Professional Disc Golfer competes in the Battle for Bedford

In this weekend’s Battle for Bedford disc golf tournament, Tennessee native Chris Dickerson claimed the title with an impressive score of 12-under-par, earning him another win for his illustrious disc golf career. Each day of the three-day tournament, Dickerson held the lead, throwing a 63 on the first day, another 63 on the second and a 64 on the third, landing him in first for each of the three days and the overall tournament crown.  

The 30-year-old athlete is no stranger to winning — in fact, his disc golf career boasts 157 wins out of the 336 events he has participated in throughout his career. 

“It was the Lakefront Open, I played advanced. That was my first ever PDGA tournament, I want to say six years ago,” Dickerson said. “I have been playing since about 2011 or 2012; high school friends got me into it. They invited me out to play; we went to play, and I was hooked since.” 

Born in Limestone, Tennessee, Dickerson now lives with his wife, Brittany, who often caddies for him throughout his games. His home course is Harmon Hills, a complex private-owned course located in East Tennessee, although his favorite course is said to be the W.R. Jackson course in Appling, Georgia. 

Discraft, a major disc company, offered Dickerson a royalty-based sponsorship deal in 2022, which the golfer accepted. This deal will last until 2025 and was projected to be worth more than one million dollars over the four years. Discraft also provided an RV and paid travel expenses for Dickerson’s touring seasons during his contract. 

When it came to Dickerson’s approach to the Battle for Bedford, he stated before his final round that he felt he could have played better, but remained persistent to get the job done on the last day of play. 

“It’s pretty on par for tournaments of this size, we don’t have the big things like the Pro Tour has, but it’s been run great,” Dickerson said. 

Dickerson holds a ranking of 1038 in the PDGA and is ranked No. 10 in the United States Pro Tour. Other notable wins include the 2020 USDGC Championship, the 2021 Green Mountain Championship and the 2021 Tennessee State Disc Golf Championships. For Dickerson, however, the competitive nature of the sport can outweigh the glory of the accolades. The professional disc golfer simply loves to compete. 

“I think that is why most of us play, just to compete and do the best we can, and I’m lucky to be able to do that in disc golf,” Dickerson said. 

Jarnigan is the asst. news editor for the Liberty Champion