Well, seeing as how this tour and this blog are driven by disc golf (and now that it’s all but over) I suppose it’s high time that I actually wrote about the sport that brought me to where I am today. I’m going to break down this post into a few individual sections of the most asked questions I get and also do a recap of the year in review:
- How did I get into the sport?
- What were my favorite courses on tour?
- What was the biggest surprise of the tour?
- How did my game evolve most this year?
- Tour Recap: Highs/Lows
- Will I do it all again?
How did I get into the sport?
This is likely the most common question that any disc golfer gets asked by a non-disc golfer (muggles). I was a late bloomer to the sport. The first time I played anything that resembled disc golf would have been at San Diego State University my freshman year of college. My girlfriend at the time was playing on the club team there and when I came to visit in the spring of 2009, I went out with her and some others from her club team to play what I would now refer to as “object golf” on the college campus at night. It was just a rag-tag version of disc golf but I didn’t know any different at the time. We used ultimate frisbees, for one, and we just teed off from a crack in the sidewalk and aimed for a garbage can, or a light pole, a couple hundred feet away. One thing that was similar to the grass-roots culture of disc golf though, was that we definitely had some gatorade bottles of booze and some spliffs going around.
The next time I would play would be one step closer to the actual form of disc golf. The same girlfriend was present only this time we were at my college, Chico State, and it was the beginning of sophomore year. Chico had a small, super beginner-friendly, 9-hole course that was, and still is, perfect for those just starting out. We still had ultimate frisbees but we played on actual disc golf baskets this time; Mach III’s. Our ultimate frisbees were so big they could barely fit in the chains/basket and we didn’t know any of the rules but it was a great time.
I wouldn’t play again for almost two years. It was the summer of 2011 going into my senior year of college that I got my first taste of legitimate disc golf. I had just returned from a year abroad in Spain and only a few days later I found myself in my favorite place on earth, Lake Tahoe, for my family’s yearly summer trip. It was just by chance that we were driving, my parents and I, past Bijou Community Park in South Lake when I looked out the window and saw some discs flying through the trees towards bright yellow baskets. We decided to stop and check it out and this old timer immediately struck up a conversation with us and invited us to play a few holes with him, lending us his discs and explaining the flight characteristics of each and the proper form to throw them. It wasn’t like throwing an normal frisbee at all- these discs were designed for speed and distance and throwing them required a finesse and technique that was foreign. But once I got a few good shots off, I was instantly hooked. Just seeing the disc weave through the woods or crash into the basket brought about sensations of flight and elation. That very next day, my dad and I went to the local store and bought a couple discs each, having no idea which were which, and played again.
From then on, I started playing as much as possible. Chico had a bigger, better course up on the bluffs of Bidwell Park which I went to after class several times a week. The surrounding towns, I would learn, also had some superb courses and on the weekends I would gather up whoever wanted to join me and drive as much as an hour to go play. I fell in love with 4 main things when it came to the sport of disc golf; #1 was the fact that I was surrounded by nature when I played. Every course was in the trees, by a lake or river, or in some other beautiful setting. It brought me such peace to wander through nature and feel a connection with the earth. #2 was the joy of perfecting the technique. Much like any other hobby, sport or activity, it becomes more addicting the better you get. Each time I would release a shot that went exactly as intended, it almost felt like I was the disc flying gracefully through the air, like an extension of myself. #3 was being with great people. Everyone I met playing disc golf was awesome- so chill and friendly, generous and encouraging. I’ve made some incredible friendships throughout my years of playing this sport, starting from the very beginning. And #4 was the release that all of these things, together or individually, gave me. Playing disc golf was an escape from stress and pressure of daily life. For me, it was meditation. When I was playing disc golf, the rest of the world didn’t matter. All that mattered was the moment and the surrounding nature and whoever I was with. Sure, a lot of people liked to smoke and drink while playing, myself included at the beginning. However, I quickly found that I didn’t need those factors while playing disc golf, because the sport itself provided everything that I so desired.
So that was how I got my start into disc golf. Over the next two years, I would go on to collect many more discs, a couple of disc golf bags and baskets, start joining leagues and facebook pages dedicated to disc golf, until eventually I joined the Professional Disc Golf Association in 2014 as an Amateur. Once I learned that I could compete in this sport, I didn’t look back. Growing up I had always played competitive sports but once college was over, I didn’t have that outlet available as much. The PDGA provided an avenue for me to play a sport I loved in a competitive setting and the addiction just grew from there.
What were my favorite courses on tour?
