Battle at the Belle

DETROIT—Later this month, don't be surprised if you see plenty of people crowding Belle Isle for a kind of "last hurrah" of decent Michigan weather. While lots of people on the island is nothing new, during the Oct. 27 - 28 weekend, dozens of golfers on the island will be sporting discs, not clubs.

Even though the Belle Isle Golf Course has been dormant for the past four years, event organizer, Chris Haag, says the once-abandoned course will host up to 200 disc golfers for a tournament-style competition to raise money to revive the course and create a venue for the growing sport in Detroit.

“Last year’s tournament was a huge success, so we wanted to expand for 2012, taking advantage of the old golf course and restoring one of the gems of Belle Isle,” Haag says. “We want to highlight the growing interest in disc golf nationwide while offering a quality course for golfers in Detroit, where no premier courses exist. This is another step toward creating a permanent course in the city."

The second annual "Battle at the Belle" is being hosted by Waterford-based Up In The Air Disc Golf, and will feature food trucks, camping, live music, and of course, plenty of disc golf.

Last year's tournament raised over $2,000 and hosted nearly 80 golfers and over 100 spectators. Haag says volunteers have spent hundreds of hours cleaning up the course for the event and this year expects more than 200 golfers and hopes to see more than 300 spectators.

Those interested in competing or camping can register online at www.discgolfscene.com. Golfing is $30 and $20, Saturday and Sunday, respectively, or $40 for both days, and includes camping Saturday night. The two rounds of Saturday golf start at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., and Sunday's round starts at 11 a.m. The Belle Isle golf course is located on Meadow Road off Central Avenue.

Event sponsors include Slows BBQ, Founders Brewing Co., Vinsetta Garage and Up In The Air.