Category Archives: Hillcrest Knoll

What a Year We’ve Had, Derelicts

We kicked things off with the Derelict Fundraiser and wrapped the year by lighting up the course for the University of Minnesota Disc Golf Team, with Haunted Hyzers, Space Dubs, Maidens League, and a worldwide search for the infamous missing Pearl filling in every dark fairway in between. 2025 was the biggest year the Derelict League has ever had, and somehow we’re already planning an even bigger 2026.

Before we get into the recap, we want to say thank you. To every person who came out to a Derelict League event this year, we wouldn’t be here without you. If you played a round, donated a prize, volunteered your time, or let us roam your fairways at night, you’re officially a Derelict for life, for better or worse, and we appreciate you. We may look like a bunch of degenerates throwing discs in the dark, but this league and this community have become something much bigger than that. It’s a group of people who show up for each other, and that matters. From the entire LD Team, thank you for being part of it!

This year brought real growth for the league, so we wanted to take the time to highlight the moments that made it special. This might be one of the longest posts we’ve ever written, so buckle up!

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Derelict League 2025

2025 was a huge year for The Derelict League weekly night rounds. Let’s start from the beginning.

Tommy and I started the season by doing something truly out of character, we asked for help. That decision led to bringing Craig Slavik on as an official League Director and an invaluable part of the team. Craiger jumped in headfirst, helping with course setup, planning, and bringing an unreal level of creativity to our weekly events as well as Haunted Hyzers, Maidens Classic, and Space Dubs.

Later in the year, Phalshie Larson and Sandy Barragan stepped up to launch an offshoot of the league for women, The Derelict Maidens. From day one, they embodied Derelict values by handing out prizes, creating a welcoming atmosphere, and in true Derelict fashion, complicating PK’s life. They built something genuinely unique for the community, and it showed immediately.

Beyond leadership, the Derelict community itself showed up all year. Whether it was helping with setup, teardown, running lights, or sticking around when things ran long, people stepped up whenever they were needed. Occasionally without realizing how late it was or how far behind we were running.

We also expanded the league in meaningful ways, adding new lighting, new courses, custom layouts, and a few league “gimmicks,” including the High Roller CTP, which quickly became one of the most popular additions to weekly league nights.

We rolled out our own app, CardCaddy, to streamline the card-up process and make cards visible to players. Along the way, we may have put up what felt like an unreasonable number of reward posters for a missing Pearl. The math on that is fuzzy as we are not math doctors.

A massive part of what made the 2025 season run as smoothly as it did was the continued support from KPLeagues and Patrick Kelly. From signups and scoring to payouts, handicaps, and general problem-solving behind the scenes, KPLeagues provided the backbone that has allowed the league to grow without losing its identity. A lot of what happens on league nights looks effortless because someone else already did the hard work ahead of time.

We also owe a huge thank you to Gray Duck Disc Golf and MVP Disc Sports, who quietly supported the league all year long. Our friends over at Gray Duck, Owner Tim Grunwald and everyone’s favorite LD, Nick Beisang, handled weekly payouts and consistently stepped up with donated CTP prizes, making league nights rewarding week after week. MVP Disc Sports provided additional disc CTPs throughout the season, for various events, helping ensure there was always something extra on the line. That kind of behind-the-scenes support makes a bigger difference than most people realize.

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Derelict League Community Impact

As the league has grown, we’ve tried to be more intentional about making sure that growth shows up where it matters most. On the courses and in the communities that host us week after week.

Taken together, these contributions represent more than just numbers. They reflect a season-long commitment to reinvesting in the courses, infrastructure, and communities that make our league possible. The goal going forward is simple. Leave the courses better than we found them.

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Derelict League Fundraiser

We started 2025 with a clear goal. Leave a mark on the community, not just the trees.

To make that happen, we leaned on the best part of the disc golf scene: the Derelicts themselves. The fundraiser kicked off at First Calvary with a strong turnout and a shared sense of purpose, bringing players together early in the season to support improvements that would ripple across multiple courses and the league.

None of this happens without the community behind it. Thank you to everyone who donated, helped, or showed up early and stayed late.

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The Derelict Maidens

The Derelict Maidens came in hot midway through the season.

Led by Phalshie Larson and Sandy Barragan, the newest addition to the league immediately stood out. Where the guys often spend time chirping bad shots or trying to get in each other’s heads, the Maidens brought guidance, encouragement, and intentional community-building to every week.

It wasn’t unusual to see them reaching out to women playing casual rounds nearby. Sometimes it was to tell them about the league. Sometimes it was just to offer a tip or say hello. From the outside, it was clear we had added two strong leaders to the LD team.

The Maidens wanted their league to be genuinely accessible. Recognizing that comfort and safety are major factors for women in disc golf, they opened the league to allow juniors and spouses to play alongside them. The “Bros” were placed into their own division, keeping the focus where it belonged: on the women.

Attendance grew week after week, momentum built quickly, 51 disc CTPs were given out, and the season culminated in the KPLeagues Maidens Classic, along with some very well-received Maidens hoodies that started popping up around the metro.

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Haunted Hyzers Day/Night Tournament

Haunted Hyzers 2025 was the biggest and most ambitious event we’ve ever put on, and it somehow managed to capture everything Derelict disc golf is about. Spooky, quirky, over the top, and most importantly, fun.

