Live and learn...Disc Golf
I recently read a post written by someone who I had the pleasure of meeting and playing on the card for 3 rounds during the King's Cup in Kinston, NC. I was a little disheartened at first, but it just took me a moment to get refocused. I mean, that's not me. He's more seasoned as a disc golfer and quite honestly, my expectations for performance are pretty low as a newcomer to the game.
My best round so far has been a 73, where I made par on 9 holes and birdied the treacherous par-5 12th with some precise shot-making. You're doing the math in your head now, aren't you? (I was told there'd be no math.) So, 1-under for 10 of the holes, that means you were 11-over on the other 8, Mr. Discs? Yep. Seven bogeys and a double. But that was just a friendly round.
This past weekend, in the local monthly, I shot 78-87 for a dismal palindrome of a round. There was a larger than usual turnout due to the early registration for the Azalea Am in March, so I had more competition than normal. Despite having generally low expectations for performance, I was further disappointed in my play given that this is a local course that I've gotten to know pretty well.
I played with the usual suspects, Deron, and James, for my first round, but dropped to the "chase card" for the second. My thanks to Caleb for not groaning too much following the release of some terrible shots, as well as Darcy and Nina who were just so technical and smooth, it was a pleasure to watch. Now, I have a little over a month to get ready to play this same course in a tournament...Yes. Another one...already.
Inspired by Hannable, I have to find the right discs to build my bag and cut the fluff. We can do a building a bag for this tournament when we get a little closer. Suffice it to say, I shouldn't be carrying 2 Bosses, 2 Destroyers, and 3 XT Novas. Clearly overkill without having proper perspective. I can certainly cut out one Boss and a Nova to make room.
What I really need to work on most is getting consistently on the fairway from the pad and take distance (and the most trouble) out of the equation. While some of my recovery shots can be nothing short of spectacular, I can't rely on those either to save me. I need more discs like my Discraft Reaper that I can confidently throw throw for a variety of shots, but until then, I've got to work with what I've got.
The drive on 3 has also been known to play with my head. The disc's speed is good for me and I'm all but guaranteed to get around the corner. With other discs I hang it out right, turn it over, or go too much hyzer with not enough power. I've thrown this and a Firebird, back-to-back several times and I get about the same distance with much more consistency (**knock on wood**.)
I don't have near the distance to make my life easier, and my putting can be an adventure. I have to make 225-240 on the fairway happen as much as possible.
The first disc I was ever able to throw straight...I mean, STRAIGHT, was a slightly used Latitude 64 Saint in the Gold Line plastic. I need to start throwing it more. When that got to be more disc than I needed, I backed up to a Maul and that worked well. Lately, I've been turning this over and can't control it very well at all, so it's pretty much moved out of my bag, but I like the glide. More field work for this one.
The front runner at the moment is a used DX Innova Beast that I recently acquired. During my last field work it felt good to throw, despite the fact that I've never been a big fan of the DX plastic. I normally just throw in one direction, but on this day, I threw back toward my start point with the discs I was working, and I hit my bag (which was my target) from 240. Could end up being my go to driver, if I can maintain consistency.
I have an overstable Discraft Reaper Test Flight (was my backup but has moved up a spot since I lost my first one) that I can manipulate for a bunch of shots, but I can't make it go straight. I acquired this as a pair with the other being a used Elite X Reaper. It's beat in enough that I've been flipping this up a little to go straight.
The second group features an Innova DX Archangel, Discraft X Heat, and a Latitude 64 Diamond Opto. But these are definitely lower at the moment.
Enter mid-ranges (mostly) with a DX Cobra, Star Mako3, Zombee and a first run Manta. At present, the Manta is the only one not in my bag for every round because I'm just getting to know it.
Lots of work between now and then. Looking forward to playing with HP and Caleb, along with some of the usual local crew soon. Plenty of time to fill my with some Flippin Discs!
Not exactly baby steps
There are 5 weeks to prepare for my next tournament. Another B-tier. While this is a local event for me on a course that I have played almost a dozen times now, I haven't played it very well. The par 64 course near Wilmington, NC is called "Castle Payne" for a reason, beyond being a playful pun referring to the Castle Hayne Disc Golf Course. My first time out there was last August and I shot a 94. I wasn't sure that I'd make it out alive.My best round so far has been a 73, where I made par on 9 holes and birdied the treacherous par-5 12th with some precise shot-making. You're doing the math in your head now, aren't you? (I was told there'd be no math.) So, 1-under for 10 of the holes, that means you were 11-over on the other 8, Mr. Discs? Yep. Seven bogeys and a double. But that was just a friendly round.
