Back in December when my parents asked me what I wanted for Christmas I told them a little story how I was now a professional disc golfer and wanted some sort of sports massage of thearapy that would help me be more of a professional. That is when my dad's brain went to work and produced one of the best Christmas presents ever.
My dad is getting older, sad to say, and has had a few surgeries in his time. He has had knee, back and shoulder surgeries. With jsut about every surgery and often times to prevent surgery from needing to be done, he has had physical thearapy. So, my dad connected me with his physical thearapist, Mark Holmes and Cactus Sport and Spine, just down the way from my house. Mark has specialized in treating athletes in various different sports and was all too happy to attempt to help me with a sport that he had not yet worked with.
My dad basically gave me the gift witht he hope of preventing any serious injuries from happening. My hope was and still is that I can get in better shape and be able to throw the disc further than I ever have. I have had two sessions so far and I honestly believe that it is helping significantly. We will see if there are transferable results.
Friday, April 17, 2015
Thursday, April 16, 2015
The Flinging of Spring Yet Again
It is always nice when you have a one day tournmanet in Colorado with Ams and Pros separated. With the popularity of disc golf in Colorado showing significant growth, it has made for for the possibility of some great events with lots and lots of people. This year brought a substitute TD and a moment of silence for a former TD.
I have to mention Joe Haman who was the former TD of this event back right after I moved to Colorado. He was a great guy and we lost him last year in a tragic accident. He is missed by his real family and his disc golf family.
After a glitch in registration, Kyle H., this years TD, ended up with twice as many Ams as one course could hold and as such he ended up making two 18 hole courses on a property he would use the next day to make 22 hoels for the pros.
I volunteered on the Am day and helped with registration and directing traffic on teh course with a layout that was far from normal. There were lots of smiles and a great time had by all. My mom played in an age protected division for the first time and had a blast playing with the ladies in that division. My dad was sad that he did not make the tournment, having to be a a meeting in the morning. He thought both courses would have been enjoyable for him to play. Hats off to a good friend, Eric McGill who managed to win the Am day as well. Good shooting and I look forward to playing against you in the Open division now.
At last years event, you may remember some words I said about the weather for the Am day being crazy beautiful and the weather for the pro day being downright miserable. It was not far from that this year but nowhere near as bad as last year. This year it was perfect weather and perfect weather with wind.
The first round reminded me of what it means to play in the wind. I made a lot of mistakes to blame on the wind and to blame on myself. But I also knew that it would be a struggle for everyone. I had some great shots and some really poor shots. Making a par was the name of the round. I played with Big Mack and The Chad as well as a couple of other solid guys. It was a very enjoyable round despite the mistakes that I was making. The mistakes pretty much took me out of any hope I had of cashing, but the value of learning to play in the wind again will serve me well with other events coming up where wind is likely.
After a lunch with Big Mack and Mitch Sonderfan, the second round brought a renewed sense of enjoying the game. I played a much smarter game and had a much better idea of what my discs might do in the wind. Despite the course being even longer and the wind more inconsistent, I still managed to shoot eight strokes better the second round. How desperately bad did I want to make that last jump putt on the last hole, but alas it was not meant to be. And after taking myself out of contention, my solid second round put my only four throws out of the cash.
More practice is needed and the weather is not cooperating, but things are looking up.
I have to mention Joe Haman who was the former TD of this event back right after I moved to Colorado. He was a great guy and we lost him last year in a tragic accident. He is missed by his real family and his disc golf family.
After a glitch in registration, Kyle H., this years TD, ended up with twice as many Ams as one course could hold and as such he ended up making two 18 hole courses on a property he would use the next day to make 22 hoels for the pros.
I volunteered on the Am day and helped with registration and directing traffic on teh course with a layout that was far from normal. There were lots of smiles and a great time had by all. My mom played in an age protected division for the first time and had a blast playing with the ladies in that division. My dad was sad that he did not make the tournment, having to be a a meeting in the morning. He thought both courses would have been enjoyable for him to play. Hats off to a good friend, Eric McGill who managed to win the Am day as well. Good shooting and I look forward to playing against you in the Open division now.
