For the 25th year, the United States Disc Golf Championship will be held at Winthrop Lake in Rock Hill, South Carolina from October 5th through the 8th. They are also excited to be hosting the Throw Pink Women’s Disc Golf Championship (TPWDGC) and The Fresh & Now evening concert series. If you're not entrenched in the disc golf community, this is like the Masters of the disc golf world. In the past decade, the sport has taken on extreme popularity with thousands of people attending the USDGC. Rock Hill is also home to the East Coast Warehouse for Innova Discs, an American disc golf brand and manufacturing company that was one of the first to produce equipment specifically for disc golf. A variety of vendors and food trucks will be on-site in the Championship Village, located in the heart of the course. The USDGC itself will have a souvenir spot with apparel and disc golf equipment commemorating both Championship events.
Credit: Chad LeFevre
New in 2023: The Fresh & Now Music Festival
For the first time ever, the championship will include an evening jam band concert series at Winthrop Lake.
Thursday - Empire Strikes Brass
Friday - The Tan & Sober Gentlemen
Saturday - Big Something
Sunday - Josh Daniel
Listen to the band’s Spotify and read more about the concerts here!
How to Attend
$ 25/day passes are available and include:
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Access to any single day of USDGC/TPWDGC competition. (Oct 5th - Oct 8th)
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Access to any single day of The Fresh & Now concert series
Parking at the course will be extremely limited for Day Pass holders. Remote lots will be activated once all available spaces at the course have been filled. Make sure to arrive early to secure a spot!
$100 VIP passes are available and include:
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4-day access to all rounds of the USDGC/TPWDGC
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Access to all days of The Fresh & Now concert series
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Convenient on-course parking
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And more!
The following individuals may enjoy Championship Week at no charge:
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Children 10 and under
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Active military and veterans with a valid ID
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Active Winthrop Students and Staff with a valid ID
Best Places to Watch While You're There
The Winthrop Arena Course is a fan favorite because of its easy accessibility and spectatorship. Unlike other courses, the arena is open and not heavily wooded, lending itself to easy site lines. Below are a few of the best holes to post up at:
Hole 1 (near the shack)
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The party starts off at Hole 1 where Disc Golf Network will be live-streaming the entire championship
Hole 5 (road by the lake)
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Watch the big par 5 where players test the water again and again.
Hole 7 (across from Championship Village)
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This world-renowned hole brings visitors from around the world who want to try and make it through the narrow bamboo fence.
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Kick your feet up and relax in comfy seats nestled in tents surrounding the hole, sponsored by ZÜCA, Inc.
Hole 17 (by the lake)
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The most dramatic hole on the course, more tournaments are won or lost on this hole than any other.
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Plays down at the lake, can rest your legs on the hillside, and watch the drama unfold.
Championship Village
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Located directly behind the tee of the famous Hole 7 aka the "Bamboo Hole". More than 30 vendors, food trucks, games, prizes, and a free 9-hole "Ace Place" course that is fun for all ages and skill levels.
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Keep an eye out for these giveaways in the village:
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Happy with Par will be giving away merch and apparel, along with a few meet and greets.
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Disc Golf Pro Tour will be giving 100 lucky people a mystery box with 1 person winning a Zuca All Terrain Cart.
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The Teddy Peddler will host a live disc-dying event
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Spectator Course
Open all days of competition and free to play. If spectators want to compete against each other, tickets are $5, and prizes are given away daily. The course is located at the back of the area on the golf course.
Watch it Live and Celebrate at Slow Play Brewing
As the official beer sponsor of the USDGC, Slow Play Brewing will not only have a strong presence at the championship but is also designated as the official USDGC after-party location! Slow Play will also be pouring on-site at Championship Village throughout the entire tournament, and hosting a scavenger hunt on the course.
Schedule of Events:
Tues. (10/3) - Trivia Night starts at 7 PM!
