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Music City Open Weathers the Storms in Nashville to Crown 2025 Champs at Mill Ridge Park
by Rich and Laura Lynch
Perhaps the greatest testimony to the DGPT's surging popularity came when the large gallery at the Music City Open were alerted to evacuate the course at Mill Ridge Park on Saturday, April 05, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. The sight of hundreds of fans, players and support staff quickly and calmly heading for the gates was - in a strange way - proof positive that this region's annual professional disc golf tournament has really come of age in this town that is well-known as fertile ground for the sport.
Music City Open just keeps getting better year over year in Nashville.
As one of the DGPT staffers told us on opening day - "It's always something with this event!" Two years ago organizers braved rain and near freezing temperatures. In 2024, fans and players had to deal with a bomb scare that put a pause and pall over the proceedings. In 2025, the Music City Open (MCO) held from April 04 through 06 - was confronted with training supercells and a severe weather outbreak that would ultimately cut-short the high intensity competition on the weekend.
MCO is part of the Disc Golf Pro Tour (DGPT) that runs February through October. DGPT was founded to showcase top athletes in the sport with pay and incentives while giving adherents of disc golf places to socialize and improve their skills. DGPT's mission is to create and curate the world's grandest stages at premier venues for the world's best disc golfers in order to transmit the story of professional disc golf as an engaging, high-quality experience that inspires and grows fans of the sport on-site and online.
Eagle lets it fly; some of the ladies of the FPO in Music City.
The disc golf course at Mill Ridge is known for its diverse terrain that includes elevation changes, open fields and wooded areas. Baskets are strategically placed among natural obstacles to test the accuracy and power of the athletes. In addition to course challenges competitors had to account for the weather throughout the event. Friday was quite warm and Saturday was very windy which makes controlling the discs that much more difficult. The ground was also muddy throughout the tournament from previous rainstorms. Sunday remained overcast and noticeably cooler.
As we walked to the course we saw many vehicles with out-of-state license plates adding weight to the idea that the sport has wide appeal and considerable drawing power. The first thing fans encountered at MCO was the Vendor Village where folks could purchase apparel, refreshments and a wide selection of discs. Many discs are works of art and come in an array of colors. Disc golf fosters a friendly vibe and the Vendor Village reflects that spirit.
Some of our favorite sellers in the village included the guys and gal from Snapdragon Hemp Cannabis Dispensary who were on site sampling their beverages and gummies in addition to sponsoring Hole #4. We learned that faith is a big component of the tour from the team at Discin' Disciples - a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is passionate about disc golf, discipleship, Christian fellowship and prayer - something that would come in handy during the windy conditions in Music City this year. Finally, local TN-based disc maker Disc Respect sold us our very first two putters and now we will be ready to take on the field in 2026 (j/k)!
Although Disc Golf may seem more laid back the athletes are serious about their sport. Similar to traditional golf there is the etiquette of standing still and being silent when discs are being thrown or putted into the baskets. Players also walk an 18-hole course with each spot presenting a challenge. Some have trees to contend with and other holes had water obstacles. Participants had bags of multi-hued discs that they carried throughout the game while others opted for caddies. Some of the contenders were donning logos on their clothes and most of the course was branded by backers as well.
Simon couldn't get it done this year; Anthony Barela is a Top-10 player on tour this season.
There was plenty of staff in green along with volunteers and scorekeepers to guide the MCO gallery through the course and to keep things running smoothly. We saw a lot of impressive throws throughout the event along with strategies on how to deal with shrubs. In addition to hosting a fun family friendly event the DGPT strives to be respectful of the land around them by curating sustainable practices in pursuit of creating meaningful experiences and products for their team and community.
This year, we enjoyed following both the ladies (FPO) and men's (MPO) cards over the course of the tournament in Nashville - although, our plan to follow the two leading groups of male throwers on moving day was scuttled when the emergency horn blew at the 11th hole to shut down operations until play was resumed on Sunday.
On the FPO side - the circuit's greatest player Kristin Lätt made a late charge to triumph over the visibly upset Silva Saarinen during a one-hole playoff to complete her MCO three-peat while earning a third straight Gibson guitar in Nashville. Over at the MPO - Finland's Niklas Anttila outplayed his closest competitors to earn his first MCO victory and back-to-back DGPT wins to also hoist the ES-335 high into the air as onlookers cheered his good fortune. Now, perhaps he and '23 and 24' Champion Simon Lizotte can form a band on tour - they certainly have the quality tools at their disposal to do so.
Despite the difficulty with the weather we can't wait to do this all over again in 2026 - and to paraphrase once again what the DGPT official told us during the event opening press conference - "it's sure to be something!!!"
Some of the great vendors; the crowd hurries off the course on Saturday.
Related Links:
For more information on the DGPT and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links -
Disc Golf Pro Tour |
Music City Open Gets Bigger and Better at Mill Ridge Park in Antioch |
Pro Disc Golf and the Music City Open Experience a High-Flying Elevation to Elite Status at Mill Ridge Park in Nashville
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