At last years event, you may remember some words I said about the weather for the Am day being crazy beautiful and the weather for the pro day being downright miserable. It was not far from that this year but nowhere near as bad as last year. This year it was perfect weather and perfect weather with wind.
The first round reminded me of what it means to play in the wind. I made a lot of mistakes to blame on the wind and to blame on myself. But I also knew that it would be a struggle for everyone. I had some great shots and some really poor shots. Making a par was the name of the round. I played with Big Mack and The Chad as well as a couple of other solid guys. It was a very enjoyable round despite the mistakes that I was making. The mistakes pretty much took me out of any hope I had of cashing, but the value of learning to play in the wind again will serve me well with other events coming up where wind is likely.
After a lunch with Big Mack and Mitch Sonderfan, the second round brought a renewed sense of enjoying the game. I played a much smarter game and had a much better idea of what my discs might do in the wind. Despite the course being even longer and the wind more inconsistent, I still managed to shoot eight strokes better the second round. How desperately bad did I want to make that last jump putt on the last hole, but alas it was not meant to be. And after taking myself out of contention, my solid second round put my only four throws out of the cash.
More practice is needed and the weather is not cooperating, but things are looking up.
One Day Again
Kyle at Phenix Disc Sports is once again running his One Day Series. As is tradition, this year started at Badlands. From what I can tell, things feel a bit different this year, but I am not quite sure what it is about the event that feels different from last year. This series last year had some of my best and worst days on the very some course. It was really hard to tell what exactly this might bring for me this year. And of course I was still battling the poison oak from California for this first event of the series.
The first round was really the naightmare that no one wants to admit that they have had. Things look so good on many occasions and the putts were just not falling. I am pretty certain that on most holes I found a way to hit basket or chains but not see my disc go into the basket. Putts that normally are no brain putts were just not wanting to go in. Perfect tee shots somehow find their way into the middle of the thorn bush with no easy way out. I threw an ideal tee shot across the lake only to watch is slide down the wrong side of the building and leave me with no putt. Bad breaks and good putts that were just not going into the basket made for a very long round.
The second round was slightly better, but with nothing to loose there really wasn't much sense in playing things safe. Yeah, I watched my disc find out of bounds on more than one occasion because of that. Yeah, the round was not quite what I had hoped for. At least I made a few more putts and had fun in the process. I really just wish I would have not messed up the last hole of the tournament and taken a bogey that cost me a few places in the final standings.
I am looking forward to what the One Day Series might bring for me this year, but as it looks, I may not be able to make as many events this time around. There are too many other good events happening at the same time.
The first round was really the naightmare that no one wants to admit that they have had. Things look so good on many occasions and the putts were just not falling. I am pretty certain that on most holes I found a way to hit basket or chains but not see my disc go into the basket. Putts that normally are no brain putts were just not wanting to go in. Perfect tee shots somehow find their way into the middle of the thorn bush with no easy way out. I threw an ideal tee shot across the lake only to watch is slide down the wrong side of the building and leave me with no putt. Bad breaks and good putts that were just not going into the basket made for a very long round.
The second round was slightly better, but with nothing to loose there really wasn't much sense in playing things safe. Yeah, I watched my disc find out of bounds on more than one occasion because of that. Yeah, the round was not quite what I had hoped for. At least I made a few more putts and had fun in the process. I really just wish I would have not messed up the last hole of the tournament and taken a bogey that cost me a few places in the final standings.
I am looking forward to what the One Day Series might bring for me this year, but as it looks, I may not be able to make as many events this time around. There are too many other good events happening at the same time.
What To Do For St. Patrick's Day Disc Golf?
I am going to let out a small bit of frustration here, but only as much as is pertinent to the story I am about to tell about a wonderful disc golf tournament. Every year for the past several years I have played a tournament in Colorado called St. Patty's Meltdown. It has traditionally been the first tournament of the year in Colorado and has always been good. Well, this year the powers that be decided to only post information about registration on Facebook, which I am not on. And then only to do a waitlist on Facebook, which I am not on. I found out about registration 2 hours after the tournament filled up and had no hope of getting in. If you are a TD and reading this, just know that the world does not revolve around Facebook and I am not going to get on Facebook just because of your disc golf tournament.
