Friday, April 15, 2011

For the Love of the Creek...and the thrill of the fade.

This last week I had the opportunity to play a course that I really don’t give enough credit for being a good course to practice on, Crystal, Minnesota’s very own Bassett Creek Park. I tended to avoid this park because it only offered 12 holes to play and while in college we simply wouldn’t want to drive all the way to Crystal only to play 12 holes. Nowadays it’s really not that big of deal since I live relatively closer to the course.




Bassett Creek Park offers a variety of different holes in which to practice all types of shots. I really like the mix of open holes with the occasional shot that causes a person to wonder why they even play this crazy game. It makes you really plan out your shots and where you need to place your discs on the course. I also like this course because it a fairly quiet park and allows for a steady pace to play your round.


Ok, to the point of my post: I was planning on doing my usual routine that I follow when I play by myself. Throw the i-pod play list (maybe a post on the play list later) on and play like I’m in a tournament. However, today (Tuesday) was different. I actually was invited to play a round with a guy named Chris who was a great partner to play with. I would say that he had more refined skills than I but they weren’t so advanced that I felt out of my league.


I hear on sportscenter all the time that teams will usually play up to the potential of the team they are playing. Well I did that when I played with Chris. Originally he wanted to challenge me for a bag tag but since I didn’t have one he just asked to play with him. I definitely stepped up to the plate and made some great shots. My drives were consistent and in great spots on the fairway. Great second shots and results were close par putts. My putting was still shaky but luckily I didn’t need to use it much since I am the MRK after all. One bright spotlight that I’d love to share with everyone is that on hole eight I had about a 70 foot approach shot with a slight wind at my back. I decided to just go for the chains and see what happens. Well it paid off. I threw my aviar with a slight hyzer and let the wind do the rest. “Chained out?” Is that the proper term? I know they say “holed out” in ball golf. Oh well. the disc hit the chains and didn’t come out of the basket. I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. Ordinarily I would have probably jumped and hollered but I kept it professional (for the kids). Just a classy Tiger Woods fist pump instead.


Small triumphs bring great rewards. I ended the round back on earth carding a fricken 6 on hole 11. I strongly dislike that hole. But overall, it was great to play a round with a partner and the unofficial competition and competitive nature to be unleashed. Chris was a great partner we talked about the disc’s we liked to use and compared notes on the shots we were taking. So Chris I know you won’t read this but Good Luck at The Valley Open this weekend and the Doubles tourney as well.


For the rest of us: Play well, have fun, and when in doubt. Just go for the chains..you might get lucky.

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