Clifford the Big-Armed Dog, and another oddball first for me

Nearly all of us have played disc golf with people who can seemingly throw a disc with half our effort and make it go twice as far. Such natural power is to be envied, but it occurred to me today that in some ways these freaks of nature deserve our sympathy as well.

Watching Clifford the Big Red Dog the other day with my kids, I thought of how large active dogs need more room to get the exercise they need. If you have a 90-pound Labrador Retriever you should be taking that dogs for runs in open space every day. A Chihuahua, on the other hand, can get all the exercise it needs running around the back yard or even the living room.

It's kind of like that with disc golfers that can throw 450 feet or more. If they live in an area with courses that have mostly short par 3 holes, imagine how bummed they must be! I try to be a glass-half-full kind of guy, and as my arm (which was never a big gun even in my prime) loses a little each year, I find that more and more holes present new, distance-related challenges. Usually that comes off as a bummer, but disc golf is no fun without the challenge, and this Chihuahua is finding more challenge every day. Yipee, I think.

Black Mouse Disc Golf Course has been my place for exciting happenings this year. There was an ace several months back, and more recently possibly my most surprising birdie ever. And now today, it happened again. I was playing hole nine, which for those of you who don't know is a very short, sharp dogleg right that is flat until the dogleg then drops sharply downhill. I'm a lefty, so I throw a hyzer that is supposed to cut just around the Redwoods that define the dogleg before dropping down to the right. Today I hit those Redwoods and my disc stayed behind them, forcing me to try to save par with a sidearmed turnover shot that hopefully would slide under a tree guarding the basket. Instead, the shot hit one of the tree's thin branches solidly, shot across the fairway (left-to-right), then ricocheted AGAIN (right-to-left this time) off a huge overturned root system of an Oak tree to the right of the basket and INTO THE CHAINS. It was a Surge, by the way.

Another sidearm shot (which I throw as little as possible due to my torn rotator cuff) that was meant to just get close enough to save par goes in for a birdie. When my putt on the next hole for birdie hit dead center but slid out, I just laughed and assumed that all my luck for the rest of the round was used up.

By the way, did I mention it was a running round- or two rounds? 36 holes, up and down rain soaked, muddy slopes, in 54 minutes and six seconds. Yeah, it's a short course, but still . . . . not bad for an old Chihuahua!

Odd targets and unusual setting still made for big fun!

It's easy to think that playing object golf is like washing clothes by beating them on a rock, with so many basket courses available to us these days. But it's a reminder of how flexible and adaptable our sport is. Essentially, if you have a flying disc, anything can be a target, and almost any setting can be co-opted for use as a course. That being said, I'm glad modern business parks are built with damn sturdy windows and most office workers take the weekends off. Otherwise the (unofficial & unsanctioned) 7th Annual Palm/HP Tournament in Silicon Valley would have been much less feasible. Although they don't really convey how fun it was to take part in this departure from the 'modern' game, click here to see pictures from the event.

Street is OB, target is in the background, with yellow tape

With almost no other people and cars there to complicate things, it was much more fun navigating through parking lots, past buildings, and around shrubs and trees than it woulda been on the wide-open vacant lot across the street!

As I understand it, the event was created to encourage employees of Palm (as in Palm Pilot) to try out disc golf. Therefore, the format is as unique as the rest of the tournament. First of all, it consists of an 18-hole par-2 putting course round, followed by 18 holes of object golf. Grass is outnumbered by concrete and asphalt by about a 1000 to 1 ratio. Second, even though I ended up winning $25.13 by placing first overall, it didn't cost anything to enter. Gotta like that! And third, due to a payout structure with an objective of everyone walking away a winner (each hole paid something), first place isn't usually even the biggest money winner! Looking at the spreadsheet used to determine payout made my head spin! Only in Silicon Valley, right?

The TD uses advanced algorithms to compute scores and final payout

Here is an incomplete list of objects used in this most unusual example of object disc golf:

• Palm tree- the most common of all objects used on object courses
• Light pole- second-most common
• Manhole cover- discs had to come to rest on the cover, completely surrounded by metal
• Bike rack- disc had to pass completely underneath the rack, and I incurred my only bogey on the regular course when my disc got stuck trying to pass underneath the lowest point
• Sewer grate- disc had to end up completely in the grate, with the obvious hazard of actually sliding into the sewer! One year a kid had to be lowered by his feet to retrieve a disc!
• Metal cage around utility meters
• Fire hydrant- The first course I ever played, at UC Santa Cruz, had a hydrant for a target
• Parking lot planter- disc had to come to rest inside
• Median surrounding giant corporate park sign- same deal as the planter
• Square trash cans
• Metal benches- By far the most challenging as they were quite slippery and the disc had to come to rest on the bench as opposed to just hitting it. Someone actually completed the hole on a bench hole with his first shot on the putting course. Quite unbelieveable
• All cars and non-playing humans were considered OB and carried a one-stroke penalty if struck. We had to place a 'spotter' in front of a couple cars that were obviously in flight paths, with the spotter using his judgment in decided whether to swat down a threatening throw.

There was one ace on the regular course: Fittingly, since it was the Palm Tournament, someone aced the palm tree hole. This event was proof that people intent on having fun with a golf disc can do so just about anywhere.

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Diarrhea of the Arm: When extra shots hurt rather than help

Have you heard the term 'diarrhea of the mouth'? It's when someone can't seem to prevent words from pouring out of their mouth (basically he/she can't stop talking, whether from nervousness or a genetic flaw passed down through generations), usually leading to a detrimental result. I believe the currently accepted term for this is TMI (too much information).

Competitive disc golfers can suffer from a similar malady, and the term 'Diarrhea of the Arm' seems to fit. (OK, I've typed that disgusting word three times already, including the subject line, and that's enough. I think you get the point). In the case of disc golf, it refers to a player's tendency to throw extra shots after a throw or putt that doesn't go the way he/she intended or hoped. In my experience these extra shots during a competitive round almost always have a few things in common:

• They seem to be a kind of knee-jerk reaction, unplanned until it's clear that the original shot is obviously not getting the hoped-for results
• They are usually hastily executed- rushed, if you will
• They usually also display an exaggerated correction of whatever the player perceives to have gone wrong with the original shot.

The most common - and in my opinion, most harmful - example of this, er, affliction, is the second putter that is thrown at the basket in disgust after a missed putt. More often than not it also misses the basket, or slams the chains with the anger and distain intended. It also occurs on drives and upshots, but the follow-up mad-putt is the classic example. Every time I see a friend do this I want to tell him that all he's doing is reinforcing bad habits.

My point is this: If you're playing a practice round, or practice holes, with the pre-planned intention of throwing repetitive shots, that's great. More people (including me) should practice that way more often. But, first of all, if you're playing a round of golf you should play by the rules (even if you're alone), which in stroke play clearly state that all strokes count. And even if you and your pals have established that such 'practice' shots don't count in your rounds, don't let such reactionary shots leave your hand unless you're able to replicate your entire pre-shot routine with the goal of learning and getting better rather than angrily proving you coulda/shoulda made it. Treat every round, and every throw, as practice, and a learning opportunity to build on for future days.

If you have an interest in getting better, that is.

Video coverage of disc golf: A realists take

If you're reading this, you most likely are already sold on the awesomeness of disc golf.

Likewise, you probably greatly appreciate and enjoy any live video coverage of the seminal professional events of our sport. But if you look at it with a critical eye, you gotta admit that even the best the sport has to offer is pretty amateurish. The Players Cup coverage last weekend wasn't much better - in terms of video AND commentary (no offense to my pal Billy Crump) than what the average Joe with a single HandyCam can produce. Coverage of the USDGC was a little better, but still failed to convey how disc golf has become a near carbon-copy of the Grand Old Game, with all its nuances and intricate mental challenge.

I make this point not to denigrate the efforts of those on the bleeding edge of disc golf promotion, but to stress how tough it is to accurately portray golf of any kind on screen. If you think about it, ball golf events use DOZENS of different cameras in order to create the finished product they broadcast. One camera shows the golfer addressing his lie and striking the ball, another captures the wide-angle shot that shows the ball in flight, and a third is able to show the result of the shot. That's three cameras required to capture EACH SHOT. Think about the resources needed to cover par 3's, 4's and 5's on an 18 hole course!

