Hello there, this is Jack Tupp, Owner and lead instructor at School of Disc Golf.
Part of my 2023 disc golf summer was spent familiarizing myself with an amazing piece of technology called TECHDISC. I’ve already used it with several clients and have now fully incorporated it into both types of lessons we offer; in-person and virtual.
Here is a brief summary of what TECHDISC is and what it does:
TECHDISC is the name of the company, as well as the company’s flagship (and only) product
The product, which sells for $299, is a piece of hardware; a small rubberized puck that is precisely and permanently attached to a disc at their factory. Customers can choose the disc type and weight.
The puck contains sensors that track the disc’s speed, spin rate, launch rate, hyzer angle, and wobble rate upon release
The data collected by the puck is transmitted via Bluetooth to the user’s phone, tablet, or laptop, where it is displayed numerically and graphically and also stored securely in the user’s account on TECHDISC servers
The software platform also enables users to label and sort throws to gain additional insights
So far, TECHDISC has been so popular they’ve gone through several cycles of preorders. In other words, they can’t make ’em fast enough!
I’m working on a more comprehensive review of TECHDISC to be posted soon, but after extensive use of the tool and platform over the last few months these are my impressions of how TECHDISC can be used to improve one’s disc golf game— and how we’ll be using it at School of Disc Golf moving forward.
techdisc in school of disc golf private lessons
Using TECHDISC with clients hasn’t changed what I teach in lessons, nor has it altered how I teach. At least not very much. But it has supercharged both in two ways I noticed right away.
A big part of my private lessons — especially with newer players — is explaining how to generate arm speed and spin, and how to control the direction and trajectory of the disc. In other words, how to throw further and “straighter.” Before TECHDISC, my methods produced consistent results, but quite often success is delayed, at least for a time, by the fact that adopting proper technique can feel strange.
I would explain mechanical changes and drills to a client, and together we’d assess their throws using my eyes and experience and the client’s feel. But trusting that new feel can take time. Having the quantification and scientific measurement of TECHDISC, however, is powerfully different. It provides an irrefutable level of confirmation — positive or negative — to both student and teacher. Numbers don’t lie, as they say.
Speaking of numbers, the other instant win using TECHDISC with new disc golfers involves explaining the differences between discs, flight numbers, and how to select the correct disc for each circumstance— and why that answer changes depending on a wide range of factors. TECHDISC includes a flight simulator that allows us to see how tweaking throw characteristics (and also disc characteristics) changes the flight of a disc.
The Flight Simulator lets users adjust both disc and throw characteristics, then use the 3D Throw Viewer to see how each change affects the flight of the disc.
Having a hands-on tool that lets someone change disc and throw numbers to create hyzer flip and forced flex shot lines that end up in the same place communicates important info in a much more memorable way.
using techdisc IN virtual lessons
We have developed an excellent methodology over the years to serve those who can’t make it to Santa Cruz, but as with everything else, communicating via Zoom and email and texts is a little less effective than being in the same location.
The most important thing for me in using it as a training tool is that it accurately reflects adjustments a client makes over the course of our work together. It does.
The concrete metrics of TECHDISC permit no message distortion— they are what they are. Clients know exactly where they stand in terms of speed and spin, and they gain a proper understanding of less intuitive factors like nose angle, hyzer angle, and launch angle. As an instructor, knowing the exact numbers for each throw I see on a video call makes an even bigger difference than when using it with an in-person client. I may misinterpret something I see, especially when it’s on a screen and the angle is bad, but I can trust the numbers.
I’ll go into more detail soon in a full review, but I’ve used my TECHDISC enough by now to know it is consistent from throw to throw. The most important thing for me in using it as a training tool is that it accurately reflects adjustments a client makes over the course of our work together. It does. When my clients own their own TECHDISC, they can share their throw data between sessions, and I can trust that data. It provides scientific data that confirms when they do X, the results are Y. Over time, even more patterns and trends will emerge, especially if they take full advantage of the tagging feature.
TECHDISC automatically sorts throws by type and release angle, and lets you manually label and sort in numerous other ways.
using techdisc on your own
You can of course use a TECHDISC on your own. At the very least you’ll have the coolest disc golf gadget around, one-upping the rangefinder crowd. If you expect the ability to capture and slice and dice all that data to translate into lower scores, though, that will largely depend on your ability to figure things out on your own. If you’ve had success in the past watching YouTube videos and implementing changes, and you understand technical disc golf terminology, TECHDISC should provide you with all the benefits described above.
If, however, you’re on the other end of the spectrum (many of my current clients tell me they found my website after trying and failing to watch videos and develop on their own), please remember that TECHDISC is a measurement tool combined with good database tools. It won’t tell you how to change those numbers. But, hey, that’s what me and my fellow disc golf instructors are for, right?
