Woodland Valley's 7th Annual Ice Bowl

The first Ice Bowl was held 25 years ago in Columbia, Missouri. Since then, this great tradition of charity and winter disc golf has blossomed into a nationwide effort with more than $225,000 and nearly 56,000 lbs of food going to foodbanks and other charities last year alone.

Howard and Linda Burham, the owners of Woodland Valley have been participating in Ice Bowl since they've been open, with the well groomed Black Bear course serving as the ideal winter testing grounds. If you've never been to Woodland, you have to check out their two fun courses and huge pro shop.








Big props to Howard as the tee boxes and fairways were in excellent condition. I'd also like to give a shout out to Mother Nature.








The playing conditions were immaculate with crystal blue skies, only a gentle breeze, and temps warm enough to be comfy gloveless yet cool enough to keep the footing firm on the fairways.

Winter golf always comes with a dose of humility as skips, slips, and slide-aways can leave even the most serious golfer smiling and shaking their head. Not surprisingly, the 1st round scores reflected the season and no one broke into the 40's. The Open field saw 3 players knotted at -4 at the break while John Sellers came in with a 50 of his own and a 2 stroke lead in AM1 at the half.

Lunch break at Ice Bowl is always a highlight and this year was no exception. A deliciously hearty chili and Beefy brisket with all the fixings warmed the players' souls before the 2nd round battles ensued.








The 2nd round saw more relaxed play overall and as the day warmed up, so did Nick Gagne. Nick shot a smoking -7 front and never looked back, capturing the Open title despite a late stumble.
Jon Sellers continued his good play and took down AM1 while Tex Long grabbed the AM Masters' top spot and Arcel Molina fought hard for his 1st victory in AM2. Congrats guys!



The big winner of the day though, was Sam Pease. Not only did she best the women's field, she also took home $155 for her ace on hole 5. Great job, Sam!




A big thanks goes out to the TD's, Bryan Jordan and Jon Borenstein for a super smooth day. Also, thanks to Linda and Howard for hosting and all who attended, donated, and made this event special.








The 1st rule of Ice Bowl is that the event can never be cancelled due to bad weather, "no whimps, no whiners". Winter disc golf in Maine can sometimes be brutal, but this time we couldn't have asked for a better day.

Location:Limerick, ME