This past weekend, in the local monthly, I shot 78-87 for a dismal palindrome of a round. There was a larger than usual turnout due to the early registration for the Azalea Am in March, so I had more competition than normal. Despite having generally low expectations for performance, I was further disappointed in my play given that this is a local course that I've gotten to know pretty well.
I played with the usual suspects, Deron, and James, for my first round, but dropped to the "chase card" for the second. My thanks to Caleb for not groaning too much following the release of some terrible shots, as well as Darcy and Nina who were just so technical and smooth, it was a pleasure to watch. Now, I have a little over a month to get ready to play this same course in a tournament...Yes. Another one...already.
Time to get focused
Allen Iverson may not have needed much practice, but I do. That means some time set aside for putting, field work, and practice rounds where I work a few discs off the tee like I did in Jacksonville, NC a while back. After my last video on understable discs, it's time to look at a few of those to put in bag, as well as some discs that I've gotten away from throwing lately.Inspired by Hannable, I have to find the right discs to build my bag and cut the fluff. We can do a building a bag for this tournament when we get a little closer. Suffice it to say, I shouldn't be carrying 2 Bosses, 2 Destroyers, and 3 XT Novas. Clearly overkill without having proper perspective. I can certainly cut out one Boss and a Nova to make room.
What I really need to work on most is getting consistently on the fairway from the pad and take distance (and the most trouble) out of the equation. While some of my recovery shots can be nothing short of spectacular, I can't rely on those either to save me. I need more discs like my Discraft Reaper that I can confidently throw throw for a variety of shots, but until then, I've got to work with what I've got.
Going in the bag
Making 2 slots from the driver/putter overload, I have replacements in mind already. Must haves.Rhyno
During the King's Cup, I was faced with a recovery approach that begged for a little anhyzer touch flick floater. HP asked if I had a Rhyno. I did not. Since that day, I've been working on that floater, which could come in handy in the Azalea Am. I still have to figure out which one to go with. I have a brand new DX that I won recently (one of the few things I WON, recently) and a couple of used R-Pros.Whippet
I know what you're going to say. Meathook. Dang skippy! But when I'm in trouble off the tee on 6 at Castle and still have to get around the corner on my second (um, third) shot, I'm not proficient with a big hyzer or backhand skip to make this work well. The Whipett makes this shot shape easier for me to handle.The drive on 3 has also been known to play with my head. The disc's speed is good for me and I'm all but guaranteed to get around the corner. With other discs I hang it out right, turn it over, or go too much hyzer with not enough power. I've thrown this and a Firebird, back-to-back several times and I get about the same distance with much more consistency (**knock on wood**.)
In the running
There are turns and trouble all over this course. Watching the pros can make it difficult to see the challenges that novices like myself will encounter, but Sublime Flight did a great job with their coverage from last year's Azalea Pro event, just for some reference. It's never quite the same as facing it live, plus, Hurricane Florence made some course adjustments. So, some trees are no longer there, but it's still a good representation.I don't have near the distance to make my life easier, and my putting can be an adventure. I have to make 225-240 on the fairway happen as much as possible.
The first disc I was ever able to throw straight...I mean, STRAIGHT, was a slightly used Latitude 64 Saint in the Gold Line plastic. I need to start throwing it more. When that got to be more disc than I needed, I backed up to a Maul and that worked well. Lately, I've been turning this over and can't control it very well at all, so it's pretty much moved out of my bag, but I like the glide. More field work for this one.
The front runner at the moment is a used DX Innova Beast that I recently acquired. During my last field work it felt good to throw, despite the fact that I've never been a big fan of the DX plastic. I normally just throw in one direction, but on this day, I threw back toward my start point with the discs I was working, and I hit my bag (which was my target) from 240. Could end up being my go to driver, if I can maintain consistency.
I have an overstable Discraft Reaper Test Flight (was my backup but has moved up a spot since I lost my first one) that I can manipulate for a bunch of shots, but I can't make it go straight. I acquired this as a pair with the other being a used Elite X Reaper. It's beat in enough that I've been flipping this up a little to go straight.
The second group features an Innova DX Archangel, Discraft X Heat, and a Latitude 64 Diamond Opto. But these are definitely lower at the moment.
Plan B
A good game plan requires a backup strategy. If I struggle hitting fairways, I'm just going to have to back up to the 200-210-foot range. I have some nice discs that I can control well, also using them for slightly turnover shots when a flick is not my best option for finishing to the right.Enter mid-ranges (mostly) with a DX Cobra, Star Mako3, Zombee and a first run Manta. At present, the Manta is the only one not in my bag for every round because I'm just getting to know it.
Lots of work between now and then. Looking forward to playing with HP and Caleb, along with some of the usual local crew soon. Plenty of time to fill my with some Flippin Discs!
Comments
Post a Comment