Wildhorse Golf Club in Henderson, Nevada, hosts the Las Vegas Challenge. Photo: Innova Discs

The proverbial blood and tears may not have been shed in high supply over the last eight months by members of the Las Vegas Disc Golf Club. But as a dedicated team of volunteers endured the painstaking task of installing 54 turf tee pads at Wildhorse Golf Club in anticipation of this week’s PDGA National Tour kickoff, the Las Vegas Challenge, there were immeasurable quantities of sweat. Just ask LVDGC board member Peter Beaulieu.

“It’s over 100 degrees, and we were out there using pick axes and shovels to dig holes because we have 54 of these things to do,” Beaulieu said of the project that started last summer. “And we were kind of freaking out that we weren’t gonna get these things done.”

But after some trial and error, countless runs to the hardware store, and “several hundred, if not thousands, of man-hours,” according to Beaulieu, the final pad went in the ground earlier this month. The total cost of the project? Per Tournament Director Jeff Jacquart, a whopping $21,000, all with the goal of taking feedback from players and PDGA event staff – the 2017 version of the tournament, the Gentlemen’s Club Challenge, was critiqued for its variety of teeing surfaces – and improving the experience.

Plus, Beaulieu said volunteers were driven by local pride. Since shifting the event from its longtime home at Sunset Park to its new stomping grounds at Wildhorse in 2016, club members have sought to make the Las Vegas Challenge a tournament that will leave an impression on out-of-towners. And with another tour event the following week in a rival desert outpost, he alluded to a competitive nature taking hold among tournament staff.

“We did our job by making this the next level, so that’s what we’re striving to do is taking it to the next level, and I think we did it this year,” Beaulieu said. “I really think it is gonna be one of the most memorable ones [touring players] go to this year.”

Las Vegas Challenge | PDGA National Tour

Dates

• Thursday, February 22 – Sunday, February 25
• One round per day

Venue

• Wildhorse Golf Club, Henderson, NV

Tee times and scoring

• PDGA Event Page
• UDisc Live scoring

Media coverage

• Live updates: PDGA Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
• Post-production video: Jomez Productions (Open and Open Women’s feature/lead cards)
• #2018LVC

Courses

Disc Golf Values Course (Thursday): Par 58, 7,124 ft.

• Record: Ricky Wysocki, 48 (2017/Par 56 layout)
  • Jacquart calls this course “The Deceiver,” as it plays more difficult than people think. The triple-island hole 6, a 294-foot par 4, serves as the signature shot and tempts players to take a risk.

Innova Course (Friday/Sunday): Par 61, 8,582 ft.

• Record: Matt Orum, 47 (2016/Par 60 layout
  • Players traverse “The Challenger” for two rounds this weekend, including the final. Holes 3 and 6, with their island greens, and the 462-foot 7th provide scoring separation.

Adidas Terrex Course (Saturday): Par 62, 9,074 ft.

• Record: James Mosier/Alex Russell, 47 (2016 on Par 57 layout)
  • Aptly nicknamed “The Monster,” this course provides a moving day marathon of endurance. Hillside baskets test players’ mettle, while the venue’s only 1,000-foot hole awaits.