FrisbeeGolf Friday, May 26, 2023

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.

FrisbeeGolf Friday, April 7, 2023

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!

FrisbeeGolf Friday, March 31, 2023

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.

Subtraction by Subtraction (sound familiar?)

Learn by Feel in Disc Golf

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!

FrisbeeGolf Friday, February 10th, 2023

We at School of Disc Golf are pretty excited to have just launched FrisbeeGolf Friday, a weekly disc golf newsletter that caters to disc golfers who love to play the game and grow the sport. You may see the occasional item about a touring pro, but that won’t be our focus.

There are two disc golf targets in this photo. Can you hit those putts?

Please check it out and subscribe. Yeah, we’ll conduct a little marketing as well, but it will be stuff we genuinely think you’ll find useful and relevant.

The look should improve over time, too. But hey, you gotta start somewhere!