Wait...What?!
Wait...What?!
2015 Ledgestone Open Announces $65,000 Added Cash!
The 2015 Ledgestone Insurance Open presented by Discraft is taking things to a new level. Yesterday evening it was announced on SmashboxxTV’s weekly podcast that this year’s event would have a mind-boggling $65,000 of added cash! You may be thinking, was that too many zeroes? No, it wasn’t. This year’s event will add a staggering amount of cash to the event, essentially making it the richest payout in the history of the sport. “With a full field of professional players, the pro purse will be just shy of $115,000”, said tournament director Nate Heinold #49340.
You may be asking yourself how that’s even possible for a disc golf event. “It has required constant fundraising and many hours of work,” said Heinold. “Discraft has really stepped up in a big way and Ledgestone Insurance has also really increased their support. Discraft has also released some Limited Edition discs that we have been selling to raise funds and it’s about to get even better.” With the input of Heinold and the tireless efforts of Discraft Team Manager Bob Julio #36331, they have come up with a special blend of plastic called Ti Flx plastic.
“This is really the best of both worlds. Ti Flx plastic combines the best characteristics of both blends of plastic. Ti Flx is not too flexible but it has some give to it. It doesn’t feel anything like the old Ti plastic, but has the durability of Ti plastic. It’s extremely grippy and has a great flight to it. It’s easily the best blend of plastic I have ever felt,” said Heinold.
So what molds are Discraft releasing in this new mix of plastic? At this point in time there are plans to release a Ti Flx Buzzz, Nuke, Drone, Challenger, and a few others. All of these will be limited in their nature and will have special stamps and will begin to be released at the end of March. If you are a vendor (or if you just like to sell discs), please contact Justin Jernigan to get in on the program to sell some of these Limited Edition discs.
Discraft Ti Flx Zone - Prototype
Back to the tournament – registration opens 3/2/15 at 7PM CST for any player rated 990 and above as of the most recent ratings update. Registration opens for everyone else 3/4/15 at 7PM CST. Registration will take place at www.iregisteredonline.com and tournament details can be found on the official 2015 Ledgestone Insurance Open website. More updates can be found on the event's Facebook page. “We expect registration on the Pro side to fill up very quickly. We have heard from many of the top pros in the world and with this much added cash we expect to have one of the deepest fields of the year,” stated Heinold.
One of the most significant announcements yesterday was the tournament’s continued partnership with St Jude Childrens's Research Hospital. “St Jude has a local affiliate hospital in Peoria and it really means a lot to this community. Discraft and Ledgestone Insurance have committed to give at least $10,000 to St Jude through the tournament and we hope to give more than that. We have a lot of fundraising ideas to raise as much as we can and are open to anyone else’s idea. This is our 3rd year that we will be partnered with the local St Jude affiliate and with this year’s St Jude Charity Invitational happening in California it seems like an even better year to raise as much as we can,” said Heinold.
This year’s event won’t just be a cash grab. They will be having their annual ice cream social, putting competition, Fly-Mart, check-in party, clinics, a buffet dinner, a doubles exhibition match, a disc golf/golf exhibition match, glow disc golf and many other activities. SmashboxxTV will once again be broadcasting this year’s event and they will also be broadcasting the disc golf/golf event and the doubles exhibition match. “The disc golf/golf event is something we are very excited about. I was approached by one of the top golfers in the area about doing this event and it’s going to be very unique. It will take place at a local championship golf course and will pair the best golfers in the area with the best disc golfers in the world, with the proceeds going to a local charity. Who knows, maybe we will make the participants switch sports for a hole or two,” joked Heinold.
This year’s event will truly be unforgettable. The tournament has a capacity for 576 players and as usual will take great care of all of the players, not just the professional players. “The amateur players will have the best player’s pack in the country. I truly have lost count of how many discs are in the player’s pack (it’s at least 8) and it also includes a shirt, metal mini, trotter box, and more. Also, not $1 will come out of the amateur entry fees to pay for tournament expenses or the player’s packs. Every dollar of their entry fee will go into their payout,” stated Heinold.
The projected payouts have been posted on the Ledgestone Open website and as you can see they don’t disappoint. How many times have you seen a disc golf event where 25th place potentially walks away with a grand? The Recreation division will pay out a whopping 80% of the players in the division, while the Advanced division will give $500 to the winner assuming a full field of players. Do not miss the opportunity to play in one of the biggest tournaments of the year!
Comments
This is totally PHENOMENAL !
This is totally PHENOMENAL ! Thanks Ledgestone !
Hopefully this will pave the way for larger corporation sponsorship and increased purses for these great athletes ! Great News !