QC Hosts the PDGA Tim Selinske U.S. Masters Championships This Week

September 07, 2022

Almost 300 players will compete in the Quad Cities for the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) Tim Selinske U.S. Masters Championships on September 8-11, 2022.

The professional and amateur players competing next week are men and women ages 40+ from 37 states across the U.S., and qualifications include having the minimum number of tournament points and PDGA membership. The professional level will be competing for more than $15,000 in cash prizes.

The event originated in 2000 in La Mirada, Calif., with Tim Selinske, co-founder of Innova Disc Golf, as the original Tournament Director. Tim passed away in 2009 and since then the event was adopted by the PDGA and put up for a bid process to be hosted by various cities around the U.S.  Visit Quad Cities and Iron Lion Disc Golf Supply bid on this event to bring another PDGA Major to the Quad Cities.

“We are thrilled to host another PDGA Major Event in the Quad Cities,” said Joan Kranovich, Director of Sports & Business Growth, Visit Quad Cities.  “Disc golf and the activation of our courses are important to our sports tourism landscape. The event will drive economic development and growth, as well as continue to put our disc golf scene on the map nationally.”

Tournament Schedule:

• Wednesday, Sept. 7: Registration 9 am-5 pm
•         6 pm Player Meeting at the Isle Casino Hotel (Host Hotel)
• Thursday, Sept. 8: Play Begins at 9 am
•     Fly Mart 4-7 pm – Disc Golf Vendors and Food Trucks at Camden Centre in Milan
• Friday, Sept. 9: Play Continues starting at 9 am
• Saturday, Sept. 10: Play Continues starting at 9 am
• Sunday, Sept. 11: Finals & Awards Ceremony at Camden I & II in Milan

The public is invited to watch the disc golf play throughout the week and attend the Fly Mart on Thursday.

Competitors will travel throughout the Quad Cities during the tournament to play the disc golf courses at Eastern Avenue Park in Davenport; Devil’s Glen Park & Middle Park in Bettendorf; and Camden I & Camden II in Milan.  The Quad Cities is known as one of the premier disc golf outlets across the country.

For more information, visit the PDGA website at www.pdga.com/2022usmasters

Local Players

There are several players from the Quad Cities who have qualified for the tournament.  They include:

• Katherine Betcher
• Travis Brown
• David Casas
• John Conner
• Ad Rock Desamero
• Jason Fields
• Kris Floy
• Vaughn Foster
• Chad Hein
• Tracey Lopez
• Bernie Moore
• Pedro Perales
• Mike Robinson
• Melanie SanFilippo
• Christopher Sprague

“We wanted to showcase the Quad Cities scene and provide an economic impact on the area through disc golf,” said Chase Roberts, Tournament Director.  “We are proud to work with Visit Quad Cities to help facilitate this tournament for our local golfers and more so for the community.”

Local Disc Golf History

Disc golf got its start in the Quad Cities in the mid to late 1980s, with the first major promoter being Dale Haake.  After moving to Longview Park in Rock Island from Lincoln Park, disc golf got a foothold and slowly started to expand.  After a slight lull, the Quad City Disc Golf Club got active and from there promotion and course growth exploded.  A perfect storm of Internet access and big city parks led to a massive change in the landscape as we went from one 12-hole course in town to 18-hole layouts in Rock Island, Geneseo, Milan, Davenport, Bettendorf, and Moline.  More courses would be added, and in 2006 the tournament scene here started expanding, going from virtually none to many in a few short years.  In 2009, the Quad City Disc Golf Club hosted the U.S. Women’s National Championship.  In 2017, the QC hosted the PDGA Amateur and Junior Disc Golf World Championships.

About PDGA

The Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) is the international governing body of disc golf, one of the world’s fastest growing sports. The PDGA sets rules and standards for the game and sanctions more than 4,000 annual competitive tour events with a collective purse of $4.5 million. A 501(c)(4) nonprofit membership organization, it is based in Appling, Ga., where it operates the International Disc Golf Center and three championship disc golf courses. Its 40,000 recreational and professional members come from 60+ countries.

About Visit Quad Cities

Founded in 1990, Visit Quad Cities is the official Destination Management and Marketing Organization (DMMO) for the region.  Visit Quad Cities is a private 501(c)(6) non-profit engine charged with driving economic opportunity through tourism.  The Bring It QC program connects Quad Citizens with the Visit Quad Cities team to identify potential new meetings, events, conventions, and conferences that could be held in the Quad Cities regional destination.  Bring It QC provides another way for Visit Quad Cities to identify new business and lead generation opportunities to have an even bigger impact on our local economy and quality of life initiatives.

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Media Contacts: Chase Roberts or Jessica Argyle, Iron Lion, 309-757-7685

                                  Charlotte Doehler-Morrison, VP Marketing & Communications, Visit Quad Cities, 309-781-4235 cell