Upcoming Philly Open

This coming weekend is the Philly Disc Golf Open...(Where Maggotx and friends will be participating...) .The Philly Open, A PDGA Tier B event is held at the Sedgely Woods Disc Golf Course.....The second oldest DG course in the World......here are some pics and info on Sedgley....

It's Important to remember these things as they tend to fade away with the times.....Even the Sedgley Woods Web Link is not working.........:(.....how sad...

History

In 1976, after graduating from Penn State, Jim Powers along with Joe D'Annunzio, Rick Vlam founded the Philadelphia Frisbee Club. Jim played Ultimate Frisbee in college, starting the Penn State Ultimate Team in 1974. Once back in the Philadelphia area he formed the new club by word of mouth and contacting local Frisbee Masters Joe D'Annunzio and Rick Vlam. The members were interested in all flying disc games including Ultimate, disc golf, freestyle, Double Disc Court and the field events of distance and self-caught-flight (maximum time aloft, MTA; throw run and catch, TRC). The club began meeting and playing weekly at several areas around the city, most notably in Valley Forge National Park outside of the city and within Philadelphia’s famousFairmount Park.

The club's motto was: "Advancement of physical and mental fitness through Frisbee sports and recreation.” Even though the club was dedicated to all Frisbee sports, Ultimate and disc golf quickly became the favorites among the PFC members. Wherever the members met for informal “pick-up” Ultimate they designed golf holes with natural tree targets or available manmade targets such as lampposts. Club members began to dream of a permanent Frisbee golf course for more structured play including tournaments.

The Pole Hole Disc Golf Target is Born

While Jim was establishing the PFC, "Steady Ed" Headrick and his son Ken were developing the Pole Hole, a disc golf target capable of catching and retaining a Frisbee. Steady Ed had just left Wham-O to set up his own company, the Disc Golf Association (DGA) and to found the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA). Steady Ed, like members of the PFC in Philadelphia, especially enjoyed the game of Frisbee golf. He and Ken believed that what the sport needed most was a standardized target. After testing numerous prototype baskets Steady Ed hit upon the idea of using suspended chains to arrest the forward motion of a disc and thereby allowing it to drop into a basket. Production of the first baskets followed after he and Ken patented their final design, later to be known as the Mach 1. They installed the first (and oldest permanent) Pole Hole course in Oak Grove Park in Pasadena, California, in 1976.

The IFA Connection

Wham-O brought Steady Ed and Jim together and that brought Pole Hole baskets to Sedgley Woods. Frisbee manufacturer Wham-O set up and funded the International Frisbee Association (IFA) in order to promote organized Frisbee play. To do this the IFA established Regional Directors, a group of dedicated Frisbee people, one from each of 12 regions across the country. The Regional Directors communicated with clubs and players, organized tournaments, sanctioned events and records, distributed rulebooks and many other similar activities. As Jim had just established a robust Frisbee club in a major metropolitan area he was appointed as the Regional Director of the Northeast region. He and the other Regional Directors were invited to participate in the IFA's "Invitational World Frisbee Championships" held at the Rose Bowl, in Pasadena, California. There Jim met Ed Headrick and Wham-O officials who indicated that they were interested in establishing the first Pole Hole disc golf course on the East Coast. Jim invited Ed and Wham-O reps to attend the first major PFC tournament, to be held on Belmont Plateau in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia.

The PFC Hosts its first Tournament

Early in 1977 the Philadelphia Frisbee Club hosted the multi-event "Philadelphia Frisbee Championships." The site for the competition was Belmont Plateau, a particularly beautiful section of Fairmount Park that overlooks the skyline of Philadelphia. The tournament was well attended, both with competitors and spectators. The disc golf portion of the tournament was played on a temporary "object course" where trees were used as the targets. Steady Ed and Wham-O representatives were so impressed with the club and Fairmount Park that they offered to donate 18 baskets and tee signs if the club would handle the installation. Jim contacted the Fairmount Park Commission and explained the offer. The commission responded favorably and after three meetings between the commission and the club, a site was chosen in West Fairmount Park.

This site, the first, was near the site of the tournament, just off Belmont Avenue. Here the club members met and began to layout 18 holes through the densely wooded area. After 4 weeks of work clearing our fairways through the trees, the park commission directed the club to another site, this time in East Fairmount Park. The name of the second site: Sedgley Woods.

The reason for the change is not documented. Perhaps the park commissioners wanted to bring this new activity to the largely unused East Park, particularly close to one of the most depressed areas of the city thinking that a new sports activity would help stabilize that portion of the park and the city. The first site lacked off street parking and some club members had hoped for a better site with the possibility for more amenities. The club redirected their efforts to the new site.