Contact us if you’d like to schedule a TECHDISC-powered lesson or have a question, or book online directly to reserve a date and time right now.
Last week in the world of disc golf, I played in my club’s weekly bag-tag competition, early A.M. as usual. The “flex start” format allows groups to play throughout the day. Because we use Udisc for scoring, that enables players to keep an eye on the scores not just when they are playing but before and after, as well.
Club members who play in the afternoon can watch the scores to see how the course is playing that day— and make note of the current score to beat.
It works the other way for me and my Breakfast Club buddies. If I shoot at least a decent round I’ll check back occasionally on my phone to see how it holds up. If I shoot a really solid or great round I’ll watch to see how long it stays on top of the leaderboard or at least in the top 5.
This is a pretty great enhancement to casual competition, and thanks to Udisc it gets even better. Their live scoring features let us follow other groups’ scores hole-by-hole, so after playing a clean round (other than that roll-away triple bogey) on a very tough layout, I watched and waited. After moving up and down on this list as new players started and others finished, I ended up pretty much where I expected.
The early morning rounds are special anyway, regardless of the associated competition of bag-tags. Birds are chirping and the course is mostly empty. We’re out there together, three or four of us, eschewing our warm beds and embracing (on this day) a blanket of fog in the air and water dripping from every blade of grass. It’s more than disc golf. As my mom would say, “It’s an adventure!”
Speaking of adventures, a company called Humbo asked me to share their list of the best disc golf destinations in the world. Let me know if you agree. What did they miss? Which ones have you visited?
Bag-tag Thursdays are about growth. One day my friend will emerge from his disc golf cocoon as a beautiful, 950-rated butterfly!
Before I share a few “disc golf makes good” stories, as is my custom, I want to share why I do it. I’m hoping people pick up on the common themes that permeate these accounts of growth in our sport. More often than not they involve people volunteering, donating, and sharing their expertise because they appreciate disc golf so much they feel a kind of obligation to share it.
For instance, thanks Brad Silvers and others the town of Howland, OH has Tiger Town Disc Golf Course, while Trigg County, KY used restaurant tax money and a host of volunteers to build its new 18-hole course. And then there’s Alex Dowley, assistant tennis coach at Albion College in Michigan. He’s doing what he can to grow disc golf there, where will may someday be the HEAD disc golf coach!
For those who didn’t see the cool buy o’ the month, here it is again: The handy-dandy product that serves as a stylish car seat cover, disc golf practice target, and beach towel— just not all at once.
The grommets enable it to be hung up, and the regulation size basket for aiming will hopefully reduce the times someone asks why you’re launching Frisbees at a towel. Get one before they’re gone!
Finally, this week’s disc golf news from the Canadian Front. Moosejaw is getting another 18-hole disc golf course, because one is never enough. My friend Brett in Saskatoon will play them both and report back. Have a great holiday weekend. Let freedom, and disc golf chains ring! And remember those who made it possible.
College Disc Golf, Air Force Disc Golf in Japan, Jack Tupp on Amazon, and the Ground-Up Approach to SAving Strokes.
Last week in the wind-whipped world of disc golf, the College Disc Golf National Championship went down pretty much as expected. WPI (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) finished a respectable 8th, between Kentucky and Texas A&M. Meanwhile, Lenexa, KS finally opened a course 20 years in the making. Officers at the Yokata Air Base in Western Tokyo did not blink, and within days announced their own new disc golf installation.
Meanwhile in the world of School of Disc Golf, aka, Play DisGolf, Inc., aka, me, I was surprised to learn my book Three Paths to Better Disc Golf is only two ratings shy of 100 on Amazon. (I had no idea! You see, I’m pretty shall we say “hands off” when it comes to my social media marketing — eh-HEM, Slacker! — and not as up-to-date on these things as I should be.) If you’ve read the book, post a review and help it hit triple digits!
I want to share a few snippets from past reviews as feedback like this is extremely gratifying and humbling at the same time.
“I did not expect how many of the suggestions just clicked – reflections of things I know to be true from my work and personal life that I had simply never applied to my recreational passion – disc golf. So far my scores are trending in the right direction, but more than any of that, practicing “disc golf in a vacuum” has allowed me to enjoy my time on the course even more. Highly recommend!”
“This is an awesome read, Being new to the sport I was a little confused about some aspects of the game. The author makes great sense and is simple to understand. If you take your game seriously you owe it to yourself to check it out.”
“I’ve read several of the most popular disc golf books and this is by far my favorite. Excellent treatment of the subject and from someone who can actually write!”
