Tomorrow is the start of one of the most important PDGA Majors of the season, the 2015 Tim Selinske US Masters Championships. Not only is it the defining tournament for disc golfers 40 years old and above (other than Am/Pro Worlds), it is also a living monument to one of disc golf’s most important pioneers, Tim Selinke.

The US Masters Championships is named after the man that created the event many years ago, Tim Selinske #2026. Tim was one of the most important figures in the history of disc golf and in flying disc sports in general. He was one of the four co-founders of Innova Discs and eventually was known by many as the face of the company. In his earlier years he also worked to grow flying disc sports with the International Frisbee Association.

In August of 2009, Tim Selinske passed away after fighting for 8 months against a rare disease called Langerhans' Cell Histiocytosis. Please read this farewell article on Innova Discs’ website for more information about Tim and the impact he had on the disc golf community. As they put it, “…Tim's affability gave us a warm friendly persona that we cannot replace. The Frisbee family will miss him. Disc Golf will miss him. We were all richer for having known him. We will all be poorer for his passing. All of us will miss him more than words can tell.”

The 2014 Tim Selinske US Masters in Oklahoma City saw a heated competition between JohnE McCray #9852 and Barry Schultz #6840. In the end, it was Schultz that took home the title. As he made his final putt, he raised his hands in the air in celebration and with teary eyes he yelled “Thank you Tim! I miss you!” It was an incredible sight to witness, as Schultz was good friends with Tim before his passing. Schultz has won four of the last five US Masters Championships, and we can only assume he is here with the intention of changing that stat to five of six. 

4X Tim Selinske US Masters Champion Barry Schultz speaks about how Tim Selinske impacted his life and his disc golf career at the 2015 Selinske US Masters Championships Players Meeting.

More than a year later, we’re gearing up for the start of the 2015 Tim Selinske US Masters Championships in the always amazing Charlotte, North Carolina. Charlotte is nothing short of a metaphorical disc golf Mecca. Home to more than 30+ courses in the greater Charlotte area, with a majority of them being top notch, it’s easy to see why this city has hosted so many high stakes disc golf events including the 2012 PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Championships.

The 2015 US Masters Championships will be using five different properties for a total of six different courses. Renaissance Park DGC has two different layouts, dubbed Renny (longs) and RenSke (shorts). Bradford, Nevin, Sugaw, and Kilborne make up the other four. All of the courses are challenging in their own ways, and should provide a fair and balanced competition for all 307 players that have made it out to Charlotte to compete.

The pro divisions (Masters, Masters Women, Grandmasters, and Senior Grandmasters) will be taking on Nevin and Bradford all weekend, with the Masters at Nevin for two rounds tomorrow and the remaining pro divisions playing two rounds at Bradford. Live scoring will be up and running on pdgaive.com with pictures and videos coming in via @pdgalive on Twitter.