Inertia Overwhelms Me

Ludacris is a rapper and actor, but he has nothing to do with this post (except for the fact that he was born in Champaign, IL). The following picture I took has nothing to do with this post either, but it makes me laugh.



What this post is about is my local disc golf course, Lohmann Park. Ok, so it may not be "beautiful" as the PDGA says. It's a bit short. It's flat. It's fairly open. It's easy. I won't give it high marks, but I will say it grows on you, and it provides challenge enough for me. A couple of the holes are even pretty good.

Also, the PDGA listing says there are three tees per hole. As far as I can tell, there is one mishapen, runway-sized, gravel teebox per hole, except for the last hole for which there is a muddy rut for a teebox. But really, except for the muddy rut, the teeboxes are functional enough. If you do play this course, though, may I suggest a rule of thumb? When deciding where to throw from on these 60-foot tees, throw from where the signs are, which are near the back side of the tees. Otherwise you'll turn some 220-foot holes into 170-foot holes.

My stats show that I've played 18 9-hole rounds here this year (all since Madison), and I picked today to blog this course because I scored well. I'm vain. The pictures suck. But you know what? Screw you. Stop reading. Ok, I step up to the first tee. Here's a view of the fairway:



Oh, wait a second. That's Riverside Park. Damn, would be nice if there were some decent holes like this within 60 miles of this disc golf wasteland. Ok, here's what hole 1 really looks like:



248 feet. (Actually, I would subtract 10% from most distances reported, which I am reading off of the signs. They just don't seem right.) Nice fairway for an open park. well defined line of trees along the left side. You have to throw a straight drive that fades off left at the end, or try a little hyzer (but watch the tree on the right) . My drive here hits the chains! Now you know why I feel like blogging today. It doesn't go in, so I do not record my first ever ace. But I take the drop in deuce.

Total: -1

Hole 2:



192 feet. Right-to-left. That tree I'm pointing to is 30 feet short and left of the basket and I frequently hit it while trying to go around it. So, this isn't an entirely trivial hole. I used to forehand here, but now I throw an anhyzer Roc. In fact, I've virtually eliminated forehands from my game because Ander's tip of releasing at shoulder height for turnovers has given me a very predictable anhyzerish/turnoverish drive. This time, I go wide left of that tree and miss it, but end up 30 feet from the basket, pin-high. The putt goes in firmly. I've eliminated the wobble from my 30+ foot putts by doing a hybrid pitch/throw. I turn my foot about 45 degrees to the left from straight at the basket. When I miss, it does go farther past the basket than the pitch putts but not as far as my old throwing putts did. It's worth the risk, as I'm almost at the point of missing virtually nothing within 25 feet anyway.

Total: -2

I'm pumped and still have "Flight" by A Certain Ratio playing in my head now. (I was listening to it on the car ride to the park.)

Here's hole 3:



No? You're not fooled? Ok, screw it. The real hole 3:



257 feet. The hardest hole on the course. The basket is beyond several trees that are hard to navigate on the drive. The big arms can probably throw a nice hyzer over these trees and let it fall right at the basket. I take a more direct route and get a par.

Total: -2

Here's hole 4:



203 feet. The only hole that is entirely wide-open. It's boring, but I like it because I am good at it. There's one big tree pin-high to the left of the basket, but since it's pin-high, it can only help. I try not to overdrive this one and my disc comes right over the top of the basket (very close) and I sink my subsequent 15 foot putt for a birdie.

Total: -3

Here's hole 5:



232 feet. This is actually a bit tough. The straight path along the left is probably not best because of low-hanging branches in the fairway. The hyzer route indicated is tricky because of a lot of trees. But there is a nice path through them. I take the carefully planned hyzer route and surprise myself by throwing on the exact path I wanted to (I almost never do that). The only problem was, I blew past the basket by 35 feet (I've never been past the basket here before--must be pumped from the funky beats of A Certain Ratio). Then I miss my putt. The funny thing is though, I remember feeling happy even after missing this putt, because for the first time in my life I can walk up to a 35-footer and feel like I have a decent chance of making it. The basket no longer intimidates me. But I'm sure that's because I'm playing alone.