This year’s event brought 111 players to Kaposia for the annual two-round day and night Halloween tournament. From the first tee shot of the day round to the final putts under the stars, the course was alive with costumes, spooky fairways, and a sea of Derelict gear. Renting out Kaposia Disc Golf Course for the first time was absolutely worth it, especially having access to the pavilion for check-in, player packs, and some delicious tacos in between rounds.

Sponsors and volunteers took things to another level, decorating nearly every fairway and transforming the course into a full-blown Halloween experience. KPLeagues and Patrick Kelly kept the event glued together with years of experience and a huge amount of behind-the-scenes support. Haunted Hyzers isn’t just a tournament. It’s an experience.

InTERRORmission brought even more action. We ran a Ring of Fire mini game loaded with discs donated by MVP Disc Sports and hosted PK’s 12-hole mini putting league. On top of all that, the Beisang family, provided halftime tacos for the entire event, which remains an all-time beast move.

We gave away a CTP on every single hole and paid out $879 in Cash CTPs. We crowned first, second, and third place finishers in every division, and the Hole of Horrors competition delivered once again. Craig Slavik took home the win with his absolutely unreal spider-lady build. If the PDGA ever needs a practical effects guy, we’ll tell them who to call.

Behind the scenes, Haunted Hyzers doesn’t happen without an enormous amount of help. From stuffing player packs to building Holes of Horror, running check-in, managing games, and cleaning up the course late into the night, this event was powered by volunteers. For many of the crew, this turned into an 18-hour day, plus hours of course cleanup and preparation leading into the event, and every bit of it mattered.

This year, we also brought in Alan Godwin Photography to capture the night. If you haven’t seen the photos yet, they’re absolutely worth checking out.
Alan Godwin Haunted Hyzers Photo Album

And to anyone we may have missed. Thank you all!

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MVP Space Race Dubs

MVP Space Race Dubs closed out the official 2025 Derelict season right where it began. Back at First Calvary, this time transformed into something that felt a little closer to Area 51.

This year’s event brought out 58 players for the space-themed doubles night, featuring a shortened layout, a steady stream of prizes, and the welcome news that all cows survived the evening.

Players received a two-disc player pack featuring an Axiom Discs Crave and an MVP Disc Sports Atom, along with alien-themed keychains and stickers. Winners walked away with trophies and limited-edition Space Dubs posters.

Space Dubs also continued a Derelict tradition of giving back, with proceeds supporting course improvements at First Calvary.

Space Dubs remains exactly what it’s meant to be. A low-pressure, high-fun night that brings players of all skill levels together while giving back.

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University of MN Fundraiser

You’d think after a year like this we’d be ready to shut things down and fade quietly into the off-season. You’d be mostly right.

But Derelicts have a long history of not knowing when to quit. So when Tony Kutzke, whose daughter is part of the University of Minnesota Disc Golf Team, reached out about helping him and co-TD Isaac Dittrich light up Hillcrest Knoll for a fundraiser tournament, there was never much doubt about the answer.

Tony and Isaac ran an excellent event, raising a significant amount of money for the team while packing the night with CTPs, prizes, and a well-run layout. The Derelict League was happy to help wherever we could and it didn’t take long before the field looked familiar. As usual, Derelicts were everywhere.

Helping support the University of Minnesota Disc Golf Team felt like the right way to close out the season. One more night round, one more course lit up, and one more reminder that this league is at its best when it shows up for the community.

A perfect final chapter to a very full year!

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Looking Ahead to 2026

If you thought the Derelict League stayed busy in 2025, 2026 is already shaping up to be just as full. We have dates locked in (weather dependent of course) for several events and the start of league play!

Derelict Fundraiser – Friday, March 13, 2026
We’ll kick off the season the same way we did last year, raising funds to support the league and local course projects. As always, every dollar that comes into the league goes right back out to the league and the community!

Derelict League Spring Opener – Friday, April 10, 2026
Let’s get this circus started! Week one of Derelict League 2026 officially begins! We’ll once again run a three-series season, Spring, Summer, and Fall, packed with CTPs, ace runs, and the full Derelict experience. We can’t wait to see everyone back out there!

MVP Space Race Dubs – Saturday, September 12, 2026
Our annual extraterrestrial-themed random doubles event returns. MVP will once again provide players packs to purchase, and as usual, we’ll go a little further than necessary to make sure this one is unforgettable.

KPLeagues Maidens Classic – Saturday, October 3, 2026
The spotlight shifts back to the Maidens as the KPLeagues Maidens Classic returns. If last year was any indication, expect these ladies to have some surprises up their sleeves!

Haunted Hyzers – Saturday, October 24, 2026
The main event! The true Derelict finale! Haunted Hyzers returns for another year of Halloween Horror! There’s already some buzz around sponsor hole ideas for 2026, we’re pretty excited, but we’ll save the details. You’ll have to come see it for yourself!

We’re also hoping to support a few additional community projects throughout the year. More details on those once the season gets rolling.

There’s plenty more in the works, but for now, we’re excited to turn the page and start building Derelict League 2026 with all of you!

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You Made It to the End!

If you made it all the way down here, we officially retract everything we’ve said about Derelicts not being able to read. Thanks for sticking with us!

One last thank you to all of you who made this season what it was! We may not be perfect, and we’re rarely on time, but one thing always holds true – Nobody has more fun than the Derelicts!