Moses Lake to host disc golf tournament

MOSES LAKE — With temperatures throughout the Columbia Basin beginning to rise, the Moses Lake Parks and Recreation Department will host the first annual Moses Lake Parks and Recreation Disc Golf Tournament next month at Blue Heron Park.

Moses Lake Parks and Recreation installed nine disc golf baskets at Blue Heron Park in the spring of 2007, said recreation supervisor Lori Moholt-Phillips. Moses Lake Parks and Recreation installed nine concrete tee boxes last spring and the course at Blue Heron Park has been fully operational for approximately one year, she said.

After several employees at Moses Lake Parks and Recreation read an article about the sport in the Washington Recreation Park Association magazine, Moholt-Phillips and Recreation Superintendent Roland Gonzales researched the possibility of adding a course in the Moses Lake area.

“Roland went down to Walla Walla to check out the course they have down there and I did some research,” Moholt-Phillips said. “After (looking into the sport) we said, ‘OK.’”

After the idea of the disc golf course was approved, Moholt-Phillips and Gonzales got together with Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) participant Marty Cook and Innova Disc Golf to design the course at Blue Heron Park.

With the disc golf course completed last year, Moholt-Phillips said the sport provides an opportunity for members of the community to be more active.

“It’s healthy, low-cost, and anyone can play it,” she said. “If someone comes out (to the Blue Heron Park course) and plays 18 holes, it will be the equivalent of walking a mile.”

With the disc golf course at Blue Heron Park having been fully operational since last spring, Moholt-Phillips said Moses Lake Parks and Recreation will host a disc golf tournament at the park on April 11, Moholt-Phillips said.

“The reason why (we are holding the tournament) is because (disc golf) is new to the area,” she said. “It’s a recreational course with the hope that the sport will grow and we can host PDGA sanctioned tournaments in the future.”

Registration for the tournament is $15 and registration forms are available at the Moses Lake Parks and Recreation Office or at the department’s Web site www.mlrec.com.

Completed registration forms can be dropped off or mailed to the Parks and Recreation Office at 401 S. Balsam in Moses Lake.

The first 50 participants to register for the tournament will receive a free mid-range disc.

For more information contact Moses Lake Parks and Recreation at 509-766-9244.