Total: -3

Here's hole 6:



223 feet. Looks wide open in this picture, but it's really not. The basket is about 45 feet behind that pair of trees there, so a straight shot won't work, and a hyzer has a low-percentage chance of reaching the basket, too. I throw an anhyzer, and triumphantly pencil in the "2" on the card even before the disc lands in the mud 16 inches from the pole. Seriously--I got that card out of my pocket while the disc was still in the air.

Total: -4

I come up to hole 7 to see this determined lad, who later won my car in a skins game:



Here's the hole 7 fairway:



174 feet. Nice fairway. Bad picture. There's a 15-foot wide gap in some pines that leads nicely to the basket. You need an ultra-straight midrange throw here to thread that gap. Or you can do what I did and throw it to the left of the gap. The problem with that is there are some low branches protecting the green and it's hard to get within 20 feet of the basket. My adrenaline causes my drive to end up 40 feet past the basket, and my putt hits chains but misses. Big missed opportunity as this shouldn't be hard to deuce.

Total: -4

Hole 8:



192 feet. Very nice hole for a short one. Well-defined straight fairway through some woods. I throw my Roc straight as hell and grab another CTP prize, being only two feet from the pin.

Total: -5

Here's the final hole, hole 9:




About 250 feet. Kind of a crappy finishing hole. No teebox, no sign (the only hole lacking these things). Wide open until you hit a line of trees 20 feet before reaching the basket. I usually fall a little short on my drive here or throw it off-line one way or the other. This time, I throw for maximum distance. When I do this, it might go 220, maybe 285. My form is in a state of confusion and transition now. This time, my drive goes over the basket by about 35 feet. I'm stunned. I'm somehow happier with that result than landing it two feet from the pin. I feel it's about time I make a longish putt. In my yard, I made 11/25 from 36 feet. But I'm feeling the pressure of putting up a low score, my putt sails over the basket and I have to face a 25 foot comeback putt. I sneak it in for par.

Total: -5.

My memory is telling my that my best 9-hole score here ever, since I first played the course five years ago, is a 21. But I'm not sure. So, since I've been writing everything down lately, this 22 is going down as my personal best.

Feeling good, I play another 9. I end up with a 45 for the 18 holes altogether. So, yes, this is an easy course. But when I play it well, it is fun. It was a good morning, but now I am at work procrastinating and blogging this. (I've embraced the word, by the way.) I'm going to try to emulate this guy for the rest of the week:



I have to save up my energy for the Ostermeier-Rigg-Blackburn match-up next week (both disc golf and Mario Kart).

Reed Canal Park DGC in Daytona Beach, FL is kind of wanky

So today I roll into the second best disc golf course in Daytona Beach, Florida today to play a couple rounds. The course reviews for this sound underwhelming ("great for beginners"), but fuck it, right? Is it better to play a course that you haven't played but think will not be as good as the one you've played? I think the answer is yes. Better to play more courses than not. Provided they're not 9 holes or something. So Reed Canal Park, hello. What up, dog?

It's actually not bad of a course until you get to the end. Pretty palms everywhere, no real danger of losing discs (though there's definite foliage and southern crap that itches). Some pretty technical holes. No elevation, no water (not really). The front nine are solid. I start with hole 1, which is a respectable 308 feet (the one I'm driving on in this video:

