Everyone who follows professional disc golf is aware that one of the sport's most prestigious events, the United States Disc Golf Championship, starts this week. What fewer people know is that there's an event connected with the tournament that supports both introducing disc golf into schools and the promotion of women's health and well-being through physical activity.
The event is called Chains for Charity, and by participating in it, you'll not only be supporting worthy causes, but also giving yourself a chance to win one of the DISCatchers used in this year's USDGC.
As when any charity asks for your dollars, you likely have questions you want answers to before donating. With the help of the Chains for Charity organizer, Disc Golf Hall of Famer Jay "Yeti" Reading, we try to fill you in on everything you might want to know.
What Would I Be Supporting?
The two organizations the money raised by Chains for Charity will go to are the Educational Disc Golf Experience (EDGE) and Throw Pink. EDGE is an educational non-profit, and Reading, the organization's coordinator, explained its mission.
"EDGE's entire platform is to introduce the game to our youth," Reading said. "We use the cliché 'grow the sport' a lot, but we're about growing the game, giving kids a physical activity they can do outside of school for fun with very little funding even if they never get involved competitively."
Throw Pink was originally focused solely on breast cancer awareness but now promotes, in its own words, "all aspects of women’s health and encouragement through physical activity." One way Throw Pink does this is through the organization of disc golf tournaments that Reading said typically benefit regional women's health centers and initiatives.
How Does It Work?
Chains for Charity is more than just a simple donation of a single amount. When you participate, you pick a player to "partner" with and for each birdie that player gets during the tournament, the amount of your donation increases. You can choose an amount between .50 cents and $100 per birdie (eagles are worth two birdie points and aces are worth three). For example, 2018 champion Paul McBeth had 43 birdies and an eagle last year, meaning someone betting $1 per birdie on him would have donated $45 (43 birdie points + 2 eagle points).
"I just wanted people watching live coverage and scores to be able to connect with the event on a different level," Reading said, explaining the reasoning behind the system.
And...About That USDGC DISCatcher?
Three of the people who donate to Chains for Charity will win a DISCatcher used at this year's USDGC. They will go to 1) the person who picks the player with the most birdie points, 2) the person who picks the event's winner, and 3) a person randomly selected from those who donated. Other prizes are also possible, and you can read more about those (and about tie-breakers for the DISCatchers) on Chains for Charity's Disc Golf United page.
How Do I Sign Up?
If you're interested in participating, go to Chains for Charity's Disc Golf United page. You won't need to give any financial information there because all participants will be contacted after the event about their donations.
If you do sign up, you'll be able to follow the player you partner with on a special UDisc Live page we've created specifically for this event.
Who Should I Pick?
We asked Reading who he thinks people aiming to be in the "most birdie points" pool for that DISCatcher should put their money on. After taking some time to consider, he came up with a name.
"You know what? I'd give it to Kevin Jones this year," Reading said. "I don't know if he'll win the event, but I think he'll be really pushing it and he'll get some birdies out there."