Those were some of my favorites, each for a different reason. I even liked the lowest-rated review, which simply said “Be the Disc, Danny.” An association with one of the best movies ever can’t hurt, right?
I also have deep ties to Michigan Disc Golf (what’s up, WinniCrew?), and this campaign to build an epic course and honor a legend is a perfect example of why and how disc golf has come so far and ain’t slowing down! Help ‘em out if you can, especially if you’re near the Upper Peninsula.
Our private course is showing signs of a mini-super bloom, and the season for teambuilding events and group activities is getting started. Contact me directly if you’re interested in booking a date or learning more.
Hole 7, looking back to the tee.Basket of Hole 5 in the Hazard Island location.
This week’s flashback post from the blog is a 2-Parter. Big mistakes can obviously cost you big-time, but lots of little things can add up fast. Knowing how to adjust to the vagaries of the terrain, or taking a Ground-Up Approach to Saving Strokes is key.
Part 1 focuses on up/down and left/right slopes, while Part 2 addresses varying tactics based on varying playing surfaces. Just to tie this week into a neat little bow, these are also chapters in that book I mentioned.
May your weekend include time to throw discs and enjoy their flight.
World record in nz, disc golf lingo, disc golf philanthropy, and the march madness winning coach practices disc golf?
Last week in the warm, furry underbelly of disc golf, a new distance world record was set. Seven year old Sarah Wadsworth of New Zealand launched their disc 62.07 meters, or a little more than 200 feet. Sources are unclear on whether it was a chuck or a huck.
According to Udisc, Morley Field in San Diego is the most-played disc golf course in the world. After an improbable run SDSU last week lost to UConn in the NCAA men’s basketball title game. According to these fools UConn coach Dan Hurley practiced disc golf right after the game, but he’s really just tossing . . . you guessed it . . . a Frisbee.
This week’s flashback is to a post about disc golf lingo— one of my most popular ever. It’s also a chapter in The Disc Golf Revolution, right between “The Complexities of Disc Flight” and “Disc Golf on the Road.”
Loudoun County must be LOCO about its disc golf community.
Local disc golf clubs like the Trumbull County Disc Golf Association not only routinely provide the necessary labor and funding to build new courses (go to Play Discgolf on Facebook and search #newdiscgolfcourse to see a ton more). They also raise funds for the community, and every winter clubs around the world host “Feed the Hungry” events. Shout out to the LoCo Disc Golf Club in Loudoun County, VA, first off first the cool spelling of your name, but also for being a shining example of disc golf’s philanthropic nature. 40k is not chump change, and they do it again and again!
Playing early morning rounds has always been part scheduling necessity for me and part preference. The course always seems more beautiful and dramatic at first light. And speaking of drama, my favorite arch nemesis is back, and he wants my tag!
Hole 2 long at DeLa: Do NOT miss your line.
DeLaveaga is set in The Long for the upcoming Masters Cup, and pretty much every hole requires skill, precision, and nerves of stainless steel.
This scrubby oak on hole 4 at DeLa is known as the Catcher’s Mitt, and that drive was most definitely a strike.
Enjoy your weekend, especially any disc golf you get to play. It’s a gift!
I’ve received a few queries asking why a newsletter that usually opens with a line about the wide world of disc golf is called FrisbeeGolf Friday. There are numerous reasons that I will share over time, but let’s start with two. The first can be defined as onomatopoeia. The word frisbee sounds like what it is, which is extra cool when you consider that is was selected rather than created.
In the History of Disc Golf chapter in The Disc Golf Revolution, I ask which sounds better: “Let’s go play flying disc,” “Let’s go play Pluto Platter,” or “Let’s go play Frisbee!” When most of the world thinks flying disc, it thinks Frisbee, which is my second reason for the newsletter title. I am publicly asserting that the word frisbee (notice I didn’t capitalize it) has become a genericized trademark. Want proof? Google “frisbee golf” and see what comes up.
For those who didn’t know, the only reason our sport was called disc golf in the first place was basket inventor and PDGA founder Ed Headrick’s need to respect WHAM-O’s trademark and branding. If the word frisbee is no longer protectable, I say, say it. Frisbee Golf!
A guy in Utah found healing in disc golf, so he came up with a way to pay it forward. The Breaking Chains group in Taylorsville, UT is part support group, part fresh air and exercise, two things crucial to those battling addiction and mental health issues. The founder hopes to expand in Utah and then nationally.
In Wadesboro, NC students of Anson High School’s sports and marketing class will be organizing and running an upcoming disc golf tournament.
Photo courtesy of Peter Ascuitto
I’m writing a post right now with the working title of “Less is Less,” the idea being that you can shave strokes off your game by doing less on any given shot. Watch for that soon, but in the meantime here are a couple from the past that also touch on the idea that we can lower our scores by playing smarter as well as playing better.
