Tournament Profiles: Las Vegas Challenge

Sand trap putts and palm trees are modern Las Vegas Challenge trademarks. Credit: Alyssa Van Lanen

Out in the Mojave Desert twinkle the neon lights of Las Vegas. A place with an average February temperature just above 60°F/16°C that knows a thing or two about how to put on spectacular events, Vegas, as host of the Las Vegas Challenge, has become the traditional kick-off point of the professional disc golf season.



Learn more about this event below, where we fill you in on tournament history, past highlights, courses, and information for following the action both in-person and from afar.

Tournament History

Pro Nikko Locastro putting in Vegas at the 2017 (left) and 2019 (right) tournaments. Left photo credit: PDGA. Right photo credit: Alyssa Van Lanen

The annual competition in Vegas has evolved quite a bit in its 21-year history, including undergoing a name change. As many longtime disc golf fans will know, the LVC was called the Gentlemen's Club Challenge as recently as 2017.



"The 'gentlemen' were the original group of players who came out to Sunset Park in the early 1990s to play and compete," said assistant tournament director Scott Merritt. "They became known as the Gentlemen's Club and would take on all comers. The name change came about as a way to more positively promote the event and to bring in new sponsors."



Merritt's mention of Sunset Park is related to another important part of the tournament's history. Since 2016, the tournament has been played on three courses set up at Wildhorse Golf Club. However, the tournament's home from 2000-2015 was Vegas' Sunset Park.

The venue switch occurred after the the Las Vegas Disc Golf Club (LVDGC) held their 2015 Halloween Classic at a location owned by the same organization that owns Wildhorse. The club's top-notch event organization and the evident high enthusiasm for disc golf in the area were so impressive that Wildhorse's owners suggested doing a disc golf event at their ball golf course.

The LVC venue made a big leap in 2016, going from the public course at Sunset Park (left) to Wildhorse Golf Course (right). Left photo credit: UDisc username texas2putts. Right photo credit: Ryan Kokrda

Though Sunset is a solid course and a piece of disc golf history that first opened in 1977, the club jumped at the chance to move their city's premiere event from a public park to a place that, for one week a year, could be made into a private disc golf heaven. Then, after just one year of hosting the tournament at Wildhorse, tournament director and former LVDGC board member Jeff Jacquart decided to create a business (specifically an LLC) just to run the event.



"A key reason for the change was to remove the Las Vegas Disc Golf Club from any financial obligations tied to the event, especially with the TD no longer being on the club board," Merritt explained. "Jeff 'retired' from being a board member so 100% of his disc golf time could focus on the GCC/LVC."



With more courses and a very dedicated organizer, a tournament that first took place in 2000 with just 44 participants can now, according to Merritt, accommodate nearly 600 with plans to add more spots in the future. It's also become recognized as the first big event of the disc golf season. An unexpectedly good showing in Vegas can set expectations high for a formerly under-the-radar player for the rest of the year, and a disappointing performance from an established top competitor can raise concerns that cast a shadow on the rest of their season.



Contrary to the saying, what happens in Vegas often leaves it on the tip of everyone's tongues.

The Courses

Small hills and the short-cropped grass are constants on all three LVC courses. Credit: Alyssa Van Lanen

Competitors play on three different 18-hole courses at Wildhorse Golf Club. While in earlier versions of the event, players often teed off on grass or sidewalks, organizers—prompted by player feedback—have now installed turf tee pads for each hole. The courses have undergone changes each year since the event moved to Wildhorse, with many holes being altered to add difficulty.

Infinite Discs Course (Rd. 1): The shortest of the three courses but also the one with the most technicality added by incorporating trees and other plant life into the design. This course is also home to the (in)famous triple-island par 4 that is under 300 feet/91 meters that has players hopping from one small green to another or trusting their accuracy to make bigger leaps.

Innova Champion Course (Rds. 2 & 4): The most important feature of this course is that it has the most water competitors will face in Vegas. Since the course is where the final round will be played, that water has the chance to create some real tense moments for players and fans. Generally, the course requires little to moderate distance, but it does occasionally ask for some power shots. Two of its par 3s are over 450 feet/137 meters.



Innova Factory Store Course (Rd. 3): At over 9,000 feet/2,740 meters, this track is the longest. There's just one hole below 350 feet/107 meters and a par 5 that's just under 1,000 feet/305 meters. Big arms can feast on this course as long as they avoid the many out-of-bounds areas created to add challenge to the more open holes laid out on the ball golf course terrain.

Course Map for All Three Courses: You can find a map of all three courses You can find a map of all three courses here

Past Highlights

A lot of memorable moments have come out of Vegas over the many years of the tournament. Below are some of the most recent standouts.



