The Flyboy Aviation Disc Golf course lives down south in a small town in the state of Georgia, U.S.A. It is nestled in a gated community with its own private runway where many residents have planes. At one time it was ranked the #1 Disc Golf course in the world. Most of the top players in the world have played and praised the course. Even still today it has arguably the single best Disc Golf hole in the world. The iconic Hole #3.
FLYBOY CLASSIC HOLE# 3
Sadly you can’t play it anymore. It has been closed to the public. No longer able to be ranked against other courses. It had it’s time at the top, but is now stuff of legends.
The visionary of this legendary course is a man by the name of Kelly Leggette. His story of how and why the Flyboy course came into being is an amazing one and is best told by the man himself. So we offer you now in this link and in his own words, The Story of Flyboy.
Now. From this point on we are going to tell you a different story. This story explains why Kelly is the Walt Disney of Disc Golf , Flyboy Aviation Disc Golf is the Magic Kingdom and it’s all about Max Fun!
THE INVITATION
Today, the only people to play the Flyboy Classic course are those directly invited by Kelly himself. Brian Hughes from Etobicoke, Ontario was one of the lucky few who was offered the “Golden Ticket”.
Brian had not been having the best year on record in 2018 and wasn’t looking forward to the upcoming cold Canadian winter. Having only been playing disc golf for 3 years he was already the self professed “worst disc golfer in the world”. Still he loved the game with an insane passion and thought that scheduling a trip somewhere warm to play Disc Golf for a week during the cold winter months was enough to keep things positive. Unfortunately, the go to destinations in the Caribbean offered no Disc Golf opportunities. So he looked to the southern U.S. states. To narrow things down further he researched “Best Disc Golf Courses in the World!” There staring him in the face was Flyboy Aviation Disc Golf course. His excitement was immediately dashed as he read “Closed to Public – Invite only”. He continued his search for weeks and wasn’t able to commit because in the back of his head Flyboy beckoned him. But how was he going to get an invitation? He was a Canadian and didn’t know anybody in the state of Georgia. He went back to the article and read it again. No help. No Dice.
He was about to give up on the idea when he decided he should at least send an email to the owner to ask how he could start working towards getting an invite. No email address was apparent on the web page. Another hurdle. This one however he could overcome through the Disc Golf community. Problem solved. Email written and sent. The only thing left to do was to wait.
Some time later he received an email:
“Hi Brian, we may be able to work something out. Best to chat about it on the phone. I’ll give you a call in the next few days.
Cheers
Kelly”
At the time Kelly was overseas, but when he returned to the U.S he made the call as promised. They spoke for an extended length of time discussing Disc Golf and mostly what it was that Brian needed so badly. At the end of the call Kelly said he had a sense about people and knew when to go with his gut. So he extended the invitation for Brian to come and visit Flyboy for a few days to throw some discs. He’d even meet him at the airport personally. Brian’s mind was blown!
Over the next couple months, they communicated via email regarding schedules. Each time, Brian made sure to request that Kelly make a list of chores that could be done around Flyboy while he visited. He would be there alone and couldn’t play disc golf all the time. He would need other things to do to occupy his mind and besides, this was just the way he was raised. Kelly said he would oblige.
ARRIVAL TIME
Standing curbside at the Atlanta airport Brian waited patiently and somewhat nervously for Kelly to arrive. He had worked in the music industry in an earlier life and was well accustomed to meeting famous artists and musicians, some of whom he even idolized, so he learned how to control being starstruck. Over the years he figured out that when traveling on business or vacation to always stay one night at a really high end preferably historic hotel. The other nights could all be Red Roofs, but stay one night in someplace worth experiencing. So by now he had stayed in some amazing places. What was the big deal? Well. This was Kelly and this was Flyboy. This to him was everything. There were so many questions.
In the car Kelly didn’t let Brian’s quietness affect him one bit, he just started telling amazing stories of Flyboys past and made the ride to Flyboy a quick one. They stopped at a local store where they grabbed some home-made burgers to-go for themselves and Kelly’s father Wayne who is Flyboy’s key-holder and resident – security guard. Turning away anyone who tries to gain access without permission.