). First let's talk driving, then the course. Obviously I've been watching the videos. So I thought I'd shoot some of my own to see how I was doing, whether this is the x-step or not. I think it is. But this has also always been the step I've used. It didn't even occur to me that others were not using this runup, more or less. I think the thing to note is that I appear to be getting a lot of rotation on the disc (you can see the follow-through leg kick which looks kind of lame, but it keeps me balanced). I am also apparently not releasing at chest height. That's partly because this hole is only 308 feet, which is easily reachable for me with a driver (really I can get it there with a Glide also, which for me is more of a midrange). And actually I overshot it 2 out of 3 times (the other time I winged a palm high up and it make a spectacular sound and dropped). Anyhow. Maybe this is useful for you to look at, maybe not. When I'm trying to turn a disc over, I try to release it higher, at chest height. I also could probably do a better job of keeping it closer to the body. The best part of the video is the sound the disc makes as it flies over the camera in the last shot. I can't figure out how to easily do slow-mo with my software so you'll have to do it manually if you want it. Nor do I have any kind of fancy camerawork from my wife, or from my kids screaming at me to throw the disc, dad, nor in fact a "Mission Accomplished" banner, and I'm too lazy to download any explosions. So fuck you! Anyhow. Onwards to the course.

So hole 1, 308 feet, is a pretty good one. It's also a pretty one. There's a big ole hyzer route to play.


No problem. I actually put in a 50 footer for deuce. Sweet. Hole 2 is similarly pretty, albeit shorter (most holes on this course are in the 150-250 range, which doesn't make for extremely difficult disc). This is also why the course sets up well for beginners. Not to say it's uninteresting. Here's hole 2's approach, which kind of has some water (cool fountain behind it).


Again, not trivial. A lot of these front-9 holes are fairly technical. You're not punished too badly if you get off the fairway, but there's not always a reasonable save shot. You can definitely ring up some bogeys, particularly when you combine it with their somewhat draconian/artificial OB rules (all paths are OB, there's paths everywhere). This makes it more interesting and difficult, but it's kind of a weak way to exert pressure on the golfer in my opinion. Okay. More of the same. How about hole 4:


You get the idea. That one's 220 or so. This course rewards players who can throw it where they mean to (which is a good thing to reward if they do/penalize if they don't). And it is pretty:


A couple of the holes are a little wankery, meaning they're in the trees, but
and here's the shot you're looking at from the tee:


Not trivial, which is what we want. Not real long, but a solid hole. Hole 12 is the only other long one on the course, and kind of the end of the course, as we'll see. It's 356, dogleg right. Not super open, but there's a good lefty/forehand/turnover path if you want it. I do want it.


These guys had some issues. Their disc was about 60' off the ground in the crown of a palm tree. It is not coming out, dudes. They threw a baseball. They had a ladder. They had a long pole that they were brandishing from the ladder. I don't know what to tell you, dudes, but that fucker is wedged in. Time to buy a new disc or pray for lightning:


My disc does not share their fate. It's a good hole also because it positions the basket behind a downed log/tree, thus adding a little bonus:


So that's a good hole. And the next 2 are okay, not great, but okay. But holes 15, 16, 17, and 18 are completely retarded. They are all 90'-150', directly ahead of the tee in the middle of clearings. It is a colossal letdown to this course. You know, you're having an interesting match with somebody, and you want risk and reward on the last corner of the course, so things can happen. The only thing that can happen with this setup is an ace (which frankly I do not think I would write on my disc on one of these stupid holes, though I did not ace it. In fact I assumed the first hole must be playing to the basket beyond the basket I saw, so I threw for it, and overshot it... with my putter). This course would actually be decent if they just put in a few more holes. Not going to be a great course, but serviceable, fucking designed at least.

I do another round (a round takes 30-40 minutes here), but I don't bother to play the last four holes.

Recommendation: it's a 3-4 disc course. Not unfun, but man, what a letdown at the end. Makes me really not want to play it again. If you lived 100' away, sure, go for it. You can play 180 holes in four hours. You can get you some Cubby-style aces. Eh. Peh.

So here's the wack thing about the course. They have way more space. Admittedly, it's a mixed-use park. But take a look:


The bottom part of the lake gets cutoff unavoidably, which blows, but there's a little peninsula out there, and plenty of space to put a couple tee boxes playing over water, maybe, or along the edge, perhaps. At the least, designers need to realize what kind of space they have and not just phone in the last 4 holes with some kiddie shit. This could be a decent course. It is not a decent course. It's a decent 9 holes worth of course, and a bunch of other holes, many of which don't deserve playing twice, or even once, I'd wager.

