It was all about the approach for Curtis Pepin.

Crediting his “upshots” — the disc golf term for the second shot off the tee that will set up a putt — Pepin threw for a three-under 55 to win the inaugural Superior Pines Disc Golf Tournament in Grand Marais on Saturday, Sept. 9.

“My putts were kind of off, but the upgame shots were on,” he said. “It was a good day for disc golf.”

After bogeying the first hole, Pepin stabilized and threw four birdies and 14 pars the rest of the round. He played in the same group with Ishpeming’s David Bonetti and Houghton’s Cameron Cischke, who tied for second with a one-under 57.

The trio were the only players to break par in the event, which looped through a wooded course with lots of ferns and blueberry bushes just off the trail-based fairways. Superior Pines is located in the 1,300-acre Burt Township School Forest just east of town.

“It’s a good course. Not too hard, not too easy. Lots of trees in the fairways and a lot of good lines,” Pepin said.

Marquette’s Dominic Florio was first out of the money, shooting par for fourth place. Nathan Woodruff — who helped build the course as a student of Burt Township Schools roughly a decade ago — was the top local with an eight-over 66, which was good enough for ninth overall.

Pepin said it was a big accomplishment to be the first disc golfer to win a new tournament.

“It’s awesome. I’m going to be out here next year too. Next year I’ll hopefully do the same,” he said.

Until Saturday, Alger County had never hosted a disc golf tournament, which is behind most areas of the Midwest with disc golf courses. Superior Pines is the only course in the county and is frequented more by tourists and seasonal workers than locals due to its remote location.

The tournament was the idea of Hollis Thomas. He and his wife Karen enjoyed the sport thanks to their son who plays a lot in Montana. After getting permission from the school, they started to set up the event.

“We weren’t sure how the tournament would turn out, so we were looking to keep costs at a minimum,” he said. “We were able to get a lot done.”

With the help of Dan Roberts, a disc golf tournament director out of Republic, they were able to bring the event to fruition. Extra volunteer work helped groom the course, remeasure all of the pin distances and create a score card with full descriptions of doglegs and pin locations. They also added a 19th hole called the “way back” to cool down the throwing arm while returning to the beginning of the course.

“Everyone seems happy that someone took the ball and ran with it,” Thomas said. “The school’s been supportive too, so we’re happy to be out here.”

With the event in its first year and low entry fees, the money raised by the tournament was nominal. Burt Township Schools did get a payout, but thanks to the upgrades needed to make the course tournament ready, the infrastructure improvements and increased use of the natural landscape is a win for Grand Marais and the students who learn in that forest.

“We’ve gotten some very nice improvements on the course and hope to improve it in the future,” said Gordon Tester, Burt Township School Superintendent. “We were able to go around and talk with different groups and they have some good ideas.”

Thomas said the tournament will return for 2024, but will look at changing the date to sometime during the summer to avoid conflicts with the start of the school year and the Grand Marais Rock and Mineral Show. Improvement projects include upgrades to the tee boxes and additional signage. Donations to Superior Pines disc golf course can be made through Burt Township Schools.

“We’ve gotten some very nice improvements on the course and hope to improve it in the future,” said Gordon Tester, Burt

Township School Superintendent. “We were able to go around and talk with different groups and they have some good ideas.”