As the car turned into the property, Brian’s eye caught multiple baskets set about the vast area he assumed must be the front of the property. He tried to remember what part of the course they belonged to from the maps he had studied, but couldn’t make it out. His heart raced with anticipation.
They checked in with Wayne when they pulled up to the main hangar bay. Brian tried to stay focused on the conversation but was too distracted by the world just behind Wayne. He was mesmerized by everything in this one room. Two real planes standing at the ready for Kelly’s needs and dozens of RC planes hanging from the ceiling and strewn about the floor. A replica V2 Rocket mounted to the side wall. A pool table in the middle of the room and a cocktail bar made from a plane’s motor housing next to it. And, just because it was meant to be, a mini Airstream trailer sat off to the side reflecting the rooms brilliant lighting.
Pleasantries over, Kelly showed Brian around the Flyboy Hangar. It’s purchase had been “a lifelong dream”. He converted a huge section of the hangar into full time living quarters. The design and the attention to detail made it seem more like a movie set than an actual place to live. The furnishing and memorabilia are an incredible reminder of his life as an Airforce Pilot and everything evokes a life of pure joy in flight. This was a museum, a toy store, a training camp, and yes a wonderland.
Finally, arriving at his room, Brian dropped his bag on the bed and turned to look out the window. There out across a short field sat the masterpiece of it all. The one thing that exemplifies the spirit, love and imagination of the place. The Flyboy General Store. An old time southern store with a big porch supporting old rocking chairs. There was a pop machine, a cigarette machine and a gas pump that Capt. Kelly uses to fuel his planes. The Flyboy General Store is a place where people come to meet, spend time sharing stories and fueling their lives.
Truthfully, the General Store is nothing but a facade. Simply the side of his landscaping shed that he painstakingly decorated while designing his world. There is nothing inside. Nothing maybe, but everything really. Brian knew immediately that those steps would be the ones he would walk up before crossing over and opening the door into his future mind’s memories of his visit to Flyboy. It was imprinted there for good.
He had no idea how long he stood there taking it all in, but he was jolted away by his brain reminding him that Kelly was waiting for him to change so they could hit the one and only Flyboy Classic course before it got dark.
FLYBOY CLASSIC
Brian had mentioned multiple times in their communications leading up to his visit that his skill level did not match his passion for the game. Kelly would always brush it off, usually making a comment about his age, or a bad shoulder and feet now hindering his own game and not to worry. While Brian appreciated his comments, he was a believer that you first tell the truth and then you don’t need to waste time with an excuse. Kelly was now going to find out just how truthful Brian was.
The Flyboy Classic course was everything he had heard about. From basket to basket, Kelly would talk about each hole, how it was designed, where the inspiration came from or what kind of landscaping had to be performed to make it come alive. Brian didn’t have to ask any questions, Kelly was answering them before they were asked as he has done so very many times over the years. It never came off as a laboured presentation, it was more an all encompassing efficient explanation of this chapter of his Disc Golf story. Brian couldn’t believe that today he had the privilege of being the sole audience member getting to take in the full offerings from this magnificent stage.
Flyboy classic is a long 27 hole course. Through it all Kelly played his game skillfully. As for Brian, well, let’s just say he played. What surprised and made himself feel better about it was that Kelly let Brian play his game. There was nowhere else that Kelly needed or seemed to want to be. There was no rush. There was casual conversation and throwing. Sometimes, throwing and hitting a tree and throwing and hitting a tree and throwing etc.. But it never mattered. He wasn’t competing against Brian and he made sure he knew it. When Brian made a good shot he celebrated and when he didn’t he took the time to find something positive to say. He chose not to offer tips to improve Brian’s game that would likely just overwhelm him. Sure, there were moments when it seemed like there may have been a few extra seconds required to locate that good comment, but he would always find something. They were two different people at two different levels of play focusing more on the experience than the outcome. Brian acknowledged in that moment that he doubted he would ever play a more enjoyable round of disc golf. He was disarmed. He fell in love with the game for a second time.
