MITCHELL — “It’s a competition, but it’s more about fellowship and friendship.”

That is the main reason most golfers over the age of 50, including Murdo native Steve Reed, play in the men’s Great Plains Senior golf tour.

What was once a small tour that Mitchell’s Dave Huber began playing in since he turned 50, has grown over the past 18 years, especially since Huber became hands-on in the scheduling process back in 2017.

Huber transformed the tour from 12 tournaments a year in 2017 to a new season-high of 37 tournaments in 2022. The tour consists of two-man teams playing twice a week, helping not only those looking to stay active and compete, but also helping local golf courses with popular events that bring dozens of golfers to small communities each week.

With Huber working the schedule and contacting golf courses, the interest in the tour and its dates has only grown. Most of the events are on Tuesdays and Thursdays at small-town courses spread across South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska.

“What got me spurred on getting a schedule put together was when Platte and Beresford had their tournament on the same day, but I like to play golf so I wanted to go to both,” Huber said. “Since the courses were so far apart, they weren’t in communication and didn’t know they were having a tournament on the same day. From that point, I began doing my part and created a schedule.”

Soon, the schedule flipped for Huber, to the point golf courses began calling Huber, asking him if they could be a