A Fresh Reemergence:

It has been quite some time since I have played any serious disc. I threw a few rounds at the Village Park DGC in Sussex, WI last summer, but for the most part I have had many things sneak up on me just when I had planned to play more. Last year I was unable to attend Digg's bachelor party/Disc weekend to Highbridge in Wisconsin. What can I say, being a married father of, now two, children takes it's toll on your free time.

This years Disc Weekend has renewed my love of the game, and I surprised myself by not doing as badly as I thought I would have. I had a quite enjoyable time with my friends and was pushed physically during the weekend.

Things that I will take and remember from this weekend:

1- Digg's posting up for a beautiful ACE on hole 14 at the Blue Ribbon Pines DGC, and the free beers for everyone that ensued.

2- Keeping my scores relatively close to the group as well as my discs. ;)

3- Discovering the beauty of new discs such as the Vision by Latitude64, and the now lost Boss from Innova. I do plan on buying a new one seeing as how I threw around 350 ft with that disc and am hoping to get more out of it since that was only my first throw with it and I was a little timid.

4- I got a birdie on hole 23 at Blue Ribbon Pines (248ft) and two birdies at Acorn. It’s all about the little wins.

5- Last, but definitely not least, a rare sighting of the illusive BIRDMAN. Disc away birdman, be free.

I plan on posting and playing regularly from here on out. Expect disc reviews, course reviews and a few wish lists of discs and of courses from across the world.




Coming Up Next Week:  "It's In The Bag"
A comprehensive listing of current discs in my bag and my reviews on them, plus photos. And, how I intend to have my bag grow over the course of the rest of the season. 

Long Live Disc Golf

Acorn Open 2012: Burrito Power Ups

Second tourney of the year is in the books.  It was, in a word, bipolar.  This is a word I used in description of the last tournament.  It is applicable for both, but for different reasons.  More on that in a bit.

This is a tournament the King and I had been looking forward to playing for some time now.  Honestly, when my interest in playing a tourney was first piqued, this is the one which caused the... piquing.  With the ever-efficacious benefit of hindsight, I'm glad we waited.

The day leading up to the event was an exercise in fluidity.  The original plan was to meet the Mid Range King in the Cities; sneak in a warm-up session; spend the night at my old roommate's abode; then rock faces at the tourney before riding off into the sunset.  Things changed.

Tourney Week: Watch Your Nuts!

A month after the "Groan at Doane", MRK and I will be hitting up our second scheduled tournament of the season.  We will be making a stop by the 2012 Acorn Open.  Taking place at Acorn Park in Roseville, this is a course with which we are much more familiar.  After all, Acorn is a place we considered home for a time.  Being close to our Alma Mater, URBWes, the King and I frequented this place more than any other (save perhaps the Bethel course after it came online).  We threw here before I switched back to a backhand throw.  We threw here in the Minny winters.  And we throw here when we are back in the Cities.  It is that standard by which we can examine the change in our game.

In fact, MRK and I were recently in the Cities at the same time and had the opportunity to get in a round at Acorn as a warm up.  Honestly, it was rougher for us than I thought it would be.  The reason?  Changes in our games.  One would think that as we develop as players our capacity to approach a familiar course with surpassing deftness and command.  Not the case.  Our games have developed consistently throughout our time in the game.  This includes the years since Acorn was our local haunt.  Such is the result when a great change encounters that which is familiar.

Our conditioned minds have an expectation for how to play a hole.  We have played it that way many times before.  It is tried and tested and must succeed the same way in the future.  Apparently my arm failed to get the memo.  I throw a Starfire much differently than I thew it back in the day.  The same for my Roc.  This is to say nothing of the increased reliance upon such discs as the Buzzz and the Stalker.  I would even contend that this presents a unique challenge that may be even more harrowing than playing a course blind.  We must alter entrenched mental approaches, and we all know that altering standing behavior is more difficult than establishing new behaviors.  My game has changed; my approach to a course needs to change with it.

I think I am up for it.  And I think the King is as well.  We will approach the task with alacrity and verve.  We will overcome ourselves.

At least we will have fun in the attempt.


Watch your nuts, Pap,

~Diggs

"Sabermetrics": A Look at Acorn Park

Alright I know the title says it all boring numbers and somehow relating it to disc golf. Are you kidding me! I can hear it now. I feel that it is the perfect time to pull out such numbers as it is the beginning of baseball season and well you know the movie “Moneyball” starring yours truly Mr. Pit made the Sabermetrics somewhat famous.

I however, also have drawn a little inspiration for this article from a recent post on a neighboring disc golf blog where such a topic has been voiced take a look at it here (after you finish reading my take.) As most of you know Diggs and I are playing in a few tournaments this summer and our next adventure takes us to a course we are all too familiar with. Dare I say we “cut our teeth on” this course. It was at one point considered our “home course.” Well that weekend I’m sure this will be a lot of peoples home course. Anyway I decided to take a look at my stats at Acorn Park in Roseville, Minnesota over the past few seasons. It’s hard to believe that I have stats at this course going back over five years now.