We arrive, bags loaded...
But let's go Big Picture first:
SIX ROUNDS: (2 Pieradise, 3 Honeybear Hollow, 1 Maconaquah)
Sean: 5 wins, 1 second place.
Mark: 1 win, 4 second place, 1 third.
Rob: 4 third (including a tie with Andy), 2 fourth
Andy: 1 second, 2 third (including a tie with Rob), 3 fourth
[Note these tallies (especially the 3, 4 positions might be one round off. I did not get round three (the initial Honey Hollow round) scorecard. Andy, Rob, Mark, do you have it? I know I won the round, but other places might up for grabs? This might be critical to Mark and Andy. Did Andy get second this round? We need the scorecard.)]
My big picture impressions:
Sean: Game is pretty sharp. AZ trip helped me. Need to work on putting. Missed many make-able short putts. Drives good, not great at this point. Driving accuracy pretty solid. Most of my scoring came on parking drives or mid-range discs for birdies. I did hit more trees than I would like. I need to hit less trees.
Mark: Game is sharp. Putting OK. Makes most every short putt. Like Sean, not many long-ass putts going down (though some--Sean made no long putts, period). Approaches very crisp, many runs at basket. Drives good, not great at this point. If Mark cuts out the low, short drives (worm-burners) his drive game is spot on.
Andy: Drive is good, often excellent. Forehand really improved. Seems Andy is adding a few tech skill-shots to his arsenal. Needs to crisp up the putting stroke. Andy loses strokes near the basket, not far out.
Rob: The drive is solid, but the hammer-throw (usually a lethal strength) a bit off. The long putt is damn near amazing. I'd say Rob made ten looong putts in 6 rounds. Impressive. Rob actually led at the turn (after 9 holes) in many rounds, but then would fade on the back 9.
OK, let's blog this thang...
Let's get some plastic, folks. This is Allen Pier's (a kind, wonderful disc golf advocate and owner of his own amazing course) pro shop. He has all kinds of sick discs, specialty items, weird plastic, stamps and crazy tourney discs and so on.
Wonder if anyone grabbed anything cool for Ander...? I guess he'll have to wait and see.
Round 1 of the Visit, Pieradise:
Mark is in the mother-fucking zone!!
(OK, not technically Pieradise [this is honey] but a shot of Mark's sweet follow-through)
I shit you not. He grabs the lead, keeps the lead, kisses all our sad selves goodbye. Mark is the star of this round.
Mark: +1 for the big win!
Sean: +6 for second place.
Rob: +7 right behind Sean.
Andy: + 9 right behind Rob and Sean.
What I Remember: Mark dominated. Very impressive round. Sean a bit nervous (I should know), hit trees, missed putts. Rob even at turn, then got a little loose. Andy with many bogies, but did throw in two birdies. Sean wiped out on hole 15, crumpling into a pile and grabbing his L knee after his drive. Mark almost killed a disc golfer on the same hole, as the dude walked right into our fairway as Mark let go his drive. Lots of action.
After the round, Sean is steaming inside so just gets quiet. He needs a beer. It is now after 12 (noon), so Sean is allowed to drink beer. He downs one, grabs three more and shoves them in his bag.
D golf tip: Ander showed me a new great beer for disc golf. Super light. Really hydrates and allows a buzz.
Round 2 of the Visit, Pieradise:Get your popcorn ready. Showtime very soon.
Sean: +1 for the win.
Mark: +3 for second.
Rob: +7 for third.
Andy: + 9 (again) for third.
WIR: Well, I (sean) is blogging this, but whomever, I hope the highlight of the round is clear. See this hole? It is hole 12 of Pieradise. It is 230 feet, narrow drive, up a huge-ass embankment. Why am I standing on this tee pad smiling, holding up one finger?
From here...
To there!!
ACE ACE ACE ACE ACE ACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Having good pals as witnesses, very sweet. Thanks guys. Nuff said.
Round 3 of the Visit, Honey Hollow:
This is the mysterious lost scorecard. I know I won, and I think Mark mentioned he got 3rd here, with Andy 2nd. I could certainly be wrong. So as for scores, sorry.
Honey Hollow was, uh, insane. It is a campground and it is Memorial Day Weekend. Wow. The D golf was excellent, but the other D golfers? Again--wow.
(Irony alert. Honey H loves rules. Signs everywhere. But no one follows any rules here. It's like the rules are an affront to these people.)
WIR:
* Young girl on bicycle pedaling directly up our fairways. Her dad says, "How you guys doing?" Note the sign above concerning bikes on the course.
* Drunk woman leaves cooler at our T pad. I yell to her and she hikes back to get the cooler. Then, on her way back to her tee pad, she wipes out, much to the delight of her drunk boyfriend. They embrace in glee.
* People drive on us, once, twice, three times. Discs whip over our heads. Thunk through the trees above us. Clank off garbage cans and T pads. We do not hear the word "Fore." Two drunk guys show up and proclaim, "We are going to drive on top of everyone." OK. Great play, gentleman. I wish you un-well.
* We witness our first 12-some. Twelve players, one T pad. A whole lot of Miller Lite.
* Lots of bad tattoos.
Having said all of this, the disc golf was rad. Hammer time!
(Rob's patented hammer. Do not attempt at home.)
Round 4 of the Visit, Honey Hollow:
Sean: -6 for the win.
Mark: -1 for second.
Andy: +1 for third.
Rob: + 2 for fourth.
WIR: Our finest round of the day, as a group. I am beery now and so went way low. Mark goes under too. Rob and Andy battle it out with fine scores. We had star birdies in this round, many star pars. Good work guys.
Classic Honey Hollow shot. If Mark leans back, he will tumble to his death. Good save, Mark. Believe me, he made the putt.
Round 5 of the Visit, Honey Hollow:
Sean: -1 for the win.
Mark: +2 for second.
Rob: +4 for third.
Andy: + 7 for fourth.
WIR: We are pretty tired by this time, but Hollow is short (and very techy) so the arms are OK. I don't remember too much, except the course was more crowded, but with a more "good-natured" grouping of campers (I will not call them golfers here).
Andy drops it like it's hot. Big Honey Hollow downhill.
We head to the hotel. We rest (we're going to need it). We wake. We play...
Round 6 of the Visit, Maconaquah Park:
Sean: +6 for the win.
Mark: +9 for second.
Rob: +12 for third.
Andy: + 12 for third.
Did I mention the LONG tees were in today? Did I mention the water?
Oh, that's where my drive went.
WIR: I've never seen this course with these pins, and this is possibly the hardest course I have played (excluding the Lemmon Course in Tucson). EVERY shot was a challenge, with drives over water (often two creeks), elevation changes everywhere, and most every putt was on the side of a severe hill with baked dirt floor. We had discs roll 100 feet. We had people shooting 6s and 7s! We had many, many splash shots. Rob planted a drive over a tall fence and into a giant baseball field! Sweetness.
To sum up the course in these long pin placements, I will repeat what I said the whole round, "Oh man, I wish Ander could be here for this."
Hole 18 was a dream or maybe nightmare. Drive over water into landing area. Approach shot (turnover or forehand) over water into "green" of hillside rolling into creek. Every shot on the hole is thought-provoking, challenging, risk/reward, a tad crazy--a microcosm of the course.
WHAT A TRIP!
Thanks to Rob and Andy for driving down. All went well. Scores were low and high and low. I think the course beat us more than the other way, but some great disc golf all around.
See you jags in Mad Town soon.
S
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