Don was throwing Wham-O Frisbee’s in the 1960’s. It was a pastime he enjoyed for the next three decades. In 1999 he heard there were real golf courses in Columbus where you could throw “Frisbee golf” but never did find any. Then in 2000 as he was talking with a gal, she mentioned her husband throws that Frisbee golf thing. She gave Don his phone number and he agreed to take him. They went to Blendon Woods and Don was hooked. Since then he has thrown 254 courses in 33 different states (every state east of the Mississippi). He has thrown 93 sanctioned PDGA tournaments; 63 as an Amateur and 30 as a Pro with 6 of them being a Major tournament. He won 30% of the Amateur tournaments and 25% of the Pro’s and won an Open division this past year at the age of 58. 17 of those 93 tournaments have been out-of-state tournaments. He has thrown an out-of-state tournament each year (having won 2) and there have been several times people from out of state recognize him.

Don has put up several Disc golf displays at Library’s, at the Am World’s tournament held in Ohio in 2010 and at the Arnold Classic in Columbus. At each of these events he volunteered his time to answer questions visitors had. He has been interviewed on the radio twice and had three interviews printed in local newspapers. He has given presentations to several Rotary clubs and at churches. He has helped at the Disc golf booth at the Ohio State fair and at local clinics.
When the Gordon Holton course was installed Don volunteered to secure the hole sponsorship and sold all 18 tee signs in a matter of three days. He has physically worked on such courses as the Delaware State Park, Hoover Dam, Griggs, Lobdell, Sawyer Ludwig, Lancaster, Upper Sandusky, Great Seal, Pike Lake, Hocking College, Rocky Fork, Xenia and Osage Grove. In 2008 Don moved to southern Ohio and soon after he put a display in the local library. He also made contact with the local State Park about installing a Disc golf course. Through his effort the money was raised and an eighteen hole course was installed. Two years later he raised the money and laid out
another three holes and three years later he raised the money and laid out another three holes making this a 24 hole course. Disc Golf Course Review has this listed as the ninth best course in Ohio. Don has been the tournament director for the PDGA “C” tier held each year at Paint Creek. The first year there was a good turn out and every year since then it has filled up 3-4 weeks in advance. In 2017 he made this a two day tournament with the Am’s on Saturday and the Pro’s on Sunday with the Pro’s receiving a Player’s Pack. The Am side filled three weeks in advance and the Pro side was three fourths of the way full.

For the past ten years Don has been the manager/caretaker of a youth camp and each year he puts on a Disc golf clinic for each camp. He would set up the baskets each morning and throughout the day instruct those who wanted to throw. At the end of the week each person who wanted a Disc received one. Every time Don saw a course selling tee sign sponsorship he contributed. He has been a sponsor at the Brent Hambrick the last two years. He has been a faithful member of the PDGA and has been of member of different local clubs including a lifetime membership with MoodGolf.

Don truly does represent Disc golf in a positive light. He is always picking up trash on the course as he throws, he carries the “What is Disc Golf” pamphlet in his Disc golf bag and hands them out to people that are not familiar with the sport. He normally carries extra Disc in his trunk to give to others who don’t have many Disc. A friend once called him the “welcoming committee of Disc golf” because of the numerous people he has introduced to the sport.

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Career Wins: 18
Career Earnings: $11,835
1st   Course played – Miami Whitewater – 1979
1st  Sanctioned Tournament – 1988 Mt. Airy Ice Bowl (1st win – Novice)
Top Finishes:
2017:     1st WV Hall of Fame Classic – GrandMasters
1st OH Hall of Fame Classic – Masters
2nd Pike Lake Open – Open
2nd Toronto Island Fling – GrandMasters
2016:     2 nd  Brent Hambrick Memorial – NT –GrandMasters
1 st  Arnold Disc Open – B Tier – Masters
2015:     1 st  Brent Hambrick Memorial – A Tier – GrandMasters
10 th  Tim Selinske US Masters Championship – GrandMasters
2014:     1 st  Gordon Holton Accolade – B Tier – Masters
2013:     1 st  Gordon Holton Accolade – B Tier – Masters
2012:     1 st  Great Seal Scream – C Tier – Masters
9 th  Tim Selinske US Masters Championship – Masters
2010:     1 st  Gem City Challenge – C Tier – Masters
2008:     1 st  Riverside Drive – B Tier Masters
1995:     5 th  – PDGA Am Worlds – Advanced
1 st  West Virginia Open – A Tier – Advanced