Both are also chapters in my book Three Paths to Better Disc Golf. Get a signed copy from me here, or get it on Amazon.
I wrote last week about the value of a midrange that anyone can throw straight, citing the Wombat3 as the best example.
Wombat3
Earlier this week I aced hole 8a at DeLa with my Star Wombat3, a short, tight hole I’ve played thousands of times but never aced. The only reason that disc found the chains last week was because it kept pushing forward when my other discs all faded at the end. It was a nice surprise and perfect illustration of how this disc is different.
Short, tight holes often require straight-flying, slow discs.
That’s it for this week. Get out there and have fun!
Last week we found lots of good stuff in the cracks and crevices of the disc golf world. The 2023 World Happiness Report came out, and get this: The top spot goes to disc golf-crazy Finland; the top 10 include more leading disc golf nations; the top 20 “happiest” countries all have disc golf.
Draw your own conclusions.
Ads for the Austin, TX chapter of the First Tee program ran during last weekend’s Disc Golf Network broadcast. I found that interesting. First Tee is a ball golf-based youth program where participants learn life skills along with golf skills. It is run by the World Golf Foundation, the trade organization for the golf industry.
Ads for the Austin, TX chapter of the First Tee program ran during last weekend’s Disc Golf Network broadcast. I found that interesting. First Tee is a ball golf-based youth program where participants learn life skills along with golf skills. It is run by the World Golf Foundation, the trade organization for the golf industry.
When researching my book, I interviewed the WGF’s then-executive director about the possibility of First Tee including disc golf in its programs since disc golf is so much more accessible. She made it clear that the golf manufacturers who funded First Tee would not let that happen. But that was in 2015. Maybe this is a sign of things to come- or maybe the head of the Austin chapter of First Tee received a stern phone call. In any case, the Revolution continues . . .
Speaking of DGN, kudos to the producers for making better and better use of the drone cameras. Getting that “5,000-foot” perspective really makes a difference.
Our #newdiscgolfcourse spotlight of the week comes from Quincy, IL. David Morgan, director of golf at the Westfield Golf Center, said “They (disc golfers) don’t have a long course in the area apparently, and so now they can have competitions and stuff like that.” Do they not have golf tournaments in Quincy? It reminded me of this great moment from Corporate Spokesperson history after Madison Bumgarner and my SF Giants won the World Series. Good “stuff.”
Here’s a quick tip. A truly straight-flying midrange disc is useful for maybe more than you think. If you’re challenged to get a disc to turn in a certain direction, sometimes it’s better to throw a shorter (or longer) straight shot than force it. The Wombat3 is a perfect choice for this purpose because it goes straight and finishes straight regardless of power, even if released with hyzer. If you can’t make that tight dogleg, play station-to-station instead. If you have trouble hitting low tunnels, a Wombat3 is good for both.
A client recently gave me this really cool gift, a handcrafted mini disc that features pressed alder seeds. I have no business relationship with Treasures of the Forest– just wanted to share them with my readers. Judging by the site, their stuff is in demand, but they add pieces each week and take custom orders that can include organic material you send them! Check out their Facebook page, too.
If you missed last week’s FGF, I shared a new instructional post on optimizing the use of eye-body coordination and mentioned I had an upcoming tournament. I won the tourney, and employing the eye discipline discussed in the post was a major reason why. Check it out!
Before you return to your own daily “stuff,” please take 60 seconds to sign this petition. The already semi-approved course would be in a part of the Bay Area that has no disc golf (how can they be happy?!), and the site is fabulous. Thank you!
Last week in the wide world of disc golf, another brave disc golf club declared its intention to turn straw into gold– and you can help! I particularly like the idea of converting Bellingham, WA mall dwellers into disc golfers. As the Disc Golf Revolution continues, disc golf is expanding into a new market- New Market, Alabama, to be precise.
From Taupō, New Zealand we learn of the North Island Championships, where more than 200 players will compete. I love this uncredited image from the story, and that basket! The chain assembly looks solid but the cage appears ready to break some hearts.
Due to shipping costs, disc golf course builders in more remote locations need to create their own, locally-produced baskets.
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My extended test of the world’s first real disc golf shoe continues, and they’re holding up great. Check out my first three months’ review– if you want to give them a try, now is a great time. In honor of Women’s History Month, Idio is knocking $44 off the regular price of $129.99.
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Watch. Where. You’re. Throwing! The latest instructional post on our website is about the role our eyes play when putting and driving, and it can be summed up with those four words. Learn how to best use these powerful pieces of human technology.