So, I started to look for other tournemnts that I might be able to play instead of this one and found one near an old roommate from my time at Talbot School of Theology. My buddy Jaron has always been a solid guy and I honestly believe has the gift of hospitality along with his wife. We did a few skiing trips together which I filmed and then made movies of. I am sure there is a DVD somewhere that would embarass me now but is still histerical to those of us who were there. I was able to get in touch with him and made my way out to Sacramento, CA to play in the St. Patrick's Classic in Orangevale, CA at the lovely Shady Oaks Park.
After getting in late and finding that my car rental reservation was less than solid (ended up paying twice as much to find any car from a different company, blah) I made my way to Jaron's house. The highlight of this trip was not the disc golf but the time I got to spend with Jaron and his family. They are still valued friends. His kids, three girls, are all amazing. It was great to see his oldest again as I first met her in the hospital shortly after she was born. It brought back a lot of good memories and provided for some really good new memories. Perhaps the best was watching Big Hero 6 for the first time with the family and them trying to figure out which character I would like best. It is Hero, just in case you were wondering. It was also great to go rock climbing with Jaron again. Something we used to do when we were in school together back in the day. I am looking forward to seeing them all again.
As for the tournament, it was interesting going to the course early to walk a course and then play it blind in the first round of the tournament. The people there were very nice and helpful for the most part as I tried to figure out what exactly I was going to do. I ran in to Nikko and Jessica again, and perhaps they even remembered me from the Memorial. The first round went well for the most part. It was slow and not very exciting. I missed a putt here and made a putt there. Got a birdie on one of the tightest holes on the course because I hit a line and slid under a log and then made a putt. Also made a few bogies becuase I tried for a bit too much and ended up whacking my way through the numerous trees. Still, the round ended with a birdie and a score of even for the round.
The second round was nice though felt more difficult at times. I had a really solid stretch of holes, all while Jaron and two of his girls were watching me. But when they weren't watching me things go a little bit squirrly. I also put a disc up in a tree, caught in poison oak. The round once again ended with a birdie and a few good corrections, but a score of +2 for the round. I then of course decided that I could not leave my disc in the tree, so I went back and risked getting poison oak in order to retrive my disc. I was waiting as groups played the hole but would then spend short periods of time trying to get the disc back. Eventually it came down, after about three hours. And of course I would later pay the price for playing with poison oak. I was able to make it back in time to see most of Jaron's oldest daughters baseball game. That was also a very good memory from the trip.
The final round came and went and the struggle of not knowing the course came back to cause a less than delightful round. I missed a putt after a great drive on the first hole (did that the first round too). And struggled early in the round until I made a huge putt on hole 8. Still, most of my drives were keeping me just far enough away from the hole not to be able to make the putts that I needed or wanted. The best news was that I was able to birdie the last hole for the third dtraight round and walk away from the tournament with a great experience and the desire to come back again and play a fun course.
The experience at this tournament was good enough that I might not think about playing the Meltdown in Colorado again.
So, I started to look for other tournemnts that I might be able to play instead of this one and found one near an old roommate from my time at Talbot School of Theology. My buddy Jaron has always been a solid guy and I honestly believe has the gift of hospitality along with his wife. We did a few skiing trips together which I filmed and then made movies of. I am sure there is a DVD somewhere that would embarass me now but is still histerical to those of us who were there. I was able to get in touch with him and made my way out to Sacramento, CA to play in the St. Patrick's Classic in Orangevale, CA at the lovely Shady Oaks Park.
After getting in late and finding that my car rental reservation was less than solid (ended up paying twice as much to find any car from a different company, blah) I made my way to Jaron's house. The highlight of this trip was not the disc golf but the time I got to spend with Jaron and his family. They are still valued friends. His kids, three girls, are all amazing. It was great to see his oldest again as I first met her in the hospital shortly after she was born. It brought back a lot of good memories and provided for some really good new memories. Perhaps the best was watching Big Hero 6 for the first time with the family and them trying to figure out which character I would like best. It is Hero, just in case you were wondering. It was also great to go rock climbing with Jaron again. Something we used to do when we were in school together back in the day. I am looking forward to seeing them all again.
