Day Four on the DL

DL being the Disabled List, for those who don't follow baseball.

I put myself on the disc golf DL four days ago, after shoulder pain of unusual intensity and resonance, and haven't thrown a disc since (Well, that's not true. I threw two putts from 15 feet today to test the water, and didn't like the results). I feel forced to sheepishly admit that, having grown accustomed to throwing discs throughout the day, every day, I think I'm now going through withdrawals.

It's bad enough having to remind myself that I can't play every time the urge pops up. I also have to lay off putting at home, and I have a basket right between my house and office. Every time I walk between the two and see the basket, I realize it has been way longer than normal since I've thrown a disc.

Jump-putting to Conclusions

My old shoulder injury returned with a vengeance last Friday while playing a round.

• I finished the round, because I have an obsession with finishing rounds
• I kept an appointment to play early the next morning - even though I had to play right-handed most of the time and ended up shooting +21 - because I had been looking forward to it for days
• I tried to apply the basic instructions I give to beginners to myself, throwing right-handed. I learned (again) that knowing what to do and actually doing it are two different things.
• Hopefully I can restrain myself and stay off the course until my shoulder at least regains its most recent level of 'serviceableness' (sp).

Didn't follow the worlds very closely once I realized that Natron wasn't going to contend for his 3rd Worlds title. But when I saw the final leaderboard, one thought came to mind: None of the former Worlds or USDGC champs was at or even near the top of the standings. The closest was Feldberg, finishing 13 strokes off the lead.

Since I've never played any of the KC courses, I'm speaking from a position of relative ignorance. But based solely on the observation I just made, I'm guessing that maybe the courses collectively put too much emphasis on distance and power. I'm guessing that these Worlds' were more about the physical than the mental, and that adversity mostly took the form of long, grueling holes. How else do you explain a leaderboard of almost all 'young guns' who can throw 500 feet all day without wearing out? And when is the last time a Worlds or USDGC ended with Ken Climo, Nate Doss, Dave Feldberg, Barry Shultz, and Stevie Rico all 13 strokes or more off the lead? Look it up (because I'm too lazy to do it). I'll bet that hasn't happened since 1991, when Climo won his first Worlds.