by Amber Schmitz, Sumner Newscow — Although it’s been played in other countries since about 1926, disc golf is becoming increasingly more popular everywhere, including Wellington.

In 2012, Nathan Allton moved back to his hometown of Wellington after finishing college and decided to make disc golf a priority. He began working with the Slate Creek Disc Golf League.

“I’ve done a lot of work to keep Wellington disc golf alive,” Allton said. “I’d say I’m the one who kept it going.”

This Saturday, the Slate Creek Disc Golf Tournament will take place in Woods Park. Players registration is from 8 to 9 a.m., a players meeting will be held from 9:30 to 10 a.m., and tee off is at 10:30 a.m. The public is encouraged to attend and watch the game in action. The Bade Truck will be available.

“I went with a buddy to Woods Park one morning, he swore up and down I’d have a blast playing frisbee golf,” Allton said. “At first I doubted it, but after the first forehand throw with a Red Innova Champion Ape, I was hooked instantly. It’s something about the flight and banging of the chains, when you ace or hit a nice putt.”

Disc golf is a flying disc game played for precision and accuracy, where players throw a flying disc into a basket target. The object of the game is to go through the entire course with the least amount of throws of the disc by the time the player reaches the end of the course.

Historically, the first known instance of someone playing disc golf was in 1926 in Bladworth, Saskatchewan. A group of young kids were playing a game with tin lids and called it Tin Lid Golf. The game was played on a regular basis on a course laid out on the grade school grounds. It is much like the organized disc golf today.

“Steady” Ed Hedrick was the inventor of the sport of disc golf. He also invented the first disc golf basket, the Disc Pole Hole, designed and installed the first disc golf course, and invented the modern day frisbee. Hedrick founded the International Frisbee Association, Disc Golf Association, Professional Disc Golf Association and the Recreational Disc Golf Association. He is also responsible for organizing the first World Frisbee Championships and Junior World Frisbee Championships. He also established the Disc Golf tournaments and a $50,000 landmark Frisbee Disc Golf tournament in 1979. Hedrick donated his trademark “disc golf” to the public and his life to the sport that he loved.

Allton began playing more and more, and eventually got into the Advanced Amateur tournaments. After a couple of years of playing in the amateur division, he joined the Pro Mens Open division and moved to Wichita. He took on more challenging courses for practice and landed a part time job with Ducks Flying Discs Riverside.

“Watching the disc fly over 400 feet on my first ever throw was amazing to me,” Allton said. “My good buddy was amazed how easy the game came to me. Since then, I took on playing more and more.”

Nathan Allton started playing disc golf in 2012.

Allton’s first ever professional event was March of this year in Topeka, the Capital City Classic, hosted by Hyzerbomb Discs. He ended up finishing tied for first place against some of Kansas’ and the surrounding states top pro players.

“I was beyond happy to take first place in the first open event of my career,” Allton said.

Allton said that the Slate Creek Disc Golf League has been around for several years.

“It’s been around for a bit now, the older guys have been playing since I was in diapers, I’m 26 now,” Allton said. “But I noticed the baskets and the course being put in around 2007-08 when I was graduating from Wellington High School. I didn’t have any interest or know much about disc golf then.”

Allton started a Facebook page a couple of years ago, after having more people interested in playing while he was in living in Wellington.

“The high school kids nowadays have started a club, and it’s booming,” Allton said.

Currently, Allton is resting an elbow injury and has taken to more of promoting the sport around Kansas and the surrounding areas until he heals and gets back to his open career. He and his girlfriend, Kelli Nicholson, now live in Wichita.

“She supports me 110 percent and plays casual rounds with me,” Allton said.

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