My point is this: Most of the people that dedicate their time and in some cases financial resources to broadcasting disc golf must be doing so in hopes that it will help to take disc golf 'mainstream' as a professional sport. While their intentions are to be commended, the nature of golf - disc, ball, or otherwise - does not lend itself to simple and accurate video representation- without nearly unlimited resources. The projectile (ball, disc), on most shots, travels a good distance away from whoever hits or throws it. And in disc golf, video tends to lose the twists, turns, and other nuances that shows the uninitiated how disc golf is more complex than simply 'throwing a Frisbee'.

If your goal is to take disc golf mainstream, doesn't it make more sense to always have the uninitiated in mind? Don't cater to the person who already knows what a great sport disc golf is . . . cater and market to the other 99.9 percent of the population! Until we reach critical mass (and, hint, we ain't close yet) we should focus on growing the market of players before we even thing about the market of viewers.

Video and pictures from the South Pacific's best disc golf course

You've heard of an island green in golf, right? Where you tee off near a shoreline to a green situated on a small piece of land surrounded by water? The course featured in today's post is nothing like that. In fact, it is much better described as a mountain course considering the fact that it is 5,000 feet up the side of a 10,000 foot-tall mountain and every hole has some type of slope in play. But this course, Poli Poli, is also situated on an island in the middle of the South Pacific, and boasts views of the aquamarine-colored water far below.

I'm purposefully not disclosing the location due to its quasi private/public nature, but those who want it bad enough will be able to discover the truth without too much trouble. Check out this video just posted to YouTube. It's got short video clips first (sorry for the choppy editing) and still pictures after the vid clips.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcsYl757UCw

How to practice follow-through when putting

One of the most important aspects of proper disc golf putting form also happens to be counter-intuitive to the way people usually first learn to throw a flying disc. I'm talking follow-through, which in a classic putting motion means thrusting the throwing (putting) hand forward toward the target, as opposed to 'flinging' the disc from the side like a tossing a Frisbee at the beach.

A different set of muscles are involved, so it not only feels weird at first but also requires some time and repetition to develop those muscles. Check out this short clip on YouTube that demonstrates a short exercise developed to help players work on proper putting follow-through. If you don't feel like watching the clip, here it is in a nutshell:

• Pick a target, preferably a basket or something else that won't inflict abuse on your putters when you repeatedly throw them at said target.
• Get a stack of putters, preferably at least five or so
• Standing a short distance from the target (15 feet or closer), pick up the first disc, and prepare to putt at the target as you normally would. Except in this exercise, de-emphasize the 'take-back/pull-back' part of your putt, and over-emphasize your follow-through.
• If possible, hold the disc a foot in front of your body, and fight the urge to instinctively pull the disc back before letting it fly. Instead, try to use follow-through to get as much as possible on your putt.
• Repeat with the rest of your discs, then collect them and do it again.
• Once you get the hang of it, try to start with the disc even further from your body. Whether the disc goes in the basket isn't as important in this exercise as a strong follow-through with your throwing arm ending up completely straight, pointing directly at the target.
• When you feel comfortable with your follow-through technique, go back to your normal take-back/pull-back but finish with the same exaggerated follow-through. If done correctly, you'll notice that the disc goes further with less effort, and . . . .
• If you're finishing with your hand pointed directly at the center of the target, you'll also see another benefit: less putts that miss left or right. That part is pretty simple, really. If you pull a putter back on a straight line, and release it on a straight line, it will indeed fly on a straight line.

This exercise is all about transforming a technique that is crucial to proper putting form but can feel unnatural at first into something you do every time without thinking. It can only happen through repetition, though, and as I mentioned in the first part of this post, the muscles involved need to be developed as well. So if it doesn't seem like you can do it at first- if the disc doesn't even make it to the basket - just get closer and keep at it. Good luck, and let me know how it goes.

Shocked by the sound of chains

One of the great things about disc golf is the way, when you think you've seen and experienced it all, something happens to make you realize you in fact have not. Such was the case for me today at Black Mouse DGC.

After two decades of playing disc golf, I can't remember anything like what happened today. I want to describe it in detail, and ask you, the reader, to share anything similar.

Hole 11 at Black Mouse is (choose your adjective): devious, frustrating, challenging, ridiculous. I'll try to describe it the best I can. From tee to basket, "as the crow flies", it's uphill and maybe 250 feet. But the terrain slopes steeply from left to right, and 80 or so feet from the tee the so-called fairway narrows to an opening maybe six feet wide and 10 feet tall. After that point the hole dog-leg's sharply to the left. On the left of that opening is a literal wall of redwood trees, and to the right is more trees and a continued downward slope. So you pretty much have to aim for that tiny gap and throw something that will bank left after passing through, or just sit down, to give you an extremely steep upshot.

I'm left-handed, and I try to throw a side-armed Surge driver through that gap that will ideally curve left and uphill toward the basket. Today I missed by at least 10 feet to the left, hit one of the Redwoods, and dropped straight down. My choice was to either sacrifice a stroke by tossing my disc a few feet to the right and hope I'd get a clean look at an upshot for a bogey four, or try to squeeze a blind shot through the wall o' Redwoods in the general direction of the basket. I knew it wasn't the wise choice because the gap was barely the width of a disc, and there were plenty of other trees to get past in the fairway, but I chose it anyway because it seemed more fun. I made sure to keep it flat to avoid a second wall of Redwoods closer to the basket, and let 'er fly.

The first and main objective was accomplished as soon as the disc made it through the 'crack in the wall'. Since the disc disappeared from view immediately, I listened closely to monitor its progress. I was hoping to hear nothing, actually, since that would mean the throw got as far as possible without hitting a tree. And that's just what I heard, until I was . . . . SHOCKED BY THE SOUND OF CHAINS! Honestly, I don't remember being more pleasantly jolted by that sound in all the time I've played the game. It was the perfect tone, too, where you just know it stayed in the cage.

I'm interested to hear if any readers have experienced anything comparable. I was hoping to scratch out a bogey, and in an instant realized that instead I birdied a hole I've only birdied once before. Do you have a similar story of being 'shocked by the sound of chains'?

2010 USDGC Observations

This time last year I played in the USDGC for the first and only time. I didn't know it at the time, but I played with a torn rotator cuff. I did know it hurt like heck, though. After the first practice round, in which I managed a  +1 and figured 'this isn't so bad as long as you play clean golf and hit all your putts, my arm was as useless as those little front appendages of a Tyrannosaurus Rex's. But I did my best, which was equal to most everyone else's worse. Still, it was one thing I could cross off my Bucket List. Watching this year from the comfort of my computer via the live webcast, a few observations come to mind:

• Will Schusterick and Nikko Locastro are way clear of the field, battling for first. This continues and perhaps accelerates the youth trend in professional disc golf started when Nate Doss captured first at the Worlds in 2006 at age 19 then proved it wasn't a fluke with another Worlds title and a USDGC title a couple years after that. Some may conclude that players in their teens or early 20's have the advantage of fresher arms and quicker recovery from fatigue, and that's part of it, I'm sure. But I know first-hand that Nate also benefited immensely from growing up with the sport, surrounded by numerous talented players in Santa Cruz. As the number of courses and events grow, players that start in childhood are seasoned by the time they are in high school. The trend mirrors that in nearly all other sports. The one possible exception, ironically, is ball golf, although younger players are breaking through there more than in the past as well.
• If you watched the live webcast on discgolfplanet.tv, you surely noticed the counter that showed how many viewers were watching at any given time. It seemed to range from a low of 800 or so to a high of 1500. Right now, as I write, Nikko and Will are locked in a close battle for first in the final round, and the counter is at 1,187. To me this clearly illustrates that disc golf is still far, far away from attracting the major sponsors that the sport's top promoters hope will result in much bigger prize money and live TV coverage. As I pointed out last year, those who think we're close to this kind of breakthrough are ignorant to the development of just about all other sports. Think of it this way: How many people that watch golf on TV have never swung a club? Not many. Golf only became worthy of broadcasting on TV when golf industry advertisers knew that the millions of players and devotees to the sport (who buy golf stuff) would be watching. 1,187 people are still exponentially less than what is required, so the focus should be on introducing more people to the sport.
• Last year, to watch the live webcast, a fan had to pay a fee. This year, it's free (although donations are encouraged). I'm sure the logic was that increasing the viewership is the most important goal, and they wanted remove the cost barrier. Did it work? Doesn't look like it.
• After having played the course a handful of times last year, I'm really enjoying the webcast this year because I recognize every scene captured on the screen. If you ever get the chance to play the course in the 'Winthrop Gold' setup, do it. The video coverage will mean so much more if you're able to put it in the context of having played it.

