Gavin Cowan, a disc golf fan from down under (Australia) came home with a first-place finish this year. For his winnings, Gavin received a $100 gift card to the DGPT store. Gavin realized the cost to ship to Australia would be nearly equal to the cost of his prize. Not one to be out-done, Gavin had a solution. Knowing the work that Eagles Wings does with spreading disc golf overseas, he decided to donate his gift card to the charity to be used for their upcoming trip to Zambia.
I was excited and very surprised to find out I’d managed to win the ‘Bracket Challenge’ for the DGPT Championship. Who doesn’t love getting some new disc golf gear? However, being over here in Australia means getting products shipped from the U.S. is very expensive, and therefore not really practical. I was thinking about what to do when I was reminded, via the Smashboxx podcast, that the Eagles Wings Disc Golf team was supporting the game in Zambia. I had heard of the great work they’d done already in Zambia (not to mention a number of other places and programs) and knew they were looking for support. The way they share the game and hope to people in such difficult circumstances and to see the positive impact they have made left me with no choice. It was obvious that donating the prize was an absolute win-win. My wife will tell you that I am in no way needing more plastic and, although it’s not a massive contribution, if it puts a smile on someone’s face then what more could you want.
With a plan in mind for how to use the gift card, we reached out to Eagles Wings to let them know about what they were receiving and to find out more about their upcoming Zambia trip. The trip by Eagles Wings will accomplish two goals: 1. Finish the 18 hole course they began work on in 2016 and 2. Host the first PDGA event in Zambia. In 2016 Eagles Wings traveled to Zambia and built a nine-hole course in Macha, Zambia. Due to the positive reception of the course, the team is returning in 2019 to add nine additional holes which will create a complete 18 hole layout. With 18 holes completed, the team will then host the inaugural Zambia Open. The Zambia Open is a two-round, PDGA C-Tier that currently features 34 registrants and will take place on January 26th. You can read more about the event on the Eagles Wings site .
The Disc Golf Pro Tour is thankful for people like Gavin who have a willingness to donate their winnings to places like Eagles Wings. We are also thankful for organizations like Eagles Wings that are using disc golf as a way to spread some good across the world. We were happy to help facilitate this donation from Gavin and to add some support of our own in the process. If you would like to donate to Eagles Wings or help sponsor the Zambia Open you can do so through the Eagles Wings website .
