Last weekend, despite the rain, Marquette heated up during the Marquette Meltdown 2022 Disc Golf Tournament.

“Thanks Darren Bottom for putting on a great event,” said tournament participant Cody Yates. “Had tons of fun out there as per usual.”

Yates managed to get an ace during the meltdown. As it is in golf, an ace in disc golf is a holein- one when a player makes their first shot or “drive” into the basket. In five years of playing, Yates has gotten three total with this one being his first in an official tournament.

“Had a nice little crowd to watch it all go down, too,” Yates said.

Darren Bottom, organizer of the event, is from Little River. The plant operations director at Rice County Hospital has been playing disc golf since 2002 and professionally since 2006.

“I am the course designer of the Marquette course,” he said. “I believe it is my 12th course design. I have been running tournaments in Marquette since it became a course.”

The course all came about because of local Fred Peterson, who was the donor. He read about Bottom in a disc golf magazine and made contact to make the course a reality.

The Meltdown is one of seven tournaments sanctioned by the Kansas Disc Golf Association that Bottom runs each year. Marquette is generally a busy one. This year, 87 competitors took to the course, which is pretty common. Tournaments in Marquette fill up pretty quick.

“I also hold an annual here in the spring which has filled both events,” Bottom said.

Along with the Meltdown, the spring tournament is the Chris Jones Memorial Tournament. Each tournament includes a raffle to support the Kansas Disc Sports Scholarship Foundation. Each offers levels of play for juniors, recreational and professional for both men and women.

“Marquette is my favorite course in the area; it requires you to hit your lines one foot off and you get the opportunity to scramble through the trees the rest of the hole,” he said.

A sport that can be enjoyed by everyone of any age, disc golf was formalized in the 1970s. The objective, similar to golf, is to complete holes with the fewest strokes. However, rather than clubs and balls, players progress down the fairway with flying discs that are thrown at targets. Targets can be anything, but for tournaments they tend to be metal baskets. Players must make consecutive throws from the spot at which the previous throw landed. Trees and terrain change and challenge the golfer in their progression.

“Disc golf is fun, competitive, and if you get good enough, a professional sport you can make a living at,” Bottom explained. “Everyone should give it a try. You never know what you might be able to do on the course.”

Since its inception, the Professional Disc Golf Association, the governing body of the sport, can now boast more than 200,000 lifetime members in 54 countries. Marquette is home to the Quivira Disc Golf Course that Bottom established in 2016. The course has been described by visiting players in reviews as unique with tight woods, low ceilings and rugged terrain. It is one of nearly 10,000 courses in the world.

Marquette wasn’t giving up any freebies in the first round with a couple 54s being best in, Bottom said. Second round, it gave up a couple of 51s and a 52. Good shooting

Participants maneuver through the terrain on the Quivira Disc Golf Course on Aug. 27. The annual Marquette Meltdown Disc Golf Tournament is one of seven tournaments approved by the Kansas Disc Golf Association.

on this day at this course.

This year the weather made things interesting, with moments of sunshine and sprinkling of rain. Participants hung around to help Bottom tear down and get the equipment and trailers out before the rain really fell.

Sponsors this year included City Sundries, Woydziak Do It Best, K&L Liquor, The Flower Shop, Erickson Custom Buildings, Kansas Central Services, Millennium Golf Discs, Little River Disc Golf, Marquette Farmers State Bank, The Ranch House Restaurant, Shawn Baltazor and Piper’s Fine Foods.

“Got to thank my crew and everyone else that helped set up, tear down and get me out of there at a decent hour,” Bottom said. “Most of all, thank you to the players who came out to bang on the trees with us, I appreciate all of you.”

Marquette Meltdown

2022 Results: Place, Name, Round 1, Round 2, Total. Cash/ Value. Senior Pro Grandmaster

1) Dan Dokken: 66, 64,

130. $110

2) Buddy Kassner: 63,

74, 137 Pro Open

1) Tate Galloway: 56,

50, 106. $220.

1) Cody Yates: 53, 53,

106. $150. Ace, hole 2.

$320.

3) Cody Hackney: 55,

52, 107. $105.

4) Levi Lister: 54, 58,

112. $75.

5) Dan Cofer: 56, 62,

118. $60.

6) Patrick Ryan: 61, 59,

120.

6) Jordan Shafer: 56,

64, 120.

8) Shane Crisler: 60,

62, 122.

9) Eric Wall: 64, 62,

126.

9) Michael Junod: 62,

64, 126.

