Each month md-discgolf.com will put the spotlight on a local disc golfer and get a personal interview.  The purpose is to introduce a new golfer each month to the entire local community.  Golfers are chosen in psuedo-random fashion to be In The Spotlight and for no particular reason.  As long as you play in or around Maryland, we may hit you up for an interview.

This month's spotlight is not exactly a "player" of disc golf but he is a card carrying member of the PDGA!  He is a the most skilled disc hunter in the game and is well known around the county and at the USDGC.  His trainer, Mr Chris "Papa Bear" Roberts was kind enough to answer some questions on his behalf.  This month we're honored to aim the spotlight at Bear The Disc Dawg!

Stats and Awards

Bear has recovered 700+ discs a year for the past 3 years and his lifetime total is 2500+. His PDGA# is 34043. He was awarded a PDGA Microtel Disc Golfer of Distinction award in 2008. He's entertained thousands of school kids over the last 4 years. He's been the official staff dog at Va Open, Vibram Open, W. Va Open and the USDGC.

What is his breed?

Chesapeake/Labrador mix

How long has Bear been fetching discs?

He wasn't quite a year old when he 1st went underwater at Hawk Hollow and got 3 discs. How hard was it to teach him this unique skill? Not hard at all. The retriever breed has great instincts and I trained Bear early on to have a love for the disc. Is he the first dog you've trained like this? No. My first disc dawg was Sox. Another lab mix who was a really good disc dawg but nowhere near as good as Bear.

How does he find the discs underwater?

If he hasn't seen it go in, I'll put him in the general vicinity. From that point he'll start a track usually back and forth but sometimes doing a small circle and gradually increasing it. Once he steps on it, he knows it's a disc. At that point, he paws at it to get it to stand up at which time he'll put his head under and retrieve it. If the water is clear enough, he'll go to it and immediately dive down and get it. You can click here to watch him do it in a swimming pool.

How long will he stay underwater to find a disc?

His record is 6' deep for 30 seconds during the 05 worlds at Allentown, Pa.

Does he have a favorite disc or type of disc?

Yes, Innova Champion plastic and ESP Flex Buzzes. He's hesitant to even pick up DX plastic because he knows that there's a chance he'll put a mark in it even though he's extremely gentle. How did Bear get to be the only dog allowed in the USDGC? I went to visit the Innova plant 5 years ago during USDGC. Bear made quite an impression on a few folks at Innova. The following year, we volunteered to work EDGE Village and Bear was a huge hit with the kids. He also was a huge hit with the players as he pulled in almost 70 discs in just a few hours of work.

Whats the most discs he's retrieved in a day?

60+, twice at Va Opens and once at 06 USDGC. At the latter he pulled in 45 in just one hour off of hole 5 at Winthrop. Tell us about Disc Dawgs? Disc Dawgs is a partnership of Bear and myself dedicated to putting as many EDGE (Educational Disc Golf Experience, Inc.) programs in schools, camps, YMCA's and churches as we can. Our job is to coordinate a partnership between schools or camps with disc golf groups and commercial entities. I arrange funding for these programs and work with the schools to apply for local grants to put this educational disc golf curriculum in the hands of educators. We've done about 10 of these so far and hope to do at least a dozen this year.

Thanks to Bear and Papa Bear for giving us your time for this interview and for your efforts to the sport and community.