Yet another fabled tree has been removed from George Ward Park. The large tree on hole 16 was diagnosed dead and cut down last week. This tree was well placed to make it an obstacle for the hole. It will be missed.

I remember a nice September Alabama afternoon in 1996. I had just bought a yellow shark, my first golf disc. I seeked out George Ward Park with the great anticipation of playing my first round of disc golf.

I came upon a beautiful piece of land. It had rolling hills and tall trees. There were no concrete tee pads, but the earth ones that were there looked barely used. My friend and I made our way around the course. Sometimes searching for the next tee for minutes. We were hooked.

We played all winter. The course seemed to change little that first year. The only noticeable difference was that there seemed to be more golfers that next summer. It seemed that disc golf was catching on everywhere.

The first noticeable change was the concrete tee pads on the front nine. There were nice, but a little awkward. However on a wet day you always dreaded that back nine. Most of the pads back there were mud. But, it never stopped us. We played and slipped and slid. It was still fun.

Next came the concrete on the back nine and some of the pins being moved around. What an exciting time for disc golf in Birmingham. Since George Ward is our only course, we welcome the change. The back nine pads were better than the front. They were in the ground and smoother. They eliminated almost all contact with mud.

Things were moving fast by now. Soon all the broken and bent cuffs for the second placements were replaced. We had our first big tournament in over a year. We had 90+ players. Another soon followed. Birmingham disc golf was in great shape.

Then summer came. It was hot and muggy. The city did not mow the grass on a regular basis because of ground level ozone. The grass that was there died from the heat. An attempt was made to plant shrubs on the 6th fairway, so that was never mowed. And, when they did mow, they broke our cuffs. If all this was not bad enough, we started loosing trees. Not just any trees, but 3 trees that played a major role in how the course was played.

So, what is the state of George Ward? Now we are back to having only one placement on holes: 2, 4, 7, 9, 10, 12, 16, and 17. And in most cases they are the longer more challenging placements that have been lost. The loss of trees has left holes 6,7, and 16 as less of a challenge. And now, the fire fighters have finally gotten their way on the 4th hole. The tee pad has been moved up closer to their parking lot, so players do not risk hitting their cars. And off the course, Windsong Kites has closed their doors. They were the best source for consistent selection in golf discs in town.

You may be asking yourself, "Is there anything going right?" Well, yes. The state tournament is here in Birmingham this year (Nov 7,8). That will bring some change and hopefully some money to the course. It is getting cooler, so the grass is cut and you can enjoy your time on the course more. The biggest thing is that we do not get discouraged.

It has been a long hot summer. I do not know if that has anything to do with the trees at George Ward. Maybe we'll blame it on El Nino. Anyway, in the past month, we have lost 3 trees on the course. Of the three, two played a direct role in the play of the course. They were not flimsy pines that could be taken down by the wind. Both trees seem to have been ill. One was probably hundreds of years old.

The biggest loss was the intimidating tree on hole 7 that covered the entire green. If you have played George Ward you know that that tree dominated that hole. It was bad enough that we had lost one of the shrubs on that hole that blocked the hole. Now a tree that was probably hundreds of years old (I am no tree expert) is gone.

The second most influential was on hole 6. As some of you know there are two trees in the middle of the fairway (with the pin at its close spot). The nearest, leftmost tree has fallen. It now, unfortunately, makes the hole much easier.

While it may be an easier course without these trees, this player is not happy to see them go. The even more disturbing thing is: WHY? How many more trees are we going to loose? What is causing this?

Well, it's all over! This was my first experience as TD at a PDGA event. I learned alot. All in all it went well. 99% of the people left happy and those who did not have thus been set at ease. We covered our expenses and still have discs to sell.

The highlight of the tournament was the 45 by Dean Tannock and watching Joe Thacker pull off the Ultimate (his first love) throw out of the deep rough on five.

Tom Monroe hit an ace on 3.....in practice. There was an ace pot of $38. Nobody hit an ace in the round so the money will help to build a new buliten board for the course.

If you are interested in buying any Tax Tourney Discs call Ben Miller at 322-5235. They have X2's Cyclones, X-Clones, Cyclone 2's, Hawks, and Aviars left.

You can find full results at the PDGA web site.