If you're interested in reading my posts from the event last year, click here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here. Thanks!

More land for us misfits to play with our toys

People of a certain age certainly remember the Land of the Misfit Toys, a place to where toys that no kids want for Christmas get exiled. It's part of the old Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer movie from a looong time ago. Anyway, those toys are none too happy to be there, because they are unwanted as well as the fact that the place looks pretty cold and bleak.

Now many people will characterize disc golfers as misfits, for a variety of reasons. Personally I wear that label as a badge of honor, because fitting in has never been on my list of priorities. But with us the story is quite different than with those sad little toys. We actually seek out locales where we can lose ourselves in a self-imposed exile for a couple hours, and we're finding them with increasing frequency. A recent blog post here on the installation of the Ryan Ranch course in Monterey discusses what I believe to be at the core of the disc golf grassroots growth phenomenon, essentially people going to great lengths to get new courses installed not for monetary gain but to enable themselves and others to experience the game. And now another example pops up - this time in Walnut Creek.

As detailed in a story published on the SJ Mercury website, another course may be installed soon, and for disc golfers it includes an encouraging new twist: a new level of local government support. If the proposal by 'local disc golf enthusiasts' is accepted, the city of Walnut Creek will provide $20,000 for equipment costs as well as ongoing maintenance by its parks staff for Old Oak Park. This kind of support is more common in other parts of the country, and it's an encouraging trend here in Northern California. Local governments are finally realizing what a tremendous success story installing a disc golf course can be.

You take 10 acres or more that otherwise had no recreational potential or viable commercial uses, invest a tiny fraction of what it costs to develop convention parks, or tennis courts, or baseball/softball fields, and wham! Just like that you've enabled thousands of people to enjoy the land (in a more pristine condition than you'll find with any other arrangement that untouched open space), and get exercise many would not get otherwise get . . . all basically at little or no cost to the city or the players. And since unused public acreage usually ends up getting populated by shady people looking for hidden places to do their shady things, cities and counties have removal of those elements as further incentive. More and more, they are seeing the upside of accommodating us misfits and our plastic toys.

A time to drill it

I used to over-simplify my approach to putting tempo, using the logic that the disc should have just enough on it to run out of gas and fall into the chains with just enough power left to slip into the cage. But on further examination, it's clear that different situations require different tempos. Here's a quick breakdown of when it makes sense to try to keep the disc on a straight line and hit the chains firmly, and when it doesn't:

Drill that putt!

• First of all, I don't mean to suggest ever cranking a rocket into the chains that make them explode apart like billiard balls at the break or bowling pins on their way to a strike. Anyone who putts that hard inevitably gets more than their share of spit-outs. The kind of firm putt I'm talking about is thrown just hard enough to fly on a straight line rather than curling and/or falling into the basket (see 'True Golf Putt ' below).
• The premise is simply that if you thrust a putter at the target on a straight line from that distance and release directly toward the pole (do an exaggerated follow through to be sure), it doesn't have time to veer away and will almost always go in. In this case, the firmer putt works in your favor because it minimizes the effects of wind and elevation changes. In addition, if your approach on short putts is to always be firm and follow through, you'll come close to eliminating those times when you sleepwalk from 13 feet and come up short. Did that today, in fact. D'oh!
  
• Speaking of elevation changes, downhill putts deserve special attention here. Once you've decided to go for a downhill putt (as opposed to laying up), you should drill it if it's within 10 meters (or a little more, if you usually shoot under par). The main reason for this is a disc's tendency to turn into a roller when it falls off to the weak side. It almost always lands on it's edge with spin left. Depending on the severity of the slope and hazards that await below the target the better option may be simply to lay up. But if you go for a downhill putt, drill it.
• Low ceiling putts (those with low-hanging foliage between you and the target) usually also require a putt that flies on a straight line. In this case, however, the reason you're putting harder is to keep the disc low while still maintaining its height all the way to the basket. The lower you need to keep the disc, the harder it must be thrown to counter the effects of gravity.

The 'True Golf' Putt

• If you watch much ball golf on TV, you know what a lag putt is. As putts get further and further away, golfers are more concerned with leaving it close enough to the cup than making the putt. That's because it makes sense to hedge your bets for the next shot as the odds get lower and lower for this one.
• In disc golf, we have it bother better and worse than ball golfers when it comes to putting. On the one hand, it's much easier to nail a 15-foot put in disc golf than in ball golf. But we're aiming at an elevated target, not a hole in the ground so we can't really lag putt the way they do. But we can come close.
• Regular putting practice is bound to improve your accuracy and consistency in terms of percentage of putts that end up in the cage. But if you pay attention to the ones you miss and where they end up, it'll help you get better at putting in such a way that your 'comeback' putts after missing are usually 15 or less.
• You want a disc that is close to perpendicular to the chains when it arrives at the target, losing elevation and moving at an angle roughly 45 degrees off the line between you and the pole. It should be losing speed when it arrives, not accelerating.
• The great thing about working on this kind of touch is that it has two benefits. You'll generally see more borderline go in that on line-drive putts, and those come-backers will be shorter on the occasions when they miss the target altogether.
  

Don't count chickens (before they hatch)!

Played Black Mouse yesterday, and I got off to a nice start. Birdied 1, 2, 3, and 4. To my credit, I didn't once entertain the possibility of shooting -18. But I did think that double digits was a given, and it got me out of a disc-ipline that I've worked for years to establish. I actually kept track of my score the whole time after that, and when on the teepad calculated how many holes out how many remaining I'd have to birdie to shoot -10. (For the record, I shot a bogie-free -7, but that's not the point).

This approach is quite the opposite of my overall disc golf philosophy, 'disc golf in a vacuum'. Click the preceding link if you're interested in the minute details, but it basically means that I believe we can have the most fun - and perform best - when we allow ourselves to be completely immersed in our next shot. The key is to embrace the challenge of the shot purely for the challenge of executing it perfectly. Don't get hung up with assigning values to the shot, like, for instance "if I can this putt for birdie I'm at -8 with three holes to go!" Instead, focus on the things that will actually help you do what you're intending to do. Or nothing at all. But anything is better than letting external noise distract you from the task at hand.

I've been practicing this for more than five years now, and I'm proud to say I've gotten to the point where most rounds I don't know my exact score until I add it up at the end. Aside from better scores through improved focus on what I'm actually doing, here are some other benefits:

• I rarely ever have a bad round in terms of just having a crappy time out there (score-wise, yes). I'm able to appreciate even bad throws in a learning experience kind of way, and bad breaks rarely get under my skin.
• When the round is over, it's time to add up the score. It's kinda fun to piece it all together 'for the first time,' in a sense. It also helps to recount each shot and allow the good and the bad to sink in.
• If you're in any kind of competition, and your rival keeps mentioning the score, it's fun to watch his/her reaction when you admit you have no clue what your score is, then smile the same smile whether you're + or -8.

So don't count those chickens, or those strokes. The game will only get better.

Ryan Ranch: Yet another disc golf success story

I'm sure there must be similar phenomena out there, but I can't think of any. How many other sports, activities or hobbies besides disc golf have grown the way disc golf has grown, in terms of the way courses get conceived, petitioned and ultimately installed?

In other states, especially places in the Midwest I've visited, it's a little more conventional and less amazing. Park commissions not only agree to install courses in their groomed, grassy parks, but they often pay for the entire course and maintain it to boot! In California it rarely happens that way. (I think that's why our courses are on the whole much more interesting and challenging, by the way. They're usually carved into or out of some form of untamed natural area. They haven't been sterilized for the safety of the meekest visitor. In NorCal, I'm amazed whenever a new course pops up, given the scarcity and value of available land.