11) Jacob Roland: 66,

61, 127.

Pro Master

1) Adam Boyd: 57, 59,

116. $160.

2) Curtis Broadhurst:

59, 59, 118. $100.

3) Nate Wiens: 66, 69,

135. $75.

4) Jeremy Thibodeaux:

68, 68, 136.

5) Jess Stewart: 71, 72,

143.

6) Jon McBurney: 82,

72, 154.

Pro Grandmaster

1) Todd Potter: 54, 61,

115. $175.

2) Darren Bottom: 62,

56, 118. $105.

3) Adam Mosher: 60,

59, 119.

4) Jimmy Harris: 60,

60, 120.

5) Randy Mattingly:

63, 68, 131.

Advanced Grandmaster (Amateur)

1) Jerry Staab: 58, 60,

118. $75.

2) Greg Renfro: 57, 66,

123. $45.

3) Bill Thurston: 72,

59, 131. $35.

4) Michael D. Snider:

70, 67, 137.

5) Dennis Weaver: 68,

72, 140.

Amateur Recreation

1) Austin Litzinger: 59,

57, 116. $45.

2) Andrew Laughlin:

62, 58, 120. $35.

3) Kaden Schartz: 64,

62, 126. $30.

4) Brayden Ruble: 69,

64, 133. $30.

5) Charlie Milius: 66,

70, 136. $25.

6) Jared Rich: 68, 69,

137. $20.

7) Paul Taylor: 68, 70,

138. $18.

7) Landon Gibson: 67,

71, 138. $18.

9) James Fick: 68, 72,

140. $15.

10) Brian Puhalla: 72,

70, 142. $15.

11) Fred Oubre: 71, 76,

147. $15.

12) Joe Sarmiento: 72,

76, 148. $10.

13) Tom Smalling: 76,

74, 150. $10.

14) Nathaniel Owen:

79, 72, 151. $10.

15) Branden Keehner:

76, 76, 152. $3.

15) Bryce Birdsall: 76,

76, 152. $3.

15) Brandon Holm: 73,

79, 152. $3.

18) Ryan Colsden: 78,

75, 153.

18) Braunson Golden:

75, 78. 153.

18) Kamren Jost: 74,

79, 153.

21) Philip Hinman: 75,

79, 154.

21) Michael Starbuck:

75, 79, 154.

23) Kyler Heim: 75, 80,

155.

24) Greg Prescott: 81,

76, 157.

25) KC Becker: 81, 77,

158.

26) Jon Robinson: 83,

76, 159.

27) Baltazar Gaspar:

86, 74, 160.

28) Jameson Thibodeaux: 84, 80, 164.

29) Nathan Johnson:

82, 84, 166.

30) Ethan Coy: Did not finish.

Amateur Intermediate

1) Justin Canterbury:

59, 58, 117. $80.

2) Tristan Hawkinson:

61, 57, 118. $55.

3) Joel Graham: 62, 57,

119. $45.

4) Daren Knight: 63,

61, 124. $27.

4) Eli Stoll: 63, 61, 124.

$27.

4) Brandon Birdsall: 62,

62, 124. $27.

7) Scott Pulley: 68, 57,

125.

7) Eli Byington: 63, 62,

125.

9) Benjamin Cunningham: 69, 61, 130.

10) Wes Conn: 69, 62,

131.

10) Ronny Davis: 65,

66, 131.

12) Austin Tingen: 66,

71, 137.

Amateur Advanced

1) Andrew Pyle: 52, 55,

107. $115.

2) Matthew Manickam:

54, 54, 108. $85.

3) Joseph Raat: 53, 60,

113. $70.

4) Jeffrey Updegrove:

53, 61, 114. $55.

5) Garrett Scritchfield:

60, 55, 115. $45.

6) Toby Yoder: 62, 56,

118. $35.

7) Dylan Baldwjn: 60,

60, 120. $30.

8) Colton Stucky: 68,

58, 126. $8.

8) Tanner Porter: 67,

59, 126. $8.

8) Garrett Breese: 65,

61, 126. $8.

11) Brandon Yates: 59,

69, 128.

12) Levi Baldwin: 67,

66, 133.

13) Matt Gibbons: 76,

64, 140.

13) Jacob Clark: 66, 74,

140.

15) Collin Baldwin: 74,

999. Did not finish.

Men’s Junior 1

1) Kal-El Robinson: 77,

73, 150. $10.

Female Junior 1

1) Naomi Boyd: 81,

73, 154. $10.