This also seems to be a very popular question that people ask me. There is no single answer to this paradigm, though. So, instead, I’ll provide my thoughts on a few different courses on the tour from varying perspectives. Gun to my head if I HAD to choose my top 3 they would be Dela (Santa Cruz, CA), Milo McIver (Beaver State, OR), and Maple Hill (MVP Open, MA). Each of those courses I think are very challenging yet completely fair, excellently manicured and cared for, gorgeous beyond reality, and so, so, so much fun to play. Honorable mentions go to Brazos East (Waco, TX), Fox Run/Brewsters Ridge (Vermont), Idlewild (Kentucky), the courses at the PDGA Headquarters (Georgia) and Iron Hill (Delaware), all of which were also amazing for the same reasons! But I had to pick my top 3 because there was a gun to my head, remember?? If there is one thing that separates the top three from the rest it would be the ambience that those courses posses. Not that all of the courses listed don’t have a special feel to them, but Dela, Milo and Maple Hill all have the hallowed aura about them. When walking through those courses, I always feel like I am in disc golf mecca.
The hardest course on tour this year was for sure Northwoods Gold in Peoria, Illinois during the World Championships, and I don’t even think it was close. That course was still fun, but oh my gosh was it a butt kicker! There were maybe 4 holes that were relatively birdie-able but every other hole was super challenging and demanded a really excellent shot in order to score well. I shot an even par one of the rounds there and it was 1015 rated and I felt like I played amazing golf. If there ever were a “par 6” hole, it would be hole 12 on Northwoods; that hole is a beast. There were only three birdie 4’s during the entire tournament (I know because I lost a bet to Kevin about the number of birdies there would be). As for the second hardest course, in my opinion, it would probably be Iron Hill (Delaware). Iron Hill is also such a tough course to score under par; you really have to hit your line and throw multiple good shots in a row to take birdies.
The worst courses on tour (sorry, not sorry) would be Winthrop Gold for the USDGC and Ravenwood in Nashville (I played it this year for Music City Open but it’s going to be an NT next year). Winthrop is the most gimmicky course I’ve ever seen and an absolute joke of a professional caliber course. It’s literally like playing a putt-putt course that has those windmills and loop-dee-loops and such to shoot through. Who likes throwing into a wide-open field that just has stakes and rope laid out to mark which areas are out of bounds? No one. Yuck. There are a few good holes on that course but overall the PDGA should 100% consider moving the USDGC to a different venue. And as for Ravenwood, while it also did have a few good holes, it’s just too crazy long. Not even the big guns like throwing as far as they can possibly throw for EVERY shot, sometimes multiple shots per hole on the par 4’s and 5’s. It was just too much. I’m honestly surprised I didn’t injury myself playing that tournament. I’ve heard that they will be remodeling some of the course prior to the 2020 NT and I hope that’s true.
What was the biggest surprise of the tour?
One thing that I did not anticipate when we first embarked from California and joined up with a traveling band of disc golfers, caravanning about the country as a sub-set of counterculture pseudo-professionals, was how hard it would be to break into the disc golf realm in terms of making friends with the established figures of the scene. Allow me to elaborate. You see, the social dynamic of the tour is not apparent to those on the outside looking in, but once immersed in it Kevin and I picked up on an unspoken hierarchy. At a macro level, the participants of said tour can be categorized into two main buckets; those who have been doing it year in and year out and are making a living out of it (definitely not us), and those who were just there for a limited amount of time and participating as more of an extended vacation or living out a dream rather than an actually profession (definitely us).
As I looked around, I could clearly identify which bucket each individual fell into and it occurred to me that those in the “year in, year out” category could easily do the same and pick out at a glance who was just there for kicks. The year in, year out crew tended to stick to themselves and, unintentionally I think, put up a front that was hard for the new comer to penetrate. Which makes sense if you think about it; they have been doing this for multiple years now and not only have formed that special bond with each other, but why would they want to get super close with someone from the temporary category if that person was just going to be gone after a few months? I’m sure they see it all the time, the rotating cast of new faces who are “on the tour” but never last.
I had assumed that everyone on the road was as open and willing as we were for new adventure, new friendships and new experiences, but the top touring pros didn’t necessarily share this outlook as they saw the tour as more of a full-time job which didn’t allow for as many frivolous trivialities. Which isn’t to say that Kevin and I hadn’t made great friends and amazing memories on the tour, because we certainly had. It was just mainly among the merry travelers who were like us (aka the extended vacation crew). Eventually though, we were around enough, and scored well enough, that the top dogs started remembering where they had seen us before, and then remembered our names and then even started saying hello to us. It took a while, but finally we were able to break through and had a few of the coveted experiences with the top pros; adventures that took place off of the disc golf course. It was one thing to hang out with a top pro at the course; that was their place of work. But it was another thing all together to get invited to extracurricular activities where true friendships, and not just professional ones, were formed. Floating, concerts, game nights, hikes, and more were all memories that carried us to actually call each other friends. By the end of the tour, I was hugging World Champions (and others) and saying how awesome it was to get to know them this year.