Here, the story goes like this: A person or group of people go searching for open space or neglected parks that no one else wants. They find place with potential, chucks some discs while imagining the already completed course, then research who to talk to to make it happen. What starts out overgrown, blighted, and often full of trash is transformed through countless hours of volunteer effort and thousands of dollars of donated and fund-raised cash into something much . . . more.

A non-disc golfer will notice the improved natural beauty (or maybe not if their only idea of improvement is laying sod and concrete walking paths), but to a disc golfer a new course in her/his area is almost like a miracle. Case in point: Ryan Ranch in Monterey.

Anthony DeMers, Mover-and-Shaker at Ryan Ranch



The course sits close to a small airport, and in the three-plus hours we were there I estimate we saw 10 planes flying close overhead.

This picturesque hole (I think it's #3 or 4) is easily reachable, but forces you to go straight at it or very wide to the left or right.

This shot ended up almost 100 feet past and 30 feet below the hole, where a longer pin position is located.

I didn't see what the Ryan Ranch land looked like before the first baskets were installed, but pretty close. I think it had 18 baskets when I first played it a couple years ago, and maybe one or two Fly Pads. After playing it for the second time ever last week, the changes are obvious. Gone is the typical debris you see in an 'open lot', and a learned eye will recognize fairways of a sort between the hearty vegetation ubiquitous to the area. Here are some other highlights on the Ryan Ranch success story:

• As is often the case with disc golf courses installed in an area where people had previously been doing something illegal, Ryan Ranch not only serves appreciative disc golfers. It also helps to discourage an element that had been demanding law enforcement resources due to its illegal activity. In this case it was 4-wheel drivers, and bit-by-bit they are relinquishing their grasp on the territory. I believe some refer to that as addition by subtraction.
• Anthony DeMers was our guide last week, and he took us through a layout where we played 18-holes on one side of the parking lot first, then nine holes on the other side. The first 18 includes a great mix of holes that are less than 300 feet, 300-400, and a couple longer than that. I think it's important to focus on serving the growing ranks of recreational players, and the first 18 do a great job at that. And because the land is full of sloping hills, and equal parts open space and clusters of oak trees, it's very interesting more accomplished players as well.
• The remaining nine holes, called 'The Gauntlet,' are nearly all long and open. But unlike a growing number of boring courses around the country that fit that description (people think if a course is long enough, it's automatically good), The Gauntlet's elevation changes make the challenge multi-dimensional. And the trees are used strategically to ensure players need to do more than huck a disc with no fear of trouble.
• This course will NOT be the weak link at the 2011 Pro Worlds. And with the other courses being DeLaveaga, Pinto Lake, and CSUMB Oaks, I don't think there will be a weak link. As you may or may not know, it will be the first Worlds with all 27-hole courses.
• I wore a GPS watch during our round, and we actually walked 5.05 miles! Remember that the measurement is not like the the course distance you see listed sometimes, which is merely the total distance of all the holes added together. This is a measurement of how much you can expect to walk in a typical round. It includes walking from hole-to-hole, and the walking that is done while searching for errant discs. By comparison, a round at DeLa averages 3.25 miles, depending on how big the group is, Pinto Lake is around 3.5 miles, and Aptos and Black Mouse are right around two miles.
  

Pinto Lake and The Other Side of Disc Selection

Usually when you hear disc selection, you think in terms of which disc in your bag is best suited to execute your next shot. Today I'm talking about something else, a concept that could maybe be called 'disc selection for disc preservation'. It results from one of the major distinctions between disc golf and ball golf- the fact that our discs are the equivalent to their clubs and balls combined.

If you're a ball golf enthusiast heading off to play a challenging course you've never played before, you might put another sleeve or two of balls in your bag in anticipation of hitting some shots into unfamiliar OB. It makes sense, especially if it is any kind of official competition. Remember the movie Tin Cup? In it the point was raised that if a player runs out of balls he or she is disqualified. So extra balls in the bag is a pretty simple insurance policy. For us disc golfers, not so simple.

When we lose a disc, in essence, we lose the equivalent of a club. And when you lose a key disc in your bag, you usually don't have one exactly like it waiting in the wings. Most key discs have been broken in to a point that they can't be replaced right away with another one off the shelf, even if you happen to be carrying it with you. And if you're like me, there is always the chance you'll lose that one, too!

Such was the case recently when I played Pinto Lake in Watsonville for only the second time since the long upper holes were added. Most of the holes on the top area are wide open, with fairways mowed out of waist-high wild grass and weeds. Standing on the tee of the 1,280 foot par 5 hole eleven (I think), I pulled out a valued Star Destroyer. Even though I had brought along several 'red-shirt' (expendable) discs, I reasoned that there wasn't much risk in not placing my disc in the very wide, completely open fairway. Bad reasoning. As players will do sometimes when confronted with a hole several times longer than they can possible throw, I tried to be the first person ever to throw 1,000 feet and promptly chucked it into hopelessly high rough. That was disc selection (for preservation) error number one. I took a 7 on the hole, and it started a slide that had me completely off my game by the time we descended from the upper holes. Disc selection (for preservation) error number two came on hole #15, where I decided to throw my other Star Destroyer. In that case I got stubbornly defiant about disc selection, turned it over, and destroyed my inventory of Destroyers.

In the first case, my mistake was deciding to use a valuable disc based on the likelihood that I'd hit the fairway, instead of the likelihood that I'd lose the disc if I didn't. Kind of a Murphy's Law thing. In the second case I allowed my focus to slip enough that I made a decision I wouldn't make otherwise. I equate lazy-mindedness and stubborn defiance with lack of focus.

Here are a few guidelines to consider when it comes to this type of disc selection:

• Have one set of discs for the course you regularly play and know the best. You likely know exactly where to look for errant shots on each hole, and even if you happen to lose one chances are decent that you'll get it back eventually through the lost and found or from a fellow player who knows you (assuming you didn't recently beat him on the last hole and do a 30-second victory dance around the basket). This would be your 'main' bag, but you may still want to carry an expendable disc for a particularly risky hole. A hole with a water hazard, for instance. A specific example is hole 12 at DeLa when you have to throw across the overgrown ravine (Fridge-Land). One early deflection and your odds are 50-50 of finding the disc.
• Have another set of discs for each of the other area courses you play. If a course has plenty of trees, bushes, high grass, steep slopes, and/or water, plan accordingly. If you have a favorite disc and you don't trust yourself not to throw it at the wrong time, don't bring it.
• I like this next point as a general rule, but especially at courses that have the aforementioned features, or courses I'm not familiar with: Throw neon-bright discs of one single color. Don't throw tie-dye (high cost plus quickly lost), and avoid anything dark green or black. My favorite color since childhood is also my favorite disc color: orange!
  
• When you go on a road trip, stock your bag with plenty of your 2nd and 3rd-tier plastic. You're likely playing courses for the first time, and if you lose one your chances of ever seeing it again are close to zero. This practice actually has a great side benefit as well. I like to think of my discs as a baseball organization, with my main bag being the major leagues. When I go out of town and throw 2nd and 3rd tier discs almost exclusively, it's like giving the minor league players a shot to show what they can do. I get familiar with discs I don't normally throw, and sometimes they 'crack the lineup' on the Big Team and earn their way into the main bag.

Hopefully reading this will save you some discs, if not some strokes. And if you happen to come across my Star Destroyers at Pinto, call me!

Pinto Lake: 18 holes of (choose your own hyperbolic statement)

Played Pinto yesterday for the first time since the "upper" nine holes were added, to make 18 holes and 8000-plus feet, not including a couple short walks between holes and one longer one (to get to the upper holes). Here are a few first impressions:

• The new holes are not the front or back nine, but instead inserted between hole 4 and what used to be hole 5, but is now 14.
• The new holes are the antithesis of the previously extant nine holes, which are filled with trees, severely-sloped, extremely narrow fairways, water hazards, poison oak, OB, or all of the above. The new holes are meant to appease the 'big arms' at the championship level, and somewhat placate out-of-towners who frankly are much more familiar with wide open, flatter disc golf holes.
• I like them because it's something we don't have at any other course in the area: wide open and brutishly long with enough rough off the wide fairways to keep it interesting.
• Speaking of that 'rough,' on the upper holes it consists mostly of the wild grass that grows waist-high where it isn't mowed.
• Where it is mowed, lovely wild California Poppies are already poppy-ing up in the fairways.
• The upper holes have some poison oak too, but only in the wooded areas. The open areas seem to have none.
• I was even par after 10 holes, and feeling pretty good about myself. The I lost my disc and took a 7 on the par 5, 1300-foot hole.
• When we got back to the familiar part of the course, I felt like we had been playing for almost three hours . . . and we had! The round ended up taking four hours, and much of that was spent looking for discs.
• When you go, I suggest you bring extra water, long pants and long-sleeve shirt, and some expendable yet dependable plastic you don't mind losing.
• My final tally: Six over par, and two lost Star Destroyers.
  

