby Attractions
Disc Side Of Heaven is on the west side of Jonesboro, or within 15 to 20 minute drive of hotels in downtown Jonesboro. On southside of Jonesboro, is Craighead Forest Park, which has 42 RV sites. And it has a disc golf course as well, which helps explain why it is often sold out during weekends before, during and after the Jonesboro Open.
Keep in mind, if you’re ever visiting the Jonesboro area, outside of the schedule for the Open event, you can play the Championship course at Disc Side Of Heaven, from same set of tees (gold) that the elite pros play. It is P2P as you’re playing on a private course, which just happens to be one of the more coveted stops on the pro tour.
And according to TD Brad, downtown Jonesboro is a happening town. With apparently some great places to eat. There’s the pricey but very popular Roots cuisine, or great za at the Lost Pizza Co., or you could stop in at The Social, which is same place the Player’s party will be during the Open. Pics above show just how appetizing it is.
How Jonesboro Open fits within the 2023 Pro Tour
- 10th Prominent event of the 2023 season
- 5th DGPT Elite event of the season
- after Champions Cup (Major)
- before Masters Cup (A tier)
- Fourth of 4 events on the early 2023 southeast leg of the season
- Jonesboro does play in all standard fantasy leagues
How Many Pros Play
- For 2022, MPO had 119 players
- 96 were rated 1000+ (81%)
- For 2023, there were 112 who played in MPO
- 91 of those were rated 1000+ (81%)
- 31 of those are rated 1025+ (28%)
- For 2022, FPO had 44 players
- with 41 who were 900+ (93%)
- 25 were 930+ rated (57%)
- For 2023, there were 46 who played in FPO
- 40 of those were rated 900+ (87%)
- 25 of those were rated 940+ (54%)
- 2023 Jonesboro combined field was 158 pros
- 13th largest combined field out of 33 events tracked in 2023
- Tied for 12th largest MPO field
- Tied for 14th largest field of 2023 for FPO
MPO Best Average Finish
in Past 5 Years
*Note: Includes results from 2023 event. As does FPO list below.
| Order | MPO Player | Prev Ord | Avg Finish | Times Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calvin Heimburg | T3 | 4.4 | 5 |
| 2 | Paul McBeth | 1 | 5.0 | 5 |
| 3 | Ricky Wysocki | T3 | 5.3 | 4 |
| 4 | Chris Dickerson | 2 | 6.8 | 5 |
| 5 | Matt Orum | 7 | 7.5 | 2 |
| 6 | Ben Callaway | 13 | 10.7 | 3 |
| 7 | James Conrad | 9 | 11.8 | 4 |
| 8 | Corey Ellis | UR | 10.0 | 2 |
| 9 | Simon Lizotte | 6 | 12.0 | 3 |
| T10 | Kevin Jones | 5 | 15.0 | 5 |
| T10 | Ezra Aderhold | 12 | 14.0 | 4 |
| 12 | Garrett Gurthie | 8 | 16.2 | 5 |
| 13 | Thomas Gilbert | UR | 16.0 | 4 |
| 14 | Alden Harris | UR | 18.5 | 4 |
| 15 | Kyle Klein | UR | 19.0 | 4 |
| 16 | Gannon Buhr | UR | 19.8 | 4 |
| 17 | Adam Hames | UR | 21.2 | 5 |
| Calvin Heimburg continues as defending, 2023 Champ, He also won in 2022 and 2020. Ricky won in 2021. McBeth won in 2019. | ||||
| If disregarding Eagle's 2022 DNF, he would be among top 2 with 3x counting toward 3.0 average. With the DNF, his average is 31.3. | ||||
FPO Best Average Finish
in Past 5 Years
| Order | FPO Player | Prev Ord | Avg Finish | Times Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paige Pierce | 1 | 2.8 | 4 |
| 2 | Catrina Allen | 2 | 4.2 | 5 |
| 3 | Kristin Tattar | UR | 3.5 | 2 |
| 4 | Holyn Handley | UR | 4.5 | 2 |
| 5 | Hailey King | 6 | 7.6 | 5 |
| T6 | Missy Gannon | 4 | 8.0 | 5 |
| T6 | Ella Hansen | UR | 5.0 | 2 |
| 8 | Henna Blomroos | T13 | 5.5 | 2 |
| 9 | Jen Allen | UR | 8.7 | 3 |
| 10 | Jessica Weese | 5 | 10.0 | 4 |
| 11 | Alexis Mandujano | 8 | 10.0 | 3 |
| 12 | Vanessa Van Dyken | 7 | 11.8 | 5 |
| 13 | Kona Montgomery | 10 | 11.8 | 4 |
| 14 | Sarah Hokom | 3 | 12.0 | 4 |
| 15 | Kat Mertsch | UR | 13.2 | 5 |
| 16 | Macie Velediaz | 12 | 12.3 | 3 |
| Kat Mertsch is current, 2023 Champ. Tattar won in 2022. Catrina won in 2021. Pierce won 4 straight years from 2017 thru 2020, though the stats above are for 2019 thru 2023. Min. of 2 times played to qualify for list. Most unranked (UR) players had previously played just 1 time in past 5 years, but that changed in 2023. | ||||
Best 5 Rounds in Past 5 Years – FPO
| Order | FPO Player | Score | Year / Round | Final Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paige Pierce | 52 | 2020 / R3 | 1st |
| T2 | Catrina Allen | 54 | 2021 / R2 | 1st |
| T2 | Paige Pierce | 54 | 2018 / R1 | 1st |
| T4 | Hailey King | 55 | 2023 / R1 | 2nd |
| T4 | Catrina Allen | 55 | 2020 / R3 | 2nd |
| Oddly, neither of two winners in past 2 years have shot a top 5 best round at Jonesboro. Even more odd, Tattar shot best (or hot) round all 3 days in the 2022 event, and won by 10 strokes. | ||||
Best 5 Rounds in Past 5 Years – MPO
| Order | MPO Player | Score | Year / Round | Final Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Conrad | 47 | 2023 / R2 | 5th |
| 2 | Garrett Gurthie | 50 | 2018 / R1 | 2nd |
| T3 | Calvin Heimburg | 51 | 2023 / R1 & R2 | 1st |
| T3 | Eagle McMahon | 51 | 2023 / R1 & R2 | 2nd |
| T3 | Corey Ellis | 51 | 2023 / R2 | 5th |
| T3 | Mason Marchbanks | 51 | 2023 / R2 | 27th |
| As of 2023, there's a new sheriff in town, and he's World Champion, James Conrad. | ||||
| Prior to 2023, others have shot score of 51 in MPO, but going with top 5 for this list, and giving credit to who hit that score most recently. | ||||
2023 Results – Top Finishes
| FPO PLAYER | 2023 PLACE |
|---|---|
| Kat Mertsch | 1st |
| Hailey King | 2nd |
| Aria Castruita | 3rd |
| MPO PLAYER | 2023 PLACE |
|---|---|
| Calvin Heimburg | 1st |
| Eagle McMahon | T2nd |
| Ben Callaway | T2nd |
| Isaac Robinson | T2nd |
| James Conrad | T5th |
| Bradley Williams | T5th |
| Corey Ellis | T5th |
| Andrew Presnell | T5th |
| Kyle Klein | T5th |
Best Fantasy Picks
(based on re-draft format with 6000 cap)
