Throw Down the Mountain
Throw Down the Mountain
In January 2013, Sun King Disc Sports will host two weekend tournaments (ams and pros) on the property formerly known as the Gran Canyon. This is a unique opportunity to play disc golf on this legendary tract of land in Brooksville, FL. The defunct limestone quarry once hosted mountain bike races and was converted for disc golf in 1993 and quickly became famous for it's extreme elevation changes, breath taking views and fairly rugged terrain. Most sunshine state disc golfers, along with many top touring pros, considered the old Gran Canyon 27-hole configuration one of the sport's crown jewel courses before it's demise.
The last tournament at the Gran Canyon was run in 2006. The property was sold in late 2008 and the final rounds were played on November 24th of the same year, the Monday after the last Players Cup in Crystal River, FL, when scores of tournament players descended on to the course for one last "hoorah." The baskets came out immediately afterwards and speculation and rumors swirled about its future over the next 4 years. Since then the property was cleaned up to prepare it for residential development when the housing market bubble burst shortly afterward, the nearly 60-acre plot went undeveloped and was eventually converted in to a cow pasture.
It has taken Mike Barnett of Sun King Disc Sports nearly 4 years to get the owner of the property to allow these two events, to which Barnett said, “we are very grateful and humble to get this chance to bring back, even if only for a short time, this historic disc golf paradise." Barnett also noted, “the property has changed dramatically with some areas overgrown, some areas cleared and open and other areas either holding water or have sustained water and wind erosion over the past few years. This is why we have chosen to use a modified 18-hole layout that features as much of the old course as possible, but also uses some areas that haven't been used since some of the early tournaments or not at all. In addition, to maximize the memories and good times this time around, there will be limited camping spots including a handful of spots for campers/RVs, as the ability to return to play again remains unknown.”
The announcement of the Throw Down The Mountain tournament has created quite a buzz throughout Florida and the Southeast and players from as far away as Illinois have already made commitments to attend. With a host of local players stating their desire to play both weekends, the already highly sought after tournament spots will be sure to fill quickly.
Online registration opens on November 16th at 12:00pm EST.
Story by: Sun King Press Release
Photo credit: Gregg Hosfeld