Bobby, who lives in Riverside, finished the final round with a score of 38 to easily earn the title of Amateur World Champion.
“He’s really proud,” Robert said. “I think he worked really hard.”
Robert helped Bobby get his start in disc golf just 10 months ago.
“My boss (at Milano’s Atlantic City Submarines on Brown Street) took me out disc-golfing and then I put a disc in his hands. Hundreds of dollars and several discs later, here we are,” Robert said. “First, we got him registered with the PDGA (Professional Disc Golf Association), and even if he were to take a 10-year break from disc golf he could still go online and see his stats. He’s a lifetime member if he renews annually.”
Milano’s Atlantic City Submarines sponsors Bobby, helping to pay for entry fees and registrations. Bobby’s father still helps Bobby with his game.
“He gives me all the tips,” said Bobby, who also is a wrestler and plays baseball.
The Amateur World Championship was Bobby’s second PDGA-sanctioned event.
“I was excited,” Bobby said. “(Going into the finals, my father) told me I was up three strokes, when actually I was up by seven.”
The Bryants have logged extensive playing hours at their hometown course at Belmont Park.
“We play every Wednesday night. They have a doubles tournament,” Robert said. “We (tend) to play five days a week, maybe 17 rounds of disc golf each week.”
Disc golf is a sport similar to traditional golf in that the object of both is to complete the hole in the fewest number of strokes, or in the case of disc golf, the fewest number of throws. Disc golfers replace Titleist Pro V1 golf balls and clubs with Innova and Discraft golf discs or Frisbees. They exchange “greens and holes” for the disc golf targets, the most common of which is the Pole Hole, an elevated metal basket.
The 2010 Amateur Disc Golf World Championships, held in Marion, included more than 500 players from eight countries.
In their words
Bobby: “It’s hard to throw for a while as a beginner. You don’t know how to throw or how to grip the disc.
“My favorite course to play is Germantown. It has short holes where you can get holes-in-one. I’ve had three playing there.
“I had only played a little (disc golf), but when my dad got addicted, we started playing a lot.
“Every hole, I try to throw the disc as far as I can.”
Robert: “There is so much more science and mechanics involved than in regular golf. It is all technique, with wrist flicks, with a little muscle involved. A tall, skinny kid could throw it 500 yards while a really muscular guy might only throw it 300.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-0742 or tcastner@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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