Our new booking site is also a great place to pick up unique disc golf gifts and merch- or it will be soon. There’s not a lot there yet, but you can find some clearance items you won’t find anywhere else. There is even a shirt from the show Discmasters that I hosted with Nate, Val, and Avery back in 2011.
Wish me luck this weekend as I compete in the Enduro Bowl at DeLaveaga. It’s 58 straight holes (2×29 holes), and the course is bound to be a slog.
My 2019 Enduro Bowl trophy was this cool ring. Go Team!
MC Flow was not a hip-hop artist, nor a pioneering disc golfer from the early ’80s. He was a psychologist, and no one has ever referred to him by that name except me, in this post.
While researching my book, Three Paths to Better Disc Golf, I learned that Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is the person credited with the concept of Flow. In the context of athletic performance and contemporary language, “In the Zone” may be the more familiar term for this state of being.
I read yesterday that Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced chik-sent-mee-hai-ee) died on October 20th, a great loss to the academic community. After learning some new things about his teaching and having had a few years to reflect since mentioning him in the book, I decided to once again bring him to the attention of disc golfers who seek the elusive but wholly available nexus of optimized performance and enriched experience on the course.
Csikszentmihalyi was best known to academics who study psychology for his larger body of work exploring happiness and creativity. His codification of the ideal state of productivity, production, and engagement (flow) was his greatest contribution to the larger world’s understanding of the human experience.
Although the concept of flow applies to any long term endeavor that a person wishes to undertake and ultimately master, athletic competition provides the ideal vessel to understand, witness, and hopefully experience this elusive state.
When you think of an athlete being “In the Zone,” what is the first thing that comes to mind? For me it’s a basketball player who is making the right decision at every juncture, making every shot no matter how difficult. When this is happening, we’ll also hear phrases like “automatic,” “unconscious,” and “out of her mind.”
As I have come to understand it, though, flow isn’t a trance-like state where we’re either in it or we’re not- a plane of existence we may be lucky to stumble into once or twice in our lives. It is a target at which to aim, and much like aiming for one center link of a basket, even coming close usually produces positive results.
Csikszentmihalyi (aka MC Flow) used flow to describe a person being in a state of complete absorption with whatever they are doing, of being so involved in an activity that nothing else exists. In an interview with Wired magazine he explained it as “”being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away,” he said. “Time flies.”
If he had stopped there, this insight would still have been fascinating, but not very useful to those of us obsessed with optimizing performance. But thankfully he didn’t stop there.
The actionable crux of MC Flow’s hypothesis is a roadmap on how to get there. To achieve a flow state, he said, a balance must be struck between the challenge of the task and the skill of the performer. If the task is too easy or too difficult, flow cannot occur as both skill level and challenge level must be matched and high; if skill and challenge are low and matched, then apathy results. If the challenge level is high and the skill level is low, the result is anxiety.
This brings me to the main new thing I learned about MC Flow’s hypotheses yesterday, and how it supports my concept of Disc Golf in a Vacuum.
Csikszentmihalyi believed that autotelic personality – in which a person performs acts because they are intrinsically rewarding, rather than to achieve external goals – is a trait possessed by individuals who can learn to enjoy situations that most other people would find miserable. According to the Wikipedia entry on the man and his work, “Research has shown that aspects associated with the autotelic personality include curiosity, persistence, and humility.”
When I had the mountaintop (Top of the World at DeLaveaga DGC, to be specific) epiphany that led to me formulating my own hypothesis on optimizing both enjoyment and performance in disc golf, I was zeroing in on some of the same general ideas as MC Flow. My big personal discovery had three parts:
Immersing myself in the selection, planning, execution, and then evaluation of a shot, solely for the sake of doing so (the intrinsic reward) rather than as a step to achieving a low score on my round that day (an external goal) is the richest, most gratifying way to experience disc golf
Remaining in or close to this state for an entire round almost always results in optimized execution and therefore optimized scoring
Despite being wholly absorbed in each shot as it happens, I’ve found I am much better equipped to go back after the round, often many hours later, and relive the whole round
Csikszentmihalyi listed several conditions for flow, and others have taken it upon themselves to flesh out his hypothesis even further. If you’re interested in the broader topic I encourage you to hop onto Google and dig in. As it pertains to athletic endeavors, and specifically disc golf, I’ll focus on just one: You must be at the balance between the perceived challenges of the task at hand and your own perceived skills.
The first chart in this post may make it seem like you need to be at the far end of both the challenge and skill side of the equation in order to experience flow, but this is not the case. The two simply need to be in balance. Other charts illustrating flow reference the term flow channel, and indicate that we merely needs to be redirecting ourselves into this ideal mix of challenge and skill. It’s not the only condition needed to achieve flow, but it’s seemingly the most important one.
