Minneapolis Courses I would like to play

Blue Ribbon Pines:

Description: Open and wooded with ponds, doglegs, abundant risk/reward and signature holes. 80' tall pines. Hours; 8am to 2 hours prior to sunset. Fee/$5. Scorecard/Map at pro shop.

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Bryant Lake:

Description: Challenging championship design overlooking scenic lake. Rolling hills with elevation. Alt. tees and pin placements. Many park amenities including concessions. Annual event in July. Tall grass/brush - use bright palstic. $3/rnd or $30/season pass to all Three Rivers Park Dept. courses

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The courses I like are Oakwood (Cottage Grove), Acorn (Roseville), Kaposia (S. St. Paul), North Valley (Inver Grove), Plymouth Creek Park (Plymouth), and Red Oak Park (Burnsville)

Acorn Park, Roseville, MN, 12/26/08

Eric Ostermeier, Mark Ehling, and Your Correspondent, Acorn Park, 12/26/08. Temperature: 36. Snow: quite a bit. Melting. Getting a little gooey.

I meet Mark and Eric at Acorn Park in Roseville, MN, a northern suburb of Minneapolis, for a couple rounds. This is not the best course in the cities (probably Kaposia or North Valley/Inver Grove, or maybe even Cottage Grove) but it’s the closest for most of us and offers enough variety for all our games that it’s the one I play most often.

I stop off at Fairway Flyerz, the excellent disc golf pro shop on Rice Street just north of Acorn, to pick up some discs. I choose a bright orange flx challenger (thus bringing my total to four of these discs, for use in standardizing my backyard putting) and one of the ace race 2008 midrange prototype discs which appears to be sort of similar to a Roc or Buzz, but maybe a little less stable. I throw it one time later in the round and it wings a tree. Things don’t augure well for this disc. The proprietor at Fairway Flyerz informs me there are two very promising new courses in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis that I will have to revisit in the summer. They sound difficult and lovely. Perhaps I'll play them in the week around the yearly Madison meet up.

Round one scores: Mark and Eric tie at +14. Ander shoots +2. Few birdies are made. I think I got one or two. Ehling got one as I remember it, though I could be on crack. Often I am on crack. Most holes are in the short position to compensate, perhaps, for the difficult tees and heavy snow. The upside is that the lake on hole 1 (below, center, in the dip) is frozen, taking the teeth out of that hole:

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We shot pretty close, as is usual, for the first half of the course. The first half is shorter, and a little easier in terms of the variety of shots (and birdies to be had). Scores start to separate around hole 9 or 10. Eric found himself in the snow (as we all did). He was dismayed, as if regarding his shot in utter disbelief:

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Mark Ehling flourishes to conclude his drive on 4:


I like the shot of the disc in the air. That's a goal for me when shooting these, especially since my cell phone camera is not great.

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Later Mark finds the heavy rough on the left on 8 (below--this hole is also more toothless thanks to the frozen lake on the left). He manages to get out and save bogey. This is a good hole like many on this course, a big hyzer shot or maybe a hammer. It plays 250 maybe from the long tees (which we always play). It’s not incredibly difficult to par but there are few birdies to be had on a day like this. I actually birdie this both times today. Go me.

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Later, Eric fires on 12, a great 400’ dogleg left. If you leave it short and left you have a choice: either run a tiny gap to get back towards the green, or else play big around to the right. A straight shot of maybe 300' gets around the big trees and onto what qualifies as the green. Usually you're left with about 100' of work among sparse but difficult trees to get to putt. This is often a bogey hole, like several out here. See Eric's eclipse (I think) in the air, starting to hyzer left. That's where he'll play from both rounds.

