Hundreds To Fly Frisbees, Including Local Pro

Posted on: Oct 22nd, 2009 | News and Announcements

Hundreds of competitors are signed up for the annual Halloween Howler Disc Golf Tournament at Chickasabogue Park this weekend, including Mobilian Matt Orum, 21, who is ranked number three in the world in his division. The tournament runs from 10 a.m. to 5 or 6 p.m. Saturday, October 24, and from 9 a.m. until late afternoon Sunday, October 25. The competition at the 1,200-acre wildlife refuge in Mobile County has drawn players from eight states for this year?s tournament. Each year, the park?s campgrounds are filled to capacity and decorated for the annual Halloween decoration contest. Chickasabogue has always drawn large numbers of players because the course is popular for its terrain, which includes beautiful wooded areas and a wide section of the Chickasaw River (called the Chickasabogue inside the park). The 18-hole disc golf course, with par-3 baskets, is registered with the Professional Disc Golf Association. Orum, who turned pro at age 16, has played the game since he was 12 and through his years as a student at Murphy High School. Today, he travels the professional circuit around the country full-time. Disc golf borrows its rules from traditional golf, but instead of balls and clubs, players throw flying discs, or Frisbees, and holes are replaced with baskets set on poles. Players aim to finish the course in the fewest number of throws.