Berkeley Disc Golf Store Raises $6000 Through Charity Tournament

BERKELEY, NJ—The Bria Disc Golf store in Berkeley hosted a charity tournament Saturday that raised $6,000 for local charities. Over 100 disc golfers statewide played in the tournament at the Stafford Woods disc golf course in Voorhees Township.

The majority of donations came from registration sign-ups, according to store owner and tournament director, Bill Ganley. Registration for the charity tournament opened in October and all 104 player spots sold out in about one day.

“It was quite overwhelming just to be the vessel of all of this. Everybody giving in a year that’s been tough on everybody and to be able to raise that much is humbling,” Ganley said.

Each player's entry fee to the charity tournament included a $25 gift card that was donated to Monmouth County's Family and Children's Services Operation Sleighbells. Ganley said a few players who withdrew from the tournament declined refunds and donated their entry fees.

In addition to registration fees, Ganley’s disc golf teammates Anthony Sapichino and Arlene Gurka collected donations by organizing a raffle and bake sale.

The raffle to win discs and a disc golf equipment bag was open from mid-September through Saturday, allowing people to donate money to Fulfill virtually through Venmo or Paypal before the day of the tournament.

“I was expecting honestly only about $200... since this was a new idea and I know a lot of people have been out of work,” Sapichino said. “Needless to say since we raised $2,825, we blew my personal goal out of the water.”

Ganley said donations are still coming in from the bake sale set up by Gurka. After the tournament Saturday, Gurka continued selling extra baked goods at other events throughout the weekend.

While many events and sports games have been canceled across New Jersey due to the coronavirus, Ganley implemented safety precautions during this year’s tournament—each game was limited to four players and the 26 tee times were staggered from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“A lot of people while they were there, were just catching up with people they haven’t seen in a while because a lot of people haven’t played all year because of everything,” Ganley said.

Sapichino played in an advanced division of the tournament. Although more than 100 players attended the tournament, Sapichino said he didn’t encounter many people other than the 3 players at his tee time due to the safety precautions put in place.

“The disc golf community by and large is a very upbeat and positive one,” Sapichino said. “People were just happy in general to be out and playing.”

Ganley opened Bria Disc Golf in June when the state reopened limited indoor retail shopping. He promises that it’s the only disc golf-specific store in New Jersey, which attracts disc golfers from across the state.

During the pandemic, Ganley saw the popularity of disc golf explode due to the sport’s accessible and inexpensive equipment.

“People from all walks of life are playing disc golf. I’ve got fathers bringing their kids in. I’ve got 50-60-something guys who used to play golf, now they’re disc golfing,” Ganley said. “It’s definitely something across the country that’s taken off.”

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