Monday, May 23, 2011

Yes, Disc will play in Peoria

10 rounds of disc golf is too much to rightly blog. It would be like Infinite Jest, but with discs hitting trees with footnotes of deep ravines, hotel pizza, cub scouts, steep hills, and water. So I’ll give you some stats, a glimpse at the courses, a smattering of round spotlights, and various photos and such. Some highlights and low-lights (an interesting duality of term—someone’s low-light might be another’s highlight. Etc.) So. A mini-blog I hope you will enjoy. Leonard and Ander have a bunch more videos and photos, so might be another update on the way! I'd like to see some of that material. (** Wait, I added some from Ander. See update below.)

Disclaimer: If anyone wants to question a score or anything, just ask. I have the scorecards. 10 rounds is fucking blur, and this weekend exhausted my arm and mind (not to mention toe blisters).


*Leonard did not play last round.

SEAN: 8 wins, 1 second place, 1 third place.

ANDER: 1 win, 6 second place, 1 third place, 2 fourth place.

LEONARD: 1 win, 2 second place, 2 third place, 4 fourth place.

MARK: 0 win, 4 second place, 3 third place, 3 fourth place.

RANDOM STATS

(Again, remember, Leonard played one less round.)

BIRDIES:

Sean: 34

Ander: 26

Mark: 21

Leonard: 18

DOUBLE BOGEYS:

Sean: 4

Ander: 10

Leonard: 10

Mark: 18

* There were also several 6's, 7's and one SNOWMAN. Haven't seen a Jag Snowman in a good while. I will keep the identities anonymous, though I would note EVERY player had at least one "6" or higher score during the weekend. All of us. So. These courses will bite your ass.

HIGHLIGHTS AND LOW-LIGHTS

* No AC in my Subaru. I paid $100+ to fill the freon up, but it didn't take. Humidity. Sticky back, sticky. Wind roars through open windows. Too bad because we could have played tunes. Oh well.

* (UPDATE 5-23-11: Just got Ander's pics and his phone pics are clearer than mine. Sort of pisses me off. Also, he's just a better photographer. These shots are epic. He has a good disc eye. Will now scatter them into this post. So this might actually now be a kick-ass post. Thanks, A. Example of great pic!)

* Ander gave us books and mix tapes. Hey, Mark, I want that issue of Fugue when you are done.

* Leonard made us score cards! Kick ass, and thanks. It really makes a difference.

* Car of teens comes over blind hill and tries to kill us head-on. But it swerves and we swerve and we all live.

* McNaughton Park a dream. Or a nightmare? Round one. Windy! Also, we don't really know the course. Windy.

S: +6

A: + 9

M: + 9

L: + 11

Approach shot, deceptively downhill. Mark throws his ace disc Glide. It glides, into a murky-ass pond. We never see it again. Goodbye, blue Glide, you were a good friend to Mark.

(In better days, a nostalgic Blue Glide photo for Mark...)

* It went right over there, by that turtle. Notice how I recreate Mark's shot to locate the disc. That's pretty dorky.

*Hole 18 is 849 feet long! Ander and I actually 4 this hole, once each. I feel we should be proudly.

* Crowd evaporates from course for round two. Sweet. I use my course knowledge from round one. Actually round the 9 at -2. Mark parks a birdie on hole 2. Leonard makes an ace run on same hole, over the top. Course knowledge pays as the group goes from 3 birdies collectively in round one to 6 birdies this round. I throw this bad boy below. Note that Ander labels the video McCullough and says my drive looks "pretty good." Ok. He's drunk.

Round two:

S: + 1

A: +10

L: + 11

M: + 14

* Drive to Morton, where Leonard skids off the road during a hair-pin curve. Gravel dust clouds and such. We end up playing more rounds at Northwood than any other course. Northwood is long and very tech at first, then this series of medium-tech accuracy turnovers with a few hyzers. It ends with two bomb holes. So, it has everything. Hole 5 is a real stand-out hole on this course, a true signature hole. Jags par it sometimes and then often make 6's, for example. You have to drive through this:

Then land down here and make an upshot over a down-cliff and around a creek and then the very long turnover putt through thorns/shrubbery like Ander. I sort of dig his fist-pump and barbaric yawp! He deserves it. Awesome putt, A.

You know what? Hell, let me just show you the entire hole. L lets one ride into the void.

