Kent State’s Recreation and Wellness Center will hold a disc golf tournament to officially open its new course this Sunday after an opening ceremony at 9 a.m. 

Although the history of disc golf is relatively unknown, the rise in popularity of the sport involving throwing a hard, molded plastic disc in an attempt to reach a distant chain-linked pin has found its way to Kent State.

The 18-hole course played on what Recreational Services calls the “Recreation Corridor” takes players on a two-mile walk around the Rec grounds. The course also routes across to the Allerton Sports Complex, loops back through the woods and finishes back at the Rec.

Abby Millsaps, marketing coordinator for the Department of Recreational Services, explained that the creation of the course has been an ongoing project for about two years.

“It started because there was a strong interest on campus — there’s not a close disc golf course around Kent State University, and so we saw a need,” she said. “We saw a lot of student demand, and we thought this would be a great additional offering for the Department of Recreational Services.

“Part of our mission is providing recreation opportunities for students and for all of our users, and this is something that is very accessible to a lot of people,” Millsaps said.

Admission to the disc golf course is free to students, and disc rental is available at the pro shop inside the Rec.

This Sunday, students and the public are invited to partake and compete in Kent State’s first inaugural Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) tournament, featuring four divisions assembled based on skill level. The four divisions are advanced, masters, intermediate and recreational.

“Because it is the first tournament and because we just opened at Kent State University, we want the tournament to be really accessible to everybody and to encourage students to come out and play even if you’ve only played a little before, or never played, we understand,” Millsaps said. “This is our inaugural tournament, and we want as much participation as possible.”

Donations to play in the tournament range from $15 to $35 depending on what skill division one wishes to play in. All proceeds will benefit Flash-A-Thon, the 12-hour dance marathon backed by Akron Children’s Hospital.

Everyone who participates in the tournament will receive a free breakfast, a free long-sleeve T-shirt and a free officially registered Recreational Services disc golf disc. Prizes, trophies and gift certificates will be awarded following the second round of the afternoon tournament and the awards ceremony at the end of the day.

Online registration for this weekend’s tournament ended Tuesday night; however, those interested in playing can still register in person inside the Rec Center. Late registration starts at 8 a.m. Sunday before the opening ceremony begins.

“We’re going to dedicate the course and officially open it up with what we call a ‘ring of fire,’” Millsaps said. “It’ll be everybody who’s been involved in the project over the last two years gathering around and throwing in a series of blue and gold discs to represent Kent State University.”

Contact Alex Klukaszewski at [email protected].