From Thursday, October 15, through Sunday, October 18, the 2026 Disc Golf Pro Tour Championship takes over Ivy Hill Golf Club at 1148 Ivy Hill Drive. The event is now branded the Powerball Cup, and the tour calls it the finale of its season. The tour stars play Ivy Hill. Meanwhile an amateur event running alongside them puts players on New London Tech and Falling Creek, two public courses that people around Forest throw on during an ordinary week.
This is the third fall in a row that Ivy Hill has hosted a world-level event. The organizers' plans for 2028 show that several of these "temporary" tournament setups are on their way to becoming permanent parts of how Forest plays disc golf.
The Tournament Map Reaches Well Past Ivy Hill
The Amateur Challenge at the DGPT Championship runs October 16–18 across the Lynchburg and Bedford area. Players are split into six pools by division, and each pool rotates through three courses over the weekend. Here's where each pool plays, according to the organizer's posted schedule:
| Day | New London Tech | Ivy Hill South | Falling Creek |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, Oct. 16 | Pools A, C | Pools B, D | Pools E, F |
| Saturday, Oct. 17 | Pools A, B, E | Pools C, D, F | None listed |
| Sunday, Oct. 18 | Pool D | Pools A, B, C | Pools E, F |
New London Tech hosts tournament rounds all three days. Falling Creek gets Friday and Sunday, with Saturday open on the pool chart. The organizer says every course besides Ivy Hill South is public and open for practice until the event, but all of them "will be set in tournament conditions by the morning of 10/15 in line with PDGA A-Tier requirements." The listing doesn't say the public courses are closed to casual play. It does make clear that from Thursday morning they're set up as tournament courses.
April gives a useful comparison. When New London Tech hosted the PDGA Champions Cup, Bedford County closed the course to the public from April 3 to 13, 2026. That event drew 148 players competing for a combined purse of $119,750. In October the course hosts amateurs, and the posted materials don't announce a closure like April's.
The Days Before Thursday Are the Easiest Time to Get On
For local players who want a round on the tournament layouts, the best chances come early in the week.
- Wednesday, October 14, at New London Tech. A one-round flex C-tier event runs from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Groups need at least three players. The organizers describe it as a chance to play the Paul McBeth-designed feature course of the 2026 and 2027 PDGA Champions Cup.
- Wednesday, October 14, at Ivy Hill South. A second flex runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Groups need at least four, and check-in is near the front of the clubhouse. The listed entry includes a $20 greens fee and golf cart plus a $3 PDGA fee.
- Thursday, October 15, at Ivy Hill South. The course is set up for practice all day. Carts are available to rent, and no tee time is needed.
Ivy Hill South is the course formerly called the Ivy Hill Spectator Course. It runs along the front nine of the ball golf course, and the organizers say it "features extreme elevation." UDisc lists it as open for special events only and pay-to-play. On a normal week you can't just walk on, so Thursday's open practice is unusual.
Independence Park Isn't in the Rotation
Independence Park doesn't appear in the course schedule for this weekend. UDisc lists it as an 18-hole course in a public park, free to play, open from 8 a.m. until dusk. Of the area's well-known courses, it's the one with no tournament pool assigned to it from Friday through Sunday.
Falling Creek Park at 1257 County Farm Road in Bedford has a 36-hole disc golf course. The county lists the park as open dawn to dusk. Amateur pools play there Friday and Sunday. Six days after the tournament ends, the park hosts Bedford County Parks & Recreation's Halloween Spooktacular on Saturday, October 24, from 4 to 6 p.m., with trick-or-treating, games and free hayrides.
Watching the Pros Takes a Ticket, but Not Much Planning
Spectators can buy General Admission, Fairway VIP, Silver VIP and Gold VIP passes. Every VIP tier includes follow-card access, and kids 10 and under get in free with a ticketed adult. Passes are sold by the day or as an event package. Doors open at 7:30 a.m., and the first round starts at 7:40. On Friday, the published lead cards go out at 9:50 a.m. for the women's FPO division and 3:20 p.m. for the men's MPO division.
A day pass gets you into more than the gallery:
- A Vendor Village open from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., including the DGPT Pro Shop trailer with exclusive disc releases
- A TechDisc Long Drive Contest and the tournament pro shop on Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., both requiring a spectator ticket
- Live scores and stats on DGPT.com and PDGA Live all weekend, for anyone following from home
DGPT's general spectator guide bans outside alcohol, pets, non-phone cameras, noise-making devices and throwable toys, and bags and chairs go through a security check. The pages checked for this post didn't include spectator parking or shuttle directions for the Powerball Cup. The guide says ticket holders get event-specific parking directions by email.
Some of the weekend happens off the course. On Friday, October 16, from 6 to 9 p.m., the schedule lists DGPT Night at Apocalypse Ale Works. It includes a FlyMart with vendors, a pro meet-and-greet and autographs, a TechDisc distance competition, a putting game, and food and drink specials for anyone showing an event badge. The brewery is at 1257 Burnbridge Road in Forest and has a public tasting room. The schedule doesn't say whether you need a badge to attend the night itself, only to get the specials.
The Ledgestone Scavenger Hunt also sends players and fans to local businesses. The participating stops are County Smoak, LLC; Foundation Disc Golf; Hill City AquaZoo; Crumbl Cookies; Starr Hill Brewery; Beer 88; the Bedford Area Welcome Center; and Apocalypse Ale Works.
How a Parks Course Led to a Tour Stop
Ivy Hill describes itself as a traditional 18-hole golf course that has operated in Forest since 1971. Disc golf there is much newer. According to Ledgestone, tournament director Nate Heinold sketched the first Ivy Hill disc layout and tested it in March 2023 and again that fall. UDisc credits the Paul McBeth Foundation with designing the spectator course on the front nine for the 2024 PDGA Professional World Championships. In October 2025 Ivy Hill and New London Tech shared four days of competition for the 10th DGPT Championships, according to WSET.
The county's own story goes back further. Speaking to WDBJ, Bedford County Director of Tourism Nicole Johnson credited Kenny Palmer, a former county employee, with leading the push for disc golf courses:
"He built the course at Falling Creek Park. That led to more course development at Moneta and Montvale, and that ultimately led to him connecting with Paul McBeth."
WDBJ reported that Palmer and McBeth went on to design the courses at Independence Park and New London. In the same interview, Johnson said the curiosity from the 2024 Worlds had turned some local spectators into players.
The plans for 2028 tie it together. Organizers say New London Tech, currently #41 in the UDisc world rankings, will host the 2027 PDGA Champions Cup and the 2028 PDGA Pro and Masters Worlds. Falling Creek is also slated for the 2028 Masters Worlds. Ivy Hill South "is currently temporary but will become a permanent and featured course" for that event. The spectator course people around Forest get to try for one practice day this Thursday is set to become a permanent course on the Ivy Hill property within two years.
If you're thinking about how life around Forest might change as Ivy Hill, New London Tech and Falling Creek turn into regular championship venues, Amy Carter (VA) is glad to talk it over, whether that means checking the drive to your favorite course or explaining what's going on down the road. Schedule a free consultation, and if you're out at Ivy Hill this week, enjoy watching the best players in the world on home courses.