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I ready a shot on 13, at a crazy angle thanks to Ehling's cinematography:

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18 is a really tough finishing hole. In order to have a shot, you MUST get your disc through the gap and get out to the fairway, which plays well uphill towards the basket. The foliage is down but the branches grow closer together each year and the gap is fairly intimidating. In the long position, the basket is probably 550’ away from the tee, and is a very difficult par. I don’t remember having parred this in the long. Your drive can be great but unless you can flip it and end up right there are only two ways onto the green. You can try to brave the trees on the left (straight ahead in the photo) or go big hyzer right, going around the trees hoping for a skip towards the basket. The hole is much more difficult because you really have to throw a drive out right from the tee box to get an angle on the green and you're just thinking about getting it in the fairway so not to drop a stroke to your competitors. In the winter, they move the basket short in front of the tree line, probably about 450'. A much easier par, though by no means simple. Again, the drive is everything. The wind is a major factor on these last three holes which are the most exposed on the course--otherwise you're among the trees. Eric and Mark contemplate their shots, Eric’s in the past (he got out) and Mark’s in the future (so will he):

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Stopping for a lunch at the Flameburger between rounds, I get the Super Cheese Flame:


Sorry, Sean. No nachos on the menu.

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Round two: Ander +1, Mark +9, Eric withdraws (WD) with three holes to play in order to make a vet appointment for his cat Applejack who is a very fine cat indeed. We start on hole 3 bypassing some chumps. We will always wonder whether he would have taken Mark out or not on this round, since they decided not to play off their tie from round one. It’s slow out there this second round because lots of people came out after a couple weeks of Minnesota subzero temperatures, and there is much looking around for discs that enter the wet snow leaving nary a trace. The more people play the harder the discs are to find--we're in the space between the snow getting panked down enough so discs don't bury and the snow being virgin enough that you can see the slashes where the discs entered, and follow them a couple feet underneath the snow to your disc. I lose my best starfire on the first hole. It was getting beat up anyhow. I need another one. It was even a very nice drive, a long putt for 2, but we are in a hurry so we leave off after looking for 2 minutes per PDGA rules and courtesy. This is the only proper lost disc of the day, which is pretty good. Eric loses an eclipse later, having dropped it after driving it on 15, though the loss did not occur in play (hence no stroke penalty was awarded).

And Eric in action on 13:

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I nearly aced this hole (13), probably my best shot of the round. It’s a long shot, probably 320’, that finishes left after flirting with the treeline on the right, which knocks down most hyzer drive. I turned my Beast over and it looked true but must have missed the basket by feet since it ends up just past on the left. Like many of the holes at Acorn it is complicated by trees and low ceilings and the placement of the tees. One tree has apparently been removed, thus easing this hole’s approach somewhat (you used to have to launch higher and throw a helix or hammer it or go huge hyzer; now you can drive hard at it and let it finish left).

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Eric and Mark, wet, trudge towards the basket on 17 (below, straight up, amidst all the snow). They both hit long putts to keep it tied. This hole really ought to be a birdie but it rarely is, frustratingly. It’s about a 280 foot downhill hole, so within range of a good shot for anyone. The wind is often swirling, however, and picks up on the top of the hill in particular.

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And that’s the game. Not bad rounds from Ander. Good rounds from Ehling considering his alleged couple years layoff. Eric was in for a better round for #2 but his cat, Applejack, is healthy and friendly. Eric has a really huge fucking house in Minneapolis, about which his cat frolics and tries to decipher the hydraulic heating in the walls and tiles. Here's to warmer weather. Go team!

Orts, collecting recent disc photos +

Friends Jeff, Josh (who took several of these photos on his sweet iPhone; thanks, yo), and I headed up to Phoenix (or technically Fountain Hills and Scottsdale, respectively) to try out courses now that the heat is below 90 credibly during the day. On the way in we could see the fountain (of "fountain hills" fame) towering over this weird little development in the desert. It was eight miles after we left signs of civilization before we found a Williamsburg, Virginia-esque Wendy's and got some food and wandered into the town (?) of Fountain Hills. Morning, about 75 degrees. Mood: full. Ready.

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Josh drives on hole 1 at FH. It's a 300 footer across (shallowish) water. This is a very nicely maintained course, easy to find (mostly) tees and baskets. Lots of walkers and kids, dogs and so on (Jeff met one the hard way on hole 8). This course does a lot with its water. Also you see rolling hills, some excellent use of various (mostly non-native) trees. There is a shitload of grass. It's a cool course, but in weirdo suburbia craziness. This is what I envisioned Phoenix to be.

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Jeff teeing off on hole two. His shot (like his shot on 1) found water. There is a whole lot of water.

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Ander throwing a forehand on hole 6 (?). This is one of several great holes on the course. Tight, low fairway, downhill. Water takes your disc if you overthrow it, underthrow it, hook it, etc.