What a Fucking X Step!

Wow!

Tuscawilla Park in Daytona Beach, FL

Smokin' Popes: I put in 18 at Tuscawilla Park in Daytona Beach, Florida this afternoon. After deciding to pass on the courses in Orlando (an hour away; Daytona's 10 minutes), I wandered up. An interesting course. It's in the 90s here with approximately 80% humidity. So oof. I don't know whether I was just bombing shots today or if it's a function of the humidity (possibly humidity makes discs flippier, since there's more air resistance as they fly; also possibly I'm getting a little more snap since my hand and glove is sticky from the humidity?), but I was definitely getting some pop (and no x-step, whatever that is).

However the humidity also soaks your ass, and the rest of you too. Weird playing in this much after getting use to the basically zero humidity in the desert.

This course is flat, and in a nicely manicured park. There is lots of water winding through the park, in pools, and in some ditches. It's all real water, not casual (so penalties apply). As it is the rainy season now in Florida, there's water in pretty much everything, including, as I mentioned, your ass. That, and the piles of palm and other trees, creates much of the difficulty on this course.

I spent about 20 minutes trying to find the first tee, which I eventually did after being hassled by a dude for Jesus. Wha?

So let's start with hole 3, a drive over what I have to imagine is an alternate island green for one of the current holes: you do not want to be in most of this water because I don't know what kind of insane crap is in there. You can get discs back from the edge, but there's naughty moss and lizards everywhere, and word is that alligators could be around, so I'd recommend just not getting it in the water. So, hole 3, as promised:


Not too hard. About a 300' shot, and lots of trees to hit, but as long as you get it over the island green you should be able to par. I have a putt for birdie and do not make it.

*

With the water comes the wildlife that wanders around the park. I don't know what kind of bird this is, but it was a little aggressive. Stork?

There are also about 20 homeless dudes sleeping on benches and so on, none in the fairways. None offered to caddy.

There are several very good holes on this course. Let's start with the first, being a signature hole, number 7. Note the awesome hole maps on every tee (both A and B tees have rocks with maps on them: bonus). There are A tees (longer and harder) and B tees. I played the A tees; I'll probably go back to play the Bs next week. There are at least three pin positions on each hole. Which position it's in is designated by the little white buttons on the rock (you can see the bottom half of one of them here). This hole is seriously bitchy:

The pin's in the 3 position, at 329 feet. There's really no way to play this hole safe besides just chipping it 50 feet ahead. You could try to play to the little peninsula on the right, or way to the left, but that's risky in itself:


It's a solid 315 to carry the water, I'd say, especially since the water's on the left, so this would play better for a lefty or a forehand if you got the cojones and the shot. You do not want to miss left. Here's a shot of the green from the left side of the pond:


I kill a drive. Overshoot it by about 30 feet and end up here:


Somewhat sad day. Gettable. I have a reasonable putt, but I miss the reasonable putt off the metal on the top and take a bogey. Too bad. C'est disc.

*

How about a shot of a cool palm?

*

or a random knife I find on a bench around hole 14:

I think about taking said knife but do not. It looks so clean. And who knows why it's on the paper. I do not ask. I do not tell. I blog it and move on.

Hole 11 is a tough little one. It's 372' in its current position, but you really have no shot (besides some kind of roller because the shrubbery on the right is big and tall and looks like it's waiting for you to try to throw a turnover shot to cut it close):


I throw an easy turnover about 280', just playing it safe. You really have to play it high and left, and there's probably a shot to be had besides a roller that could give you a putt, but I don't see it (no real forehand is going to hold) but you can't put it in the huge woods over there:


It turns out to be pretty awesome actually, leaving me a 70 foot upshot which I chump because I am a chump. Almost hit a 40' putt but no such luck. I am putting a little too high for the first 2/3 of the course. Maybe it's the humidity. At least it's consistent.