In disc golf terms, this presents different directives depending on who you are and where you’re at with your game.
Less experienced and less skilled players can usually move toward the flow channel by simply being realistic about their capabilities and acting accordingly. When presented with a hole that “requires” a drive you don’t have – whether in terms of distance or shot shape – don’t take the bait. Figure out an alternative you CAN execute that gets you closer to the hole, even if it is unconventional. Remember, it’s all about finding that equal ratio of skill and challenge so you can stay balanced on the line between boredom and anxiety.
If you’re a skilled player wanting to get into the flow more, ask yourself if you’re at least on some subconscious level experiencing boredom. Maybe you’ve already determined what you can and can’t do on the course and have stuck to your comfort zone for too long. According to Csikszentmihalyi, you can’t remain in both the comfort zone and the flow channel for very long.
For example, even the most backhand-dominant players admit that certain upshots call for a forehand. If you’re in such a situation, consider upping the challenge part of the equation. It’ll probably cause you to veer quickly from boredom to anxiety – as the curvy line on the diagram indicates – but it’ll keep you moving toward your maximum mix of challenge and skill, Stay mindful of this mix and you’ll stay in or near the flow state most of the time. Any hey, that’s what practice is for, right? Working on skills in a less pressurized environment.
According to Csikszentmihalyi, you can’t remain in both the comfort zone and the flow channel for very long.
I started writing today to pay tribute to the man who explained being “in the zone” in scientific terms. When I returned home after that horrible USDGC performance in 2009 and discovered the transformative experience of truly focusing on abstract execution for its own sake, I knew I couldn’t have been the first to put it into words.
While I still think that in the highly-charged atmosphere of competitive sports the “focus on what you’re trying to do, not what you’re hoping to achieve” maxim is the key, MC Flow gave us much more. He gifted us with an excellent blueprint for using psychological tools to maximize our potential.
Flynn Carrol, throwing a soft Vibram Ridge, just like I taught him. Photo: Jack Trageser
The 2021 Masters Cup is over. The stuff I wrote the last three days about spectators and volunteers and the course and the weather… Sunday was more of the same. 72 degrees with puffs of wind bringing faint whiffs of the Pacific ocean. The spectators were, like, totally chill. So chill, in fact, that they were almost rowdy.
Since Sunday was the final round, and final rounds are about results, so that’s what I’m a-gonna write about.I got some good pictures and videos, too, so stick with me. I watched most of the lead card’s final round, and will explain why I think Adam Hammes won the Masters Cup by demonstrating some quick thinking, quicker feet, and a skill necessary for a good score at DeLa.
First up, though, is a look at two good friends of mine who competed in MP50, because this series is all about what I saw!
Flynn Carrol is a regular playing partner at DeLa and much better than his record in past professional Masters Cups (he won the event as an Advanced player) would indicate. I saw a good amount of his Friday and Saturday holes, and he battled! Didn’t let the inevitable bad breaks get him unraveled.1
Jon Baldwin nails his 35-foot uphill putt on the first hole in his sudden death playoff with Robert Bainbridge at the 2021 Masters Cup. GIF: Jack Trageser
This year, Flynn had the modest goal of throwing three rounds above his current 939 rating. His rounds went 951, 989, 945. Good job, Flynn! And no more strokes for you! Seriously, no more.
Jon Baldwin is another local friend who did well. Jon is no stranger to winning here and on the Worlds stage,2 but as easy to root for as ever. He ended up tied for first with Robert Bainbridge, and they were told to play holes 1-4 (the hill) in rotation, sudden death format, until someone won a hole. They both had outside circle putts, and Bainbridge insisted Jon was out. I couldn’t tell.
Someone nearby whispered “Gamesmanship,” assuming Bainbridge wanted to see if Baldwin’s attempt might possibly miss and roll back down the hill.
Jon stepped up first, nailed his putt, and the modest crowd whelped with glee. Bainbridge’s putt to match Jon’s birdie came up short, no metal, and it was over except Baldwin thanking Innova.
Hammes Shows How to Win at DeLa; Pierce’s Game Continues to Evolve
I am admittedly something between a die hard and casual pro disc golf consumer. I know most of the names and watch a good deal of coverage. My take on Paige Pierce — aside from the Captain Obvious observation that she is singularly talented in all aspects of disc golf — is that she combines those superior skills with a 100% aggressive, 100%-of-the-time game plan. The result is a mess of runaway victories, and a few that probably got away only due to her pedal-to-the-metal approach. On Sunday with a three-stroke lead to begin the final round, I saw an approach that was more Bobby Fischer than Mike Tyson. She seemed content to play some defense and see what the rest of the field might do. Sure enough, her lead grew simply through the faltering of others, and Paige Pierce cruised to victory.