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Case in point.

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A great shot of the six hundred foot fountain. This thing is immense. It is incredibly picturesque. Also incredibly man-made. As artificial as you get. On a couple holes you get spray. It is pretty sweet. Would be better if you had to throw around it or through it, of course, but then the world does not always deliver our desires. Also this is a possible book cover for me. Thanks Josh.

Two holes previous Jeff threw a, shall we say, errant drive, way left, over some pedestrians. The disc just passed over a teenage girl's head, stirring her hair up (possibly it clipped her) like sand from a bunker. This did not bode well for the day. Said girl seemed entertained. We played away fast. Josh hit a ten-year old kid in the leg the previous week on Groves in Tucson. Good times. That was kind of hilarious, actually. This, a little less so. Note: be more careful with drives.

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This round wasn't too close. Ander shot +3, winning by 8 strokes. Josh and Jeff (who was the agua king this day) ended up close though. Josh, having never won or tied a round with Jeff, had a 25 foot putt for the tie on 18. Good putt. It was forever in the air. Just hit the lip and missed. Backtrack: the above photo is Jeff driving downhill on a nice, if maybe too open (there's a lot of this in Phoenix, it turns out, though this hole, like many is saved by the vista, the water, and the cool palms) hole. On to the next course. We stop in at the disc golf pro shop (Spinners on the Green) which abuts the Shelly Sharpe Memorial Disc Golf Course at Vista del Camino (Scottsdale, AZ), which is a grandiose name for a fairly plain course.

Again, water running through the center of the course. Lots of 300' or so holes, some with water in play (not enough!), a couple with good tree action or OB to offer. But overall this course was a letdown. Flat (with a couple exceptions), open, water (but no fountain). Very samey in this player's opinion. I wouldn't return to this one if I didn't live close, or if it wasn't right by the pro shop (and a bar called Duke's featuring 50 tvs showing sports and one (not showing sports, oddly) in the men's bathroom so you could see it from any stall/urinal. Quality. They had $2.25 burgers. We avoided the burgers. No photos of this course. It was okay. Long holes. Oddly they had 2 baskets for many of the holes (though only one tee per hole) so that it was oftentimes unclear which basket you'd play to. Instead, we think, it might be better to use the baskets to BUILD MORE AND BETTER HOLES, and put in some am/pro tees. This could be a good course with some work. #11 (we started on #12 since the pro shop abuts #12) is a very good finisher, though. Across water, 490' to the basket, maybe 150' to the fairway, but OB on the left (bitchy) and water the length of the hole on the right. We played with a dude who claimed to have some good game but we didn't see it fully deployed. This last hole we played from the old tee, about to be decommissioned, for a shorter tee. Not sure why. It's always sad when things die.

Anyhow, I played this round well. Shot -3. Should have shot better (what the crap, putting?), but I also put in two 50 footers so that's a plus.

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Flashback one week to playing with Erik at Marana Rock (Tucson). Beautiful day. Josh and Jeff had come out to join for one round and the two of us played another, then put in 18 at Santa Cruz River Park (Tucson). A couple quality shots of Erik throwing into the morning:

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(Note the cracked mud—still a little gooey underneath the surface; this is the leftovers of the big flood we played through a couple months back. Discs are entombed underneath it, I am sure, for future anthropology.

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Flash back now again to three non-disc photos worth chronicling quickly:

(Tucson Day of the Dead parade, disturbing)

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(My neighbor has a war going on with the other neighbor, Griswold-style, for Xmas decoration dominance. Great. 22 inflatable things on the lawn (well, lawn is not the best word for it) and house. Word is that he will colonize our carport for some more of them. The compressor runs most of the night. It competes with the kreepy krawly chugging to clean the pool. 80s and sunny here. Don't know about the rest of y'all. Time to come down for a visit?

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(Creepy light-up Kennedy at The Shelter, a strange Tucson bar.)

End transmission.

