So this past weekend was the 6th annual Sakuna Matata Disc Golf Tournament hosted by Disc Diva at the incredible and extremely private Sakuna Pines disc golf course. Since I started playing this tournament four years ago, it has always been one of my favorites for a number of reasons.
First, lets be sure we understand this course well. This is probably the tightest course in the state of Colorado. It is not tight as in if you get off the fairway you have no hope, it is tight in that most paths to the hole are only a matter of feet wide. Many pros have said that the course is more luck than skill at times and I can see their point, but if you hit a tree then it wasn't a good shot was it? The real challenge of this course is keeping a straight head on your shoulders and making sure you play the mental game right.
This tournamnet might be classified as my best tournament to date. After the first round I was in second place. After the second round I was tied for second place and after the final round I somehow ended up in third place. The tentative round ratings are 970's, 950's and 930's. Now that might change, but it was really good for me having three rounds over my rating. Perhaps it only equals what I did at the Colorado Open on average but it still felt better.
Really those first two rounds felt really good. There was something in the air that day or the way I was playing, or perhaps it was the lucky shirt that I wore, but I was hitting lines really well and making shots. I was playing smart and finding myself in good positions most of the time. My only complaint was that for the most part, the baskets hated me. I cannot begin to count the number of putts I had that hit chains and didn't go in. Sure, most of those were side hits, but at least two of them hit dead center and did not end up in the bottom of the basket. One was so bad I was alrady reaching down for my mini and I was left in a stooper. I still can't believe it. Basically I count 8 strokes that I should have had in those first two rounds, which ultimately would have won the tournament for me, even if we leave my one less good round from Sunday as is.
Sunday was the real learning experience for me. I think I tried to push too much as I was sitting tied for second place only two throws behind the leader. The leader blew up and finished in a tie for 4th but both of the guys I was tied with shot better than I did. I wanted it so bad that I knew I would have to try a bit harder. I ended up hitting more trees and finding myself in much tougher spots on the course. Finding yourself in tougher spots will ultiamtely make the round harder. Playing smart is really the most important thing. When you know where the tourble is on the course, make sure you stay away from it. Know which shots will get you into more trouble and work hard at just playng smart. When you are in the tournamnet play your game, pushing is the one thing that will ultimately cause you to start thinking over your head. That leads to trouble. Trouble is bad. Just sayin'.
On another note, I had some set goals for what I wanted to shoot coming into the tournament and for the most part on Saturday, playing within my own game I was able to accomplish this. The first round was almost easy in accomplishing this. The second round forced me to push a little, but when I pushed within myself, it was no real issue at all. On Sunday when I pushed in relation to the competition, that is when I finally strated to watch it fall apart and when I did not meet the goal. With that in mind, the line is now, "Play within yourself!"
The next challenge that awats is a pro only event, my second pro event of the year and one that will ultimately test this theory of play within yourself.
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