Sparta, Wisconsin – Saturday, September 23, 2017 Justin Trails Resort hosted the sold out 12th Annual Justin Trails Open Disc Golf Tournament with 144 players including 15 women, an all-time record. Players from Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota competed for the “most coveted” black disc for each Division.
First Place Winners by Division: Open, Adam Hammes; Open Women, Hailey King; Masters, Peter Leslie; Senior Grandmasters, Rick Rentz; Advanced, B.J. Rodriguez; Advanced Masters, Brandon Theriault; Advanced Grandmasters, Doug Gorman; Intermediate, Boon Mee Vue; Intermediate Women, Lori Locke; Recreational, Larry Romprey; Recreational Women, Leah Vanden Branden and Novice, Allen Stewart.
Brad Wendt, Wisconsin Tour Director, who competed in the Senior Grandmasters Division, has played the Justin Trails Open since the tournament became part of the Wisconsin Tour in 2008. “The Justin Trails Open is one of my favorite stops on the Wisconsin Disc Golf Tour. The Classic and Big Brother courses, have never looked better!”
Thank you to our 2017 JTO Sponsors: Nelson Just Ask Rental, Mike’s TV and Appliance, Maxwell-White Plumbing, Flock’s Heating and A/C, Big Boar BBQ, Coulee Region Insurance Group, Craig’s Meats & Catering, Compeer Financial, Hagen’s Sales and Service, Lightnin’ Electric, Sparta Floral, Speed’s Bicycle Shop, One Love Salon, Justin Trails Resort, Riverside Disc Golf and Pandamonium Discs.
The Wisconsin Disc Golf Association has an annual tour that tracks player’s scores for a series of 20 tournaments. The tour provides the “most coveted” black disc for each division’s champion at each tour stop. At the end of the season, trophies are awarded to the state champion in each division at the end of the season finale.
Saturday October 7th, the 2017 Wisconsin Disc Golf Tour Finale was held at Rollin Ridge and Cato Disc Golf Courses, near Reedsville.
Justin Trails Resort offers bed and breakfast style lodging in log cabins and cottages in addition to 1920 farmhouse suites. Activities include sledding and snowshoeing during winter months and we wanted to add a warm weather sport. During 1997, an intern from UW-La Crosse, Tanna Rybarik, working for the resort brought a book showing various outdoor sports including Disc Golf which was gaining popularity.
Don and Donna Justin, owners of Justin Trails Resort visited a few courses in Wisconsin then created the 9 basket Classic Course with the help of professional Disc Golf Course Designers Don Hoffman and Mike Cozzens. In 2001 another 9 baskets were added. With the desire to host a tournament, there needed to be two Disc Golf courses. In 2007 Professional Course Designer Timmy Gill and Jeff Noel were hired to design the Big Brother course with another 18 baskets.
