Who We Are
The Youth Disc Golf Association is a non-profit organization based in San Diego California. Our goal is sharing the wonderful game of disc golf with kids of all ages. Our mission is to expand awareness and participation in the sport by networking with schools and other youth based organizations, and presenting participants with ongoing educational clinics, tournaments, leagues.
R. Scott Leebrick Executive Director
I was raised in Southern California in the sixties. The Y Indian Guides, Boy Scouts, Little League, and YMCA summer camps were activities that were both fun and carried valuable life lessons during the formative years. As a teen it was football, track and baseball during the school year and the beach in the summer. The beach was Frisbee, surfing, sand volleyball, and my other passion scuba diving.
It was 1973 in Laguna Beach when we developed an object disc golf course which featured a “top of the world” (DeLaVeaga) kind of whole down Third Street to the palm tree about 300 horizontally and 200 feet below. You had to hit the palm on the bottom six feet. Lucky we were using the old light Frisbees because the new high speed discs would have caused some serious damage to the cars below…
In college I majored in psychology, and after, worked in residential treatment with severely emotionally handicapped adolescents. My training and experience during this time, such as positive communication skills and conflict resolution, will no doubt come in handy in this new endeavor. Later in my career with the same human service agency, I was the Development Director in charge of fund raising. I developed the levels of patronage, a major gifts recognition program, a yearly golf tournament, and many highly successful special events.
In another chapter, I worked for many years as the Assistant GM of a massive country club like sports facility in Tucson AZ. Along with my managerial duties, I ran summer camps, softball, racquetball, tennis, volleyball and golf leagues and tournaments.
Today I live in San Diego with my wife Laura, two dogs and a cat. Morely Field is fifteen minutes away. For many years living in the Bay Area and playing the Moraga course my buddies and I used Cobras, and threw them just like we did Frisbees on the beach. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I was shown the power grip and throwing technique which led down the path of actually playing disc golf.
Now I am bringing together my love for the game with my life experience, in the form of the Youth Disc Golf Association. It is my wish and prayer that this organization enables a whole new generation to share in the fun (and the frustration), get some exercise, and make tons of new friends! While the game is tremendous, the people involved make it all the more special. Gratitude and respect to those who paved the way, and an open invitation to anyone and everyone to join us, and TAKE FLIGHT!
Brendan Sage
I am from New Orleans La., and moved to San Diego, Ca. from Biloxi, MS after Hurricane Katrina destroyed my home and family business. I had family living in El Cajon, Ca. and was able to take a bus, paid for by the Salvation Army to San Diego. I was touched by the help that I received from the Salvation Army and was inclined to return the favor, so I volunteered to serve Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner for the homeless at Golden Hall in down town San Diego, and have done so ever sence . I believe that this was a big part in myself deciding to volunteer my time to bring the Youth Disc Golf Association to reality for all to enjoy and benefit from. I enjoyed playing sports in school (football, baseball, basketball, and golf) and learned many life long lessons, and skills, from those coaches and teachers involved. I hope to bring this experience to the youth of today through the sport of Disc Golf.
Wesley Sage
I am the youngest of three boys, twenty-eight years of age and I was born in New Orleans. I lived in Slidell, L.A. (A small city outside of New Orleans) until the age of six. When my family moved to Las Vegas. Then, at the age of fifteen we moved back to the south, to the Mississippi gulf coast. It was there where I began to dabble in the sport of disc golf. In the following decade I played as a novice disc golfer in Bay St. Louis, at Buccaneer state park. I found the game relaxing, enjoyable, and challenging, disc golf also costs considerably less to play than ball golf itself. I discovered another advantage to playing disc golf rather than ball golf, it was that completing an eighteen hole course took half the time of that of ball golf.
Unfortunately, In August of 2005 hurricane Katrina washed away my family and I home and restaurant. It also left my grandmother’s home with nothing but its structure. At this time I dropped out of college to help rebuild her home in Gulfport, MS. I ended up relocating to Brandon, FL (Just outside of Tampa Bay).
