Amador County - The Amador County Recreation Agency celebrated the county’s newest flying disc golf course with a two-day tournament last weekend. The Kennedy Mine Fall Classic drew 44 contestants from around the region for 4 rounds of competitive disc golfing in a Professional Disc Golf Association sanctioned event. Long-time professional disc golfer and pioneer Charlie Callahan was tournament director and introduced rules for first-timers and also some of the long-time players. Several local players came out in the upper places in some divisions. Former Jackson Resident Ron “Skull” Brown turned a narrow, 1-stroke lead into a blowout in the Professional Master Division, shooting 8-under par in the final round Sunday to take first place. Ray Birch of Ione, who won the state championship in the Amateur Masters Division this past year, was 6 strokes behind to take second place in Pro Masters. Brandon Sy of Sacramento and a member of the Orangevale Disc Golf Club won the Open Pro division. Sy shot a 186, good for 30 strokes under par. Matt Werley was second with a 192 and Joe Forest of Kirkwood was third with a 197.

The course was designed by Callahan, Ray Birch, Jim Reece and Brandon Wedge. Local companies donated the construction work to dig holes for the golf baskets, which are steel baskets mounted on pipes. The construction company owners poured concrete on the hills around Kennedy Mine to set sleeves in the ground and make the course permanent. It is a private park, owned by the Kennedy Mine Foundation, and it will have playing by appointment, with tentative hours set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The Amador County Recreation Agency is seeking volunteers to help staff the Saturday and Sunday disc golf days. Parking is 2 dollars and a map of the course is 5 dollars. For information, call 223-6373 during business hours. Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).