Hole 12 is a pretty one, a nice change from many of the front nine. It's probably 330' or so, and there's a nice opening which you cannot miss if you want any shot at par:


Throw it highish and turnoverry. This course definitely punishes bad shot selection or bad execution, which is what you want. It could probably have a little more variety than it has, but with an openish park, there's only so much you can do. (Ask Sean about his Muncie course--it's very good considering the landscape, but when you play a Kaposia or something, or an Elver, with big elevation and tech craziness, it's just fuckin' better.) Either way this is a good hole. It makes it clear what you should do, and anything else fucks you. Anyhow, here's a shot from about 100' out, just where it clears:


This course--and Florida on the whole--is lush as hell. Palms everywhere, and saw palmettos, and cockroaches of course, armadillos, ospreys. Very cool to play here. The humidity is like Alabama but Alabama sucks a lot worse than Florida, I am finding.

13 is a monster. One of the two signature holes on the course (7 is the other one, in my opinion):


Note that the 4th pin position isn't even on the fucking map. It's a bomb hole, definitely, easily 400 to get to the trees and a second shot:



And you can absolutely hit that white veranda structure. I do not, which is good. I kill a drive, maybe close to 370' or so. It leaves me a reasonable (though not easy) second shot:


There's a route. A nice little forehand route, but I chump it. Jesus. Leaving me an assy shot for par. I hit another tree. Frack. Eventually you get up to the basket, which is kind of awesomely elevated on a stump:


which is a nice touch. I chart a 5 on this one. Damn it. Should have totally parred it. But whatevs. 13, I forget what 13 is. 14 is pretty awesome though. The drive's about like a bunch of these, albeit a bomb, except a fucking island green, which is pretty much my favorite kind of green. They're so bitchy. And this one isn't even flat:


I throw a pretty good shot which lands on the green, but then it rolls off. Ass. I take a 4. Luckily I turn on the birdie for the next two holes (15 is a birdie hole, definitely, and I finally chart a birdie). Hole 16 is a bomb, 390 or so. I launch one, and put in a 40-footer for birdie. Sweet. Back to +5.

Generally this course uses its water really well. It's almost always in play. Like on 17, in which the drive is by no means an obvious shot:


and here's the shot of the green:

*

I end up bogeying 18 (which shouldn't have been bogeyed), which puts me back at +6, which is a little disappointing. It should be reasonable to play this course at par if you avoid disaster and just hit putts to get some of the easier birdies (which I did not for the most part).

Overall, I'd say 3.0/4.0. Pretty good. Not quite awesome since about half the holes are fairly similar to each other. Definitely worth the play. I'll post a review this evening probably on dgcoursereview.com which is increasingly an entertaining site for me. There's lots of examples of people saying they traveled 1200 miles to get here. WTF? Really? It's definitely different than a lot of courses I've played, but not worth that kind of gas money.

09 Worlds

Play began today at the 2009 World Disc Golf Championships in the Kansas City area. Tee-off was at 8:00 am. The first ace recorded was at 8:01 am.

Catch all the action at the PDGA Worlds Media page.

Two pieces of disc golf information I'd like to juxtapose for you:

1. A couple of days ago, I recorded my longest flat-ground, non-wind-aided, backhand drive of my life: 300 feet, measured to the nearest foot.
2. The long distance throwing event was held at Worlds yesterday. The winning throw for girls aged 16 or under was 324 feet.
   

Some other winning throws:
Men's Professional: 577 feet
Boys 13 and under: 462 feet
Women's Professional: 396 feet
Boys 10 and under: 359 feet

The only category that posted a winning throw that I could reach was the Women's Grandmaster (50 years old and older) Advanced division. 243 feet. Even then, I'd probably need several throws to beat it.

Cedar Glades Park Hot Springs Arkansas

I woke up at the fancy hotel and then ran up the mountain, 7 miles. I didn't mean to go that far but got lost on the mountain. I ran on a rocky trail called the DEAD CHIEF TRAIL. That might be an insensitive name for a running trail, but I don't want to make assumptions.