The Columbus Effect

Columbus, Ohio, 9/21-22, 2008

Gentlemen: Saturday morning, 10am, at the Brent Hambrick / Hoover Dam (Columbus, OH) disc golf course, I met the following: Andy Segedi, Rob Hays, and we waited about a half hour for Sean Lovelace and Mark Neely to arrive before teeing off on hole one of this excellent 27-hole course. It is quite solid, probably the best (I declare) in the Columbus area, though I haven't played them all. It has great variety, about 9-10 openish holes, including the one below, a 290 foot shot down towards a basket with the "Hoover Dam," as they refer to it, behind it, just enough to make you think seriously about overthrowing your shot. It's a gorgeous vista, ruined somewhat by the presence of Mr. Lovelace and Mr. Segedi.

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Hole 6 (?) is a one of the strongest holes on the course, a 295' shot to a dropoff on the right and a basket on a pedestal about fifteen feet down from the fairway:

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I don't remember which holes this is, probably on our first round, where Mark is trying to salvage a mediocre drive. On the day neither Sean nor Ander was putting all that well. It left some space for the others to make their move...

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Segedi putting downhill towards a basket that recedes towards OB:

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This was an excellent course, played pretty well, collectively by us. I don't have any shots of the 9 in the woods, very nicely laid out but birdieable, or the 9 in the deep deep woods, supertechnical holes, where we racked up some bogies. Round one had Ander as the winner at -3, Sean at +3, Andy at +7 (I think), Rob at +7 (I think), and Mark bringing up the back at +12.

We took a break to eat lunch at a preppy sort of place with the red-hat ladies brigade on display. Rob entertained them with his regurgitation act. Segedi offered to strip.

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The second round (featuring Rob's signature hammer throw, brought to you by the letter G and the Great Lakes Oktoberfest beer) was warmer, afternoon by now.

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Also you can find Andy Segedi in the wild:

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One of the final holes (#15?) plays left to right along a road (on or over which is OB), and it's a nasty little hole. Ander went OB both times, not helping his cause. This is obviously a popular hole since the following (along with "DICK" and other sundry quality terms) were spray painted on the road, perhaps out of anger or frustration?

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Pensively, Sean often wondered if Mark could hold onto his lead midway through the round:

This was one of the woods (but not crazy technical woods) holes featuring either 1> a huge high hyzer shot over trees, or else 2> a hyzer skip shot along the fairway that doglegged about 60 degrees to the basket. Ander deuced this both rounds, a highlight of his round.

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Round two, Mark showed the hell up, turning in a score of -1, winning (!), and improving by 13 strokes, proving something to all of us, especially Sean. Ander ended up +1, Sean +2, Andy and Rob at +7. Interesting, we thought. Mark led most of the latter half of the round and kept hitting putt after clutch putt, drives in the fairway. A solid performance. Sean began to steam.

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We drove over to Lobdell Preserve (20 minutes east, in Alexandria, OH) and put in 18 holes on this (also difficult) course. This one's most obvious feature is its length and open, rolling fairways. It's in the midst of Deliverance-seeming country but is very nicely maintained (though they could use some signage pointing the way from hole to hole). We had planned on maybe doing 36 but it was a bit of a bear, particularly since the hurricane winds had done some damage to the holes here. One of the better holes would have been hole 7, but as you can see the HUGE tree made this a...challenging...shot. It's downhill to begin with, featuring a low ceiling, and if you tried to throw a turnover at it, you might well carry, as Rob and Mark did, 150' down the hill:

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This is a shot of Sean in his natural state of fearfulness, on the other side of the fallen tree, by the basket:


If he doesn't move for a long time he slowly becomes invisible.

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An action shot of Rob driving on one of the intermediary technical holes. These provided a very nice break from the longer open holes, and played through a huge ravine. There were very few bugs, shockingly. I didn't photograph the open holes since they're not as interesting compositionally.

This was a fun round. We were all clustered within 2 strokes the majority of the round, perhaps because the holes were long enough that there were few deuces, but open enough that there were few bogeys (though Ander found his way to a couple of those at unfortunate times). One of the best holes is #17, which is a long hole (400'?) a bit of a left to right bend, but the fairway sloped to the left, making the shot quite difficult to keep in bounds. We were pretty close by this point. Sean threw the shot of the round, setting himself up for an easy par. Andy dropped a stroke (he was leading by 2 at this point) with a bogey. Ander and Mark shanked it in the left woods, not knowing that there was also a huge bonus dropoff into a ravine. That made par a difficulty...

