Summer Flex League 2023 expands to 14 weeks

Free league will play on 5 courses from June through September
Club forges stronger partnership with Mile Lane Disc Golf
2022 division winners: Scott Mallery, Becky Shreve, Josiah Spradlin, Karli Huff

* Allegany County Disc Golf Club on Facebook
* Mile Lane DGC on Facebook
* The Glades at Meshach Run DGC on Facebook
* Hoffman Park Ace Place DGC on Facebook
* 2022 Summer Flex League results

FROSTBURG — Twenty-nine different players competed in the Allegany County Disc Golf Club’s debut offering of the Summer Flex League in 2022. This time around, they (and their friends) will have some new challenges.

The free-to-play league is still open to players of all ages and abilities. Last season was six weeks long. This season expands to 14 weeks, with Week 1 being June 23-26. The league finale will be a shotgun start at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 24. The league finale will help the club distribute the hard-earned awards in a timely fashion, as well as help to resolve any final races to the stop of the division standings in a face-to-face manner. Last season, the club went three deep in four divisions: Men’s Division, Women’s Division, Youth-Boys Division, and Youth-Girls Division. As was the case last year, participation will drive the the awards process regarding variety of divisions, and the depth within each. Points will once again be a mix of participation and performance.

For anyone looking for the purpose behind a flex league, there are many. Some people aren’t able to make it at a particular scheduled day and time for a multitude of reasons. Some simply don’t want to play in large groups, but still want that community connection. Consider this: 14 of the 29 players in 2022 played the first disc golf organized league rounds of their lives with the Allegany County Disc Golf Club’s Summer Flex League. That, alone, is why we’ll keep this going. Flex league is a perfect, low-key vehicle on which to deliver an introduction to the sport.

The first 13 weeks of play will remain in the same Friday-through-Monday format as 2022. This time around, Summer Flex League marks the start of the second year of club activities.

As in 2022, players will simply open the uDisc app on their phone and select “Events.” They’ll choose “ACDGC-Summer Flex League 2023.” Each player will check in, then one player will create a scorecard to begin the round on the pre-determined layout that will load automatically. As in 2022, there must be at least two players on a card.

This year’s Summer Flex League will rotate among four courses: Mile Lane Disc Golf in Mount Savage, The Glades at Meshach Run in Accident, Central Assembly of God in Cumberland and the new Hoffman Park Ace Place Disc Golf Course in Frostburg, which is expected to open for play in Spring 2023.

Strengthening the bond: ACDGC and Mile Lane DG

In Summer 2022, the club facilitated SFL rounds on three courses over six weekends of play: Three at Mile Lane in Mount Savage, two at Central in Cumberland and one at The Glades at Meshach Run in Accident. This year’s schedule looks a bit different. With 14 weeks on the calendar, plus the opening of the first public disc golf course in Allegany County in Frostburg, the club will host: six rounds at Mile Lane; four rounds at Hoffman Park; three rounds at The Glades; and one round at Central.

Six of the 14 rounds  (42.9 percent) will be at Mile Lane Disc Golf in Mount Savage. That’s because the Allegany County Disc Golf Club is teaming up with Scott Mallery, owner and course designer at Mile Lane, to try and increase attendance at the Saturday Morning Tag League competition. SMTL begins in May and with few exceptions is staged on the second and fourth Saturday of each month through October.

The idea, crafted by the club and supported by Mallery, is to allow the Saturday Morning Tag League to double as the Summer Flex League round on each of the six weekends which Mile Lane DGC is the designated course. Saturday Morning Tag League rounds were $5 per player in 2022 (plus a nominal, one-time fee for the tag). However, there are plenty of benefits of playing within a group (the primary being knowing where to throw from and to).

AlleganyPlayground photo
Scott Mallery, center, eked out a one-point SFL Men’s Division season victory over runner-up Bill Shreve (left). Kevin Spradlin, right, took third.

Players will keep SMTL score as guided by Mallery. Afterwards, players will take photos of those scorecards, then open uDisc, go to Events, choose ACDGC-Summer Flex League 2023, check in, create a scorecard and then input their scores from their SMTL round.

Alternatively, if one person on the SMTL card is keeping the SMTL scores, then other players (who are participating in the SFL) are free to create a separate Summer Flex League scorecard within uDisc to update as they play the round.

As in 2022, Summer Flex League players can complete as many rounds as desired from 8 a.m. each Friday through 9 p.m. Monday each extended weekend, all at no cost. As Mile Lane DGC is on private property, players must adhere to the restrictions set up by the course owner as published on Disc Golf Course Review. The player’s best scored round will count. While details on the Summer Flex League points system will be released after Week 2 of competition, SFL players whose best rounds on a given weekend are scored (or tied) during Saturday Morning Tag League action will earn one bonus point. Of course, the designated course for that week, or those weeks, must be Mile Lane. Central, too, is on private property (so be sure to start your Sunday rounds no earlier than 1 p.m.).

Those points (up to a total of six per player throughout the season) could certainly make a difference. In 2022, Mallery finished ahead of Bill Shreve in the Men’s Division by a single point. Becky Shreve and Josiah Spradlin dominated in their divisions (Women’s and Youth-Boys, respectively) while Karli Huff was the solo competitor in the Youth-Girls Division. Spradlin, now 13, has been moved up to the club’s Rec Division. It’s likely that (based on participation) at least the Men’s Division will be separated into Advanced Division and Rec Division play.

In 2022, prizes went three deep in each division. Cash prizes were awarded to adult divisions while youth division place-winners received gift cards to their preferred merchants.

Questions? Call or text 301-338-4533 or send an email to alleganyplayground@gmail.com.

AlleganyPlayground photo
Josiah Spradlin (center) won the Boys’ Division, while Luke Spradlin-Vogelsang (left) took second and Gary Schultz Jr. (right) placed third.

Stephanie Spradlin, left, placed second in the Summer Flex League Women’s Division. Krystal Mallery was third. Not pictured: Division winner Becky Shreve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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