The year 2013 is gone! The new year is here and the Disc Golf Monkey welcomes everyone, new players and returning veterans alike, to the Monkey See, Monkey Do Tour 2014. The actual tour schedule will be released tomorrow January 15. Improving this year will be tough because you monkey fanatics lifted the bar so high during The Going Bananas Tour 2013. Despite last year's success, along with all of you “disc golfaholics”, I am up for the challenge to make this tour BIGGER and BETTER than ever. The following 2013 recap will be what we have to build and improve upon. Ready? Set? Monkey See, Monkey Do!!

The Going Bananas Tour (GBT) 2013 had 16 total events. Twelve of these tournaments were PDGA sanctioned events with the usual mix of sanctioned C and B Tiers and the very first ever A-tier event for the DGM tour. The incredible Four States Open, with its 171 player field, was put on by the Joplin Disc Golf Club and drew touring professionals in both the women’s and men’s Open Divisions. The GBT had events in Kansas, Arkansas, and Missouri and way too many highlights to list them all, but here are a select few:
There was a record attendance average of 93 players per event
Over half of the PDGA tour events were filled to maximum capacity or more
There were 20 baskets given away throughout the year
(Big thanks Innova, Vibram, Millennium, Legacy, Dynamic Discs, and Creator Designs)
EDGE drawings raised over $1,500 for the 5th consecutive year
Nearly $3,000 was raised for charity (these details will follow below)

I find it noteworthy of pointing out that the 7th Annual Dale Roberts Memorial was held on the 7th of September and had 77 players. That pretty much sums up the tour! From 2009 to 2013, the changes and growth is a true “ACE”!

Along with the 12 PDGA events, four fundraiser events need to not only be mentioned but supported. Many players have given their time, money, and effort to support these tournaments and I hope that each and every one of you is richly blessed because of your support. The Bethel Bowl in 2013 raised money for the Special Needs Classroom at Truman Elementary (focused primarily on Autism). The event raised enough money to purchase 7 computer tablets for the classroom! The 5th Annual Lebanon Ice Bowl raised over $1,600 and about 150 lbs of food for the Lebanon Area Foundation. Another fund raiser event in June helped raise money to put toward a permanent course at Bethel Assembly in Springfield, MO. Although all the funding is not 100% complete, the course is open for public play. The last event in 2013 was the Winter Blast, which has now become an annual event. The Blast collects food, cleaning supplies, clothing, and money for the Christian County Family Crisis Center.

After many years of working together with cities, parks, clubs, and individuals these tournaments are definitely bringing people in and have kept many of them coming back for more. For this I extend my deepest thanks, and with the help of many of you, I will continue to run the best events possible in 2014.

May God Bless each of you this year,
Russ Burns a.k.a. The Disc Golf Monkey

p.s. I'm looking forward to seeing you all on tour. If you see a tournament in your home town and want to help make it better contact me and we can discuss what you have in mind. Sponsorships, Leads to Sponsors, Course Preparation, Raffle Donations, or simply TIME to help with tournament preparation is all needed and welcomed. You may contact me through my Contacts tab above. Together lets make 2014 another record setting year!