I think some cool things to look at are the evolutions over time.
The honorable Andrew Duvall
Stay Gold
The Throw Pink Women’s Championship is in just its 3rd year, which means history in the making. Catrina Allen is defending champion and Missy Gannon the inaugural champ. A growing tradition in its younger days, as we fans witness the magic of soon to be legends of the game.
A championship level disc golf course on a college campus. With enough water and elevation changes to rival top courses on tour. Being a campus ‘rec area,’ the course design makes use of many elements. Which, it pretty much has to with tennis courts, baseball field, and a multipurpose park area. The 2023 layout, like many years before it, makes use of extensive OB, well sprinkled hazard areas, 8 holes with a single mandatory (mando), 1 hole (first hole) with a double mando, and then 2 more holes with triple mandos.
Withrop is a course that since its inception in the 1990’s, the fairways were designed to be tight. Compact, while making excellent use of space. Course designers Harold and Andrew Duvall, along with USDGC TD Jonathan Poole and Dave Dunipace set out to create a course for the future of disc golf. In 1999, USDGC launched at Winthrop, with room for the spectators, as an objective of design. A way to grow the the sport, and immerse fans of the game in a PDGA Major. All relatively new at the time. And all part of a growing tradition.
Team Fun Delivers
The US Disc Golf Team takes great satisfaction in hosting the elite players at the final Major of the PDGA season. With a super charged collaborative effort, the prestigious tournament delivers a week long experience with a highly festive atmosphere.
Backed by a major disc sponsor (Innova), set on a bustling college campus, with lots of food and lodging nearby, the Winthrop Arena offers 4 days of elite competition. Add to that nightly jazz, funk and bluegrass music at Championship Village on the same grounds. A place for fans and players to congregate. Where rows of vendors and days of clinics entice the roaming spectators. There are VIP areas and private Yurts (think premium relaxation tents) for fans looking for a little extra comfort.
Players are here to soak it all in, but mainly to battle in the last big PDGA event of the season. MPO playing in their 2nd biggest Major of the season. While FPO competes for an even bigger reason. Throw Pink shines a bright light on pro disc golf’s efforts to end breast cancer. An excellent opportunity to raise funds and more importantly awareness around an important issue.
Like most events on tour, prepping the course for the big event is half the battle. There’s of course ongoing maintenance, final touches, and tweaking layouts based on slight changes to hole designs. Without an organized effort by a dedicated team and many volunteers, these best of the best events wouldn’t happen. On a course that makes use of water, grass, wood chips and sand, the upkeep routinely displays an immaculate course. And yet, it’s still a course that is evolving, with challenges that are unique.
Hole 7 and the iterations of the bamboo wall. It went from something that had to be thrown over, to something that could be thrown over or through, to the triple mando version it is today. It even was toppled in a storm and held up for play by the staff one year.
Andrew Duvall
Photo credits
All logos and graphics courtesy of US Disc Golf Team Media
All images credited to Chad LeFevre Photography