Dennis started playing disc golf at Miami Whitewater with his church youth group, using
Whamo 165 molds. He began playing competitively in 1988 after meeting Brent
Hambrick in Columbus. Dennis helped break ground and install the Brent Hambrick
Memorial GC and has been an active member and supporter of the local club since
inception, serving as Club Secretary for a number of years. He was involved in the
making of two of the first, and award winning disc golf videos of the Columbus Open
(created by Larry Tanner), providing play-by play commentary as well as writing
intro/theme music for one of the videos. Dennis has been a continuous volunteer and
financial supporter of many tournaments in Central Ohio. In 2016. he was responsible
for organizing and running a fundraiser for the 20 th  BHMO, raising over $2000 that was
donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

In 2017, this same fundraising effort produced over $3200, donated to LLS
He has helped run the Ohio State Doubles event for many years and recently TD’d a
charitable event to provide toys and gift cards to a local church and homeless shelter.
Dennis has organized and run several educational clinics to teach disc golf to local
elementary and middle schools, teaching disc golf to well over 400 students combined.
He also taught a clinic for the disc golf club at The Ohio State University.
Dennis is currently in talks with local HS Athletic Directors in an attempt to get a HS
intramural league setup between the 3 HS in Westerville.

Dennis is always willing to meet with new or old players to help share his technique and
love of throwing the forehand shot, specifically the forehand putt.

The post Dennis Janney appeared first on OH DG HOF.

Carl was born on January 15, 1961; the youngest of five children to Robert and Thea Chiles and
grew up in Vandalia, Ohio. Flipping Frisbees entered his life early by throwing with older family
members in the 1960’s. He was introduced to disc golf in 1978 at the Eastwood Park disc golf
course in Dayton where he played in his first tournament. Since that time, passing Frisbee and
playing disc golf have been some of his favorite pastimes and forms of exercise.
After graduating from Vandalia Butler HS, Carl attended Western Kentucky University (WKU) in
Bowling Green, Kentucky in 1980 where he played soccer and Ultimate for the school’s club
teams. It was there that he had the opportunity to learn more about disc sports, including disc
golf, from the Ultimate team. Carl was first introduced to course design and installation when
the HB Clarke designed Disc Golf course was constructed in Bowling Green’s Kereiakes Park in
1983.

Carl continued playing disc golf in his free time before returning to Western Kentucky University
in 1994. During his time away from WKU, he played courses in Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia,
Maryland, Delaware and Wisconsin. He over half way to his personal goal of playing over 500
courses covering all 50 states and Canada.

After graduating from WKU with his teaching degree, Carl moved back to the Dayton Ohio area
in 1997 and quickly became involved with the newly formed Dayton Disc Golf Association
(DDGA). As a volunteer for the DDGA, he began working on courses, including the installation
of tee pads at Sycamore Trails and preparation work for the club’s annual Echo Valley
temporary course event. Carl soon began spending hundreds of hours each year working on
existing and new courses. He was a major participant in the construction and installation of the
Buck Creek course in Springfield, Ohio in 2007. Carl’s abilities in course design were evident
when in 2008-2009 he helped with the installation and re-design of the Buck Creek course.
When working with Mike Ray on designing and one of Ohio’s more challenging courses which is
located in Fairborn’s Community Park. in 2010, Carl learned the perfect philosophy for creating
great and challenging disc golf courses: “Every volunteer has a voice in the final design”
The following year, Carl and Mike Ray continued their course work by re-designing the Twin
Creek 18 hole course transforming it into two co-mingling courses. The redesign retained the
short 18 hole technical course and created a longer equally technical 27 hole course. The Twin Creek Disc Golf Complex at Kercher Park in Germantown now consist of 30 baskets, 33 fairways
and tees, and an additional dozen alternate pin locations. Over the past five years, Carl has
been an integral force in the designing and installation of courses at Stubbs Park in Centerville
and at Sol Arnovitz Park in Xenia, which opened for play spring of 2017. He has consulted on
several other course designs and re-designs with the hope that all new and existing courses
provide a fun, safe, and challenging experience for every level of disc golfer.