How did my game evolve most this year?
The answer may not be what you think. I did notice an improvement in my physical abilities; I am able to throw further now than at the beginning of the year, my backhand turnover game has greatly developed, and my approach game is more accurate, for example. However, I think the number one thing that improved during my year on tour was my mental game. Learning about the focus and mental disposition to succeed was what helped me the most throughout the year.
I heard a quote during the tour that I really like and it goes something like this, “I’ve over-thought a shot before, but I’ve never over-focused”. To me, this means to not over-think the shot; go with the first instinct of what feels right. But then focus and visualize with great concentration on the execution. Of course, practice makes the physical mechanics more fluid and confident, but I found that when the pressure is on it’s the focus that helps zero in on the goal; the desired flight of the disc. Visualize the flight several times over and feel the weight and angle you have to put on the shot. Which limb does the disc need to go over or under and how is it going to bend? You need to know this before you release the shot (even though to be honest we all throw up a hope and prayer sometimes). Focus on making sure your footing is clear and that everything feels right- then you will be most likely to throw the shot as intended.
The other part to this evolution is the mental disposition. I learned how to have the mindset of a professional, which is completely different than that of an amateur. Mainly, it’s how to react to bad shots or when things aren’t going your way. The amateur will get flustered, hot headed, and frustrated, and these reactions only compound and lead to more bad shots. The professional understands that not every shot is going to be perfect, and even if you have a tee shot out of bounds, it is important to stay focused on the next shot to make it the best possible effort you can give. Because in the end, every stroke counts. This really helped me during the year when a round could have gone to shit. Keeping my cool and staying focused kept me in the hunt for a decent round, which is way more satisfying than having a below-average round (even if it’s not the hot round you were hoping for).
Tour Recap: Highs (Note: these are purely based on disc golf merits and don’t include personal achievements such as made a lot of friends, saw XX location, etc.)
- Cashed in two National Tour events (GBO and Delaware)
- Made the cut at GBO
- Cashed in three Disc Golf Pro Tour events (Jonesboro, Idlewild, and Maple Hill)
- Top 20 finish at Maple Hill
- Won my first Men’s Professional Open tournament: King of the Jungle in Bremerton, WA (C-tier)
- Threw an ace during a practice round and Kevin had to jump in the lake
- Threw another ace during a different practice round and Kevin had to shotgun a beer
- Apparently I’m really good at practice aces when there’s a bet on the line with Kevin
Tour Recap: Lows
- Did not make the cut at Las Vegas or Memorial (Arizona)
- Did not cash in any of the west coast events (Santa Cruz, SFO, Beaver State or Portland Open)
- Did not make the cut to the final round at the World Championships
- Did not qualify for the United States Disc Golf Championships
- Only got my rating up 10 points on the whole year (975 when starting at LVC, 985 after finishing the HOFC). My goal was set for more
Will I do it all again?
Well, I would like to do it all again. And without a doubt, I would be a much, much better competitor the second time around for several reasons. For one, I would have the travel rig setup dialed in and not have the huge learning curve of living on the road for the first time. Also, I would know where I’m going and where to stay and how to camp comfortably on the road (a key component to avoiding “burn out” while on tour). Crucially, I would know the courses from prior experience and therefore be way more prepared to attack the course, as opposed to showing up to all these major tournaments for the first time and only getting 0-2 practice rounds in. And surely, I would be able to progress my physical and mental skills even further.
However, I don’t know that it is in the cards for me to do this again. Money is certainly a factor- I would need to figure out a way to sustain on the road as opposed to just eating through my savings. Trying to make a living by playing disc golf professionally is certainly a financial challenge, and most people are only able to scrape by just enough to make ends meet. Not to mention the pressure that gets put on oneself to perform well when that is the primary source of income- it adds an unwanted level of stress to what, for me, is suppose to be a fun game. If I tried touring again, I’m sure it would feel like that, and while I enjoy disc golf immensely I think I need to keep it as what it originally was for me- a meditative hobby that brings me peace and solace.
More importantly, I believe there is just more life out there in the world that I want to live. Touring around the country playing disc golf was an amazing experience, and I know if I did it again, I would be able to see and experience completely new things that I didn’t experience the first time around. But that’s also a long time to commit to disc golf and there’s so many other places I want to travel to and activities I want to try my hand at. Therefore, I will not be touring full-time again in the foreseeable future. At least, not in this same way. I likely will do some mini-tours for a month at a time. Hell, I may do it all again in the distant future. But for now, I’m going to digress my status from “Full-Time Professional” back to “Semi-Professional” 😉 .
Discy Business 