Howard Gest DGC

The story of Howard Gest DGC begins a long time ago when I was a boy, before I even knew what the sport of disc golf was all about. I often found myself getting into trouble at school and at home in my younger years. So, my grandfather (who the course was named after) would get me on the weekends and take me out to his farm property (which the course sits on now). During our time together out at the farm, he gave me many life lessons. Lessons I still use in everyday life. He would teach me about how to behave, discipline, work, to never give up on what you want, and how to take control of your life. But most importantly, finding the peace and beauty that comes with being out in nature. I guess that is why he always considered it his place of peace. Even if he went there just to work, not just sit back, and enjoy the beautiful atmosphere. He still found some peacefulness in being out in nature. That is how I view the disc golf. A place that gives me peace and happiness. No matter what troubles of life I was dealing with or hardships I was suffering from, that was always my outlet for feeling like myself again. I found the sport of disc golf when I was nineteen attending college at Ferris State University. Some of my neighbors and good friends finally got me to come out and try it. Needless to say, I absolutely fell in love with the sport! It was my first experience though, and it was a terrible one. I was cold, wet, and had no idea what I was doing. But all that did not matter because I still enjoyed my time out in nature. Plus, all the fun times and amazing experiences we got to share with friends is unforgettable. It was only later in life where I forgot about this great sport and the happiness and peace it could bring. When I was about twenty-seven, I started going down a really dark hole with extreme anxiety and substance abuse. It only got worse as the years past and I was beginning to lose all hope I would ever get better. But it was then, in my darkest moments when I thought nothing in the world could help and thought for sure I was done with life. That is when my grandfather’s lessons started hitting me in a way, I never thought was possible, nor could I understand on that kind of level at the time. Remembering what he told me all those years ago. To never give up on yourself, to always fight for what is right and what you want in life. No matter how big of an obstacle you might have to face, to overcome the struggles and hardships of everyday. Right then it was like a flashback with all the conversations I had with my grandfather all those years ago. That is when I found myself again. When I found the peace in nature and the happiness this sport can bring you. It became my outlet, a way to focus on something other than the dark hole I was climbing out of. It was a huge turning point in my life and my recovery from substance abuse. Because of this, I have gotten away from all of those terrible things and struggles I put myself through. I cannot thank my grandfather, nature, or the sport of disc golf enough for all the positive ways you have affected my life. Howard Gest DGC will have the same impact on the community and its people. I believe this can be just as big as an outlet that it was for me, for everyone else in finding that sense of peace and happiness again.