As for the tournament, it was interesting going to the course early to walk a course and then play it blind in the first round of the tournament. The people there were very nice and helpful for the most part as I tried to figure out what exactly I was going to do. I ran in to Nikko and Jessica again, and perhaps they even remembered me from the Memorial. The first round went well for the most part. It was slow and not very exciting. I missed a putt here and made a putt there. Got a birdie on one of the tightest holes on the course because I hit a line and slid under a log and then made a putt. Also made a few bogies becuase I tried for a bit too much and ended up whacking my way through the numerous trees. Still, the round ended with a birdie and a score of even for the round.
The second round was nice though felt more difficult at times. I had a really solid stretch of holes, all while Jaron and two of his girls were watching me. But when they weren't watching me things go a little bit squirrly. I also put a disc up in a tree, caught in poison oak. The round once again ended with a birdie and a few good corrections, but a score of +2 for the round. I then of course decided that I could not leave my disc in the tree, so I went back and risked getting poison oak in order to retrive my disc. I was waiting as groups played the hole but would then spend short periods of time trying to get the disc back. Eventually it came down, after about three hours. And of course I would later pay the price for playing with poison oak. I was able to make it back in time to see most of Jaron's oldest daughters baseball game. That was also a very good memory from the trip.
The final round came and went and the struggle of not knowing the course came back to cause a less than delightful round. I missed a putt after a great drive on the first hole (did that the first round too). And struggled early in the round until I made a huge putt on hole 8. Still, most of my drives were keeping me just far enough away from the hole not to be able to make the putts that I needed or wanted. The best news was that I was able to birdie the last hole for the third dtraight round and walk away from the tournament with a great experience and the desire to come back again and play a fun course.
The experience at this tournament was good enough that I might not think about playing the Meltdown in Colorado again.
Return To The Memorial
Ever since the end of last years Memorial, I have been looking forward to going back and playing better. My parents went down to Arizona early and were living the dream in the nice weather. I on the other hand played a tournament in a blizzard, barely made it home alive. Found out my flight had been canceled and needed to find another flight to get to Arizona. It was a crazy day or two simply trying to go back to the place that had been so much fun but started my rough year last year.
After flying standby to get on an earlier flight, I finally made it to Arizona in time to get one of the two practice rounds I had hoped to play in. Sure, I played the last few holes in near darkness, but I made it and did so without loosing a disc. Though lest be honest, if I had not thrown near perfect tee shots on the last two holes that probably would not have been the case.
The next few days brought more practice rounds including some windy conditions that I was not too excited about. Thankfully the there were still lessons to be learned from that round. I also had the chance to play a practice round on the new course to the tournament with the likes of Nikko Locastro, Max Nichols and Jessice Weese. It was entertaining to watch Nikko and Max go back and forth with each other and to see what practice really meant to them. Ultimately it was also an encouraging round as I realized that it was not out of the question that I could make the effort to find myself at a much higher level than I am now. That is really the best way to describe it.
The first round brought nearly an all Colorado card together. I felt bad for the one guy from Utah until I realized that I played with him last year at the Memorial. Other than that I was also with Jared Roan and Lance Trott. It was exactly what I needed and made for a relaxed round. I made a few mistakes and missed a few putts that I would very much like to have back, but largely I played well at Fountain and shot better than I had the previous year. It was not a great round for any of us, but it was fun.
The second round was an early morning at Vista. It started out well including a birdie on the first hole, but some poor putting once again led to some disappointment. I also tried a roller on the 15th hole that rolled straight into the water and the loss of my best roller disc. Even to this day as I am writing this much later than I had intended, I still miss that disc. I have tried to beat in other discs but with no success. The round was also followed by a nice lunch with one of the guys I played with and some other disc golfers that I knew and someone donating $50 toward our bill. Thank you very much to the person who decided to do that.
