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The 2014 Green Mountain Championships

The 2014 Green Mountain Championships

Vermont’s A-Tier Adds $8,000 & Showcases a New Tournament Model

Tuesday, September 16, 2014 - 17:14

The Green Mountain Championship’s debut in 2013 was an event to remember. As a B-Tier with $4000 added cash, Smugglers’ Notch Resort and Brewster Ridge Disc Golf provided not only a tournament that had touring pros buzzing, but complemented the play on the course with music and Vermont craft beer in a beautiful mountain resort setting. 2014 has brought the return of this event, but this year, it’s bigger and better. The field has doubled to 144, the added cash has doubled to $8,000, and Prodigy Disc has jumped in to support it as the title sponsor.

The Green Mountain Championship is now positioned as the main event in Smuggs Fall Fest, an event that also includes craft beer, local food, music and mountain biking. Event Director Jeff Spring #43994 believes that featuring disc golf as part of a larger whole will expose more people to the sport and create a larger crowd of spectators to watch the world’s best. Club Wyndham agrees with Spring and has jumped on board to support the event as well.

This year, Spring has again brought in Fiddlehead Brewing Company to generate buzz. One of the rising stars in the Vermont craft-brewing scene, Fiddlehead is debuting a new double IPA on Friday night of the event titled "Hyzer Flip" in honor of one of the most beautiful flight shapes in disc golf. With a basket and Prodigy’s logo on the 16oz can, this will not only be a delicious offering, but an extremely collectible item. As a limited release, this beer may be gone by the end of the weekend.

hyzer-flip-beer-label.jpg
Design By: Taylor Johnson

The event kicks off on Thursday night at nearby Cambridge Elementary School with a Village Fair presented by the local group Cambridge Artists & Entrepreneurs and features pro clinics, Backcountry Magazine’s Downtown Disc Golf Course, and Innova Champion Discs’ long drive contest. With the help of the after school enrichment program, Cambridge Connections, the students of CES have been learning to play the sport over the last four years and will now benefit from having an EDGE package generously donated by Innova! Discmania’s Deep in the Game team of Avery Jenkins #7495 and Simon Lizotte #8332 will also be on site to host one of their well-known clinics for 30 lucky golfers.

In addition to Avery and Simon the pro field will feature Steve Brinster #10628, Ricky Wysocki #38008, and Will Schusterick #29064, which should make for an exciting three days of competition. Players will play Brewster Ridge’s 27-hole layout on Friday, followed by round of 18 on Saturday and Sunday before ending with a four-person final nine. Make sure to keep an eye out for weekend coverage, as Terry "The Disc Golf Guy" Miller #10738 and SmashboxxTV will be supporting the event and live scoring will be available throughout all three days.

Throughout the weekend, delicious local food will also be featured, as players will be treated to MTN Season wood-fired bagels for breakfast and lunch with dinner from the Mad Taco, two of the many craft food businesses that are favorites in the area. Other artists and vendors, like Pure Flight Disc Golf, will be set up for a Music & Microbrew Fest that runs from 2:00pm-10:00pm EDT on Saturday featuring three live bands and a Fiddlehead beer garden. There will certainly be no shortage of things to do outside of disc golf as players get to relax at this 4,000 bed resort. Did we mention it also has three waterparks, multiple restaurants, and bars in its central village?

Jeff Spring isn’t shy about his plans to grow this event into one of the largest in the world. He sees the next step as opening another18-hole course and planning is now underway with none other than Steve Brinster on board as the designer.

Check back in the next week or so for an event recap and bookmark the results page on PDGA.com to see how your favorite players do against one of the toughest courses in the Northeast!