New info on old rules- I wonder what else I don't know?

The PDGA website has an item on marking your lie, disc golf style, in its homepage rotation right now. I'm familiar with the rules discussed but the wrinkles they mention - and how they'd
come into play at courses in and around Santa Cruz - are new to me.

The first point they make is sensible, and I think I've instinctively done it before without even thinking about it. Basically, if you need to throw your shot in a direction other than straight toward the hole (playing a dogleg par 4, for instance) you can mark your lie with a mini in line with the direction you are throwing. It's a small difference of degrees in terms of where the marker is placed, but it also affects where the thrower's supporting point is placed. I can see this one coming up at Pinto Lake, on the last par 4 (I think it is #13 now?) It plays up a fire road fairway that curls to the left, with the basket above the road on the left. Many times players get half-way up the road, can barely see the basket from their lie, but are compelled to continue along the fire road to the right because the woods are too dense to take a direct route.

The they address something that comes up often at DeLa and Black Mouse: a disc is enough under a large fallen tree or log that the player is compelled to throw from either behind or on top of said tree or log. The player can throw from on top of the object, but they must mark their disc first. And speaking of that the story mentions that it has been legal to simply throw behind the disc used on your last shot, provided you don't move it, since the 1999 Worlds. The other instances when you MUST use a mini in tournament golf:

• after throwing out-of-bounds
• when your disc is above the playing surface
• when your previous throw is a lost disc
• when you're declaring your lie unplayable
  
• when you're lie is relocated for relief
• interference
• repositioning the lie within 1 meter of the out-of-bounds line.

Here's the link if you didn't catch it above: http://www.pdga.com/marking-a-lie. It's worth it to see the diagrams.

The disc golf double-whammy

I'm not talking about the 'adding insult to injury' kind of double whammy, like a putt cutting through the chains, spitting out the back, then landing on an edge and rolling 50 feet away. That sucks, to be sure, but when it happens, it happens. I'm talking about shot making strategy, where you plot out exactly what kind of shot you're planning to throw, with which disc, and how hard/soft/low/high, etc.

Sometimes, when we're thinking about our upcoming shot, we come up with an imperative that rises above everything else in our minds. For instance, we think "I need to do this to make sure I turn my disc over on this shot," or "I need to do this to make sure I clear that hazard." This kind of analysis is good, but when it isn't organized thought where a clear and detailed plan emerge, problems arise. Sometimes, instead of having a concrete idea of what we want to do, we let vague ideas marinate together right up until the disc is released. The result is what I call the disc golf double-whammy. Here's a good example that I've experienced many times:

I'm on the tee of a hole that is slightly uphill, with a dogleg to the left. Think DeLa hole 18 in the short left position. Being left-handed, I want to throw a backhand shot that turns over nearly the entire time. I consider the fact that uphill throws are harder to turn over, how long the hole is, and the placement of the trees. I know I have several ways to make a disc turn over more; I can throw it harder, put more spin on the disc, make the angle of release more exaggerated, make the flight path lower, or any combination of the four. The problem arises when I don't have a clear idea of which of these elements I want to use to craft my shot.

If my only notion is "I gotta turn this over" and I allow those four possibilities to mull in my mind right up until I release the disc, I may overcompensate to accomplish my imperative (in this case, "gotta turn it over"). So I might throw it much harder than normal AND exaggerate the angle AND, for good measure, my body might instinctively aim more to the left, resulting in a disc that turns over too much. Double (or in that case, I guess, Triple) Whammy.

Another good example I can think of is a classic. You have a disc you know is hard to throw straight very far before it begins to hyzer out, so you think of how to offset that tendency. So you end up aiming it wide AND putting turnover angle and power on it, then exclaim to your friends "I can't believe I just turned over that Excalibur!" or something like that. Classic double whammy.

The best way I can think of to combat double-whammy tendencies is to have a pre-shot routine that allows you to plan your shot in detail every time. Make sure your mind is nowhere but in that place, at that time, playing disc golf in a vacuum.

For beginners, golf is the key to enjoying disc golf

It occurs to me that many first-time players get hung up in how different golf discs are than regular ol' Frisbees. They simply try to propel the disc forward as instructed by their well-meaning friends, note the marked difference between their effort and that of their more seasoned counterparts, and listen to the next set of instruction.

When they've zig-zagged across the fairway several times with errant throws and finally find themselves within tossing distance of the basket, they're probably thinking of the brief respite they'll get before teeing off on the next hole. Or maybe the more competitive among them see the next hole as a chance to start fresh- which it is, sort of.

But for most new players, the golf aspect of disc golf doesn't really register until they get much better at controlling their disc, or enter some type of competition, or both. To me this is a shame, since it was the golf aspect of the the game that had me addicted from the first time I played.

That first time was at UCSC, where the targets were 4 x 4 posts and other objects. I remember quickly realizing that if I threw a disc at a target only caring about that throw, I'd likely end up with another tough putt if I missed that throw. So I started to putt in such a way that enabled the disc to hit the target but not go zipping past if it didn't.

I'm amazed at how many competitive players I see - players that really want to beat their PB and their friends and adversaries - that still haven't made this adjustment. These players are also likely to make the same stroke-costing mistakes repeatedly, like throwing a driver on a tricky hole simply because it flies the farthest or fastest. I can't help but wonder if this has something to do with not embracing the golf aspect of the sport from Day One.

For anyone that has fallen into this trap, the good news is twofold: Focusing on the golf part of disc golf is really about stepping up the mental game, and when you do that you'll discover that disc golf now offers you twice the enjoyment you experienced before. You'll find yourself replaying rounds in your head, analyzing each decision and using the experience to do better next time. And when you do this, of course, your play and score will inevitably improve.

So the next time you're bringing someone out for the first time, make sure they understand they are playing the great game of golf. The discs just make it . . . greater.

A key to disc golf;s unique appeal: wilderness

I just checked out PDGA's homepage to check in on the coverage of this year's coverage of the World Championships in Indiana. Since we're hosting the event next year in Santa Cruz/Monterey, it seemed like a sensible idea.

Anyway, seeing the pictures of the courses being played in Indiana, I'm reminded of one of the numerous aspects of disc golf - in my experience, based in Northern California - I've always thought sets disc golf apart from its ancient Scottish ancestor (ball golf). Namely, nature. Wilderness. The Wild.

Most people unfamiliar with our sport picture someone in a wide open grassy area throwing a Frisbee, walking to it, picking it up, and throwing it again. This is for two reasons: One, they think golf, and they picture a typical golf course, with landscaped terrain long ago conquered by man. Second, most people that accidentally witness our sport do so at a course that is situated in a park setting. They see people throwing discs that soar into the empty sky then land harmlessly on flat, grassy turf. Again, and again, and again.

When disc golf is played in such a setting, it's still enjoyable, and it's pleasant. But since controlling a thrown disc is easier to master than controlling a small dimpled ball by hitting with various clubs, the challenge after awhile becomes somewhat bland. This distinction is particularly apparent to me as I learned the game on Nor Cal courses which are mostly set in undeveloped open spaces. In such locations, the sport is:

• More challenging to score well, with rougher rough, little or no soft grass, more trees, and drastic elevation changes
• Much more strenuous physical and mental exercise
• Showcased as a different - even is some ways superior - version of golf, as opposed to a weak imitation

Based on this argument, the 2011 Pro Worlds on the central coast of California promises to be very interesting. Many players will get a week-long dose of an aspect of disc golf which they have only glimpsed to this point. And those looking in from the outside will see that in its best possible setting disc golf is part golf, part nature hike, and part endurance event- with the roots of Frisbee culture adding a license to think and play outside-the-box.

