SA disc golf champion needs your help
LINDEN – Jon-Pat Myers says he will walk to Ethiopia to compete in disc golf, if no one helps him out.
South African disc golf champion and Linden resident, Jon-Pat Myers has been invited to play at the Ethiopian Disc Golf Open in February.
The only South African invited to the event that will feature players from all over the world, Myers has been chomping at the bit, training rigorously at Delta Park’s 18-hole course in recent weeks.
“I am on point at the moment,” he smiled. “I have been throwing straight and landing near the hole consistently. I am going there to win.”
Myers said while his entrance fee to the tournament was covered by the Ethiopian Disc Golf Federation, he had been struggling to raise the R12 000 he would need for travel and accommodation.
“I have been emailing and phoning the Gauteng Sports Confederation since the beginning of the year, asking for help promoting the sport in South Africa and for funds to compete overseas, but have had no help.”
Similarly, businesses are reluctant to sponsor a sport which has taken off in Europe, America, Australia and other parts of Africa, but is still in its infant stages here.
“If it comes to it, I will walk to Ethiopia to play.” The tournament is in Asosa on 17 and 18 February.
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Myers is still optimistic about the growth of the sport in South Africa, with new courses popping up in parks and green spaces. The South African Disc Golf League also gets more competitive each year.
Disc golf involves players throwing plastic discs into elevated metal baskets from roughly 150m. Most holes are par three. Discs have different weights so players can control speed, glide, turn and how quickly the disc fades.
The sport prides itself on being environmentally-friendly, with penalties for littering. Maintenance of the course is also minimal, as players like to keep the playing environment as undisturbed as possible.
Myers encouraged anyone who would like to find out more about disc golf to contact him.
Details: Jon-Pat Myers myerssculpture@gmail.com; 074 494 9657.
VIDEO: Disc golf is taking off in Delta Park
