Ben and Tommy's Excellent Frisbee Golf Course
Since the frisbee, as we know it, was invented in 1948, it has since become a necessity for the average college student. Bowman Field and the intramural fields have certainly seen their fair share of the sporting disc over the years. But it was in the ’80s when Clemson’s first unofficial Frisbee golf course began to take off, thanks to a couple of friends — namely Ben Gaddis ’88 and Tommy Campbell ’89 — who tweaked and propagated aspects of the original campus course (of unknown origins).
“The basic course was in place I think back in the ’70s,” Campbell says. “Ben, our friends and I just expanded on it over a period of time from the mid ’80s until the late ’90s.”
Gaddis and Campbell shared with us their famous 18-hole Frisbee golf adventure. Here are some of the highlights:
1 Tee from the Thomas Green Clemson statue in front of Tillman Hall to a lamppost by the lower corner of Brackett Hall.
3 Tee from the middle of the sidewalk above the amphitheater with a mandatory dogleg through the amphitheater stage door to the lamppost directly behind the stage door.
7 Tee from the top of the stairs on Library Bridge to the lamppost on the right side of the reflection pond underneath the trees.
13 Tee from the cannons on Bowman Field (old location) to the front of Holtzendorff.
17 Tee from the upper Holtzendorff sidewalk (blind shot) to the old track around Riggs Field with a mandatory dogleg through the tunnel at the back of the building (entrance to Riggs Field) to hit the manhole near the bottom of the stairs.
18 Tee from the Riggs track to split the large brick buildings and enter the quad courtyard; then dogleg left to a distant flag pole.
Some may be interested to know that these early roots of Clemson Disc Golf have recently produced Clemson’s first Collegiate Women’s National Champion. Details of last year’s freshman, Alex Lambert and her victory in Augusta can be found in the following: https://www.pdga.com/clemsons-lambert-adds-ncdgc-title-long-resume
My guess is Alan Beaver had something to do with starting it in the 70’s.
Gaddis! You made my rough draft look good! Remember that course we played in Austin Texas at the regional ultimate tournament ~1985… Bet we’d give them a run for their money now. Tell the Joint Chiefs I said howdy! – jim hester ’88