Which Worlds course will be talked about years from now?

Maybe the headline of this entry should have had a qualifier related to DeLaveaga. Those that have never played DeLa may lean in the direction of the iconic Santa Cruz course because of its long storied stature and the fact that she still deserves her reputation and still requires a 1000-rated round to shoot par.

Those that have played DeLa in past Masters Cups or other events may choose to go another way, though. They may remember which of the three other, much newer courses provided the greatest tournament challenge. That remains to be seen, of course, but DeLaBlahg can provide a small bit of insight from the perspective of a local.

First of all, generalizations that hold true for all four courses: The combination of trees, slanted and non-grassy fairways and variable winds adds up to difficult pars if you don't place your drive where it needs to be. But for the most part, the length of the holes is reasonable- not long just to make the hole a tough par 3 or 4- or 5 (Pinto Lake, Hole 11, 1280 feet). These courses have plenty of other factors adding to the challenge.

Ryan Ranch
Ryan Ranch is so beautiful right now, so dialed in with the sweet teesigns and basket toppers, it reminds us a femme fatale-type assassin. Many of the baskets are close enough to craggy brush and trees that you'll find yourself straddle-putting often. The winds can get up pretty good since it's mostly exposed. It's long enough that if you arm can get fatigued at the end of a long day, you'll do well to monitor your performance closely and adjust accordingly during the last 9 holes here- just like at the other 27-hole layouts.

CSUMB Oaks
The likeliest of the four courses to have wind be a major factor. If the wind is up in a major way, play to minimize the damage. It's tough because the direction changes so often, with the course being the closest to the Pacific Ocean. But this course isn't a birdie-fest on the calmest of days, so unless you're in the Open division and vying for a top spot, lots o' pars are good here too.

Pinto Lake
Tom Schot's attempt to match his achievement at DeLaveaga is mostly successful at Pinto Lake. You may not like a couple of the holes that have thread-narrow dirt roads for part or all of the fairways (we don't) but they are exacting and everyone has to play them. Most of the holes have yellow OB rope left, right, and in some case behind the pin. Make sure you know where that rope is on every shot. Especially on the meadow (upper) holes, which look so wide-open and innocuous after the first 4 holes, the OB can creep up on you very easily- especially if there is any wind to speak of.

The guess here is that Pinto Lake will stand out from the three courses not called DeLaveaga. It has the significant advantage of being the location for the semi-finals and finals, after all. It's the only course the top divisions will play more than once. But that's the only reason we cast our vote for Pinto Lake. The other courses are epic as well, and they're all tough, technical, long, and a big departure from the courses most competitors play regularly. We like to envision conversations years from now among people who played the 2011 Pro Worlds, spirited debates about which course ended up being pivotal in XXXX XXXXXX being crowned World Champion.

Be aware of the lake on the one hole where it actually comes into play (14).

Poison oak, next week's weather, and fashion choices

Everything that has been posted on the Worlds site and various Facebook pages so far about treating poison oak is more or less correct. Wash thoroughly with soap and/or use Worlds sponsor Zanfel or Technu. The sooner you do it, the better in terms of severity and prevention of spreading. But wouldn't it be better to prevent exposure in the first place?

One of the main things you can do to lessen exposure is simply wear long pants. The weather is supposed to be quite mild during the 2011 Worlds, with highs on the hottest course (Pinto Lake) possibly never even reaching 80 degrees. Remember, too, that Northern California has very low humidity.  Getting a tan isn't worth it if it means also experiencing Poison Oak, which is many times more potent than Poison Ivy. And it'll be overcast most of the time anyway.

• DeLaBlahg packs a travel size/trial size pack of 'Wet Wipes' in our disc golf bag for times when we know we've contacted the vile weed. Immediate cleansing with the wipes seems to neutralize the toxic oils. Read it somewhere, and it's always worked for us.

• As you keep your eye out for the leafy poison oak plants on the ground, don't forget that the gnarliest (literally) plants are the vines that climb trees. They don't have many leaves, but if you get scratched by one and it breaks the skin, look out. To be safe, steer clear of any dry, brittle-looking vines you see creeping up trees.

Tidbits on the Worlds courses; local TV news coverage

DeLaBlahg accompanied Nate Doss and Valarie Jenkins to a local TV Station early this morning, then joined them for a practice round at Pinto Lake. The live segment with the local morning news co-anchors went well, and clips should be re-posted on the Worlds homepage and Facebook page as soon as the station makes them available. For now, here is the first segment as captured by the Discmasters camera on the camera on the action.