Meanwhile, my brother Brendan had relocated to San Diego, where he became a serious disc golf enthusiast. Through our long distance communications he, once again, aroused my interest in disc golf. As fate would have it there was a course (Limona disc golf course) right down the road from where I lived. I began playing regularly again. Luckily when I first started playing there I meet John E. McCray, the creator of the course. We became friends and I found myself at the course almost everyday. Playing with McCray really inspired me to be a better disc golfer.
Near the end of 2008, my brother Brendan and a fellow disc golfer Scott decided to pursue a project to get the youth of San Diego more involved with disc golf. My brother and Scott subsequently convinced me that this would be the perfect way to expand the interest in disc golf. And as a result of teaching our youth to play disc golf not only would the sport expand it would be an excellent opportunity for kids of all ages to evolve themselves in an inexpensive competitive sport. Consequently I moved to San Diego and have been energetically working toward this goal for the last eight months.
Carl “Beanieman” Renda
PDGA#32852
Open/Adv
Began Playing Disc Golf:
I played once or twice as a teenager, but never with more than one disc. In October of 2006 I begun playing with one of my friends, and by January 2007 I played in my first tournament and I was hooked.
First Disc:
One of the very first run Z-XL’s. Good straight flying disc that could be used as a midrange too. Still had it in my bag until I lost it shortly before Worlds in 2008.
Favorite Hole at Morley:
Hole 15. I’ve aced it 3 times, and I know more than a few different ways to get to each pin position.
Morley Field Aces:
Four. Hole 15e twice, 15a and 18a.
Favorite Disc:
Cryztal Challenger. My game lives and dies by the putter. I put a lot of snap on my putts and a challenger holds a true line with that snap. The Cryztal plastic gives me the feel I need to release it with consistency. I can use it from just about any shot 100 feet and in and feel confident about my opportunity to make the putt.
Favorite Drivers:
Champion Wraith, Champion Roadrunner, Sparkle Rogue
Favorite Mid ranges:
Z Comet, FLX Buzzz, Sparkle Wasp
Favorite Putter:
Cryztal Challenger is a jump putter’s best friend
In My Bag:
Drivers (12) Champion Wraith, Boss, Teerex, Teebird, Roadrunner, Monarch, Destroyer, Sparkle Force, Sparkle Rogue, Cryztal Avenger SS, Z Surge, Z XL Mid ranges (5): Z Comet, ESP Buzzz, Cryztal Buzzz SS, Sparkle Wasp, Champ Gator Putters (2):FLX Challenger, Cryztal Challenger. If you think that’s a lot of plastic, I used to carry 25 when I could throw thumbers and sidearms.
Top Finishes:
1st, 2008 Amateur Mini Disc Golf World Championships (that’s right baby…world champ!)
1st, 2007 December Morley Monthly Advanced
2nd, 2008 San Marcos Ice Bowl Advanced
4th, 2008 Sun Valley Open Advanced
4th, 2008 Ice Bowl in Paradise Advanced
4th, 2008 Fling XII Advanced
4th, 2007 Fling XI Intermediate
5th, 2008 September Morley Monthly Open
Accomplishments:
50th in Amateur PDGA Points internationally
2nd in California and 1st in SoCal, 2008
2008 San Diego Aces Advanced Points Series Champion
1st in California in PDGA events played among amateurs – 2008
2008 Disc Golf Gladiators Advanced Gladiator
Favorite Disc Golf Website:
Would have to be PDGA.com, or my DGRUS page. You should also check out SanDiegoAces.com and this website, Morleyfield.com.
Favorite Pro Player:
The answer to this is obvious. Based on heart, hard work, passion for the game, and since I play pro at Morley, I would have to say myself. Plus if I picked one of the local pros I play with all the rest of them would get pissed. But if I had to pick one out of the top 20, it would have to be Paul McBeth. The kid phenom will be the best in the world one day, and his success hasn’t gone to his head.
Tips for newer players and players looking to improve:
Develop a consistent putting routine. 40-50% of your shots are putts, so if you are a strong putter, it will buy you time for the rest of your game to develop. If you commit any amount of time, even as little as 15 minutes of putting practice each time you are at the course, over time you will develop a consistent stroke that is easy to keep in rhythm. I usually commit 45-60 minutes each time I play to putting. 15 minutes before my round, 15 minutes in between rounds and 15 minutes before I leave.
