The Story

I’m Kevin Gillon and I really like disc golf. I started playing disc golf regularly in 2016. I say ‘regularly’ because I had played a few times before that but didn’t even have my own discs. Early in 2016 I suffered a severe shoulder impingement which caused me to lose almost all range of motion in my right arm. Being right handed, this was a problem. Thankfully after months of therapy and exercise I regained most of my range of motion. Late in the summer of 2016 my brothers-in-law and father-in-law invited me to try disc golf again. After throwing a few holes my shoulder was feeling pretty good and I thought I was ready to throw a disc hard. I did throw the disc hard - right into the side of a house. Yeah, I know. Everyone was laughing, but I was really frustrated and embarrassed. I was also encouraged because my shoulder felt good. This was the moment I decided I would start playing disc golf more and try to get better.

As I continued practicing and improving in early 2017, I felt ready to test my skills and participate in a few tournaments. After playing a handful of tournaments and finishing near the bottom every time I was a little discouraged. I decided to try something different - random draw doubles at Washington Park. It was here that I ran into a couple of friends I had played baseball with growing up but hadn’t seen for 20 years. They asked me if I played with friends and I replied that I didn’t have any friends that play. He shot back, “well now you’ve got a whole bunch of friends that play.” I didn’t realize at the time how right he was. I had finally found something that felt right: a sense of belonging, community, friendship.

As time went on I got more involved locally with Indy Disc Golf Club. I met a bunch of cool people, made some really good friends, and continued to improve my skills. Along the way I also built a practice course at my house because yeah, I really like disc golf. I also volunteered to help redesign and improve Washington Park Disc Golf Course. It was during this time that I began to see a problem that needed a solution. The problem is that disc golf is lacking in funding. There simply is not enough money coming in to maintain and improve the courses over time. Also, as the number of players increases, there is also a need for new courses. The question is: Where does the money come from to do bigger and better things? My answer to that question is that I don’t know exactly. I do know, however, “nothing ventured; nothing gained.” That is why I started Hyzer Ground with the simple goal of growing the funding base for the Central Indiana disc golf community. I’m not sure when we will get to ‘Hyzer’ Ground, but I’m committed to putting in my full effort until we do.

Thanks. Kevin