The previous weekend I had the opportunity to attend the 2nd Annual Doane College Classic in Crete, NE with my “traveling” partner Diggs. Let me give you the numbers on my weekend.
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| Ace Pot Shot-Say hi to Mr. Bill |
Travel Time/Distance:
Friday
5:40 AM Leave Boyd, MN
12:00 PM Arrive in Omaha, NE
Total Distance Traveled = 295 miles give or take a few for construction.
12:03 PM Lock Keys in Car (Don’t ask why or how)
2:00 PM Leave for Lincoln
3:00 PM Arrive in Lincoln, NE
Total Distance Traveled = 56 miles-ish
3:10 PM After Gas-ing up the Impala
4:10 PM Arrive in Crete, NE
Total Distance Traveled = 26 miles
Grand Total = 377 miles driven just to get to this place called Doane.
The course from my perspective: First of all, Diggs did an excellent job at describing the layout of the course. It is quite challenging if you are of the tree hitting folk. Being that I had never had the opportunity to play the course until the day before the tournament. I’d say it was definitely a course for those who favor the short/mid-range game. I know what you all are going to say. “You are the Mid-Range King, You must have just tore the course a part.” I wish that were the case but inexperience of the course and good old “Pappadackis nerves” got the best of me. Diggs was not joking about the back nine. Short holes with about a zillion trees on each hole made for near impossible lines to throw through.
Tournament: My first group placed me with a guy who brought his own caddy (he ended up tied for 6th-Intermediate at the GBO last weekend), a dude who wore a sweet pair of Kobe Bryant shoes and favored the forearm/hammer to the traditional RHBH, and Trevor, he “won it last year” All of us were fairly new to the tournament scene so my nerves were feeling better as we waited and waited to hear the horn to begin play of the tournament. It never came and then all of a sudden we were going. Playing hole 14...hole 14 we “missed” the day before during our practice round. So nerves return rather quickly. Let’s just say I saw all of that hole carding a “Welcome to the PDGA tournament life six.” Nerves aside I ended up + 10 good enough for 3 place in our group. Trevor carding an even 70 to end up in last place for our group and the tournament. So at least I didn’t get that score. But I had to feel for the guy, he got an 8 on one hole.
The + 10 on my first round was good enough to land a place on the last card with none other than Trevor who “won it last year”, and Vey from Volo Disc Sports who was pleasant to converse with while playing on the last card. Do you sense my sarcasm yet? I’m obviously not happy with my score. I did let nerves play a role in some of the holes. The others I had a tough time navigating through the trees. My round started deep in the woods and then by the time we got to the open holes the wind tunnel that usually blows in favor of the famed Nebraska blackshirts was out to raise any human’s disc golf scores except, P. Ulibarri’s and C. Allens scores. The finishing back in the dangerous woods.
So my round: I end up bettering my score by two than the previous round shooting a +8 totaling a +18 for the tournament giving me 19th place well out of the payouts but giving me a fire to want to improve for the next tournament. My second round looks a hell of a lot better on paper than my first. Less bogeys, more pars, and two doubles that I desperately want back. Lessons learned, play the safe shot and don’t over think.
Reflection: Great little tournament in the middle of nowhere Nebraska. Once the again the disc golf community was great. We met some awesome characters, like “Mr. Bill” and ones we’d love to forget like “fantasy disc golf guy” or as Diggs called him a poor man’s David Feldberg. I learned that I need to trust my stuff. I can play with anybody on the course. I just need to play my game. I did that mostly on the course but every once and awhile I’d step outside my game to try and make something happen. Well we all know where that leads us. Yep not any closer to the basket and a stroke down. Keep working on the putting. I felt like I putted better than my last tourney but I know I let two shots go that should have been in.
Thank You to Diggs for finding this tourney and I could not think of a better way to break into the realm of official round ratings than with a disc golf partner like yourself. A class act.
I know I wrote a book. Deal with it. I’m the Mid Range King.
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| Paul Ulibarri partaking in the Ring of Fire. |
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