Disc golf doesn't exactly run in the Frazer family, though three daughters and the parents all play it. Rather than the game being handed down from one generation to another, the Frazers all started at the same time, after a family camping trip.
"We went to a park and saw some baskets at a course," said Sandra, the mother, after she and her two younger daughters finished their rounds Thursday afternoon at Hedges-Boyer Park. "We had Frisbees. It's actually pretty fun, if you can keep away from taking it so seriously."
They take it seriously enough to enter some tournaments every year, including the PDGA Amateur World Disc Golf Championships. This is the fifth year in a row several family members have played in the tournament, traveling from their hometown of Morgantown, Ind. (south of Indianapolis) to sites in Kansas City, Kalamazoo (Mich.) and Tulsa (Okla.). Sandra and daughters Michelle (18 years old) and Rebecca (15) are in the advanced women's division, with Rebecca leading at 10-over par through six regular rounds and Sandra and Michelle also finishing in the top eight to qualify for this morning's semifinals. The father, David, played in the advanced grandmaster men's division, finishing tied for 36th at +7.
Meanwhile, another daughter, 20-year-old Nicole has turned professional and took third in her division at last year's pro world championships, though an ankle injury has sidelined her this summer.
"We all kind of picked it up together," Sandra said. "Nicole when she was about 12 or 13, it kind of clicked. It's starting to click with Rebecca, with her driving."
The women's afternoon round was the tournament's last one contested at Hedges-Boyer Park. The semifinal round for all divisions with double-digit entries will be contested at 8 a.m. this morning at Delaware State Park, Marion's Sawyer-Ludwig Park and Upper Sandusky's Reservoir Park. The finals begin at 11 a.m. at a temporary nine-hole course set up on the Ohio State-Marion campus.
"The goal is to all be in the [four-person] finals," Sandra said of she and her daughters. While Rebecca shot a 1-under-par 57 at Hedges-Boyer and sports a 16-shot lead in their 22-person division, her mother is among a group of three tied at +26, with Michelle three more shots back in fifth after an even-par 58 Hedges-Boyer.
Last year Rebecca and Michelle were second and fourth at worlds, respectively, while Sandra was ninth.
"It's fun to be in the finals," Sandra said, "but it's much more fun watching your kids."
The daughters said having the whole family playing keeps the game fun, rather than be too serious.
"It makes it a friendly rivalry; it's not like we don't get along," she said. "It keeps us pushing each other."
"At the same time," Rebecca said, "it keeps it in perspective."
Rebecca said she was about 3 years old when the family first started playing, and she and Michelle didn't take it too seriously for a couple years.
"The course we started playing on, there was a lot of thorns," Michelle said, "and we (threw) into the thorns a lot."
"But I enjoyed actually playing," Rebecca added.
As far as catching their older sister and possibly playing professionally, the Frazer girls don't know about that possibility.
"Not me," Michelle said. "Maybe her. Nicole and Rebecca are the big drivers."
"I don't know," the younger sister and division leader said. "(Nicole) keeps getting better."
ACES GALORE: Jordan Lane, playing in the men's advanced division, found the basket with his tee shot on No. 12 at Hedges-Boyer during a Wednesday round. In the same division, Mike Layne aced No. 17 at Delaware during a Thursday round. Friday's action included five aces. Drew Mosley (13-under boys) had one from the front tee at No. 6 in Tiffin, Ed Stachnik (men's advanced) had one at No. 17 in Upper Sandusky and Andrew Schultz (19-under boys semifinalist) had one at Bucyrus' No. 16. Finally, fellow 19-under semifinalist David Weaver (Charlotte, N.C.) found the basket to start No. 17 at Delaware, then did the same on No. 11 at Bucyrus in the afternoon.
LEADERBOARD: While 15-year-old David Wiggins Jr. (High Point, N.C.) continues to run away with the men's advanced division, recording a 6-under 50 at Delaware to raise his lead to 22 strokes at -50, the battle behind him is strong with Ohioan Aaron Trimmer, David Nelson and Trey Williams separated by just two strokes.
Joe Levell and Bill Cary are tied atop the advanced masters division (-21) with a one-stroke lead, Steve Mawdsley are tied atop the advanced grandmasters (-28) with a two-stroke lead, Ron Engebretson (-11) has a three-stroke lead in the advanced senior grandmasters, Ohioan Richard Wysocki (-41) has a five-stroke lead in the age 19-under boys division and Seppo Paju (-26) and Triston Covington (-26) have one-stroke advantages at 16-under and 13-under, respectively.