The third round for me was the biggest roller coaster ride for me of the tournament. There were some great holes. I threw one of the most amazing roller shots I have ever thrown early in the round. But I also had some of the worst tee shots I have ever had including one of the worst rollers I have ever had later in the round. There were bad rolls and shots that were just a tad to short or a tad too long. Putts were not wanting to fall and even a dead center putt on 18 to salvage a descent round would not stick in the chains. At least the course was right next to an IN-N-OUT.
As I did not make the cut, I also had the joy of caddying for Paige Bjerkaas, a dear friend of mine from Colorado as she played in the final round. I was not the caddy that I wanted to be for her and she did not paly as well as I know she is capable of playing. It was still a fun experience.
There were also a couple of other amazing things that happened on this trip. First was having dinner with JohnE McCray and his wife Jen. They are some really awesome people. I met JohnE and Jen last year at the Memorial. JohnE loves God and we even prayed together before his first round. It was probably one of the highlights of last season for me as I mentioned in a previous blog post. This year included praying before the tournament again and even having dinner with JohnE and Jen. I am blessed to be able to call them friends.
JohnE and Jen also introduced me to Dustin and Hanah Leatherman at this years Memorial and I am blessed to have made new friends whom also love Jesus. I hope there is more news to share in the near future concerning meeting Dustin.
It was quite sad to leave the nice warm weather in Arizona and go back to a place where the weather was still cold and snowy. But, Colorado is home. I do look forward to being back in Arizona again next year for the Memorial and doing even better.
After flying standby to get on an earlier flight, I finally made it to Arizona in time to get one of the two practice rounds I had hoped to play in. Sure, I played the last few holes in near darkness, but I made it and did so without loosing a disc. Though lest be honest, if I had not thrown near perfect tee shots on the last two holes that probably would not have been the case.
The next few days brought more practice rounds including some windy conditions that I was not too excited about. Thankfully the there were still lessons to be learned from that round. I also had the chance to play a practice round on the new course to the tournament with the likes of Nikko Locastro, Max Nichols and Jessice Weese. It was entertaining to watch Nikko and Max go back and forth with each other and to see what practice really meant to them. Ultimately it was also an encouraging round as I realized that it was not out of the question that I could make the effort to find myself at a much higher level than I am now. That is really the best way to describe it.
The first round brought nearly an all Colorado card together. I felt bad for the one guy from Utah until I realized that I played with him last year at the Memorial. Other than that I was also with Jared Roan and Lance Trott. It was exactly what I needed and made for a relaxed round. I made a few mistakes and missed a few putts that I would very much like to have back, but largely I played well at Fountain and shot better than I had the previous year. It was not a great round for any of us, but it was fun.
The second round was an early morning at Vista. It started out well including a birdie on the first hole, but some poor putting once again led to some disappointment. I also tried a roller on the 15th hole that rolled straight into the water and the loss of my best roller disc. Even to this day as I am writing this much later than I had intended, I still miss that disc. I have tried to beat in other discs but with no success. The round was also followed by a nice lunch with one of the guys I played with and some other disc golfers that I knew and someone donating $50 toward our bill. Thank you very much to the person who decided to do that.
The third round for me was the biggest roller coaster ride for me of the tournament. There were some great holes. I threw one of the most amazing roller shots I have ever thrown early in the round. But I also had some of the worst tee shots I have ever had including one of the worst rollers I have ever had later in the round. There were bad rolls and shots that were just a tad to short or a tad too long. Putts were not wanting to fall and even a dead center putt on 18 to salvage a descent round would not stick in the chains. At least the course was right next to an IN-N-OUT.
As I did not make the cut, I also had the joy of caddying for Paige Bjerkaas, a dear friend of mine from Colorado as she played in the final round. I was not the caddy that I wanted to be for her and she did not paly as well as I know she is capable of playing. It was still a fun experience.