When it's played in a park setting, disc golf simply comes off as a cheap imitation of a great sport, rather than the next evolutionary step of a great sport. When it's played in 'the wild' and players are forced to tromp through overgrowth and get creative to navigate wooded fairways, the uniqueness of disc golf comes through. For comparison, think about why mountain biking appeals to people that never would have shown an interest in riding a bike on flat concrete roads for entertainment and exercise.

Disc golf as a model for economoic recovery

One of the results of California's ongoing budget crisis was the threat last year of all state parks closing for the foreseeable future. Luckily the move was eventually exposed as a bluff by the governor, and nearly all parks remain open. But when it was still a possibility and the neighborhood groups were mobilizing to protest, a thought occurred to me:

"If the affected local communities were like disc golfers they'd get organized and figure out a way, through volunteerism and donated resources, to keep their parks open. If they approached the situation the way disc golfers have for decades, they'd probably even find a way to improve their parks."

Think about it. Nearly all the disc golf courses being used by the public today - especially those in California - are the result of dogged lobbying efforts, countless hours of manual labor, and thousands of dollars of donated, non-taxpayer money. Disc golfers in California don't look to the state, county or town when they want a new course in their area. Instead, they present an arrangement that should become even more attractive to local governments than it already is: Give us permission to install a course at our desired location, and we'll pay for it, build it, and maintain it at no cost to the city/county/state.

When a municipality strained to the limit for resources hears an offer like this - especially now - it has a hard time turning it down. So maybe other interest groups should follow this example (and maybe they do, and I'm just unaware of other instances.) Come to think of it, parents of students that want to participate in sports, band, etc., have been asked to pony up for years.

Anniversary of the Hambrick Day Ace

I'm not really a 'rare' disc collector. My home office has more than 30 discs on the wall (plus the single framed Marty Hapner created Masters Cup composition-of-many-years' stamps disc remaining in my house), but nearly all of them are really valuable only to me. There are the discs from tournaments I've won, tournaments that stick out from other reasons, and there are a few ace discs. I haven't meticulously preserved all my aces discs, though, because - as I've said before - most of my aces have been accidents, when it comes right down to it. I was trying to nestle it up close for a birdie . . . and . . . ching! A nice surprise. Sound familiar?

But I do have one ace disc that might be more than an accident, and that disc caught my eye just now. Stan my go-to man when I want to know potential collector value of a disc, tells me it's maybe worth $40-$50 because it's an 8-time KC Pro Cheetah in almost mint condition. But probably not, because in Sharpie on the front is written "Ace!, Hole #8, 8/14/97, 3:40 PM, and on the back, in Sharpie also, are the signatures of my playing partners that day- Brad Schick, M. Schick (his Dad), Brian Schick (his brother), and 'DJ,' a friend of theirs.

I was taking advantage of a business trip to play in an Ohio supertour (Hall of Chains Classic) on my way to the Am Worlds in Wisconsin, and decided to stop by and play the famous Hoover Dam course. As it turns out, on that day a memorial was being installed next to a tree planted a year earlier to honor the memory of Brent Hambrick. For those that didn't discover disc golf until recently, Brent was the local legendary driving force of the sport's growth before being cut down by cancer. There was even a camera grew from a local TV station setting up to cover the dedication of the memorial as we approached the tee.

As it also turns out, the Schick's and DJ were close friend of Brent's, and they grew quiet as we prepared to tee off. When it was my turn, I asked where the basket was since it was blind from the tee. They informed me that I wanted to throw around 250 feet up the wide-open, then cut the disc to the right, down into a protected green. I selected the aforementioned Cheetah, let fly based solely on their description, and heard the unmistakable sound of agitated chains. The guys got almost tearful rather than the usual yelling and high-fives, which is understandable given their connection to Brent Hambrick and the fact that the memorial was being dedicated that day. But get this:

• The hole, #8, was well-known to be Brent's favorite on the course
• My home course is DeLaveaga, well-known to be his favorite course. The Masters Cup was also his favorite tournament. He traveled from Ohio numerous times to participate
• I am left-handed, and Brent was left handed
• The Cheetah I threw had never been thrown before, by me (I had never even thrown ANY Cheetah before) or anyone else. In fact, that trip from my (and Maybe Brent's) hand to the basket was the only flight it would ever make.

Add those things together, and it's no wonder my group reacted the way it did. Yes, I threw a disc I had never thrown before on a hole I had never played to a basket I couldn't see . . . but it was no 'accidental' ace.

The future of Professional Disc Golf

Professional disc golf has not 'turned a corner,' and it certainly hasn't hit the mainstream. The sport is more popular than ever, and growing at the same steady pace it has been growing at for more than a decade. But the cash to be won by playing professionally - a bottom line if ever there was one - hasn't changed much at all during that same span.

I've gone on record before with my opinion that disc golf needs to be exponentially bigger as a recreational sport before it'll be anywhere near a spectator sport, or something that makes economic sense to broadcast on TV. But really, all it takes is one forward-thinking corporate sponsor to jump-start the whole thing. If and when that happens, this is how I see true 'professional' disc golf' taking shape:

• A 'World Tour,' (as opposed to the current National Tour) will be sponsored and promoted by a corporate entity that is able to take it to the next level. Each event will have a purse of 100k and a first prize of more than 10K.
• This World Tour will have the money to write its own rules, so to speak, and the PDGA will happily accommodate it to finally break throw to what it sees as the big-time.
  
• As opposed to all current NT events (with the exception of the USDGC), participation is limited to the top-rated touring pros, and regional qualifiers
• These regional qualifiers will consist of what are now A and B tier PDGA events, so nothing really has to change with the majority of the events going on already. The serious players will just have more to play for now

disc selection

Why do most players buy and throw the discs they do?

Most often for the wrong reasons, which include:

• They heard it's the latest 'fastest or farthest' disc on the planet and don't want to be at a disadvantage by not having it in their bag
• They've seen someone whose game they admire or aspire to throw it in a similar situation
• They subscribe to the theory that more disc choices in ones bag is better (which can be true, if you actually know what each disc does)
• Packaging- which can mean the name of the disc, the pattern (tie-dye), or even the color

So what are the right reasons? For me it all comes down to practicality, and a realistic assessment of ones own game.

• Living in Santa Cruz and playing courses that are wooded and mountainous, I always prefer brightly and unnaturally colored discs. Green, black, and multi-colored discs should be avoided at all costs- at least anywhere a disc might get lost.
• If you're not able to generate significant arm speed in general or on a particular shot, don't throw anything fast and overstable. It's much better to throw something that will glide to the target rather than being forced and cajoled.
• You've probably heard it before, but the best strategy is to get a disc like a Roc or Buzz and throw it exclusively until you can get it to fly straight, turn over, and hyzer with good consistency. After that, you'll be able better assess which other discs to add to your bag, and you'll know how to adjust your form to get the most out of each.
  

Just like that: the World Championships in Santa Cruz

Even though it's one of the 'majors' of professional disc golf, the World Championships has always seemed more to me like a Worlds Fair. In fact, in disc golf circles it's known as 'Worlds,' as in "did you go to 'Worlds' last year in Kansas City?'

I played in one Amateur 'Worlds' in my illustrious career, in 1998 in Wisconsin, and one pro Worlds, in 2000 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Both are notable for me for different reasons.

The 1998 event was the culmination of me finally putting it all together as an Am player, and I finished 12th out of 180 or so. In 2000 9after turning pro right after the 1998 Worlds), I was in the middle of a long period of floundering in the Open division, but I had other things on my mind. I was in the first six months of dating my now wife, who is from Michigan. she went with me to the Worlds, I met her family in Michigan and Ohio . . . and sucked big-time at the Hudson Mills Metroplex.

Why all this talk about Worlds? Because somehow, inexplicably, the PDGA's biggest show is coming to Santa Cruz. We're hosting it at four courses between here and Monterey, and Tom (Schot)'s vision will have us breaking new ground in several areas. Stay tuned . . .

The Black Mouse examples

Our family has three pet rats, but as of sometime yesterday afternoon only two of them - Alice and Weasel - were accounted for in their cage. Gavoroche was missing, and after conducting interviews in the morning, a 5-year old suspect admitted removing the rat from the cage, taking it outside, and leaving it on Dude the cat's bed. With the office door open. So the rat either escaped into the woods, or chose to remain in the office somewhere and spend the night with Dude.