With one to play, hole 18 is a great finisher. Birdieable but nearly blind, a 280 footer down about 70 feet to the green. Sean put his 40 feet from the basket. Andy missed but got par. Rob shot par. Mark had a long birdie putt but also missed. Ander nearly aced it and settled for a drop-in birdie, but too little. Too late. Andy managed to hold onto his lead and carried the day with a +1. Sean ended at +2, tied with Ander. Mark ended at +3, and Rob, tiring, shot +8. Impressive day for Andy and Mark! Unimpressive for Sean in particular, who not only did not register a win, but he was beaten by Mark (4th time historically) and Andy (first time). Rob was certainly in the hunt on this course. All this is to say that the global superpowers have receded and everyone, it appears, is vulnerable. Rob, it may soon be your day.

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Sean and Mark and Ander retired to the inn. Rob and Andy drove back to Cleveland. The next morning Sean and Mark headed back to Muncie. Ander stuck around and tried another course, to wit, Griggs Reservoir (Columbus, OH):

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This is the only photo I took because it's an underwhelming course. Beautiful park along some river in downtown Columbus just west of OSU. The river allegedly "comes into play on at least three holes" which is not accurate. Unless you seriously munged a shot there is no way the river is in any way in play. The course is okay, but kind of samey. The average hole is 250-280 feet, open, or with one tree in the way, flat, back and forth along the park beside the river. The fact that the sign says "park/frisbee information" should tell you something about the design of the course. It's a good place to bring your kids and dogs. Maybe have a picnic lunch. If they'd taken advantage of some of the real rougher stuff back from the mowed areas this could be a good course, or if they'd moved some of the baskets up next to the water so you'd have to reckon with it, it would be worth the trouble of playing twice. I shot -1, playing quite poorly. Didn't stick around for another round. Drove down, dejected, to Columbus Brewing Company, which was closed (eh.). Ate lunch and posted this at a good breakfast/lunch joing in the "German Village" area by the Brewing District. Retired to the hotel. Ready to put in another round someplace along the way to my next stop (Earlham college) tomorrow. As always, enjoyed playing disc with those who made the trip down to join.

Capsule report: Columbus has 2 excellent courses and one mediocre one. I'd give Brent Hambrick a 3.35/4.0, Lobdell a 3.0, and Griggs Reservoir a 2.4. The PDGA site shows they have a bunch more courses. Perhaps worth another rendezvous...?

I Love This Photo

When I get Done With a Course...

Take that!!

Found this old dusty photo beneath my fridge...

"It is one thing to learn about the past; it is another to wallow in it."
-- Kenneth Auchincloss

Disc Report: James a Dillon Park. I Lose a heirloom disc.

Fucking A:


Another course nearby! Wow, D golf continues to bloom in the gardens of my life. I am happy as the fingers of a hand reaching. As a large numeral. As blur.

Etc.

James A Dillon Park in Noblesville.

First, thanks to Ander for scoring me a rare Ontario Star Roc. Sweetness, and added right to the bag:

As for the course...

The two 9s are like a couple I know. One is a hipster into watching Sergio Leone movies while robo-tripping (mixing codeine cough syrup and vodka). The other is into Disney prints, thinks caffeine is "drugging our country," and often talks about having 7 kids, that number 7; "And maybe naming them all the same letter, like a J."

We can never understand how they are together...

The front 9 here I admire. I didn't think so, when I arrived.

(click on photos to enlarge and get the true feel, I beg you)

I was thinking this appears to be a White Flight course, a suburb of Indianapolis, the type of place that not only can afford a practice basket but would put big-ass letters saying PRACTICE on it, but then would tuck it beneath trees.


I mean is this the kind of course that you play and it has big-ass McMansions in the background of the holes and so everything has to be like the souls of those living in those houses with the similar floor plans (most subdivisions have 3 total to choose from), all vacous and medicated and resentful and wondering every morning when they wake: where the fuck am i (existentially speaking)? The kind of subdivision that paves the animals then names their streets after them: Leaping Fawn Drive, Green Ivy Circle, Etc. I mean is this going to be one of those fucking courses??



No. But why did I get that feeling?

Hole one seemed a bailout, a lazy introduction by the designer. There was this great lake (small g) and the designer insults its potential by adding a skirt:




Note how the lake appears, but not really...