There were also a couple of other amazing things that happened on this trip. First was having dinner with JohnE McCray and his wife Jen. They are some really awesome people. I met JohnE and Jen last year at the Memorial. JohnE loves God and we even prayed together before his first round. It was probably one of the highlights of last season for me as I mentioned in a previous blog post. This year included praying before the tournament again and even having dinner with JohnE and Jen. I am blessed to be able to call them friends.
JohnE and Jen also introduced me to Dustin and Hanah Leatherman at this years Memorial and I am blessed to have made new friends whom also love Jesus. I hope there is more news to share in the near future concerning meeting Dustin.
It was quite sad to leave the nice warm weather in Arizona and go back to a place where the weather was still cold and snowy. But, Colorado is home. I do look forward to being back in Arizona again next year for the Memorial and doing even better.
Out To Sterling and Back!
This year I was fortunate enough to have an early season tournament in Colorado to get the year started off right. A group of guys were hoping to draw a good crowd out to Sterling, Colorado to play some disc golf and raise some money for their course out there. Sterling is one of those courses that is a hidden gem in the state of Colorado and with cement tee pads and a few extra pin positions, it is a course that could be phenominal. There are not many courses in Colorado that are like this and often time you find them in the mountains, not the flat plains.
Leaving for this tournament I was a bit scared. The weather in Denver was bad and was only supposed to get worse. By the time I made it out of Denver the roads were dry and clear and my car was flying down the interstate. Sterling was beautiful in the morning, albeit a tad on the cold side. What else would you expect in Colorado in February?
The first round brought amazing weather, despite the impending storm. I was fortunate enough to play my first round with Rob Nichols and watched him simply shoot lights out. I, on the other hand found plenty of bad breaks and despite hitting my lines more consistently than normal, managed to score poorly enough to already kill one of my goals for the season. First round of the year and first round rated below 900. Lets hope this isn't a trend moving forward. Lets be hoenst, without the island hole with no drop zone that I took an 8 on, that round really wasn't that bad.
The second round brought a blizzard. I mean a blizzard. Not quite the most miserable tournament round of disc golf I have ever played, but the island hole was still there and that meant for a long round. I watched people simply walk off the course because of the blizzard island hole. My round was solid up until the island hole again. Despite wanting to do better, a stiff head wind prevented that from happening, not to mention the snow. Still, taking a 9 this time around felt like a victory of small proportions. And of course the round was rated much better as 9 was nowhere near the 21 I watched a card mate of mine take.
The end of the tournament was not the end of the adventure for this tournament. The drive home was one of the scarrier drives I have ever made in my life but I was simply hoping to make it home and then to the airport the next morning in hopes of going to Arizona and getting some practice in before the Memorial. I survived, at least I think I did. Slow and steady won the race that day.
Leaving for this tournament I was a bit scared. The weather in Denver was bad and was only supposed to get worse. By the time I made it out of Denver the roads were dry and clear and my car was flying down the interstate. Sterling was beautiful in the morning, albeit a tad on the cold side. What else would you expect in Colorado in February?
The first round brought amazing weather, despite the impending storm. I was fortunate enough to play my first round with Rob Nichols and watched him simply shoot lights out. I, on the other hand found plenty of bad breaks and despite hitting my lines more consistently than normal, managed to score poorly enough to already kill one of my goals for the season. First round of the year and first round rated below 900. Lets hope this isn't a trend moving forward. Lets be hoenst, without the island hole with no drop zone that I took an 8 on, that round really wasn't that bad.
The second round brought a blizzard. I mean a blizzard. Not quite the most miserable tournament round of disc golf I have ever played, but the island hole was still there and that meant for a long round. I watched people simply walk off the course because of the blizzard island hole. My round was solid up until the island hole again. Despite wanting to do better, a stiff head wind prevented that from happening, not to mention the snow. Still, taking a 9 this time around felt like a victory of small proportions. And of course the round was rated much better as 9 was nowhere near the 21 I watched a card mate of mine take.
The end of the tournament was not the end of the adventure for this tournament. The drive home was one of the scarrier drives I have ever made in my life but I was simply hoping to make it home and then to the airport the next morning in hopes of going to Arizona and getting some practice in before the Memorial. I survived, at least I think I did. Slow and steady won the race that day.
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