Adam Hammes went wire to wire, shooting a 14-under par 61 in the first round, then 11-down in the second round, and 8-down Sunday. With the 24-hole Masters Cup layout and three rounds, that is 33-under par for 72 holes. That rate seems right about where the PDGA wants it.
Hammes had his ups and downs over the final round, but successfully avoided the big mistakes that enable one to cough up a lead quickly. As we walked down the short fairway on hole 20 — AKA the Gravity Hole, AKA The Lady — I checked scores on my phone while trying not to trip over a gnarled root and tumble into the ravine that makes this hole so potentially treacherous.
UDisc Live showed James Proctor on the last two holes, trailing Hammes by one stroke. Proctor had saved his best round for last, posting a -13 par 62. He had trailed Hammes by six strokes at the start of the round. I wondered how up-to-date UDisc was at that moment. Maybe Proctor was already in at -33, or even -34.
The quick thinking and nimble-footed Adam Hammes. Photo: Jack Trageser
I looked up to see Adam Hammes gauging an uphill putt, the basket 35 feet in front of and above him and a deep, vegetation-clogged ravine below. His putt was just short of money. It hit the front rim and the hard dirt in front of it in quick succession, then did that thing so many would-be roll-aways do, pausing on its edge as if contemplating whether to flop to the side or go for a ride.
This one opted to roll, and it headed for the ravine, picking up speed as gravity pulled from the depths below. Then Hammes’ disc hit some tree debris and things took another turn, literally and figuratively. The still-rolling disc turned right and began rolling back toward Hammes rather than plunging deeper into the ravine.
Hammes, as he watched all this unfold, might have had about a half-second to appreciate the good break turn at the end of that bad-break roller before realizing the disc was now heading straight toward him (and he’s not standing in the safest place to hit the deck). As you can see in the video I captured, he showed quick thinking and nimble movement to dodge the disc and the one-stroke penalty that would have come with any contact between him and it.
Hammes watched the disc roll another 10 feet or so down the hill before coming to rest in a rare flat spot on that hole. He picked up his bag and walked down to his disc with zero body language. Nothing to indicate that he was inwardly screaming about having just been “DeLa’d.” He set up again, fired with full commitment, and nailed the putt in dead center chains.
DeLaveaga throws adversity at players, and offers them plenty of tempting (jenky!) excuses (jenky!) when things don’t go well. The players who win here all understand three things:
DeLa needs to be played differently, and she can be managed when played correctly
Bad things will happen no matter what
Must remain calm
Hammes ended up winning, four holes later, by one stroke. But if the rolling disc hits him or he misses the comeback putt, he ties or loses. It was all in the balance there on the Gravity Hole, and Adam Hammes made three championship-caliber moves for the win.
He reacted quickly to avoid making contact with his rolling disc (thinking and acting nimbly)
He did not react outwardly at all to display frustration at the bad break
He focused on and made the next shot
I believe all three were needed for Adam Hammes to become the 2021 Masters champion.
Talking Pod People and chatting with Hall of Famers
2021 Masters Cup. Photo: Jack Trageser
Good morning. As in, Sunday morning. Day two of the Santa Cruz Masters Cup is in the books and I had plenty of stuff to write about after wandering the course, following the women’s lead card for a long spell, and chatting with spectators, volunteers, Disc Golf Hall of Fame members and should-be member* and other old friends.
I also have a take on a bit of background drama going on this weekend. You might not think it’s a particularly bold take, but, whatever. “You do you,” as my two woke daughters like to say.
I did watch plenty of great golf Saturday, like this upshot on event hole 21 (DeLa hole 18). So you can properly appreciate the execution required here: In addition to the low branches directly in front of this guy, he has to take care of steep drop-offs all behind the basket, and a giant exposed root called “The Anaconda” crossing 20 feet in front of the basket. Photo: Jack Trageser
First, though, I would like to give you an inside look at the way the whole spectator thing has worked at the Masters Cup. Up until only a month or so ago the Delaveaga Disc Golf Club didn’t know if the county would allow spectators at all, or on what level. The final arrangement was a system of paid admission tickets that enabled patrons to either watch from one of three “pods” located around the course, or follow a particular lead card. I spent some time with both, and also talked with the volunteers tasked with maintaining order.
Given the fact that the PDGA and the club were giving a set of constraints in terms of how many spectators would be allowed into the event, I’d say things have run smoothly so far. The paying spectators I spoke with, most of whom seem to be very new to the sport, by the way — take note disc golf marketers — were enjoying themselves. They felt their tickets to be well worth the $35 to $75 they paid.
