2008 Sydney Disc Golf Open

5-6 April 2008
Sydney, Australia

The ‘Sydney Disc Golf Open’

The timing was perfect, due to family and work circumstances I had just pulled out of the New Zealand contingent heading to Worlds in Kalamazoo and was feeling a little sorry for myself, when an email arrived from Sydney Disc Golf.

“Tournament directors Kurt Karlsson and Albert Munoz and Club President Luke Williams would like to invite you to play at this year’s Sydney Disc Golf Open” it said, “(an Australian Disc Golf A-Tier National Tour Event). Both days will be held at the Sydney Olympic Park Disc Golf Course, Newington Armory”.

How could I turn down an invitation like this! Upon checking the airfares I was pleasantly surprised that I could get to Sydney and back cheaper than a trip to Queenstown [and I could even pick up my quota of duty free].  After filling in the on-line registration Club President Luke Williams got back to me the very next day offering a place to stay and transport. Brilliant!

Friday morning saw us meeting the man with the key to get onto the course to set up a practice basket and ‘do some pre tournament course preparation’, a shallow guise for a practice round really. Newington Armory is an Australian Heritage property and is sadly locked up during the week so the only time you can play the course is on the weekends. [How sad it must be for a disc golfer to be able to drive past baskets in a beautiful park and not be able to get to them, mind you better that than nothing!]  The course made the most of the trees and foliage in the park but was still relatively open. There are numerous restrictions on where you could go due to the numerous heritage bunkers and buildings not to mention the endangered Australian native frogs but the best’s been made of a fantastic venue for disc golf. The standard layout involves 9 baskets with most having short and long tees.

The boys! If ya gonna visit Sydney ya gotta travel in a classic Holden.

Saturday morning and we’re at the course early as tournament director Kurt Karlsson briefs us on the format for the weekend. There will be 2 rounds of 18 holes on Saturday and 1 round of 24 holes for everybody on Sunday (followed by a cut for a final 12 holes after lunch). There will be a mix of permanent holes, modified permanent holes and new ones using portable targets.

For the opening round I was in a group with SDGC locals Tim Keighley and Jason McFarlane it was great to see how the regulars played the course.

During the lunch break I phoned home to see how my young son Toby’s rugby game went, to be told it was cancelled as the weeks worth of freezing cold southerly and horizontal rain had made the grounds unplayable, and that weather pattern was expected to last at least another week! .. Even more of a good reason to duck across the Tasman for the weekend as I stripped to a singlet and shorts for the afternoon round, 23 degrees no wind to speak of and not a cloud in the sky.

After a great Saturday evening dining at a local boating club on Botany Bay, footy on the tele and the company of Luke and old mate Greg Sparksman from Canberra, it was back to Homebush via the coffee shop for the Sunday rounds.

Once again perfect conditions for Disc Golf, by the start of play the light dew had dried off and the sun was putting smiles on faces. Following the players meeting there was a half hour period for warming up which meant for most it was out onto the course to play a few holes and practice putting but for the GM’s it meant another half hour of sitting in the deck chair while the sun did the warming up.

Luke, Tess and girls Skye, Sidi (Sidra) & Kiedis.

With the 3 extra baskets set up, the morning round of 24 holes was a great idea and saw us visiting areas of the park we hadn’t been to on the Saturday. I had the pleasure of fellow old-timer Greg Sparksman and Woman’s Open player Sally Hill in my group for the Sunday rounds and thoroughly enjoyed their company. Lunch in the afternoon sunshine was once again beautiful Greek Pizzas delivered hot to the course, before, surprise surprise everyone made the cut for the final 12 holes.

What a great weekend of Disc Golf and friendship. Thanks to all who made my stay in Sydney a memorable one. Luke, and beautiful wife Tess and girls Skye, Sidi (Sidra) & Kiedis. Luke’s Mum and Dad Carl and Amelia [and friends at the Boating Club] who bent over backwards to make me welcome. When you get over the ditch this way I’m hanging out to return the hospitality.

I’ll be back for the ‘Australian Disc Golf Championships’ at the same course in October all going to plan.

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Sally Hill, & Ian Thorpe watch playing partner Robert Howe put out on hole #8.

Robert Howe shows his putting skills on hole #3.

Eventual Open winner Kurt Karlsson sends his put to the basket on what I would call the ‘signature hole’ #5 at Newington Armory.

Sally Hill has the problem of a little something between her and the basket on temporary hole ‘C’.

The heavily bandaged Greg Sparksman shows his putting style on the temporary hole ‘C’ framed by the timber.

There was plenty to impede your route on hole ‘C’ out the back, here Greg Sparksman from the Capitol tentatively putts at the portable basket.	Greg, Luke and Bob at their regular morning stop on their way to the course.
Luke Williams, Kurt Karlsson, Bob Gentil, Sally Hill, Simon Pryde & Eric Dhal all managed a place on the Olympic Park Dias at the end of the weekend.

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