Later that night before Kelly made his way back to Atlanta (unfortunately, he had to make a quick flight but would be back in a couple days) they reviewed maps of the courses that had been built. After the Flyboy classic was completed he built a second course called The Viper. When Brian asked about his love for course design Kelly said “I will tell you the truth. I love the game. I love playing the game. I love trying to be better at it. I also love the design process. Thinking about the hole and what a player is going to think when he steps up on this teepad and he looks this shot over. How is he gonna challenge it? What is the risk reward factor. How is that hole going to be to keep maintained? Is it going to be a pain in the ass to maintain or will it be easy? I love the challenge of coming up with a new hole design.”
Brian wondered about this for a moment and then asked him: “Is course design an ‘anything that you can imagine is possible’ belief for you?”
Kelly replied: “For me yes. In fact I have a basket on the top of my hangar. Some people may call that goofy golf. But look at how much fun those people have playing to those baskets. And if they are having fun I don’t care. So I’ll put a basket wherever I can dream of putting it. I quite often can think of really weird places to put up baskets. I have a hole with two baskets, both in play on your shot so you have two chances to ace it. People really like the buried hole, because you don’t see too many of those. Here’s the bottom line to all of this. It’s not is it good? Is it statistically valid?, Any of that. The question has to be: Is it Fun? In the Air force we used to have the “my fun meter”, this fictitious meter that had a needle on it and the left side of the needle would say “Not Fun” and the right side would say “Max Fun”. We’d be doing something in jets together and the comment would be “Oh man, my fun meter was pegged at the max!”. That’s more important than anything else.”
HANGAR BASKET BURIED BASKET
Brian remembered driving onto the property and seeing the baskets and asked which course they belonged to. The words hit hard as Kelly handed him a new map. He told him that those baskets are there for a new Par 2 course that he had been building for the last couple weeks and that Brian had been his inspiration to build it. He said he knew Brian might not want to go out and play the full Classic 27 hole course on every day and might at times prefer to go out and shoot a couple rounds on this new Par 2 surrounding the hangar. Brian’s mind was blown again. Who does this? Who is this considerate to an almost complete stranger Brian wondered.
Kelly told Brian that he was free to play anywhere, even the new Par2 course, but there was a caveat. Before it could be played as a completed official Flyboy course, there were some jobs to do. Brian had asked for a list of chores after all… First, he was shown a stack of boxes containing parts for four new baskets that needed to be assembled. Kelly handed him a map showing where they needed to be placed once ready. Then the Tee Markers had to be painted and Brian was shown all the supplies. When everything was done and Kelly returned they would play the first round together. Then Kelly left. Wayne was asleep in his apartment at the other end of the hangar and Brian was sipping a glass of wine and looking out the window at the Cornerstore all lit up and surrounded in darkness. Magical things can happen to anyone at any age Brian thought.
TRAINING CAMP
The weather wasn’t the best over the next two days, it wasn’t bad enough to keep Brian from playing disc golf. Back home in Canada it was freezing. Here he was just dealing with a bit of drizzle. When he came back from hours of practicing , he found Wayne sitting by the fire. “I think you Disc Golfers are nuts!” he said to Brian as he came through the door.
Wayne told Brian many stories of all the pilots in the Leggette family and that he taught Kelly to fly with instructions akin to “Do this..do this… and then do that. Now go, but be back for supper!” Apparently that’s all it took because after that he was gone and he hasn’t looked back. He became an U.S. Air Force pilot who right from the get go knew all he wanted to fly was the A-10 “Warthog” when he finished training. Finishing at the top of his class sealed the deal earning him the right to make his selection and from that moment the A-10 had a new pilot in its cockpit. His achievement of excellence continued until he was promoted to instructor at Fighter Weapons School (the Air Force version of Top Gun). This is starting to sound like a movie right? The one where they play disc golf on the base instead of volleyball?
WITH HIS A-10 WARTHOG
When he wasn’t throwing discs Brian was working on building those baskets and painting those Tee markers. To him it wasn’t work, a chore or even a time killer. He was being given the opportunity to be sweat invested. To leave the tiniest mark in the story of the legend. Damn straight this was happening.
