The OTB Open returned to Stockton over the weekend as professional disc golfers and fans from across the country gathered at Swenson Park Golf Course for one of the Disc Golf Pro Tour’s top West Coast events.
The tournament drew an estimated 8,500 spectators, including around 2,200 during Sunday’s final round. About 150 players competed in the event, with most traveling from outside California.
The four-day tournament, named after sponsor Only The Best discs, had been placed on hiatus last year by organizers while they hosted the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) Champions Cup on the course.
Tournament transforms Swenson Park
Since its debut in 2021, the Open has grown into a major stop on the pro tour, drawing larger crowds, more nationally ranked players and expanded areas throughout the course for vendors.
Event director Sean Jack said it takes months of planning, with crews facing a tight deadline to transform the park into a championship-level venue — a setup that also includes vendor tents, bleachers and viewing areas for the spectators, and sound systems.
“We have to build it in two days,” Jack said. “There’s very little infrastructure out there, and we bring nearly everything in with our own equipment.”
Organizers estimate the tournament could generate roughly $1.5 million in economic impact through hotel stays, tourism and other spending associated with the event.
A boost for businesses
“This tournament’s a very positive influence on the city of Stockton,” Jack said.
The event featured more than a dozen vendors, including traveling disc golf retailers and local businesses.
It proved to be one of the busiest weekends of the year for businesses operating at Swenson Park. Jack said the event ultimately drew far bigger crowds than organizers originally expected.
Zachary Smith, who oversees food operations at the Fox Den restaurant, said the tournament was one of the busiest weekends of the year for both his restaurant and concessions team.
“This is our Super Bowl,” Smith said.
Fans walking the course drove demand for portable food and drinks. Popular items included tacos, sandwiches, burgers, margaritas and agua frescas.
Smith said many visitors were first-time guests.
“(The) majority of these people have never been here,” Smith said. “It’s a treat.”
Disc golf community grows
Disc golf saw major growth during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Professional Disc Golf Association membership rose from about 109,000 in 2021 to more than 136,000 in 2023 before leveling to 115,200 in recent years, according to PDGA membership data.
Ticket sales and online viewership have swelled since the OTB tournament first arrived in Stockton in 2021, organizers said.
OTB founder Danny Corbett said the tournament has grown alongside that rise in popularity. Corbett started OTB Discs as a side business before expanding into a full-time company, with operations in Pennsylvania and Sweden.
He said the community aspect of disc golf is one of the biggest reasons the tournament continues attracting players and spectators.
“Any time we have events like this, it feels like a giant family reunion,” Corbett said.
Competitors and spectators alike traveled from outside California to attend the tournament.
Laurie Murphy, who came from Colorado with her husband, said the couple regularly watches professional disc golf and wanted to experience the Stockton event in person.
“The course is really gorgeous,” Murphy said. “It’s sort of a center for players.”
Murphy said her family became more invested in the sport during the COVID-19 pandemic while watching professional tournaments online.
Fellow spectator Micke Navarec, who attended the event for the third time, said the atmosphere and accessibility around disc golf sets it apart from other sports.
“You get to walk behind the players,” Navarec said. “You don’t really get to do that in other sports.”
Stockton resident Brenden Kiser attended with his daughter, Riley, and said events like the OTB Open help bring the community together.
“Having the community show up and be involved in the whole Stockton OTB thing, it’s good to see,” Kiser said.
Final-round crowds balloon
By Sunday, spectators lined the fairways throughout Swenson Park as players competed in the final round.
The tournament featured a combined $100,000 purse, including around $65,000 for the men’s division and $35,000 for the women’s division.
Calvin Heimburg went on to defeat world No. 1 Gannon Buhr in a playoff to win the men’s division. The playoff marked the first in OTB Open history, according to a public address announcement made following regulation play.
Heimburg said the large galleries and playoff atmosphere added to the pressure throughout the final round.
“You definitely do feel the crowd out here,” Heimburg said. “They always come out in the masses.”
Heimburg said Swenson Park’s low ceilings, large trees and windy conditions make Stockton one of his favorite stops on tour.
“Good weather, great crowds and fun golf,” Heimburg said.
Women’s winner Holyn Handley said the windy conditions and high-risk shots throughout the course create big challenges.
“Honestly, it’s just the mental challenge of knowing you’re having to throw some scary, high-consequence shots, and it’s windy,” Handley said.
Handley, who got her start playing disc golf in California and signed her first sponsorship with OTB, said winning in Stockton carried added meaning.
“Stockton means a lot to me,” Handley said. “It feels like a bit of a full-circle moment for me to finally take it down.”