Also, a running trail is on the left of this hole (and others). I am sorry, Mr/Ms Designer, but this will be a bane for your course for always.

But fuck runners anyway.


Moving on...


So hole 1 goes by, yawn to the lips drawn. Then things get better! If you know Lovelace (i just went 3rd person), better means woods, creeks, "the shit."

Holes 3-5 I respected like an empty wall respects bookshelves.

Way back tucked in the table stains. With a creek behind...

Hole 4. Now that's what makes me salivate. Makes me all wailing and insomnia. This hole fucked me up, too. Luckily, I had my "utility" disc. Later, in this post, in this round, I will not have my utility disc.

Ah, the suspense...

Hole 8 was a Lovelace dream. A shot out of the gale-force tunnel. I like my fairways tight as a jeweled crown.

Then onto 9. Oh my gods. I had a disc once, a Tee Bird. A KC Pro. Very hard to find now, very, very hard. Good luck, Nerf Herders. It was the first disc I ever bought, year ago. I played with it on an Old Farm. I played with it with my gangly arm. I played up hills. Down dells. I played with it in Kalamazoo. And Madison too. I played that disc with hammer glee. I held it as I took a pee (beer causes excessive urination due to suppressing the hormone ADH)). I threw sidearm as was my way. Many time that disc saved the discing day. JC Park was its womb. Now it settles in watery tomb. Etc. Etc.

FUUUUUUUUUUUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK. I threw that disc here:

Did I wade? Did I get mucky and wet and angry? Did I go up-to-armpit? Yes Yes Yes

Did I get my disc back?? NO. NO. NO. NO.

Moving on....

Now the back 9 is totally different. Mostly flat, but taking full advantage of creek, low spots of muck, very tall grass.

Some have posted that the grass is a big deal, holding this course back, a hindrance. I respectfully disagree. The grass MAKES this 9. The grass is its voice clear, its nightmare hatcheck. Without the grass, this 9 would snore like loyal torsos.

Listen: The grass is the water to this designer, the pit, the sandy hollow--he/she is painting a fairway, an aesthetic image, around this deep grass, and I think that needs to be recognized! If you can't handle tall grass maybe you should put the discs away and become a registered cat whisker collector.

Here is hole 11, and should give you an idea of the layout. In a word: sprawling.

Thank gods for the tall grass! An example:

That shit will eat your disc, and that's the point...Note how once again a paved running trail comes into play. Tsk, tsk...

Anyway, play on. My mind shifted as I played. I first thought maybe lame, then thought maybe great. I do suggest you play a pro tee, am tee round. The am tees are simply too easy, but that's cool. The pros are worthy; and sometimes bad-ass.

I shall return!!! (already breaking in a new utility disc)

Just another reason to drop into Muncie. We keep adding courses!!!

Disc on:

Sean

Arizona Course Looks Like Mad Max

Holy cacti. Deserts of ragged beauty. Low lean rumbles of disc.

Sheet!

I will play a new Noblesville, IN course tomorrow and show this blog how to get all bloggy and painting live sparrows and such.

Sean

Marana Rock in Tucson, 08.08.08

Hole 1 announces itself with its tee to the basket atop the mound. The photo kind of flattens out the shot, which sucks. If you miss right, welcome to the agua. Either way you'll almost certainly be putting uphill (and if you miss, welcome to the agua). Bitch ass.Didn't make it all the way up, so Jeff putts up at the basket on 8, which is perched on the edge of a bluff.

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Putt uphill here. Don't fuckin' miss.

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Jeff putting. See the disc about to chain. Nice shot.

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My drive missed the basket but somehow ends up dry.

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Teeing off on hole 8, a gorgeous hole, requiring probably a 380 foot shot to reach the green, or else you'll put up at it (or hose it in the trees or water or whatever).

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The shot from below the basket.

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The vista from the tee on hole 9. A brilliant hole with the water (which is played as incidental water, not requiring a penalty, since it's not typically there, though a tournament held out here would probably choose several holes to play with real water since the island greens etc. A 310 foot drive gets you putting. Sucks for a lefty though. Or you can try to skip it over (done that once).

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Easier to play this time since I brought shoes to wade through the water. Jeff loses one disc. Ander loses one disc. My nice fat wraith. Sooner or later the water has to recede, though, right?