Nearly 80 disc golfers played in Lu Mill Classic

Circular objects were sent flying around the grounds of Lu Mil Vineyard in the hope of landing inside an elevated basket.

Participants leaned left, leaned right and leaned back in trying to help their disc avoid hitting a tree, utility pole or a pair of humongous hay bales en route to the final destination. Players begged for their disc to avoid splashing into water.

It was all part of the Lu Mil Classic presented by Throw Coast Disc Golf held Feb. 21-22 on an 18-hole temporary layout.

Elizabethtown’s Brooks McGill tied for second in the mixed pro open division, shooting a two-round 10-under 118 and earned $138. He finished two shots behind Blake Poland of Greenville.

Jake Evans of White Lake won the mixed amateur 3 division with a 1-over 131, shooting a 4-under 60 in the first round.

Layouts played between 6,000 feet and 8,300 feet, depending on skill levels.

“Disc golf is fun. We’re trying to grow the game and give people things in the sport they haven’t seen yet,” said tournament director Hastin McGill, who is an East Bladen High School graduate. “It’s a very cheap sport. You can spend $20, $30 and have fun for weeks.”

Nearly 80 players made the trek to the picturesque 78-acre vineyard to compete in the first major disc golf tournament held in Bladen County. Cody Bradshaw, who placed fifth in the mixed pro division, is from Fredericksburg, Virginia. There were players from Charlotte, Wilmington, Raleigh, Tarboro, Little River, South Carolina and elsewhere.

“Something like this has not happened in Bladen County,” McGill said, “and we’re trying to show Lu Mil and the Town of Elizabethtown that disc golfers are respectful, disc golfers want to have fun and they bring money to the town.”

Some players rented cabins on the Lu Mil property while others stayed at White Lake or Jones Lakes, according to McGill. Barefoot Sandwich Shop and Leinwand’s, both businesses in Elizabethtown, helped sponsor the tournament.

“We created a very special disc golf course on the property,” McGill said, “best in this part of the state.”

Players were introduced on the first tee. McGill gave an interesting tidbit and hometown for each golfer. Then, it was time for the discs to fly.

The first hole played at 295 feet for pros and 236 feet for amateurs. There was water down the left side and a large, four-pronged utility pole in the middle of the fairway about 50 feet from the basket. Many discs clanked off that pole, leaving players with a difficult approach in an attempt to save par.

The 18th hole was a dogleg left that played 494 feet with water down the left side. The hole forced golfers to navigate around a large evergreen in the middle of the fairway before aiming for a tiny green that was guarded in front by water. It wasn’t unusual to see a player use an extension pole to retrieve a disc that had splashed into the water.

“This is a disc golf tournament and it’s a little fancy,” McGill said, “but our goal with our crew at Throw Coast is to grow the game with kids. We’re also trying to get disc golf into halfway houses or drug recovery centers and do things like that.”

McGill began playing disc golf with his brother, Brooks, then became more involved with the sport when he moved to the Wilmington area.

“The biggest thing about disc golf is I can hang out with a 13-year-old kid and have a great time or with a 70-year-old man and have a great time,” he said. “It puts me with people in life that I would not be around if it wasn’t for disc golf.”

Throw Coast Disc Golf is located in Leland. It can be reached at throwcoast.com or 910-399-5077.