History

The Western North Carolina Disc Golf Association started informally in 2000 with a handful of disc golfers led by James Nichols (#13114) to build the original Richmond Hill course in Asheville, North Carolina.  James was a disc golfer in Rochester New York in 1999, but when he moved to Asheville he learned there were no courses nearby.  He reached out to the City of Asheville who was willing to allow a disc golf course so he walked many parks before settling on Richmond Hill which was merely just a parking lot at that point. 

As the course was being cleared by James, his (pregnant) wife Meredith Nichols (#13113), and another friend, Ross Habif (#23597), it was clear they were going to need more help.  James reached out to Harold Duvall at Innova Champion Disc in Rock Hill, South Carolina for help.  They worked out a deal where James could sell discs to help fund nine baskets, which Harold allowed James to have on credit as soon as the course was ready.  The back nine baskets were funded similarly.

Soon more volunteers were coming out to Richmond Hill to work on the course.  John Thelen (#29080), who owned a local landscaping company and had access to lots of equipment, Jim Degive, Ryan Pickens (#12234), and Jay McCarthy (#7435) were some of the early club members working on the course.  From the early days, the club was run organically as a non-profit with elections held for board members, presiding presidents, and a primary focus to recruit more volunteers for working on the Richmond Hill course.  Other early volunteers who are credited with the formation of the organization include Nathan Keller, John Leidel, Rus Clemmons, and Josh Jolly.

Early professional disc golfers Ted Williams (#13080; 5x Legends World Champion) and Eric Marx (#1024, PDGA Hall of Fame, 1992 Masters World Champion) gave the sport more credibility in the area as well as an effort to produce a professional score card by James Nichols, Bart Zinc, Jonny Willis and Johnny Duvall.  Jay McCarthy hand drew the first WNCDGA logo in 2001; it is the "WNC Basket with poison ivy" that is still in use today.

Richmond Hill's original course was later removed to make way for the North Carolina Army National Guard Asheville Readiness Center.  James Nichols worked with the City of Asheville over numerous design drafts to establish the current Richmond Hill course, which the city completed construction in 2006.

The association facilitated the WNC Intercollegiate Disc Golf League for a number of years before the growth of a national college disc golf format in the mid-2000s.  The association has also facilitated many sanctioned and unsanctioned disc golf events throughout the years including MDGE (Mountain Disc Golf Experience), Questionable Weather, Thrills in the Hills, Turdiscin, and Luv Dubs.

WNCDGA received its official 501(c)(3) designation in July 2008 thanks in part to a huge effort from Ryan Pickens.  The association has been involved in creating and maintaining many courses throughout the region and worked with numerous government groups and organizations to do so.