TUNKHANNOCK, Pa. — It was a great day on Sunday to get out and play some disc golf at a brand new course at Lazybrook Park in Tunkhannock.
The tournament going on was all to celebrate the life of Billy Kresge.
Billy was a Wyoming County native and a graduate of Tunkhannock Area High School who passed away two years ago after a crash in Florida.
"We are having the first annual tournament to benefit the course. We are so happy to have everyone here. We have friends, family, we have strangers that we never even met, and everyone is coming together to celebrate Bill's life and play disc golf," said Luke Kresge, Billy's brother.
Billy loved the outdoors and playing disc golf. His family wanted to try and find a way to remember him, so this course is named in his honor.
"It was a dream of Bill's to have a disc golf park. After he passed away, we took all the donations from friends, family, and community and put them into this. It's turned out to be great. It's really been enjoyed by the community," said Billy Kresge, Billy's father.
The course was designed as part of an Eagle Scout project.
Evan Talcott of Troop 518 is one of the scouts who helped with construction.
"To get it in the park, we got lucky. We didn't have to fill out a lot of paperwork. It was just, hey come here, dig the holes, fill the concrete, put the baskets in, and then we hired people to help us put in the pads. The concrete pads were the hardest part because there were only three of us because of COVID. Other than that, it was easy," said Talcott.
Joe Kresge is Billy's brother. He says his brother would have loved to see this course. He's grateful for everyone's support.
"It's like his legacy. You can see it living on with his name on the plaques and whatnot. It's great to see it, and I love seeing his name and everyone playing at his course. It's great to see," said Joe.
Billy also liked photography - two photos he took himself were auctioned off at the tournament.
Money raised will help maintain the park. The hope is to expand it into an 18-hole course in the future.