The Indoor Disc Golf Experience
Riding on the coattails from last week, I want to spotlight another pioneer in our sport. Jeff Showers of Visual Eclipse Productions has helped countless golfers survive the harsh Midwest winters by bringing Disc Golf inside. The Indoor Disc Golf Experience is an amazing experience that feels like miniature golf. This series of events is held at various venues across three states, and each stop has its own unique designs and aesthetic. I was able to catch up to Jeff and share his story here.
Let’s begin with who Jeff Showers is. “My name is Jeff Showers and I grew up in the Milwaukee area my entire life. I’m 41 years young. I’ve been playing for 29 years, weird to say that out loud but it’s true.”, he says. Jeff calls Dretzka Park in Milwaukee, WI his home course.
Like many of us, Jeff’s discovery of disc golf came from a place of curiosity. Jeff says, “As a young kid my dad got me into [ball] golf. During the summer I would ride my bike up to Dretzka Park and putt and sometimes play a full round regular ball golf. One day when riding my bike I noticed these baskets on the course. I had no idea what they were until I saw people throwing “Frisbees” at them. I went to the course one day with a friend at the age of 13 with an Aerobie frisbee. After months of playing with that as my first disc I had a local player see me out there all the time so he gave me one of his discs. At that moment it really changed my game and my love of the sport, I was hooked. My first disc was a cyclone.”
Years later, Jeff is all grown up, and his career path has given him plenty of time to pursue the IDGE. “I’m a full-time real estate photographer/videographer so I spend many hours traveling between appointments giving me plenty of time to make phone calls for planning my events.”, Jeff says.
I asked Jeff how he came up with the idea of bringing disc golf inside. He say, “About a year after I started playing disc golf I worked at an indoor driving range as a ball picker. It was a 90 yard dome. So very early on I was already thinking about throwing disc inside. That place closed but years later in 2013, my father workedat a different dome and I would come and hit balls and visit him. The idea came back to me and because my dad worked there I had an in with the owner. He agreed, so we ran the first year January 2014. In fact our first guest was Gilbert Brown from the Green Bay Packers!” Jeff’s expectations were modest, he recalls, “We thought if we were lucky, we might get 30 to 40 people. Over 85 people showed up! We didn’t know exactly what we were doing, and I was nervous to talk in front of a crowd, but once we got going, it was all good.”
Now with one successful event under his belt, it was time to improve upon his concept. “After that first year, I wondered if any indoor soccer complexes existed. I googled it and the Brookfieldlocation came up.”, he says. Jeff decided to visit the venue to assess its potential. “When I drove up I was disappointed, thinking it would be much taller and bigger. But when I walked in I quickly realized it was built into the ground and was huge!”, he remembers. After talking to the owner, he agreed that Jeff could use the entire facility including areas that were not designated soccer areas, and his mind started to stir. He say, “A few years later Mike Harrington came on board as my partner and together we came up with some great designs.”
The Brookfield event became the must do event each winter, and for five years, Jeff and Mike continued to raise the bar, bringing in touring pros each year to conduct clinics, recruiting vendors for the event and even hiring a cover band to provide live music during the festivities. In 2019, after five successful years, it was time to expand into new territories. Jeff recalls, “I started to look at different locations and found the facility in Rockford IL and discovered it was huge. My good friend Joe Michel lived in Illinois and had some connections so we decided to run a second event down there. And after the first year in Rockford I was approached by Scottie Lee from Kronk Disc Golf about running an event in Dubuque, IA.” It was clear that the explosive growth in disc golf directly contributed to this expansion. In addition to these three events each year, Jeff also runs a weekly indoor putting league at the Brookfield locationevery Thursday from December through February. “Today is our last day of the league. Three months is enough! I need nine months to play for next year”, Jeff muses.
Planning three separate events and a weekly league is a daunting task, and takes enormous planning. What does it take to put all this together? “As soon as the last event is done, I’m already thinking about the next year.”, Jeff says. “We start with mapping each location; we are always trying to find new elements to add each year. From darkening the fields with glow holes, to swinging baskets, spinning baskets, to wavy arm guys, the list goes on.” Jeff says the most stressful part of organizing these events is getting the volunteers together. The unique situation of these events means that he has to rely on his team to set up the courses in a very short time, “Sometimes within 15 minutes before we kick things off.”, Jeff says. There are so many moving parts running an event like this. Jeff says, “It’s always in the back of my mind; did I communicate enough? Is there a hole missing? Did I forget something?” The late night nature of these events means that even the smallest delay can cause big problems. “But every year we manage to pull it off even if at the last minute.”, he says.
Outside of the event itself, there are even more details to consider. Booking hotels, flights and contracts for the guest pros take priority, with music, entertainment and vending being booked at least a month in advance. Then there are the trophies, the prizes and the payouts. Plus Jeff organizes a raffle at each event, with 100% of the funds being donated to non-profit groups that are in the Disc Golf industry. Jeff says, “We have donated thousands of dollars to the education of the disc golf experience and other organizations that help install new courses or help those that are in need of updates.”
Adding to the success of these events, Jeff has started inviting touring pros to attend which brings extra value for patrons. Jeff says, “Ricky Wysocki was our first featured pro as he was brought in from his sponsor at the time. It was such a success that we decided to continue this idea by bringing in a pro each year.” There is no rhyme or reason to how he picks his pros. Some years he contacts them directly, or he’s able to book through various connections, or he will reach out to the sponsor to secure a deal. “Each pro features a clinic before the event starts.”, Jeff says. The goal is to give patrons an opportunity to meet the pros in an environment and location that normally wouldn’t attract these players. It’s an intimate and personal interaction, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Other pros to participate are Adam Hammes, GreggBarsby, Philo Brathwaite, and Ezra Aderhold.
When he thinks about the future of this endeavor, Jeff is indecisive. “I can’t say for sure what the future holds. I never imagined running 3 of these events so it is possible we might add more but we will see where things go from here.”, Jeff says. Perhaps Jeff’s pioneering will inspire others to follow his lead and establish similar events so that not all the responsibility rests on his shoulders.
So what motivates Jeff to keep doing this year after year? He says, “The biggest enjoyment I get is seeing people coming to an event that we planned, and seeing a big smile on their face.” He also enjoys all the excitement and cheers that he hears as players score on the course. Finally, Jeff wants it to be clear, “I also have so many people that come out to help with this event that I can’t thank them enough. Without their help I would not be able to make this event possible.”
If you find yourself freezing your tushy off in Northern Illinois, Southern Wisconsin, or Eastern Iowa, then make sure you book yourself a spot at the next Indoor Disc Golf Experience.
All photos by Visual Eclipse Productions
