Pandemic Portraits: Florida TDs With Tourneys In Limbo

On March 17, the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) announced it was suspending sanctioning of tournaments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. That suspension was originally until March 31, was then extended to April 30, and then extended again to May 31(July 31 for National Tour and Major events)1. Removing sanctioning doesn't cancel tournaments, but even in areas without legal prerogatives to do so, most sanctioned events were cancelled or postponed after the PDGA made it clear they believed that both the sport's image and the common good were served well by doing so.



In its announcement, the PDGA Board of Directors President Justin Menickelli was quoted as saying "as the COVID-19 pandemic touches more communities and puts several age groups and those with underlying health conditions at risk, it is requiring sacrifices from everyone."



Quelling the pandemic as quickly as possible is obviously in the public's interest for a variety of reasons, but that doesn't mean taking the measures to do it are easy. One of the sacrifices that has been hardest for the disc golf community is cancelling tournaments that dedicated teams have been planning for nearly a year. To learn more about that experience, we reached out to people connected to the large Florida events Throw Down the Mountain and The Tallahassee Open. Both of these were postponed following the PDGA's announcement.

Throw Down the Mountain

Image from the Gran Canyon course in Brooksville, Florida where the Throw Down the Mountain tournament is held.

In early March, Mike Barnett of the disc golf store Sun King Discs had roughly 500 disc golfers registered to compete in the eighth annual Throw Down the Mountain (TDTM) in Brooksville, Florida–a series of PDGA-sanctioned events taking place over three weekends in March. Among those coming were reigning disc golf World Champions Paul McBeth and Paige Pierce, as well as other heavyweights in the sport. Barnett said that "about half" of the attendants were non-locals and had booked accommodation in the area.



That all changed after the PDGA announcement.



“I understand it,” Barnett said about the PDGA’s decision to stop sanctioning tournaments. “But we were on our way to having the biggest year ever to now…it’s all ripped out.”



Beyond all the prep work that had gone into the course, assembling a team of volunteers, and the other various aspects of tournament organization, one consequence for Barnett was losing lots of possible business for his shop. McBeth and Pierce were both meant to make in-store appearances near tournament time, which would have drawn many disc golfers eager to purchase those players' signature discs and other equipment.



“My expenses didn’t drop, but revenues definitely dropped,” said Barnett, referring to both the in-store appearances and financial setbacks related to tournament vendors.



Barnett also wasn't the only person in his area whom the postponement hit hard.



“I was devastated that it was canceled,” said Tammy Heon, manager of tourism development at Florida’s Adventure Coast, which works to promote tourism in Hernando County where Brooksville is the county seat.

While her office doesn’t have exact figures on how much revenue the annual disc golf tournament generates, Heon said it causes a positive economic ripple throughout the community.



"It’s a growing sport and we definitely see some extended stays when the tournament is held here," Heon said.

One bright spot in all of this is that despite the postponement, Heon's enthusiasm for supporting disc golf's growth in Hernando county hasn't wained. Citing the economic advantages, how the presence of disc golfers helps deter crime in parks during the evenings, and disc golfers' readiness to help with park maintenance, Heon expressed the desire for Hernando County to work with Barnett and the disc golf community to continue to help grow the sport.

The Open at Tallahassee

A tight line at Tom Brown Park where the The Open at Tallahassee was set to take place in early April.

In Florida’s capital city, Tournament Director Mario Palmentieri had to postpone the PDGA-sanctioned Open at Tallahassee, scheduled for the first weekend in April.

“We were ready and heading in the right direction,” added Palmenteiri, who works as a Recreation Supervisor for the city of Tallahassee. “We had about 150 to 160 people registered for the pro weekend."

The Open at Tallahassee tournament is sandwiched between TDTM and another event in Jacksonville to create a “Florida swing,” explained Palmenteiri, drawing disc golf players from around the southeast.

Palmenteiri had big plans to expand his tournament thanks to an $8,000 grant from the Tallahassee Sports Council. A decade ago, that same agency had provided a grant of only $750 when Palmenteiri first got involved with the Open at Tallahassee.

“They definitely see the value in it,” Palmenteiri said of the city’s sports foundation. “All of it has a positive impact on the local economy. Even if players are staying with family or friends, they all put gas in the car or go out to eat.”

Last year, Palmenteiri was able to pull some of the city’s staff to live stream and videotape some of the Open at Tallahassee. The live stream garnered 1,500 viewers, and the post-produced footage was viewed around 300,000 times.

“There’s nothing in the city of Tallahassee that gets that kind of views,” said Palmenteiri, adding that such a result “demonstrates to [local leaders] what this is all about.”

This year, Tallahassee had planned to up its coverage by bringing on Terry Miller (The Disc Golf Guy) to handle the video production. The purse for pro divisions was going to be between $7,000 and $10,000.

Palmenteiri said tournament directors are working to be flexible in trying to reschedule events instead of canceling altogether, especially since shirts and trophies have already been ordered. Still, despite all the discomfort uncertainty, losing money, and lost publicity bring, Palmenteiri didn't begrudge the decision to postpone.

“We just all need to be careful and set the example and stay at home,” he said.



The Open at Tallahassee has since been rescheduled to take place on October 2-4, 2020.



1. The PDGA announced an extended suspension of sanctioning to May 31 and the additional suspension of NT and Majors after this article's publication. We have altered the original text to reflect those changes.