From the Desk of Greggy Biscuits

Greetings Frisbee Followers and welcome to the first entry of our OTB Europe Blog! We're excited to share with you our hopes, dreams, and ambitions to make OTB Europe the best disc golf store in the world and one component of the #1 Disc Golf Destination in the world, the Ale Disc Golf Center.

But first, let me introduce myself. I first started playing in 2016, in the woods of Virginia, USA. A few friends that were invested in the sport invited me out for a casual round and I have to say, I sucked! I could not keep up at all and my frustration was palpable. But a seed was planted…a disc golf seed. And soon, my frustration converted to motivation as I better understood disc molds, my area courses, overall strategy, and technique. I slowly built my bag and my personal style, had a few run-ins with touring pros, and eventually visited Rock Hill to spectate my first USDGC in 2018. My early curiosity was blooming into a full-blown pastime. I loved course-collecting and learning about new plastic. The local community showed me how dedicated and inviting disc golf could be…I was hooked.

Fast-forward to 2020 and a few cross-country trips later, my disc golf journey took a major turn. I was living in Los Angeles, CA and establishing myself in that vibrant city when the Covid-19 epidemic had other plans. I was furloughed from my position at a successful art gallery and began to think about my next move. Would I stay in California? Would I return to the East Coast? Would I try to start over in a brand new place? After some soul-searching and job hunting, I settled on an agreement with Danny Corbett from OTB Discs to relocate to Central California and make a go of it with the crew at the frisbee golf store. I had befriended Aaron and Krash volunteering at a few tournaments and even found my eventual roommate, Cowboy, at another. The pieces were falling into place to start a career in disc golf.

In 2021, I was presented with some unique opportunities. OTB was dabbling into media coverage and we were asked to help document FPO coverage at a few premiere events; the USWDGC in Sacramento, the inaugural OTB Open in Stockton, and, most notably, the World Championships from Ogden, UT. And that's when lighting struck…James Conrad (one of my personal disc golf heroes and a fellow Virginian) connected on the most famous shot in disc golf history, the Holy Shot, and went on to win his first World Championship. The energy created was intoxicating and now my story was beginning to feel like something out of a storybook.

Later in 2021, myself and Stanley (a pillar of the OTB media team) were given the opportunity to travel to Eastern Pennsylvania to assist Steve Braud (our now-partner at OTB East) with the DGPT Match Play event at the Steel Club. Interacting with the fans and the pros was truly a rush…I even made an appearance on GK Pro's (Now Go Throw) Tour Skins coverage from that event. I was living the disc golf dream…and it was just beginning.

The following year I would embark on my next chapter with OTB Discs, the Road Show. Over the course of the following seasons, the Road Show would take me to numerous states, many new cities, and unlock a lifetime of memories which I will cherish forever. I was given the responsibility to travel the country setting up our OTB booth at Pro Tour stops, organize side events, order custom merchandise and discs, work with manufacturers on a deeper level, and further network with fans, players and organizers. I was witnessing firsthand the incredible community that makes disc golf the amazing sport that it is and my Frisbee Family was growing each week. The momentum of the Road Show would take me to places I never imagined when I started at OTB in 2020. And little did I know that one sale, in remote Arkansas at the Jonesboro Open, would be the tip of the iceberg of my biggest adventure in disc golf yet, OTB Europe.

It was there that I met Vincent Schaffler, on holiday with his wife, Ammi, and he introduced himself and explained that he was part of the new ownership group (along with TD Erik Mellgren and Innova Team member Simon Terbrant Säfström) that was taking over the renowned Ale Disc Golf Center outside Göteborg, Sweden. We had a pleasant interaction and made plans to meet again at a future OTB Open. The dominoes continued to fall and by 2024, initial plans were being made to bring OTB to Europe to share in the reemergence of Ale on the disc golf landscape.

In the summer of 2024, I visited Sweden, Norway, and Finland to soak up the atmosphere of European disc golf, caddy a few rounds, and get a first-hand look at the significant progress being made at the Ale Disc Golf Center. Arriving around Midsummer, I could tell that Ale was unique and transcendent on a disc golf level. I worked in what was then the pro shop, met the staff, and enjoyed the truly world-class level of the facility. Shortly thereafter, the wheels were in motion to bring our OTB presence to Sweden and transform the pro shop into a world-class operation. I recall sitting in my RV, planning the Alt Mart for that year's World Championships in Virginia later that summer, and realizing that I was becoming a disc golf lifer…in the best place for disc golf in the world. The seed that had been planted years before was transforming into a mighty tree. My path in disc golf was giving me the opportunity of a lifetime: to move abroad and challenge myself in new and exciting ways.

Which brings us to 2025 and the opening of OTB Europe at Ale. Reunited with the Ale Group of Erik, Simon, and Vince, buoyed over the summer by Danny and his wife, Teresa, and along with new OTB Europe team members Amanda and Mattias, we are fortunate to be crafting a Mecca for the sport we love; an epic destination combining community, athletics, nature, and a little bit of magic into a humbling temple to Disc Golf. So join us on this adventure as we reveal the inner workings of our operation and showcase the hard work and dedication it takes to create a singular experience for disc golfers worldwide. We hope this blog will be a way to provide context for our shared ambition to make the Ale Disc Golf Center and OTB Europe a must-visit for disc golfers for generations. Thank you for joining us!

Taaaack,
Greggy Biscuits