Chad Brantley is an Owensboro native and a resident disc golf fanatic. Each year he and several friends spends countless hours at local parks promoting the sport while building relationships with other members of the community. It has long been a dream of Brantley’s to marry his love of the sport with a desire to honor veterans.
On Saturday, Chad’s dream will come true through an event called “Veterans for Vets,” which is sponsored by Disc Golf retail company Dynamic Discs. The event will be held at Whitesville City Park (10345 KY 54). The tournament will begin at 9 a.m., with check-in starting at 8 a.m.
Competitors have been registering for the last month, with walk-up registrations also accepted. The cost for the event is $25, which guarantees participation in the 21-hole event as well as two tournament-stamped commemorative disc golf discs. All proceeds from the tournament will go to American Veterans Post 75.
The community is invited to either participate or to simply watch, with many local players competing for first place across several divisions. Brantley said this event is a great way for people new to the sport to get involved while raising money for American Veterans Post 75.
“Disc golf is a great way to get out and exercise, while tuning into your competitive nature,” Brantley said. “I would encourage anyone, especially young people, to get involved in disc golf, because the friendships I’ve made through this sport are the best I’ve ever found. This tournament is a great way to get an introduction to the sport and the people that play it, and I’m so honored to put it together and to get to support such a great cause.”
Dynamic Discs is a disc golf producer and retailer with an online presence that stretches well beyond simply selling disc golf equipment. In addition to their annual sales, Dynamic Discs also promotes several benevolence-based events that encourage people to learn to play the sport, as well as encouraging community involvement with organizations supporting veterans.
According to the official website, Veterans for Vets is a series of events all over the nation that exists for three main purposes.
“Veterans for Vets is an event designed to meet three goals: First, it gives disc golfers a chance to play in an organized event during the winter months,” the website reads. “Second, it provides an awesome environment for a disc golfer without any tournament experience to play in an organized event. Finally, it provides an opportunity for a local disc golf community to raise money that gets returned to that same community to organizations tasked with serving veterans.”
Sean Higgs, a junior at Daviess County High School plans to participate in the event with a few of his friends. This will be Higgs’ first foray into disc golf, while he remains a vital part of the varsity football and soccer teams for Daviess County. He said he’s excited to support the cause and is excited to get some tournament experience under his belt.
“I’ve been playing disc golf for a few months now,” Higgs said. “I really enjoy it and I think it’s going to be fun to be introduced to the disc golf community in this way. I’m especially excited to be participating given that the proceeds go to such a great cause. I have a Dad on active duty, so supporting troops past and present holds a special place in my heart.”
For anyone looking to celebrate the troops and to be introduced to the sport of disc golf, you can find out more by visiting the tournament registration site here. Additionally, Brantley encourages anyone to find him on Facebook and reach out to him with any questions about Veterans for Vets.
