Ste. Gen Gears Up For 2nd Annual Tourney

By ERIC X. VICCARO

EVICCARO@STEGENHERALD.COM

Saturday morning, Ste. Genevieve Park and Recreation board member Geoff Duvall and Andy Naeger were seen driving a John Deere gator throughout Pere Marquette Park.

Duvall and Naeger spent time cleaning up the park in preparation for the second annual Pere Marquette Park Disc Golf Tournament set for Sunday, July 25.

The pair of men cleared out brush and pruned trees, making the course look quite spic and span.

“The course is in great shape,” Duvall said.

And Hole No. 18 will be even more menacing this year, with water coming into the play. Your disc may end up on one of the lily pads — or surface on some spirogyra.

Hole No. 15 will feature a new “B” tier placement, which will play 50 feet further, slightly to the right and well-protected by guardian trees.

Duvall also mentioned Hole No. 10 has a new basket placement, and other holes have more out-of-bounds area and increased par.

Last year, Pere Marquette Park’s disc golf course played as a par-57; however, this year it’s been raised to a par-59. Overall, the course will play more than 200 feet longer than 2020’s event.

“I’m glad we had success last year like we did,” Duvall noted.

The course also will be more difficult because there’s a greater amount of “downhill shots.”

Duvall said he’s thankful tournament organizer Britany Horn and Timothy Wiegard, both of Park Hills, have turned the Pere Marquette Open into a “destination event.”

“It’s great to be back,” said Wiegard, who will compete in the 40-plus amateur division. “Geoff has been working hard on the course, and I think our numbers will be good. I think we will have a full field.”

There will be two, 18-hole rounds, with the first at 9 a.m. The second 18 holes will begin at 1 p.m. All golfers will enjoy at least a one-hour break in between rounds.