Who in Santa Cruz Doesn't play Disc Golf?!

The only bummer about disc golf in Santa Cruz is the fact that we only have one course. DeLaveaga Disc Golf Course is so crowded these days, the parking lot is mostly full even at supposedly non-peak times. For instance, on a recent Wednesday at 10:30 AM many holes seemed occupied as I drove in, and by the time I finished my round the parking lot was mostly full. Another example: I used to start weekend morning rounds at 7:30 and was almost assured of an empty course in front of - and usually behind - me. These days there are usually 10 or more cars in the lot by 7:30 (1/2 hour after sunrise right now), and 30 or more by 9:00. It's great news that so many people in the area have discovered our great sport, but there is also nothing like a round of golf with DeLa all to oneself. The really great news? Hopefully by this time next year we'll have new courses at Aptos High School and Pinto Lake in Watsonville. When you see flyers requesting support for these new courses, please help in any way you can. Remember, the more people that play these new courses, the less traffic (and wear-and-tear) at DeLa.

A good bag-tag match

I played a great back-and forth match for tags against Gregory Friday. Our scores were nothing special, but the match was close the whole way and the lead changed hands three times, with the better tag (my #10) in play right up until the last shot on hole 27. The first movement came when I double-bogey'd hole 5, getting my upshot stuck in one of the smaller trees that guards the basket. Then, on holes 8 and 8a, two bogies for Gregory and a birdie for me flipped the script and gave me the lead. Fast-forward to hole 19, where Gregory began a hot streak that turned a two-stroke deficit into a one-stroke lead after birdies on 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, and 25. We both had long birdie looks on 26, with G going first. But he fell hard out of 'The Zone' inexplicably throwing his disc into a tree right in front of him. He bogey'd to fall back into a tie, meaning he needed one more stroke to take the tag. On 26a, I threw first and threw within 25 feet to the right of the basket. He put the pressure right back on me by basing his drive, making me sweat out my birdie putt (it went in, but shakily). On 27, his desperation super-long birdie attempt failed (but it wasn't short) and my tag was safe for another round. We tied at -3.

Good bag-tag match II

Two days later, Gregory and I played for tags again. It seemed like it would be another down-to-the-wire affair, and for most of the round it was. The thing I really liked about this round was the clean-ness. Until Gregory bogey'd 11, we were both bogey-free. In fact, I finished bogey-free (unless you count my double on 13). He built a two-stroke lead with birdies on 3 and 6, and I continued a recent trend of no birdies on the front holes (none until a nice one on 10, in fact). We both picked up birdies here and there, and after his on 19 we were tied. I jokingly referred to the holes to follow as the 'Gregory Holes' since he's been hot on the finishing stretch. But it was my turn this round, as I nailed birdies on 20, 21, 23, 25, 26, and 26a to finish -7. Gregory didn't keep pace, and ended up -1. Still, for most of the round he had me looking over my shoulder.