When you think of proven, well-known tournament directors (and you probably don’t) in disc golf, names like “Nate Heinold” float to the surface pretty quickly. The dude’s done just about everything that can be done when putting on big-name tourneys – he’s set the bar high.
Seriously, how the Ledgestone Insurance Open isn’t a full-blown major is beyond me …
That’s a topic for another day, though.
Another guy who’s not quite as known, but is certainly just as talented is Allen Risley. If you’ve spent any time on disc golf Twitter, you’ve seen his stuff – the man knows disc golf.
Sure, he’s A.J. Risley’s dad, but he’s also one of our sport’s most gifted tournament directors. Look no further than The Challenge at Goat Hill Park for evidence. This year’s event promises to be better than ever. The guy’s doing some WAY innovative stuff – thinking outside the box …
Don’t believe me?
No bother – straight from the horse’s mouth, here’s what he’s got going on in 2022:
Allen, it seems like your knowledge of running disc golf events is second to none: How’d you get to this point? What’s your experience been like?
“I started playing disc golf when I was a teenager back in Florida. It was a fantastic place to learn how to play disc sports. I went to college at Florida State in Tallahassee. Out there, nobody was doing anything — nobody was organizing or running anything to do with disc golf, so I stepped in and started doing it myself.
“I put together monthly events and things like that. I met some of the early PDGA organizers and learned how to run a tournament. In 1984, I ran my first PDGA-sanctioned tournament. I ran another one in 1985. I then took a long break for grad school, starting a family and work.
“Around 2004 or 2005, I kind of got back in the swing of things with ice bowls. At the time, I had a good friend who got a hold of me one day and said, ‘You’re running ice bowls, and I’m running ice bowls — let’s make ‘em a series.’
“That became what we know today as the ‘Golden Sombrero Series.’ We probably have 15 to 20 of them every winter in the greater Redlands area. We don’t run them all, but we bring in other like-minded guys and put together something really fun.”
How long have you been running The Challenge at Goat Hill? It’s been a good while, right?
“This is going to be the 10th edition of The Challenge at Goat Hill Park. I think we missed two years when the course was undergoing renovation a good while back, but yeah — this will be the 10th time we’ll have put on this event.
“I’ve been here the entire time, as well. I was part of a team that did the initial disc golf course design at Goat Hill. I’ve just stuck with it, really. When somebody loses interest, I hang around. At this point, I kind of consider myself the sole course designer. The layout has undergone a number of changes, but yeah — I’ve been the tournament director all 10 times.”
As you see it, what makes Goat Hill so special?
“I mean, it’s the property.
“Goat Hill sits on an AMAZING piece of property — it’s only a mile from the Pacific Ocean. It’s got lots of terrain and changes in elevation. Plus, there’s always a nice breeze coming in from off the water out on the course — sometimes it’s gentle, but sometimes it’s not-so-gentle.”
You know my feelings on ‘ball golf’ courses: What makes the Goat Hill track work for disc golf?
“I’m a believer — it can work.
“At Goat Hill, the golf course pairs well with the disc golf layout. When you play disc golf at a ball golf facility, it’s best to follow the same flow as the traditional golf course. That keeps our field from having any kind of conflict with the regular golfers. The Goat Hill disc golf layout parallels the ball golf holes nicely. It’s not a par-72 golf course, either — it’s a bit shorter.
“That really helps us out.
“Also, the tournament runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Friday, there will be some ball golfers out on the course after us, but nothing intrusive. On Saturday and Sunday, however, it’s just disc golf. I pay a very tidy sum of money to rent out the entire course — including the driving range — all day each day over the weekend.
“The staff at Goat Hill are incredibly welcoming of disc golf. We kind of came in at a time when they were going under financially, so we helped them make enough money to keep going. Since then, new management has come onboard — the course has gone through a renaissance of sorts.”
Make your case for the best disc golfers in the world to sign up for The Challenge at Goat Hill in 2022 – go.
“First off, it’s just a fantastic course to play.
“I don’t have the final numbers on me, but there will be a VERY hefty payout. Innova has really helped me with the fundraising for this thing. To date, I’ve raised about $10,000 to put towards the player payout from tournament disc sales alone — that’s not bad at all.
“We’re also doing things that are kind of revolutionary for pro-level disc golf tournaments. For example, this year, we’ll have a tent dedicated exclusively to the selling of players’ discs and merchandise — whatever they’d normally sell out of the trunk of their car or from a foldable table in a parking lot. Here, they’ll bring us that stuff, and we’ll sell it for them …
“And we won’t take a cut.