Didn’t get this player’s name, but she is throwing an upshot on event hole 4 from within a spectator pod (look for both lines of yellow rope). Photo: Jack Trageser
As I stood chatting with the Pod People of Pod no. 1, whose vantage point provides views of at least five different holes including “Top of the World,” a drive approached at speed from that very same famous tee pad. The Pod People all scuttled to the far end of their pen1 as the disc thunked into the dirt where we had been standing. With my media badge I was on the other side of the rope; outside the pen, if you will. So I didn’t have to scuttle.
When the player came to play her shot the Pod People remained at the far end of Pod no. 1. Sorry, I didn’t get the player’s name. But she threw a fairly decent upshot and nailed her putt for par.
My interesting volunteer spotlight falls on three people who drove all the way from Fresno to help out with the tournament. They also feel like they got a great deal. They get to spend the day watching top-level disc golf up close, in 70 degree weather rather than the 90+ they left back home. But they definitely had to work for their suppers, so to speak.
Volunteers, Craig and Maya, standing on the slant of DeLa hole 26a’s right rough — tournament hole 3. Photo: Jack Trageser
Two of them were tasked with spotting on event hole number 3. This hole plays along the spine of a ridge that leads out to the tee pad for “Top of the World.” The fairway is narrow, and the terrain drops off sharply on both sides. Craig and Maya had to scurry up and down these slopes to spot discs all day. But that’s not all. They also had to enforce the park’s closure for all but disc golf, which meant telling walkers and bikers intent on finishing the climb and gazing out from “Top of the World” at the ocean that it wasn’t gonna happen.
Let me tell you, Maya and Craig are tough cookies! Matt Beatty,2 send them a gift basket! I didn’t come across any volunteers doing a better job enforcing rules. I did hear a little about non-paying spectators slipping onto the course, but the grumbling came from a volunteer rather than a paying spectator.
Paige Pierce, waiting through one of many backups on event hole 6. Photo: Jack Trageser
All in all I think the spectator side of things has gone well so far, and all of the ticket revenue has been added to the purse. So, yeah. Good. It’ll be interesting to see if this is the new norm, after Covid.
I mentioned in my previous entry to this series that I was looking forward to following the women’s lead card on Saturday. Well, I did, and they did not disappoint. And not just them, but the several cards ahead of them of which I caught glimpses. I love watching players who are world class in their execution but play lines I myself would play — because I can’t throw 600 feet.
With men’s lead cards I’ll get to see the seemingly superhuman shots, and that’s cool, too.The men also provide more stupid mistakes through hubris, which is good entertainment. But I just find it so much more engaging watching someone play the same shots I’d play, and executing at a very high level. And on this particular day, the foursome had it all! Paige Pierce and Catrina Allen, who I like to think of as arch rivals even if they don’t think of it that way themselves, the young phenom in Hailey King, and Juliana Korver, the legendary world champion and cagey veteran.
My point with all this is that if you aren’t watching the women with as much interest and investment as the men, you ought to consider my reasoning and give ‘em a try.
The 2-meter rule rears its head again, this time costing Paige Pierce a stroke on event hole 11. What the Frick! Photo: Jack Trageser.
Speaking with a PDGA person who is also a friend,3 I learned of some salvos being tossed back and forth on social media about the number of camera teams covering female lead cards vs. male lead cards. One player demanded the PDGA insist on equal coverage in this regard. Once you learn the facts you understand that that is not realistic since coverage is determined by market demand. But until the coverage is equal, we’re all missing out. We just need to address the issue by increasing demand, not by manipulating supply.
Hailey King displaying the kind of form that makes this disc golf coach smile. Photo: Jack Trageser
One more thing I love about the pro women, since I can’t seem to let it go quite yet: They make great form models that I frequently use as a disc golf coach. Some of our best players are small, like 5’ or 5’ 4” tall — and they can still crush drives 400 feet. To do this they must get every ounce of bodily leverage they can while maintaining proper timing and balance. Watch Catrina Allen do this time after time. It’s truly something to see.
Well, I need to head out there and see how this thing winds up. Paige Pierce has to stay ahead of Kona Panis, and on the MPO side the lead card should be full of dramatics.4 Don’t rule out Ricky Wysocki and Paul Mcbeth, eight strokes out. Just sayin’.
Before I sign off, here is a picture of another of DeLaveaga’s Hall of Famers, Marty Hapner, along with a guy whose induction is overdue in my opinion. Stevie Rico is part of the history of the sport, has (I think) the longest streak of years (20?!) winning at least one A-tier event, and is a hardworking SOB.
Steve Rico, left, and Marty Hapner, join me in a discussion about respect. Photo: Jack Trageser
Sorry, that’s just really what it looked like, and I thought it was funny. ↩