My solution was to take off for a quick round at Black Mouse and cool off, so as not to get Memorial Day weekend started on a rat-death downer note. I'm glad I did.

Not because of my score (it took birdies on 16 and 17 to squeak under par) but a few observations I made:

• I, like many people I know, really, really value disc golf. It's amazing something this great can be widely available and mostly free
• Also like many others I know, I pus for the growth of the sport, but do I really want it? I hit the course at Black Mouse at 8:30 AM, left at 9:30, and didn't see another player. It was a real pleasure and I'm not sure I want to give that up
• There are three new benches, on holes 3, 4, and, uh, I forget which other one. But the progress there continues. Between the JR High Nature Academy and the Black Mouse club, the story of that course is everything that's right about the way our sport is growing

the delusional disc golfer

So as i mentioned before, I didn't play in the Masters Cup this year- for the first time since 1994, I think. And I was even more bummed to see that the combo of the toughest-yet layout and choppy winds held scores down to the extent that -2 won my division (Open Masters). And from Sunday afternoon to Sunday evening, and I guess even that night as I slept that night, the delusions began to build.

I would have been right there with the lead groups all weekend. My strength is scratching out pars on tough courses in tough conditions. DeLa is MY course. And so it went.

So even though I had an impending deadline on a tough project, come Monday morning I only had one thought: get out to DeLa and play the course I saw giving guys so much trouble all weekend. And so I did. I shot a +3 (with a CTP-worthy birdie on hole 27), which isn't bad considering the layout and the wind. But then, tongue in cheek, I began to make a case to myself that that +3 meant I woulda/coulda won the Masters Cup. Wanna get a window into some real disc golf delusion? Check this out:

• My +3 included two tree OB strokes, one extremely unlikely.
• It also included two double bogeys that - it could be argued - were 5's rather than 4's (holes 13 and 14) if I were not rushing to play through larger groups
• Take away those four strokes, and I shoot -1 rather than +3
• -1 three times is -3, good enough to beat the -2 that won my division in the Masters Cup!

Of course, all that discounts the following tethers to reality:

• I can't play two rounds in a row at DeLa right now, much less three. My shoulder just sorta stops working, pain or no pain
• OB strokes will happen. Truth be told, that round was pretty even, luck-wise
• Playing the day after an NT event on the same course is not tournament golf, no matter how realistically one may try to stick to tourney conditions

My best non-delusional guess that I would have shot +3 at best the first round, +6 at best the second round, and +8 at best the 3rd round. But imagine what woulda/coulda been . . .

Round 1 in the books

DeLaveaga solidifies its position as the toughest course in the world per square foot with the first round results of the 2010 Masters Cup in Santa Cruz, CA. Even though the course is set at 26 holes, only nine players out of 84 finished under par. Defending champ Greh-GORY Barsby leads with a 1058-rated six under, followed by Matt Orum at -5 and Nate "Bobby" Doss at -3.

The Master Cup has by far the shortest average hole distance on the PDGA National Tour, but makes up for it with strategic tree placement, elevation change, and rock-hard, root-strewn greens placed close to all kinds of disaster. DeLaveaga may not have water hazards, but the two meter tree OB rule is in effect and there is all kinds of trouble waiting for discs that stray even slightly from their intended paths. A strong but intermittent wind only made things tougher to predict.

A few random observations:

• another sign of the course playing tough for everyone- The Champ, Ken Climo, is at even par, and he has as good a chance to win at this point as ever
• Sixteen 1000-rated players shot over par in the first round
• Dave Feldberg shot -1 in the first round, but it was good enough for a tie for ninth place, his best position ever after the first round in the Master Cup
• Only one Grandmaster is under par, leader Scott Riley, and I gave him a ride from the outer parking area this morning. Who will I pick up tomorrow?
  

DeLa in all its finery

Another of those times to celebrate the differences between ball golf and disc golf.

The PDGA National Tour rolls into town this week for the Masters Cup, an event hosted by the DeLa Disc Golf Club for the past 25 years. Even though the course will be set at 26 holes for the event - holes 20-22 will be skipped - all the holes (and I mean ALL the holes) are in play right now. Hole 17 is in play, as are 8a and 26a, making 29 total.

Multitudes of volunteers and workers paid by the city have been busy mowing and weed-whacking the fairways and greens, and the course looks . . . . marvelous. It looks, even to the untrained eye, like a golf course. I even saw a rather larger bobcat stalking prey in the suddenly exposed short grass after the mowing.

What's more, each hole is in the longest, most difficult position possible. 23 has a new, longer blind location. 25 is in its new super-uphill position, and 26a is from the new long tee to the old long basket position, a par four posing as a par three.

By my own personal gauge (at this point more what the average joe can do, not a touring pro), only eight of the 29 present a legitimate chance for birdie (can you guess which eight?).

So if you love being challenged to make par hole after hole, the course is like an epic set of waves right now, 15 feet over head. Here's where disc golf transcends it's ancestor: since disc golf is still flying under the radar for the most part, anyone can drive there, pay a couple bucks to park in the lot (or park for free and walk 10 minutes to the first hole) and start playing on pretty much whatever hole he, she or they want.

Try doing that on any ball golf course- much less one where a PGA event is coming up!

Falling Putts can lower your score!

Disc golfer's familiar with the rules of the sport recognize the term 'falling putt' as an infraction that occurs when the disc is within 10 meters of the target. The rules (see 803.04 C) clearly state that a player - when inside this 'putting circle,' must demonstrate full balance after releasing the disc before advancing to retrieve his or her disc. This is to ensure players cannot gain an advantage by shortening the distance their disc has to travel. If this rule were not in place, putting would turn into a Frisbee-long jump hybrid, with players taking 10 paces backward to get a running start before leaping toward the target.

Of course, when this rule is broken it is much more subtle than that. Usually the player inadvertently leans into the shot, and is unable to avoid falling forward. Hence the term 'falling putt. But outside 10 meters, no such rule applies.

803.04 A makes it clear that the main restriction in this regard is that one point of contact (foot, knee, etc.) must be in contact with the ground at the time the disc is released, directly and no more than 30 centimeters behind the marker. And I've discovered that outside 10 meters, the Falling Putt can be a really, really good thing.

All players are different in terms of physical capabilities, of course. But generally speaking most of us can only use our putting style to a distance of somewhere between 30 and 40 feet before the need for more 'oomph' robs our form of its consistency and affects our aim. At this point, players will embrace one of two different strategies:

1. Change from a putting, flip-style throw to a 'regular' throw, where the player stands sideways to the target and pulls the disc back behind her or his body. This method solves the need for increased power and allows the player to regain smooth form, but aim usually suffers considerably.
2. Take advantage of the fact that the rules allow players to 'fall' forward outside 10 meters. When it's legal, and done on purpose, this is usually referred to as a 'jump putt'.
   

I'll usually take the second option, but not always, depending on distance, terrain, obstacles, and situation. And like most players, I initially took the term jump putt too literally. The term implies that you're supposed to jump into the putt, or as you putt, but I learned there are two problems with that. First, if your feet behind the marker leaves the ground before the disc leaves your hand, that is a rules violation. I know it's often hard to tell, because it's almost simultaneous, but it's better to avoid disputes of this nature entirely if you can.

The other problem with trying to jump as you putt is that it doesn't work! If your feet have left the ground before you release the disc, or they leave the ground right as the disc leaves your hand, you don't really get the power you're intending to get. Think of a shortstop in baseball trying to jump in the air and then throw the ball. It can be done, but without feet planted on the ground the arm has to supply all the power. The same is true in disc golf. Also, aim is much less consistent without the stability of those feet on the ground.

Enter the legal falling putt.

I'm not sure how I discovered this, but it enables me to putt from probably 70-80 feet with good control and consistency. By taking the straddle-putt stance (legs apart, facing the basket), then falling slowly toward the target, and putting at the last moment before my feet leave the ground, I get the best of both worlds. The momentum adds significant power, but my arm speed is the same as a much shorter putt. And as long as I don't get too eager and try to jump and throw at the same time, it's remarkably accurate.

