Discin' for D.P.

I played in a two-person best shot disc golf tournament today with my friend Jake. We kind of practiced for this tournament all week from the pro tees, but then arrived at registration to find it would be played from the regular tees. I figured 9 to 12 under would be a score needed to win, but was wrong. The champs finished at 13 under par. Was it us? Read to find out.

Hole 10: Due to a back-up on hole one, we started on hole ten. This is a hole that goes about 75 downhill and is relatively easy. A must birdie for this tournament. We both have poor shots at the basket, but Jake hits his birdie putt and we start off -1.

Hole 11: I shoot a great drive 12-15 feet past the basket on another relatively easy hole. It is about 275 feet long and a fairly wide open fairway, just some trouble if you go too far right. The worst possible outcome happens. I miss and then Jake misses. We walk away with a confidence killing par. Still at -1.

Hole 12: This hole again is very straightforward with a wide open fairway. The basket is not visible from the teebox, but at the bottom of a dropoff at the end of the 250 foot hole. I pinball my drive into the trees and it stays up on top. Jake shoots too far left. Putting from 35 feet with a 15 foot drop is difficult and we only par the hole. Still at -1.

Hole 13: Jake drives first on another wide open relatively easy 300 foot hole. He goes too far left, but this is normally a good hole for me. But, I don't get enough air under my disc and although the line is right, I leave it about 50-60 feet short. Par again. Still at -1.

Hole 14: A short 250 foot hole that requires a shot that curves left. A really easy hole that had to be birdied. We both throw within 10 feet of the basket. Birdie. Move to 2 under par.

Hole 15: Another short hole, only about 250 feet but with a upward slope of about 75 feet. Some trees on the upward slant of the hill make the hole somewhat tricky. Jake throws first and does not really throw a good looking drive but it skids off the dirt hard and flies up again all the way to the hole. We'll take it! Jake sinks his 10 foot birdie putt. Moving down! 3 under!

Hole 16: This hole tees from the top of the hill climbed on 15 and is a 325 foot long hole with about 100 of downward elavation change. No real tree dangers, though, just send the drive out to the right and let it fall towards the hole. We both put it about 30-35 feet too far on opposite sides of the basket, and decide on Jake's. He misses the putt, but I step up and send it home. Now we're 4 under and gaining confidence.

Hole 17: This hole requires a shot that can move to the right, because some trees block the hole. That is not easy to do with a backhand throw, but neither Jake nor I have good forehands. We have to try to muscle the disc against it's natural flight pattern to end up to the right. I throw my best drive ever on this hole and leave it 15 feet from the basket. I sink the putt to pick up an unexpected birdie to move to 5 under par.

Hole 18: This is a hard hole to birdie because it is a 275 foot hole that goes about 100-125 feet uphill. The basket is nestled between two trees and very hard to reach in one throw. I was thinking Wraith, but I step off the teebox to switch to the Valkyrie. I rip a backhand up on top of the hill 15-20 feet short of the basket, probably my best drive ever on this hole. Jake misses the putt, but I finish out the birdie. We get another unexpected birdie and sit at 6 under after nine holes.

Hole 1: We're pretty confident, birdied five in a row, but know we can't give anymore holes away. We should have birdied 11, while 12 and 13 were definitely within our range. Hole 1 tees off a hill and the hole is about 350 feet away at the bottom of the hill and to the right. It is a hard hole, like 17, for those who throw backhand. I get it to the bottom of the hill, but about 60-70 feet away. Too far away to birdie. We par and stay at 6 under.

Hole 2: This is a hole we should birdie. The basket is only 250-270 feet away and while a creek runs to the right of the hole and the basket hugs the creek, we should be able to put a drive within 30 feet of the hole. We don't...I leave my drive about 50 feet to the left of the hole and Jake's is further left. We only par. 6 under.

Hole 3: Another hole that we almost have to birdie. Just 180 feet long, but requires some tree navigation and a little left hook. We Jake puts it about 25 feet past the hole. I throw a drive that never turns left. We play Jake's but don't birdie. That hurts. Still at 6 under.

Hole 4: This hole sucks. No defined path to the hole. It's only about 200 feet away, but there are dozens of trees in the way. You kind of throw it and hope you get lucky. We only par. 6 under.

Hole 5: This hole goes slightly uphill and it only 150 long, but turns a lot to the left and a straightahead shot is impossible because of trees. One must launch their shot very high to the right to avoid trees and then have it fade towards the hole. Somewhat difficult, but birdies are common. I throw O.B. almost onto Highway 30, while Jake throws into the trees on the right. We have about 50 feet for birdie and have to throw past some branches. I manage to hit the rim of the basket, but not sink the putt. Still 6 under.

Hole 6: Hole six flies far downhill and requires a very straight shot. The fairway drops down the entire length of the 275 foot hole and the fairway is tree-lined and only about 10-15 yards wide. We both throw decent shots. Mine is still on the hill but far from the hole. Jake is at the bottom of the hill but the basket is obstructed. We take Jake's and both put out terrible putts. We keep mine and I miss from about 15 feet. Jake hits his, though, to save par. Still 6 under.

Hole 7: The basket sits about 275 feet away and to the right in a grove of trees. I never used to birdie this hole, but now can do it quite frequently. I throw a drive through the trees that skids to a stop under the basket. Birdie. 7 under.

Hole 8: A wide open fairway, but the end of the hole ends up under a tree canopy and partway uphill. Definitely driveable, but not entirely easy. Jake throws about 35 feet past with an incredible drive. Mine sucks. We have no real shot at birdie, plus an shot that goes too far rolls back down the hill. Jake lays up right under the basket, giving me freedom to try to make it. The shot is occluded by trees so I scoober up and over from 35 feet and just miss, leaving it about six inches short. Nuts. 7 under.

Hole 9: A very hard birdie hole. We are tied with the other group we are playing with at 7 under. They put decent drives out, but this hole is about 300 feet long, but plays like 350-370 because it requires an uphill teeshot to start. Jake throws a decent drive and I decide to throw Valkyrie again. I throw a very respectable drive out to about 60 feet from the hole. Jake misses, but par is wrapped up. I know we have to hit it to at least beat them. I step up and drain it. Front and center. 8 under.

The leaders were at 13 under. Another group shot 10 under and a number of groups shot 9 under, so our 8 under wasn't terrible, but we could have shot a lot better. We managed to birdie some of the toughest holes (17, 18, 9), but we couldn't birdie some of the easiest holes on the course (2, 3, 5, 12). And missed putts (11). But, I don't know if 13 under is something we could have scored unless we were playing our very best. So, I was pleased with 8 under.

As a side note, my girlfriend Lana and I went and played in the tournament later in the day. They had open registration all day and couples could play anytime between 11am and 4pm. We shot a 9 under with birdies on 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 4, 5, 6, and 7. Still didn't birdie 2 or 3 or 12. The way it was going, I felt like we could have had 12 under or so, but not all the cards fell correctly.

Good night faithful readers. (Note: I don't think anyone has read my blog yet.)