Club gains 3 new members in Week 1 of Summer Youth League
Week 2: Tuesday, June 27 at 5:30 p.m.
FROSTBURG — Evan Padovini played his first league round with the Allegany County Disc Golf Club as Week 1 of Summer Youth League kicked off on Tuesday night at Hoffman Park Disc Golf Course in Frostburg.
And if his first round shows anything, it’s that the 11-year-old Mount Savage Middle School student is going to offer some competition to the small but growing base of young players in the area.
In a casual, non-league round at Hoffman Park on June 14, Padovini threw a 27 over par 81, including splits of 42 on the front nine and 39 on the back nine. On Tuesday, league play was limited to nine baskets in part because of gray skies and the very real threat of approaching thunderstorms. Padovini, though, shrugged off the pressure of his first league round with the club and threw a six over par 33.
Evan Padovini seems to will his drive from the No. 2 tee in a certain direction (and likely away from a tree).
Padovini’s effort tied him with Luke Spradlin-Vogelsang, of Frostburg, who was playing his first round as a 10-year-old only one day after his birthday. Spradlin-Vogelsang has nearly two years of disc golf experience; Padovini is about one month into his disc golf life, which has consisted so far of three gym classes at school (taught by the club), a clinic last week and a few rounds with his dad.
That practice paid off handsomely in his most recent round. On June 14, Padovini threw for par only twice on the front nine (and five times in 18 holes that round). On Tuesday, he threw for par on five of nine holes (55.6 percent) before scooting off to a baseball game.
Wyatt Twigg, 8, of Cresaptown, also completed his first club round — and first round ever, tallying a 71. Twigg finished with three triple bogeys and four quadruple bogeys as he focused on the basics of standing behind his lie and throwing straight and flat from a backhand stance. Twigg first threw plastic at the club’s demo area on June 10 at the Western Maryland Food Truck Festival in Cresaptown. He was one of 30 players to qualify for an entry into the club’s drawing for a free disc. Twigg also participated in part of the club’s new player clinic a week later, also in Cresaptown.
With a share of the lead and obvious improvement, Padovini slides in at No. 3 among 20 players in the club’s Boys’ Youth Division. Twigg is now ranked 18th.
Adult Division
Brian Padovini has found a new interest.
The 42-year-old Frostburg resident learned of disc golf when his 11-year-old son, Evan, came home from school one day and happily shared that he’d won a CTP (closest-to-the-pin) contest in a class facilitated by the Allegany County Disc Golf Club. He and his son have been doing their research, and practicing, ever since.
On Tuesday, Padovini put his practice to work, throwing an even par 27 to finish comfortably in second place in the three-person field. Kevin Spradlin, 44, of Frostburg, won with a 25. Noah Spradlin, 23, of Frostburg, finished third with a 31.
Padovini three for par on seven of the nine holes (77.8 percent) and managed his only birdie on the day on No. 9. His only bogey came on No. 5, which statistically is playing as the most difficult hole on the course.
Padovini takes the No. 19 spot among 31 players in the men’s Recreation Division standings. Kevin Spradlin is 17th and Noah Spradlin is fifth.
Evan Padovini seems to will his drive from the No. 2 tee in a certain direction (and likely away from a tree).
Wyatt Twigg goes for the putt on No. 4.
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