Dan Brooks-Wells is good for disc golf

I enjoyed watching a special preview of the upcoming DGPT season. It was satisfying to watch top-level professional players do the kinds of things that regular players (well, me anyway) have to think about when stepping to the tee. Things like, not being able to comfortably reach a basket and looking for a safe par option or long "soft run" potential; things like, am I better to gamble with the roller or take all the distance I can get in the air; things like, I wish my partner had played a better shot. Normal people problems. I am always excited about watching disc golf coverage. I want to see amazing, but I also want to see something kinda normal.

I also enjoy watching normal people being great as well. It all came to me as I was watching the Green Mountain Championship coverage way back in September of the year which shall not be named...

Imagine you travel to Vermont. You were here last year and you didn't cash. But this year, you're comfortable with your game and you just finished in a tie for 6th at the Pittsburgh Flying Disc Open. It's the second round of the Green Mountain Championship and only James Conrad...You know, 2019 USDGC Champion, James Conrad? Yeah, that guy. He had the hot round, 3 shots better than you and you're one shot ahead of Paul McBeth and Chris Dickerson. Welcome to the shoes of DB Dubs.

Dan first piqued my interest by being from Whitehall, PA. I'm still not sure which one, since I have family up around Whitehall Township, not so much by Whitehall. Two in PA. Very confusing. But I was familiar with the courses where he had played some lower tier events and I knew what it took to score there. Besides that, here's a 996-rated player, on the lead card in the second round with elite company.

I knew from his first shot that I was going to watch something special. I don't mean 18-under special, or "what a crush" special, but rather, I was going to watch a disc golfer play his game, play his shots...and he took a short walk-up on the first tee at Fox Run and put himself in suitable position for his next shot. I wasn't worried when he did what many of us do on the course, hit almost first available, trying to navigate the forehand upshot to the basket. But he did want pros are supposed to do, recovered, and saved par.

He got into some early trouble on 2, but took his time and put the approach close to save par again. Dan wasn't in great position off the tee at 4, but made a great second shot to secure the birdie. Makes the putt to get under par. Then he had the best tee shot on 5, besting his elite company. On 6, the easiest hole on the course that day, Dan was textbook with his forehand to cap a run of 3 straight birdies before entering the "gauntlet" of 7-8-9.

Then he went safe on 7, laying up, hitting fairway two more times, eventually taking the conservative 5 for par. Safe again on 8 for par. OB off the tee at 9 to take his first bogey, on hole 27 of the tournament. I won't recap his entire round, but you should take the opportunity to watch the second round lead card post-produced by Jomez Pro.

You know I love the stats anyway, so let's back up and bring you back up to speed.

How do you get on the lead card for the second round? You shoot 10-under in the first at Brewster Ridge on the strength of making 16/16 C1x putts and 2/2 from C2. Yeah. 100% in Circle 1 AND 2. Add to that, putts of 11 feet or less, "tap-ins," don't count toward the percentage made (they count if you miss) and he had 12 of those. You can get absolutely lost in his stats from the GMC on Udisc.

He finished the round with 8 more pars and a birdie in round 2, falling to the chase card. But only the chase card. The great part is that, while he did have some struggles, he played like a pro, maintaining his score and being featured on Gatekeeper Media's third round coverage. He would find himself on that card with McBeth, Wysocki and Nikko. Yeah. McBeast fell to the chase card too. Ultimately, he finished ninth, tied with Philo Brathwaite and Tim Barham. Dan was the only player rated less than 1000 in the top 20; the next was at 23 and another down at 38.

He showed that he could handle himself on the big stage.

I can't deny that watching McBeth shooting 18 down at DGLO wasn't amazing. Looking for the next great player sucks you into the great debates too, Ricky, Eagle, KJ. What about Calvin, and is this guy Dickerson for real? I enjoy seeing the player take on the field and the individual battles that transpire during a round.

But, I'm a normal person, and I while I expect greatness from Paul and many others, I like to see the players that are just beginning to make a name for themselves, the young players developing on camera and on the course. I want to see the next-tier players have their day, bask for a moment in the limelight and see them have more days like that. No doubt, that Jomez Pro is the place to watch the best of the best in the game. Central Coast is right there too.

There is a formula for all the coverage. Big events get the big names together on feature cards, which can be very difficult for those next-level players to crack. Which is why Dan's performance was such a thrill. At some smaller events, you get mostly big names, then you get a player sponsored by the major brand backing the tournament. You got that at the MVP Open with Raven Newsome, an up and coming player from North Carolina sponsored by MVP. That's another name to bank in your memory. Move to some events off the national tour with some media coverage and you get local heroes and top players, sometimes all the way to final rounds.

Central Coast has some nice tournaments in that realm. GK Pro, Gatekeeper Media, Par Save Productions and thediscgolfguy are also places to look for those players grinding and growing the game. Here are a few of those...

2020 MVP Open at Maple Hill Jomez - Raven Newsome

Playing with Eagle, Double G and KJ, Raven proved he could play at a high level. He would have the 20th best round that day and drop a few cards, but he looked like he belonged with the group of pros playing in Massachusetts. Just watch the first hole and you'll be a believer.

2021 Maricopa Open discgolfguy- Henry Manahan

I feel like I saw coverage of Henry during another event as well. While he doesn't have the easy power for the 400-foot par 3s, he's a smart player that executes his game well.

2020 Seviren Lang Memorial GK Pro - Corey Ellis

Corey made the Final 9 (making the cut) and moved into solo 2nd on hole 3, navigating the trees and making a big birdie putt. Then he tied Wysocki for the lead on 4. Hole 6 is fantastic viewing. In North Carolina, we respect the woods disc golf play.

2020 Ledgestone Insurance Open Central Coast - Zach Arlinghaus

Here's a young player on the radar with a lot of upside. Just a teenager, Zach has struggled on some coverage, but he has so much ahead of him as he grows and finds his game.

The Preserve Championship 2020 Par Save - Collin Bailey

A Minnesota native, Collin shot at least 20 points above his rating at the time, each of the the 3 rounds. He has solid game and showed that during this round with Emerson, Drew, and Eagle on his card. You know what those last names are there, right? The first 2 holes will give you good idea of what it means to be a strong Open player versus someone that makes it their living as a Pro. Collin still holds his own during this round.

2020 Down East Players Cup Gatekeeper Media -  Hastings, Conway, Rafaleowski

Gatekeeper Media has plenty of great coverage, but I wanted to highlight what local players here have to contend with in the Open Division and a great North Carolina course. This is "The Meadow," or West Meadowbrook Park in Greenville, NC with the feature card playing the All-Star layout. All of these local players finished top 10 with a final round lead card of Wysocki, Ulibarri, Koling and Queen, the best that NC has to offer. You should watch this entire event which also includes the Farmville course.

Needless to say, I watch a lot of disc coverage from all over the place. Sublime Flight produced some coverage that helped me with events at the Downtown Urban Open in Cary, NC, King's Cup in Kinston and the Azalea tournaments here in Wilmington by viewing their Open coverage. You can never get too much disc golf.

This year, I'll be watching for those new faces, those up and coming players breaking onto the scene for their moments in the sun and how they fare against stiff competition at big events. I hope I get to see Dan on some more coverage real soon. Dan Brooks-Wells is good for flippin disc golf.