Wed. (10/4) - KICKOFF PARTY with Live Band Karaoke starting at 7:30 PM
Thurs. (10/5) - The official USDGC Putting League Party starts at 7 PM Participants get $5 pours ALL NIGHT!
Fri. (10/6) - Live music with Tim Young and Neal Morgan from 6-8 PM.
Sat. (10/7) - OFFICIAL USDGC AFTER PARTY AT SLOW PLAY! Live music all night starting with Sub Atomic at 6 PM, followed by Clayton Q.
Sun. (10/8) - Live music from 3-6 PM with Capital Culture.
Cibi Cibi Food Truck will be on-site all week, as well as out at Winthrop Lake to keep everyone fed! Stay tuned for specials.
They will have a very limited run of hand-dyed Slow Play discs available in the taproom. BONUS: All players, pros, and event staff/volunteers will receive $5 pours in the taproom all week!
Fun Facts About Disc Golf
Credit: Chad LeFevre
In the United States over the past few years, disc golf has been the fourth fastest-growing sport.
With more courses being open to the public as well as a lot of places being free to play, it’s no surprise that many are picking up disc golf right now. It’s always fun playing with others so grab someone new and introduce them to discing, or even join a club or team!
The game of disc golf was invented in the very early 1900s by a group of elementary school friends.
Ronald Cain and his friends began playing a game where they would throw lids into circles drawn into the sand. This is the first known idea of disc golf and the first known game happened in Canada back in 1926.
There are more disc golf courses than Dunkin’ Donuts in the United States, according to the UDISC growth report.
There are over 9,465 disc golf courses in the US, but only 8,500 Dunkin’ Donuts shops.
90% of disc golf courses are free to play.
Disc golf is one of the most economical sports, with most courses not charging for playtime or membership and most discs costing less than $50.
Where You Can Play Disc Golf in York County
Winthrop Lake
This beautiful disc golf course is set around a lake on a college campus environment. It's long and mostly open and as you would assume, water comes into play on many holes. There are several picturesque holes. This course was used for the 1997 World Championships. Many holes have water come into play. #4 has a Mando to protect the parking lot (you must go right around the first tree).
Boyd Hill Recreational Park
Boyd Hill's lovely park setting offers recreational professionals an enjoyable yet challenging disc golf experience. 18 holes beginning with some open ones and then upping the challenge by moving into the woods. Beautiful rolling terrain makes this a very popular course. You can follow the arrows on the bottom of each basket to the next tee, otherwise, you might end up getting lost!
Camp Canaan
Camp Canaan Disc Golf Adventures includes sixty holes on two Innova Disc Golf-designed courses. The Sandhills Disc Golf Course has 20 holes and the Riverbend Disc Golf Course has 20 holes with 2 sets of tees.
Course Details
Both of their PDGA Disc Golf Courses are open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays. Players may purchase a single Day Pass or a Year Membership. Day Pass includes free parking and all-day access to all 60 holes. Players may tee off from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Tee off times are first-come, first-served and all rounds must be finished by 5:00 PM. Players are encouraged to register online in advance for a faster check-in time.
Pricing
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Day Pass – $6
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Membership – $75
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Hole Sponsorship (includes 1-year membership) – $150
Fewell Park
Fewell Park is probably one of the smallest disc golf courses in the world, but don't let that turn you off. Instead, it is a great place to hone your short game or to introduce a beginner to the sport. Bring a couple of discs and see how many holes you can play in an hour, or play skins with a friend. See how many birdies you can sink in a row. Fewell Park is also an Aceplace course, one of Innova's brands that build short, beginner-friendly 9-hole courses.
Join a Disc Golf League
Rock Hill Women's Disc Golf League plays every Wednesday at Fewell Park from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 PM. It's free to play and prizes, donated by Throw Pink, are given away at the end! Roc Hill Disc Golf usually plays on Tuesdays around 6:00 PM, switches courses weekly, and also does a putting league every Thursday night at Slow Play Brewing!