“We’ll take care of moving their inventory; the players can practice, play and do their real job, which is being a professional disc golfer. If you’re a professional disc golfer who sells discs, shirts and other items as part of your income, this is going to be a HUGE benefit to you.
“As tournament organizers, we’re also recruiting local hosts who can house players. Sometimes that means a room, sometimes that means a couch and sometimes that means a place to park an RV with all of the necessary hookups. But again, we’re doing that work. We want our disc golfers to have a fun and safe experience — and to save a little extra money, as well.
“Also, our caddie book is loaded with goodies. We’re recruiting local businesses and restaurants to include coupons for free or discounted items within its pages. So right from the get-go, after checking in, players have access to the kinds of things that’ll help them enjoy Goat Hill.
“Lastly, we put a lot of effort into being aware of the sorts of things that make life hard on touring disc golfers. Then, we work to address those needs. My son toured for over five years. I learned directly from him what makes for an unpleasant experience out on the road.
“I talk with other players, too. At every event, I make it a point to ask golfers what else can be done, in addition to a bigger payout. We ask. We listen. And then we do something about it.”
In your opinion, what’s keeping Goat Hill from becoming an Elite Series event?
“The biggest obstacle is our spot on the calendar …
“What kept us off the Pro Tour this year is that there are four consecutive weekends of events right before ours — and three in a row right after us, as well. That doesn’t help. There’s also the 20-hour drive from Emporia to Oceanside, which is brutal for just about anybody.
“Basically, when I approached him about it, Jeff Spring told me that the guys need a week off to rest. So right now, that’s what’s keeping us off the Elite Series schedule. Yes, it’s possible to do some date-shuffling, but it’s an exercise in moving mountains to get the directors who already have a Pro Tour event to change the dates they’re used to for their tournaments — I get that.
“So next year, we’re going to move our event to a different place on the calendar and hope for the best. We’ve had some promising conversations with the Pro Tour about it, so that’s good.”
For the future of Goat Hill, in an ideal world, what would you like to see in five years’ time?
“In five years’ time? Man, in five years’ time, I’d like to see somebody else running it — it’s a lot of work! No, but in all seriousness, I want to see us as an Elite Series event: That’s a big deal.
“Also, I’d like to see a large, non-disc golf sponsor be a key part of the financing process. I really feel like one of the things holding disc golf back right now is that, over and over again, we continue to go back to the same disc golf companies to fund our tournaments. We need to get outside of our own circle a bit more.
“In fact, right now, for this phone call, I’m seated at a local distillery in San Diego County talking to people about potential sponsorship opportunities. Tito’s Vodka got involved with disc golf last year down in Texas — that was fantastic.
“As tournament directors, we need to work to get beyond Innova, Discraft, Prodigy and Dynamic Discs — they’re great, don’t get me wrong! We just need to be a bit more creative to fund our tournaments.
“So in five years’ time, I’d love to see both of those things a part of The Challenge at Goat Hill: Our event having successfully reached ‘Elite Series’ status, as well as the expansion of our sponsor portfolio outside of the disc golf world.
“And MAYBE somebody else running the tournament …
“We’ll see.”
This one’s a bit random, but I have to ask this two-part question to wrap things up: 1) What’s the oldest disc in your bag? 2) What’s the most valuable disc in your bag?
“As you can see from my Twitter avatar, the oldest disc in my bag is a 1983 PDGA Worlds Kitty Hawk. They sometimes call them ‘Shuttle Puppies,’ because they’ve got the Space Shuttle design on the hot stamp. I’m on my second one of those right now, which isn’t too bad …
“I mean, it’s a 39-year-old disc — I played a round earlier today and easily threw it 15 times.
“For me, it’s my most valuable disc, not only because of its age, but because of what I can do with it. Even beat up, I could probably sell it for a couple-hundred bucks. I’ve got two more as backups, as well. I’d give them a ‘nine out of 10’ on the sleepy-scale rating system.
“The Kitty Hawk? Yeah, that’s me.”
The good news?
There are STILL a few spots available for last-minute registration, if you’re interested in taking part in The 2022 Challenge at Goat Hill Park – click here to sign up over on Disc Golf Scene.
Bradley Williams, Chris Clemons, Drew Gibson, Eric Oakley, Jordan Castro, Scott Stokely and Thomas Gilbert: They’ll be there looking to pick up where Ricky Wysocki left off last year …
Sign up now, and you could be, too.
Have anything to add? Take to Twitter to let us know – we’ll actually (for real) get back to you.
