Sondra Hernandez Staff writer August 10, 2024

Conroe’s Dillard family has turned a favorite family hobby into a successful spin-off business from their Conroe-based custom injection molding company for oilfields.

During the pandemic, Terry and Barbara Dillard along with sons Synjin, Travis and daughter, Britney, launched Lone Star Disc on FM 1314 alongside their Lone Star Molding. They manufacture the plastic or rubber round discs used for playing disc golf. 

An idea that sprung out of a slow time during the pandemic, now has the family shipping disc golf discs all over the world from their shop just south of Conroe. In addition to a pro shop there is also a nine-hole disc golf course on the property. 

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What is disc golf? 

According to the World Flying Disc Federation, disc golf is a variant of ball golf, but with special frisbees or flying discs. However, instead of hitting a ball off a tee and aiming at getting it down a hole in as few strokes as possible, disc golf involves throwing a disc from the tee and hitting an above-ground target basket in as few throws as possible. 

Conroe has disc golf courses at McDade Park and John Burge Park at Shadow Lakes and there are several other courses throughout Montgomery County. 

Synjin and Travis have played the sport for years. given their experience in making molds, years back Synjin had an idea to make a custom disc. 

Starting Lone Star Discs

The plan got shelved but he eventually showed the drawing to his brother, Travis, who was just out of the U.S. Navy. 

They manufactured their first disc in 2017. 

“It was terrible. When you threw it, it almost made a complete circle in the air. I told him ‘I don’t think we did this right,’ Synjin said. 

During the pandemic time, their oilfield injection molding business slowed down and they came back to the disc golf project. 

This time they were successful and Travis took the disc to a local park to play. They caught the eye of one of the local disc golf professionals and they bought 100 that day. 

Then they made a starter set with driver, midrange and putter discs and he said their hobby project snowballed from there. They developed several different series of discs made from a variety of materials and in every color one could think of. 

Discs with Texas themes

The disc series have different themes with many having Texas themes such as the Yellow Rose, The Tex, The Trinity, The Dillo, Waco, Frio River and The Dome which was Britney’s vision as they pay homage to the Astrodome with the design. 

Travis’ designs involved a penny inspired by his service on the U.S.S. Lincoln in the Navy. 

They also carry glow-in-dark discs for night-time play and special series related to professional disc golf players like Fredy Meza, Jake Hebenheimer, Carter Ahrens, Deann Carey and others. 

For Synjin it’s an honor for their designs to forever be associated with the sport. 

“Me and Travis have been playing disc golf for a long time and we thought it would be cool to have our own little footprint in this. Even if it doesn’t last that long, people are going to know Lone Star forever,” he said. “It feels cool to know we’re going to be a part of disc golf history.”

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‘We were willing to try something new’

Britney said their start in disc manufacturing was at the right place and time. 

“Things were slow in the oilfield side and we were willing to try something new,” she said. “It happened to be in the time when people were tired of being locked up in their houses and wanted to do something outside that they could be with people but you’re not necessarily standing next to each other.” 

Synjin said it is a very good social-distancing sport. 

The Lone Star Disc pro shop is at 12686 FM 1314 in south Conroe. Shop hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. The shop is closed Saturday and Sunday. 

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