The morning news team, which is small and amazingly capable, ended up doing two segments that were both a couple minutes in length. Review of the entire show later in the day on DVR showed that they even plugged the disc golf segments twice as teasers beforehand- although the repeated called it 'Frolf' until we corrected them during a break. In both segments, co-anchors Colleen Chen and Tamara Berg toss putters toward an orange powder-coated DGA basket and ask Val and Nate questions. After receiving some basic instruction both showed improvement. The sound cut out some on the live broadcast during the second segment, but not enough to ruin it. That's important, because according to the show's producer they get a bunch of viewers right at the end, tuning in for the CBS Early Show which follows it.

Nate Doss and Valarie Jenkins with Colleen Chen of KION News

We're hoping to get more coverage on KION/FOX 35 before the end of the tournament, so stay tuned.

Course Notes- Pinto Lake
Headed to check out a couple of the Worlds courses after the TV studio shoot. After a stop at Ryan Ranch to check out the new tee signs, benches, and 'basket-toppers'(all looking incredible), we headed to Pinto Lake.

Volunteers were hard at work laying out what will be the words '2011 Pro Worlds' in 80-foot tall letters, along with a correspondingly large KEEN logo on the course's 1200-foot hole, #11. It'll be so big it will cover most of that long fairway and be visible from 30,000 feet. When it's done, cameras in airplanes and/or helicopters will hopefully capture some images we can share.

The rest of the course is looking great - even better than great - but for those heading out to practice for the Worlds, a few important notes:

• The yellow OB rope that will be put down on the first five holes and holes 14-18 should be there in the next couple days (by Wednesday August 3rd). Until then, pay attention to hole maps and look for the low-protruding 4 x 4 posts that define most of the OB right now.
• Watch out for yellowjackets on holes 10 and 12, in both cases within 50 feet of the basket.
• Even though this also should change in the next day or two, hole 12A doesn't have a basket (it has a tone-pole, much of a tee (two markings on the ground) or signage (none) as of Monday August 1st around Noon. Here's how to get there and then on to Hole 13: After completing hole 12, walk back up the hill along the OB line to the right, to keep safe from being hit by drives on 12. When you get to the tee for 12, you'll see the tee for 12A not far behind it. After finishing 12A, walk down to a trail on the right that cuts across toward Hole 13.
• Hole 18's basket will be moved from it's normal position about 75 feet longer, into the open grassy area short of the restrooms. There is a stake to mark where the basket will be- hopefully in, you guessed it . . . a coupla days. Max. There was already plenty to polish up in the next few days, and that sign is gonna be huge.

The 'Worldwide Broadcast TV Premier' of DiscmastersTV

So here's the lowdown on the TV show: We've got the first episode complete and online on our YouTube channel here. We have enough footage already for the first four episodes, but will be shooting more soon.

We now also know when the show will air on local Santa Cruz cable. If you're interested in helping it get aired in a different community, let me know. Here are the initial Santa Cruz show times:

+    Sat    05/21/11    03:00 PM    Channel 27/73
+    Fri    05/20/11    08:30 PM    Channel 27/73
+    Thu    05/19/11    06:30 PM    Channel 27/73
+    Tue    05/17/11    01:00 PM    Channel 27/73
+    Mon    05/16/11    09:00 PM    Channel 27/73

Future episodes feature Nikko Locastro, GreGory Barby, Jon Baldwin, Shasta Criss, and a bunch of other local and Pro players. Enjoy!

A Discmasters teaser plus, uh, "Gourd Disc Golf'

After months of filming and editing, the TV show I've been working on is set to debut on Community TV and YouTube in April- this month. It stars Nate Doss, Valarie and Avery Jenkins and a host named Jack Tupp, and features entertaining characters such as Gregg Barsby and Nikko Locastro, along with a strong sampling of locals from the Santa Cruz disc golf scene. We figure with the Pro Worlds coming here in the summer, people might like an insiders view of what goes on here year-round.

We've created a couple completely different trailers. One is an explanation of the different types of content the show will have (and that one will be posted very soon), and this one is random clips from the show set to . . . music. I have a censored and non-sensored version posted here, since a few of the lyrics are not acceptable in genteel society. Check 'em out and decide for yourself whether you think the show will be any good. And check back here for more details on when and where the show will air. We'll have a Facebook page and website up soon.

 

Now for the Gourd Disc Golf. Seems the guy in the picture below has decided that plain old disc golf is already passe, and the real sport of the future is played with gourds, or pieces of gourds. If you must know what he's up to, see if you can figure it out at the site where the picture is posted, www.cabinmadeartworks.com.