* Round 3 Northwood:

S: + 1

A: + 4

M: + 5

L: + 9

* Round 4 Northwood. Mark tightens up his game. He has a weird bogey/birdie round going. He is also apparently blessed by gods. Framed up by the sun. Glow on, Mark!

S: EVEN

M: + 3

L: + 5

A: + 8

* Hotel delivery pizza. Jalapenos make even shitty pizza good. My theory.

* Up early and we head to Lake Eureka. This ends up being our favorite course. Super-techy, with amazing, shape-shot holes, elevation change, chances for birdies. L to R, R to L. Gorges and water. Stinging Nettles. Chances for glory. Chances for doom.

Glory! (That is one of many made Leonard putts.)

Doom! (That is a deep ravine.)

* Round Five Eureka:

S: + 2

L: + 5

M: + 7

A: + 7

* My favorite hole of the weekend. A gem. Hole # 4. Click and blow this one up and see that basket waaayyyyy down there, over a small creek, on a massive hillside. Epic. Fun. Epic fun.

This is the sort of hole you want to watch your disc once you throw. Show us, Mark:

* Round 6 Eureka. OK, I have my beer on now. My putting buzz. Time to go low. I throw a turkey run of birdies. I bomb hole 8 from WAY out. Another highlight is Ander actually hitting the pin low on hole 12, probably the closest ace run of the weekend.

* Hammer, for Rob. You would have loved and hated this course, Rob.

S: -4

A: + 2

M: + 7

L: + 8

* Mediocre diner food. My slaw as a soup. Ander does get a very solid milkshake. We head back to Northwood. My reign of wins ends. Must have been the slaw. Leonard with the win! This would be round from the opening photo--Mark on his belly.

* Or: Where is Mark's disc?

* Cub scouts all over. Sirens off in the distance. Cars keep honking horns. Who knows?

* Round 7 Northwood. Two Jags play well, two do not. I think I had indigestion, or was drunk, or both.

L: + 2

A: + 6

S: + 7

M: + 14

* Round 8 Northwood

* Some Jesus dude wants to play with us. We say no. He is insistent. We say no. Well, Ander said no. Actually, I noticed Ander barking at a lot of people, to get out of our fairway, to play through, etc. I was impressed. I mean he kindly but firmly barked. I bet he learned that in Tucson, where D golfers play a round with their rottweilers. Good work.

* Mark throws a disc INTO the basket and it sticks on the rim. OK...

S: + 2

L: + 5

M: +5

A: + 7

* Loud fat kid keeps yelling out "40!!"

* The world was supposed to end while we were playing disc. It did not end. I have mixed feelings.

* My legs feel like Jello.

* Good form, sir.

* We have an ace fund but no one has aced, so we go CTP. Weird how relatively talented the Jags are and we rarely ace. The last competition ace I have seen was Ander's on one of the hardest Baraboo holes. That was actually a crazy ace. Uphill through a tree gap. That hole is impossible, but we have not seen one since, have we? Let's fix that in Ann Arbor. But Leonard and I try; we both throw it very close, but Leonard wins CTP!! $$. Congrats.How many times has L won this thing? Maybe sour grapes talking. Not sure I have ever won the $$ CTP with Jags.

Round 9 Northwood. A tight round so very fun. Mark actually shoots under the front 9. Leonard plays well then explodes on 17, 18. I throw up my first 6 of the weekend. Vomit. Ander does a birdie three in a row run! I noticed how he tightened his game as we went along, round 1-10. Winner, winner, turkey dinner.

* Ander wins round by getting out places like this...

A: + 1

S: + 2

M: +4

L: + 7

* We say bye to Leonard. Thanks for the weekend, man!

* Mark, Ander, and I meet in seedy hotel bar. Do shots. Eat pizza and burgers and such. Get lit. Feels good.

* Get up Sunday. Someone put alcohol in my drinks. Why did they? Head a bit wobbly. Lobby is full of women in purple dresses.

* Round Ten Eureka. Ander and I go low. Jags getting locked in. Word.

S: -3

A: -1

M: + 6

* Flash a ring, Ander:

* And Mark drains a uphill, longish bird. Nice putt.

* What can you say? Peoria AMAZING. Might even be a future Jag tourney destination? Huh, huh? Huh?

See you kids in Arbor.

S