Carl became involved with Tony Waterfall of Waterfall’s Portable Disc Golf Course while setting
up and participating with the DDGA’s disc golf educational booth at the 2008 Five River Metro
Parks Gear Fest. Since then Chiles worked with Tony on the Diabetes Dayton’s Fling Fest which
gave him the opportunity to design temporary courses in two of Dayton’s historical parks: Old
River and Carillon Park. Working with Tony, Carl designed and set up courses in many other
locations including Mad River Mountain Ski Resort in Bellefontaine, Tawawa Park in Sidney,
Echo Valley winding through Hoffman Prairie/Patricia Allen Park in Springboro, and on the
grounds of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Dayton.

Carl’s passion for volunteerism and his charitable work ethic are a result of watching his father
organize and run the Miami Valley Military Affairs Annual Fisher House Golf event, now
appropriately named “The Bob Chiles Classic” at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Carl has been
a fixture within the Dayton disc golf community’s various charity disc golf events. He is more
often found working on courses rather than playing in Dayton area parks including Buck Creek,
Fairborn Community, Hoffman Prairie/Patricia Allen, Kercher Community, Sycamore Trails,
Stubbs and Sol Arnovitz.

Carl’s efforts have played an important role in the growth of disc golf in western Ohio and he
looks forward to many more years working within the disc golf community. He is excited for
opportunities to introduce new players to disc golf, and to work with volunteers designing,
installing, and maintaining disc golf courses. Carl plans to always incorporate his design
philosophy of “Every volunteer has a voice in the final design”.

The post Carl Chiles appeared first on OH DG HOF.

After honing his skills in casual play, Bill Vaughn joined the PDGA in 1996, participating in 163
PDGA events with 25 wins. Competing predominantly as an Amateur with a brief stint as an
Open player. The early years embraced as part of the talented Medina Crew on the Can-Am
circuit.

Bill Vaughn’s real story is as a steward and ambassador of disc golf. Bill has been
recognized with the Innova Champion Course Stewardship Award.

Bill’s personality and longevity has made him a welcome part of a huge disc golf family. A
wealth of first hand knowledge and disc golf history. Bill serves as a perfect old school,
grassroots representative for our new generation of disc golfers, being one of the few active
remnants of the early regional disc golf scene.

This includes work with the youth. Bill assisted in getting an E.D.G.E. grant through the PDGA,
and now serves as a guest lecturer for 4 th and 5 th graders in an after-school disc golf club.
And for those the Ohio Disc golf community has lost, ground has been broken for a simple
memorial at Findley State Park on the Bridge Hole, for Manfred Boewe, Leroy Jenkins, Mike
Broda, and all the other NE Ohio disc golfers we have lost, to be dedicated 6-28-24 on what
would have been Steady Ed’s 100 th birthday. Bill feels a deep sense of obligation to retain Ohio
disc golf history and keep our predecessor’s stories alive is strong.

Bill provided design and course installation support at several North Central Ohio courses, but is
best known for his work at Findley Disc Golf Course. A constant presence at Findley Disc Golf Course. “Work first, play second.” A big part of the transformation to its current state as one of the highest rated and most popular courses in Ohio.

Vaughn served as TD at many sanctioned and casual events. Most notably multiple Fireland’s
Opens (Norwalk), Kingston Opens (Norwalk), and Findley’s Lost Island Adventures. Delighting
players, Bill is particularly proud of importing AM prize voucher payment versus set prizes to the
region which has become the payout norm.

A Charter member of North East Ohio Disc Golf Alliance (NEODGA) and only person to be
involved since inception in 2003 serving as Course Representative, Competition Director,
Vice President and a constant presence. Bill has been honored as the face on the NEODGA
one dollar bill (payout vouchers).

During his NEODGA tenure, Bill is credited for maintaining and growing the Frozen Finger
Series. In 2024 has reached it’s 14th consecutive year. The series designed with a family feel
including a potluck lunch, friendly competition, and support of charity/disc golf growth initiatives.
Bill was the NEODGA Summer Series architect. A pre-Covid, performance/participation point
generated series of NE Ohio events predominantly to encourage play at fledgling
courses/events as well as including a sprinkling of a few established events.

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