The Quad Cities has been chosen to host hundreds of competitors from one of the fastest growing sports in the country. It's the 2021 US Masters Championships for the Professional Disc Golf Association.
One of the local organizers will be Chase Roberts, owner of Iron Lion Disc Golf Supply in Moline.
"It's extremely popular in the Quad Cities. We obviously have a slowdown season when it gets too cold, but one of the great things about it is that anybody can play it, and it's relatively cheap to get involved with the game."
Roberts says the association chose the Quad Cities because it successfully hosted two previous national competitions, in 2007 and 2017.
For the un-initiated, he says disc golf is similar to golf, with something resembling a frisbee.
"They're actually more like a discus that you would use in track and field, than they are a traditional frisbee. But we still have some discs that resemble the frisbee form - those are putters - they're slower speed discs. There's mid-range discs that are a little bit better for control, and then there's drivers and distance drivers for high speed and long distance shots."
It's scored the same as golf, but instead of holes competitors "putt" into baskets.
The 2021 Masters Championships will be for those age 40 and above, and will be held in September, 2021.
Roberts says the Quad Cities is a "hotbed" for disc golf, with 11 courses in the area, and a total of about 40 within easy driving distance.