Try it, you might like it.

disc golf vs. ball golf: each has a case

Why (ball) golf is better than disc golf, reason #17
There is something poetic and dramatic about the differences between a driver and a putter in golf. To someone that had no idea what either was used for, they would scarcely resemble implements used for the same purpose- to strike a small white ball. One is typically much longer, with a large bulbous head on the other end of what is obviously the end meant to grip with ones hands. The putter, on the other hand, is shorter, with a smaller head at the end. And as different as the clubs are, the swings they are designed for are more different still.

When one looks to 'drive' a golf ball, a full effort is usually employed. The big backswing, the (hopefully) audible whoosh and whack, and the dramatic follow through all contrast beautifully with a putt on a fast green in golf. The operation requires the nerves and steady hand of a bomb-diffuser. When the club strikes the ball, it makes a quiet little click and sends the ball rolling toward a hole not much bigger than itself. Certainly dramatic contrasted with blasting that same ball through a wide open space.

Disc golf possesses many of the most important attributes of golf - risk/reward chief among them - but the differences between a putter and driver are immediately discernible only to the learned eye. They are both roughly the same weight and diameter.

Although a drive in disc golf usually involves more movement of the feet and a faster arm-whip, the contrast between that and a putt is relatively minor.

The best way to sum it up is this: Ball golf players get to whack their projectiles more than twice as far as disc golfers can throw theirs, and yet completing the hole is a far more delicate operation. The contrast between driver and putter, whack and tap, is one of the things that makes golf great, and that contrast barely exists in disc golf.

Why disc golf is better than (ball) golf, Reason #33
Everyone knows that disc golf is "easy to learn, yet hard to master." But simply saying that disc golf is better because it is easier to play than golf is painting with too broad a stroke. There are many unique advantages that fall under this umbrella, only one of which is the following:

Two things combine to make a person's first attempt at disc golf an almost guaranteed more enjoyable, less stressful experience than playing ball golf on a course for the first time.

• Disc golf courses are much less formal environments, with none of the rules and almost none of the social mores of even a public golf course, much less a private one.
• Not much compares to having multiple sets of eyes on you as you swing and miss at a golf ball sitting on a tee. In disc golf, that's guaranteed not to happen! About the only thing that would compare is throwing the disc 180 degrees in the wrong direction (which I've seen). But that's rare, and in disc golf no one seems to care.
  

More signs of legitimacy

When I come across a news item like this one from the Augusta Chronicle in Augusta, GA, it's easy to imagine that disc golf has finally crossed the imaginary threshold into mainstream relevance. The story is about the National Collegiate Disc Golf Championship, the existence of which is a statement in itself. But it's also very well-written, in a straight sports reporting style rather than the novelty/human interest angle most coverage still seems to favor. It's written with the assumption that the reader understand the sport of disc golf. That's not the case today across the country or the world, but apparently in Augusta - at least in one newspaper's mind - it IS there.

And I find the fact that it was published so close to the home of Bobby Jones' Augusta National Golf Course, location of the just-completed THE MASTERS, makes the story more notable, not less. Maybe it's an indication that those that are best-acquainted with the virtues of the game of golf understand those virtues exist in disc golf, without limiting factors such as excessive cost, time to play, and difficulty.

At around 10:30 AM yesterday, an orthopedic surgeon showed me, on my MRI, that the rotator cuff on my throwing arm is undeniably torn. He also showed me bone spurs and told me I won't be able to throw full power for at least a year after the surgery. Panic set in immediately.

At around 4:30 PM, I finished a defiant, or more honestly denial-fueled round at DeLaveaga. All things considered, shooting par with DeLa in the long felt pretty good . . . no, darned good. At least it soothed my dessicated disc golf ego. But man, it's hard to submit to an operation on my arm when I can still play decently, and pretty much without pain as long as I don't throw sidearm, over the top, at a hyzer angle anywhere close to 100 percent, or more than once a week or so. It might be better if I just couldn't throw period. Wait, forget I said that!

the latest on the Santa Cruz disc golf scene

I ordered the 2010 DDGC club shirts recently, and made sure the club logo, 'Epicenter of Disc Golf', was included on the front. Sometimes such things are empty slogans that bare little resemblance to reality. Not so with us.

We're literally like an active fault-line from which tremors small and large regularly emanate. Right now we've got so much going on, all at once . . . . it blows the mind! Or at least kinda boggles the mind.

It's a well know fact that two-time world champ and 2008 USDGC champ Nate Doss is a home grown DeLa local, as is top female pro Carrie 'Burl' Berlager. Now we've also got WonderTwins Avery and Valarie Jenkins living here too. They're not really twins.

This year, 2010, is the 25th anniversary of the Masters Cup. I've got plenty to say about this event's history and its future that I'll save it for another post, but for now a little teaser: The $2000 skins match hosted by Tom Schot's World Disc Sports that has preceded the Masters Cup for the past few years will this year include the past four World Champions. Nate, Avery, Feldberg, and The Champ (Ken Climo).

The cat is . . . rowwwwwrrr . . . out of the bag! A group of determined individuals from Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Jose is bidding to host the 2011 Professional Disc Golf World Championships. The plan is to use DeLaveaga, Pinto Lake, Ryan Ranch (Monterey), CSUMB Oaks (Monterey), and Hellyer/LaRaza (San Jose). We should know fairly soon if this news is more Walter Mitty or Walter Kronkite.

My favorite news of the day: tomorrow kicks off the inaugural season of the Santa Cruz County Interscholastic Disc Golf League. We've got 53 kids from five different schools signed up to play in team competition, with a big trophy cup going to the school that wins each year. We'll also award an individual points winner for the weeks that we use the stroke play format (the other half of the time we'll play match play). And there is no reason the number of schools can't grow from five (SLV, Scotts Valley, Harbor, Aptos, and Soquel) to include Santa Cruz High and schools from Watsonville to represent Pinto Lake.

I know high school sports are cash-starved right now, so maybe the affordable aspect of disc golf, which resonates so clearly these day, will shine a light on some of the other positive elements of the sport. One dynamic in particular that I'm interested to see unfold on the high school level is disc golf's egalitarianism. On the course and at tournaments, you just don't see the cliques and social strata that you see in other sports. Players genuinely want everyone else to enjoy the sport to the fullest, and it shows. As our players sign up to play in this high school league, we're noticing that many of them play other high school sports, like baseball, track, and soccer. In other words, they are they typical 'jocks' that enjoy and excel at all sports. But disc golf attracts a good number of kids (and adults) that never showed interest in organized sports. It'll be interesting to see these kids mix, but I'm confident the established disc golf paradigm will hold true and it'll be a great experience for all.

bridging the disc golf awareness gap

I sometimes wonder, in a what-if kind of way, how quickly disc golf's ponderous growth would accelerate if I could wave a magic wand and instantly communicate the following to the rest of the world:

• The game of golf, in both its iterations, is the greatest individual sport ever invented. Millions of people that would otherwise be receptive to this fact remain ignorant because of the many obstacles they rightly perceive as being prohibitive- cost and difficulty chief among them.
• There is a version of golf that retains nearly all of the facets that make it a great game, while removing these and other barriers.
• Disc golf, while easy to learn and enjoy, is much more complex than simply "throw, walk, repeat . . . throw, walk, repeat . . . " A skilled player has an almost infinite array of options when deciding how to execute a throw, and a learned eye recognizes art when he/she witnesses a shot that is thrown with just the right angle, spin, and power to turn this way to avoid one tree, then fade that way to miss another clump of bushes, then fall to the ground with just enough power to trickle toward the target, and finally stop just short of the cliff behind.

I think these facts, in combination, imparted to a sports and outdoor-inclined mind, will make disc golf irresistible.

New year, same slow, unstoppable growth

Two thousand ten began at midnight, with an incredibly bright full moon. Good omen, I hope.

Disc golf-wise, this is the biggest unknown I've experienced in . . . . since I started playing in the late 80's. At this point I'm guessing I won't play in the Masters Cup, for the first time in 18 years, just like I missed the Faultline. But on the other hand a couple non-playing ventures might show progress. That's a sign of aging, I guess, having ones accomplishments be 'off the course'.

Happy New Year. Make 2010 the year you squeeze the most out of your potential. The year of the sponge.