STARKVILLE — This Saturday will see the Dawg Daze Open return to Starkville, hosting professional and amateur disc golfers for the weekend event. Starkville Disc Golf Association hosts the event at Mississippi State University’s Wise Center course, to which they recently added a 19th hole.
The tournament cap is currently set at 90 participants to prevent crowding the course on Saturday, but with the interest now in Starkville as a disc golf destination they are considering raising that cap in the future. SDGA reached their limit with registration a couple of months ago, and the interest has only grown since they began hosting tournaments a few years ago.
“When I first came into office I wasn’t thinking about us being a big deal, I just wanted to run some leagues and have a good time,” Tournament director Dustin West said. “There was a boom with a lot of people coming into it, we have a really good sponsor and volunteer base and people consistently come to our tournaments.”
The tournament’s title sponsor is Chick-fil-A with Modern Woodmen contributing as an added cash sponsor. The tournament is also backed by eight other sponsors.
The sport has taken off in Starkville over the past few years, capitalizing on its popularity at Mississippi State as well as its growth as a hobby during the COVID-19 pandemic. SDGA’s role in maintaining and improving courses around the city has seen the tournament scene continue to grow, with Dawg Daze serving as one of the top events in the state.
The tournament will feature three pools of players across 17 divisions, teeing off at 9 a.m. Saturday. Across all the divisions there is a strong mix of competitors, with Starkville attracting a wide range of talent.
“It’s a little uncommon for other tournaments in the area to have as strong of an open field as we do,” West said. “The pro players seem to love playing our tournaments so we have a strong field there, it’s pretty competitive in the age-protected divisions, Mixed Amateur 40+ is one of the premier divisions for us, and we have a well-split amateur division.”
Starkville’s Dawg Daze is the premier annual tournament for the area, but the city is also hosting the Mississippi Disc Golf Hall of Fame tournament this year. With a vote for Hall of Fame nominees and multiple courses, SDGA continues to grow in membership and influence.
“We’re at the table with other organizations even though we’re young, and I believe there are five B-tier or better tournaments in the state and we have two of them,” West said. “It’s come quickly. We’re always looking to expand, and with Dawg Daze, thinking, ‘How can we allow more people?’ We’re always looking to improve and I think that’s something people respect about our organization and tournaments.”
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