At night, Kelly had arranged to have his course pro Martin Young stop in to visit Brian. Too dark to play, they enjoyed a beer and talked disc golf. Martin never mentioned form. He preferred instead to discuss how the discs fly and the mental game. He gave Brian a bunch of takeaways about focusing on the strengths of his game and simply how to use them more effectively. Here was another Flyboy member that never said Brian was doing something wrong just do more of what you are good at. Two days later, when Kelly and Martin both escorted Brian on The Viper course, Martin would offer slight tips, but most of the time, after Brian made a bad shot, would just dig into Brian’s bag and pull out another disc (the proper choice for the shot) and tell him to try it again. The results were always successful.
FLYBOY COURSE PRO MARTIN YOUNG AND KELLY LEGGETTE AT BASKET 13
By the end of that second round with Kelly, Brian had noticed something that he missed on their first round because he was enthralled with the Kelly’s every story. He noticed that Kelly never stopped cleaning or fixing or moving something on every hole. There was always a branch or a broom in his hand. There was always something to be done and it was clear how much he cared about every inch on this course.
MAIDEN FLIGHT OF FLYBOY PAR 2
(Par 3 for Mere Mortals)
BRIAN’S MOST TREASURED DISC
With the baskets assembled and in place, they would finally play the Par 2 course both for the first time on the morning of the last day of his trip. It wasn’t exactly what Brian would call a Par 2. He was used to only playing with one or two discs on a Par 2. This course demanded a lot more than that. When he asked Kelly about it he said “Par 2 is just sort of a term here. The Par 2 at Flyboy is really a Par 3 anywhere else. The way Martin plays the course, if you don’t get a birdie then you don’t get a point on that hole. Martin is throwing for aces, so he’s trying to ace every drive. So for mere mortals like us it’s a Par 3, but for Martin we call it a Par 2.”
Playing The Par 2 course at Flyboy was the most fun Brian had ever had in his time of disc golfing. Yes he had thought the same thing 3 days earlier, but this was it. By the time they were through he had been able to throw every type of shot he knew how. The lengths varied but the challenge did not. Every thing Kelly knew about course design went into this shorter course and it simply did not disappoint. Most importantly and what Brian will never forget, was watching Kelly having fun! He wasn’t telling stories between holes or looking around for something to fix or move. He watched in awe as Kelly played this first round on his new course driven by nothing but his love of disc golf. He remembered their earlier conversation and thought this must be what it’s like to have “Max Fun!”
When the round was over, they started to make their way back to the hangar. Soon they’d be heading back to the airport for Brian’s return to Canada. Brian was thinking about his amazing experience of the past week when, glancing up, he noticed Kelly eyeballing one the baskets Brian had put together for him. The basket sat under a tree and Kelly kept looking at the basket and looking up at a tree limb. Back and forth his eyes moved deep in thought. Brian had a feeling he knew what was going on, but he asked what was going through his mind anyway. “Of all the baskets I’ve had, I have never had a hanging one. Do you think we have time to get this one hanging before we go?” Kelly asked.
“Damn straight we do!” Brian exclaimed. He put it together so he knew he could make the configuration right to make it work and truthfully he knew he wanted to be there when it was done. To be a part of another first at Flyboy? Done deal.
Brian jumped into modifying the basket as Kelly went to get the tractor. By the time he returned Brian had the basket ready to go. The plan was to get the basket in the bucket of the tractor and raise it up and throw the chain around the limb. Brian was ready to get in the bucket, but Kelly said he wanted to handle that part. All Brian had to do was move these two levers like so… Brian said he wasn’t so sure about the plan. Kelly said not to worry. He trusted him.
Two months after Brian returned home from this trip he called Kelly. He said that he and a small core group, had some ideas to try and help promote the growth of Disc Golf in Canada using everything he had learned from him and his experience at Flyboy. He asked if he could do it under the banner of Flyboy Aviation Disc Golf Canada.
Kelly proved again that he did, in fact, trust him….
WAYNE AND KELLY LEGGETTE AT THE CORNERSTORE.