Snow and a Sudden-Death Playoff for Open Women in 2019

Finnish pro Evelina Salonen putting in a rare Las Vegas snow during the 2019 LVC. Credit: Alyssa Van Lanen

One reason Vegas is the spot many pros flock to so early in the season is that it tends to have warmer temperatures than most of the country. However, last year the Open Women division played their first round in a freak Vegas snowfall. Both the competition and weather heated up, though, and it all came down to a sudden death playoff between Paige Bjerkaas and Catrina Allen. If you don't know already, you can see how it ended in the clip below from JomezPro:







Open Taken Down by First-Time NT Winners in Back-to-Back Years



Last year, Calvin Heimburg got his first PDGA National Tour win ever in Vegas. The year before, Eagle McMahon did the same on the road to having a phenomenal year. You can see McMahon's reaction in the clip below from JomezPro:

There's no chance for yet another first-time NT winner this year, however, because the LVC is not a National Tour event this year.



The Ace That Sold a Thousand Thunderbirds

Though he didn't succeed in his valiant attempt at a comeback win over eventual 2017 champion Ricky Wysocki, then Innova-sponsored Paul McBeth certainly had the shot of the tournament. He bagged an ace on a 368-foot/112-meter hole with an Innova Thunderbird in front of a thrilled crowd. The shot was the centerpiece of an Innova ad until McBeth changed sponsors in the offseason before 2019. Check out the shot as caught by Spin TV below:







The Thumber Albatross



If J.C. Kester had been on a card with the right media coverage, his shot on the par 5 last hole of the 2016 Gentlemen's Club Challenge would likely be embedded in the minds of almost every pro disc golf fan in the world. As it is, his thumber albatross is still the stuff of legends, with the only surviving documents of it being the memories of the people who saw it and the cell phone footage below:





Tips for Spectators

If you live near enough to Vegas to make it out to watch the competition, you'll have plenty to look forward to.



"One thing that most players and spectators comment on is the atmosphere," Scott Merritt said. "You come into the venue and walk straight into a giant vendor tent. Turn left right or go straight, and you'll run into one of the courses. There is a driving range, a putting area, a nine-hole mini course, and on and on. There's so much to do, and so much disc golf shopping."

Event Schedule: You can see a full schedule of events by clicking "'20 Spectator Pass" on the "Registration" tab of the You can see a full schedule of events by clicking "'20 Spectator Pass" on the "Registration" tab of the tournament's website

Spectator Packages: "One new thing for this year are our spectator packages," said Merritt. "We have a VIP Package that will get you a custom disc and lanyard and a seating area indoors. We also have Throw Pink packages, LLS Packages and Gold VIP packages. They all include discs, lanyards and are a great way to support the event and our charitable causes."



Learn more about these packages at the event.



Parking: On Saturday and Sunday, spectators won't be able to park in the main parking lot of the Wildhorse Golf Club and will have to park either on the street or at the remote parking area. There will, however, be shuttles to bring spectators from the entrance to tournament central.

Spectating Rules and Tips: The LVC website's page on the tournament's Media Policy also has important information for spectators. Read that The LVC website's page on the tournament's Media Policy also has important information for spectators. Read that here . If you've never spectated professional disc golf before, this article might be helpful.

Keep Score: If you're interested in getting to follow a card during its round on any day of the competition, consider volunteering as a UDisc Live scorekeeper. Just click "I WANT TO KEEP SCORE FOR THE PROS" on If you're interested in getting to follow a card during its round on any day of the competition, consider volunteering as a UDisc Live scorekeeper. Just click "I WANT TO KEEP SCORE FOR THE PROS" on this page

After the Show

If you're looking for things to do after the tournament is over or if you're in the area before after the action starts, here a few tips:

Courses: If you have time for a round, one place to try out is Sunset Park, just three miles away from Wildhorse Golf Club.



Another option is If you have time for a round, one place to try out is Sunset Park, just three miles away from Wildhorse Golf Club.Another option is Boulder Creek Golf Club , which has a highly-rated course not far away from Vegas in Boulder City. The course is pay-to-play and you should call to ask about tee times before making the trip out.

A Vegas Night Out: When we asked Vegas resident Scott Merritt for his suggestions on how to have a true night out in Vegas, he had a simple answer: "Head to the Strip of course!! So many shows and world class food!"

A Low-Key Night Out (Sans Vegas): If you're looking for something a little more relaxed than the stereotypical night out in Vegas, Merritt suggested If you're looking for something a little more relaxed than the stereotypical night out in Vegas, Merritt suggested Able Baker Brewing Company , "where you can get food and great beer without the casino atmosphere." The brewery also sponsors the event, so you'd be supporting an establishment that supports disc golf.

How to Follow

If you can't make it to the event, there are plenty of ways to follow the action. Here are the organizations covering the tournament and what they'll have to offer:

Open Feature/Lead Cards: Central Coast Disc Golf

Open Women Feature/Lead Cards: The Disc Golf Guy



Open Chase Cards: Gatekeeper Media

Open Third Cards: GK Pro