Then I said, "Denise, let's go play disc golf."

We went here.

The locals call this the "Wildcat Course" I guess because it is in the woods and has a creek, but I have seen much wilder courses in my day.

The course was piney and tight and sculpted and shadow flickering trees and easy signage and well maintained. Each hole had a a clear sign and nice and orderly tee pad. Maybe the course was a bit too "manicured" for my taste.

Denise is playing D golf a bit now. She has several problems in her game, but I fixed most by giving her a Roc and telling her to use it on every hole. Jack Nicklaus once said a new golfer (ball, obviously) should use a 5 iron for every shot. The Roc is the same idea. It worked. Her scores lowered quickly. I am thinking she needs a light Roc, like a 150 if that is even possible.

I like that she plays because I can now work a D Golf course into every trip we take.

This is Denise's first ever par. Notice how many jack-weeds have written aces on the basket. This is because the hole was about 100 feet long. The course had several 100 foot range holes. I almost aced twice with a fucking Rhino putter. I did not appreciate these short holes, though the course tries to justify them by massive elevation, tech routes. I will also say we didn't have to play the short tees, now did we?

Example of elevation and tech below:

Then there is this hole, "The Humbler." 737 feet through the woods, short Tee. Long Tee is 912 feet thru the woods.

I am putting for a 5 here and I miss and so 6 the hole and am Humled. I was disgusted to miss this putt because with the new putting stroke I rarely miss from this close. My scores have certainly improved since I have changed my putting stance, stroke, mental approach, so thanks to all for the video links.

Wow! A lawyer's dream. The park has its own climbing wall!!

S

Bad Ass Day for Sean also Coke is Good

Dinner be organic, yo. Harvested that deer. Grew that sweet corn in the rain gutters of my house. No, no, bought it from a smelly guy with a gray mullet. Dude smelled like a charred piano. He was on the side of the road in a Pinto, the exploding car. You hardly ever see gray-hair mullets. I liked it. Respect.

*

Today was one of those weird disc golf days where it all came together. First thing, the weather was all rainbow crystal gavel of hipster girl with NO2 tank and skinny glasses. She dances in circles and sells you two balloons for 5 dollars. She is so alive, so full of self/lightning you can't believe the dude with her (guy is wearing a football jersey and has large head like an eggplant, loud voice like an eggplant, ball cap bent all cheese curl). Then she enters her white van and drives away, so enjoy her while she is in your world. Clouds in the shape of Ethel Merman's head. Trees swayed, breeze breezed, ground grounded, all of that. I even saw a hawk pounce on a Mountain Dew can and crush it like zucchini bread. Our disc golf course has some bad-ass hawks. Wow. I felt high like an index. (Indexes used to be high, bear with me.)

Then I see a bunch of families on the course, a bunch of young kids, a mom, etc. This is why we (me, a grad student at BSU, a gracious course designer who took no fee) built the course. Before disc golf the park was a haven of drug deals and gay sex (not that there is anything wrong with either, but maybe a public park isn't the best venue?).

Can you see the kids? They are way in the back. They are small because they are kids. Kids are usually small. Anyway.

I put two new holes in the ground. The disc golf club hems and haws, while I just go out and put holes in the ground. I don't ask permission. Know why? Because I have the keys to every basket. I don't need permission for a thing. I am the Key Master. If you are ever the Key Master, even as a metaphor, don't give it up lightly. It feels pretty good.

Hole 6 is sweet:

Look at the new hole 6! You can go forehand or backhand, hyzer or anhyzer.

I also put in a new hole 17.

I will get DIY on your ass. I will buy Quick-Crete and bring a level, real honest-2-God level. Check out that big L to R shot. You don't even have that shot because you are a weak-ass and all your discs fall off to the left. Ha. Ha. (or go buy a stingray).

I also shot -5 today, my course record. I told you it was a good day. To each their own.

Coke. Dude, I love Coke.

S