Parker Eshelman photo

Five-year-old Lee Cobb of Moberly sinks a putt on the third hole yesterday during the disc golf competition at the Show-Me State Games. Cobb was the youngest competitor in the field.

Bob Heyn turned his back to the hole after missing his putt off the edge.

He needed a moment to collect his thoughts before finishing off the double-bogey that left a slightly bitter taste on his round of 3-over-par 57.

If you’re wondering how he shot over par while breaking 60, it’s because Heyn was playing disc golf. He was one of 26 people to participate in the Show-Me State Games competition yesterday afternoon at Albert-Oakland Park.

Disc golf has been a part of the Show-Me State Games for 10 years. The sport, which has been growing in popularity since its origins in the 1970s, bears a lot of resemblance to its better-known, Scottish-born cousin, ball golf.

Sure, courses are measured in feet instead of yards, the hole is a basket hanging roughly 3 feet off the ground, not a cup below the surface, and the tools themselves are plastic discs, not metal clubs. But players of both can identify with the awkward stances that follow from a wayward shot. They can recognize the "nice shots" and "great putts" that accompany a well-executed throw. They can notice the way players gather to share a beer or two at the "19th hole."

And, of course, they can relate to frustration that comes from hitting the hole with a putt only to watch it not drop. Heyn and playing partner Jeffrey Marcum faced that scenario a bit more often than they would have liked yesterday.

"It happens," said Heyn, a 31-year-old native of Scranton, Pa., who moved to Columbia about 10 years ago. "I played better the second round than I did the last round. I shot 6-over in the first round."

His afternoon score left him with a total of 9-over 117 for the 36-hole tournament. That was good enough to earn a bronze medal in the 30-39 division. Jerome Dubinski won the gold in the division with a 3-over-par 111. Jonah Roberts finished second with a 116.

Other winners included Sean Brix in the 13-15 division, James Farmer in the 19-29 age group and Bob Waidmann in the 40-49 division.

But the day belonged to Steve Fisher, a 51-year-old Columbia resident, who finished with a total of 3-under 105, one of only two sub-par rounds on the day along with Waidmann’s 107.

"It just takes throwing together a good round," said Fisher, who came up two shots shy of tying event director Alex Dadant’s 50-59 division record of 103 set in 2001.

Fisher put together four strong rounds last fall to win the Tewnter Memorial, the Columbia Disc Golf Club’s annual championship, which has been held for 22 years.

"Me and Alex have been playing together for years," said Fisher, who plays regularly on the weekends. "Just casual, just play a round and have a good time."

That’s the purpose of the Columbia Disc Golf Club’s weekly leagues, held Monday and Thursday nights from April until October. The leagues rotate between Columbia’s three public courses, two at Albert-Oakland Park and one at Indian Hills. Members also meet every other Saturday throughout the year.

"Other than that, we get together out here playing singles, just some casual golf," said Heyn, who is vice president of the club, whose membership numbers about 75.

Club members are always interested in having new players pick up the sport and join their ranks, which is why they were so happy to see several kids playing in the Show-Me Games yesterday. They applauded as Dadant introduced Moberly resident Lee Cobb, who at 5 years old was the youngest competitor ever to participate in the competition.

Lee started playing about a year ago. Lee, his father, Bill, mother, Betty, and younger brother, Chris, make regular trips to Rothwell Park in Moberly. They bring a pair of portable baskets and toss the disc around.

Bill, who’s got approval to build a course in Moberly, has been playing for seven or eight years and has seen interest in the sport pickup since then.

"I’m starting to see a lot more," Bill Cobb said. "And a lot of them are younger kids, which is really cool."

Advertisement