Blue Wahoos Stadium Hosting Unique Disc Golf Event Featuring World-Ranked Talent 

Ryan Vann was among the curious in the disc golf community in 2020 when Blue Wahoos Stadium transformed into a 9-hole disc golf course.

The coronavirus had struck, cancelling sporting events for months, including the entire Blue Wahoos baseball season. Among the pivots as a safe-space, event venue, was a disc golf experience at the ballpark created by world-renown professional golfer Bubba Watson, the two-time Masters Tournament champion, who is part of the Blue Wahoos ownership team.

“For disc golfers, a unique venue is a really good thing,” said Vann, owner of the Flight Factory disc golf store on Tippin Avenue, which he and his wife opened in 2021.

“I think it fueled the idea that the Blue Wahoos were supportive of this (disc golf experience) happening,” he said. “And I think it’s become a theme for disc golf events throughout the country to take on these different venues like baseball fields, football stadiums, and these kind of places to have events.”

It gave Vann the impetus to organize a special one this weekend, Downtown Disc Golf, sponsored by Discraft, on Nov. 22-23 at Blue Wahoos Stadium and open to all level players.

It will feature the opportunity for first-time, novice or casual-play disc golfers, being able to play the course, as well as seeing some of the world’s best disc golfers, who make Pensacola their home. The pros will be competing on Sunday (Nov. 23) in the Professional Disc Golf Association Flex Tournament on the same course at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

The course Vann has designed utilizes all three levels of the stadium from field level, to the concourse area, the right field party deck and even a hole with a tee area at the Hancock Whitney Club, requiring competitors to hurl a disc over the high netting toward second base. It will be a course unlike most players have seen.

“One of the things I’m trying to do is utilize as much of the space as I can,” said Vann, the tournament director, whose Flight Factory store has risen to become one of the top ten disc golf retail stores in the nation. “We want to use that scenic feel of, hey, I’m throwing in a place I’ve never got to (play disc golf) before.

“We’re also some fun parts of the ballpark, like the batting cage, the Kazoo inflatable and trying to introduce some of what you see on the baseball field into the course itself. And make it where it’s good for a variety of players.

“For me, it was about looking at something that was different, exciting… and gets people out, grows the sport and provides a really fun experience for disc golfers. Having a unique venue is really a good thing. I want people to leave and say, man those were some unique throws and unique holes

The pro field for the tournament includes Calvin Heimburg, the No. 3-ranked player on the PDGA World Disc Golf Rankings, a player who has an endorsement deal with Flight Factory, along with well-known pro tour player Eric Oakley competing.

The women’s side features Paige Pierce, a five-time world champion, considered the greatest female player in the sport’s history with $465,000-plus in career earnings.

Joining her in competition will be Holyn Handley, the 2025 Disc Pro Golf Tour champion and No. 4-world ranked player, along with Missy Gannon, ranked No. 3 in the world rankings.

“Recently, some of the top professionals moved to our area and that’s been great for the disc golf community,”” Vann said. “We have a great disc golf club in our area, the Emerald Coast Disc Golf Club, which I’ve been a part of for 12 years and one that promotes getting more people out to play.

“We have more courses put in… we have more people playing.”

In 2020, the Blue Wahoos Stadium disc golf event was called the Bubba Watson’s Diamond Disc Golf Challenge. The course set up had all the tee-throw areas on the field. This one will be a three-level experience.

For the brief time the disc golf experience was offered, however, it was popular.

“I provided starter packs because they ran out of discs,” Vann said. “I played in it, brought my kids out to it I think for a stadium downtown that’s well known, that people come to for baseball games or other events…. to have something like a small disc golf event here attracted people to come play who have never played before.

“That’s why (Blue Wahoos organizers) sold out of starter packs, because people didn’t have discs. They came out and wanted to try it and bought the starter pack.

“And I hope a lot of those people then (2020) kept playing. But even if they didn’t, I think it gave them a fun thing to do for a weekend. Especially at that time, when there were not a lot of fun things to do.”

WANT TO GO?

WHAT: Downtown Disc Golf

WHEN: Saturday and Sunday (Nov. 22-23). Course access begins at 10 a.m., concludes at 5 p.m.

WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium

WHO: All skill levels welcome, first-time players to competitive players.

COST: Tickets to play begin at $10 and rise to a $50 VIP ticket, which includes full access both days to the stadium and playing the course, plus an event T-shirt, a free event disc, along with VIP Happy Hour with the pro competitors on Sunday from 5 to 6 p.m.