Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Disc Golf Course #3000!


This comes from the PDGA Website:


A Milestone for Disc Golf!

by Michl Priester #34623(Introduced by Dan “Stork” Roddick #3)
Just recently, Cliff Towne, keeper of the PDGA Course Directory, reported that he had registered the 3,000th disc golf course. This was particularly exciting because the course, which is the Schmitten Discgolf Parcours, is the first to be registered in Austria. To put this milestone into some perspective, do remember that the first permanent disc golf course in the world, at Oak Grove Park in Pasadena, California, was established by Ed Headrick and Wham-O in 1974. Disc golf had been played for a good many years at tournaments prior to 1974, but this was the first permanent installation. So… it’s been 35 years from the first to the 3,000th course. That may seem a long time to you, especially if you’re under twenty. But, if we take a look at our much older cousin, ball golf, we see an interesting comparison of development. The first mention of golf was way back in 1452 when King James (not of Cleveland... King James II of Scotland) banned the playing of golf because it was cutting into time spent on archery practice. So, we know the game was being played informally for many, many years before the Society of St. Andrews Golfers got it together to form the first club in 1754, which would later become the Royal and Ancient. It’s hard to find a good timeline of global ball golf course development, but we do know that the 3,000th course did not get built in the U.S. until 1916. So, it took the grand old game roughly 450 years from inception to 3,000 courses. Or, more realistically, 162 years from the first club to that point of development. Given that, our 35 years is pretty darn impressive. We got traction on this game very quickly. Now, do remember that ball golf has continued to grow and now boasts over 31,000 courses worldwide, with about 17,000 of them in the U.S. It’s also estimated that there are about 50 million ball golfers on the planet… and of course there’s been one on the moon.
But, back to our 3,000th course, which is special in several ways. For one, because it’s the first registered course in Austria, it’s emblematic of the global burst of interest that has hit disc golf.


For more on this course and a run-through of the course catch this link;

Monday, October 12, 2009

Final Round Video from USDGC

Nikko is Champ!


This is from the USDGC site by Todd Harrell

Disc golf fans around the world, thanks to this year’s Internet TV production, witnessed a changing of the guard as the young gun Nikko Locastro overtook veteran Dave Feldberg and claimed the United States Disc Golf Championship with (-34).

Locastro, 21 years old, produced a bogey free round and ended with a 57 (-11), while the 5-time major champion Feldberg logged in a 62 (-6) and lost by two strokes.

During the awards ceremony following the round, Feldberg, who won the 2005 Open, commended Locastro on his first major tournament win.“Nikko Locastro now proved he is one of the top players of the world,” Feldberg said.

Until Saturday, Locastro’s biggest win was at The Memorial, a national tour event held earlier in March.“I’ve been looking for a big win to satisfy my hunger,” a delighted Locastro said after the round.

When asked if winning the Open was as sweet as he’d dreamed for so many years he said, “Yeah, It feels even better.”

Although the Missouri resident had respectable rounds on day one and two with a 62 and 61 respectively, it wasn’t until round three, when he shot a 58, that Locastro positioned himself within reach of Feldberg. And, when Locastro got his shot at the lead card he made the most of it.

He said in order to get into striking position he had to remain focused, play smart and “get aggressive when it was time to be aggressive.”

After leading the entire week, Feldberg could not stop the surging Locastro. He tied Feldberg after hole 7 when Feldberg failed to convert his birdie attempt. Then on the next hole, Feldberg’s drive hit a tree and went out of bounds, and later led to a bogey. Locastro, however, birdied the par four hole and took a two stroke lead.

Feldberg rallied and gained a stroke back on Locastro on hole 9 and then tied it after he eagled hole 10. Also on hole 10, Locastro’s initial drive went into the bunker, resulting in no penalty. On his second drive, he delivered a beauty that allowed him to eventually collect a birdie. Locastro then took the lead again after making a birdie on hole 11 and charged on, while Feldberg failed to make another rally.

Spectators were eating up the drama. Their numbers had swelled to at least 300 by the time the lead group arrived at hole 16. When Locastro, who placed 27th last year, nearly parked his drive the fans erupted in applause. Then as he walked down the fairway, an enthusiastic supporter yelled “Nikko!” to rally the player forward.

Crowd numbers were surely boosted by the fair weather. Yesterday forecasts had called for storms.Spectator, Kim Theesen, of Lincoln, Neb., was in Atlanta for the week and wanted to stop by and the see the Open for the first time.“These guys are really good,” Theesen said.
Droves of spectators world-wide also watched in anticipation. The tournament’s Internet TV production collected 7,700 viewers Saturday.

Although Feldberg was struggling to rally late, he did sink a big putt on hole 18 to claim sole ownership of 2nd place above Josh Anthon, who had a scorching round of 53 (-15). Anthon’s phenomenal round brought him to 3rd place and the course record.“Good luck trying to beat that new course record,” Anthon said during the award ceremony.

After the round Feldberg gave credit to Locastro for his solid play.“The kid earned it,” Feldberg said, adding that he commended Locastro for relentless practice in order to get to this point.
He said that after his disappointing performance he’s going to rededicate himself to tournament play.

As for Locastro, after the round he was soaking it all in. As he began signing the first of what would surely be dozens of autographs, he seemed on top of the world.“I’m honored and very satisfied,” said the 2009 Open champion, who also collects a $15,000 check.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Any Fringe Freaks out there?




I am - I love that show.

Nikko Locastro is your 2009 USDGC Champion!


Even with Josh Anthon breathing down his neck shooting a course record of 53, Nikko keeps is cool and wins with a -34 under par. Dave Feldberg 2nd, Anthon 3rd, and Doss 4th. There were some mixups on the online leader boards so I hope I got this right. Earlier they had Anthon and Feldberg tied.

Here's a group for you


This is a C-bus group here with a Dayton boy sliding in. John Ferensen, Dan Busic, Paul Jay and Jason Anderson. Looks like they are having a good time at the USDGC.

Friday, October 9, 2009

3rd round was a good one!

Lots of action out there on the course today. Nikko Locastro shoots a 58(-10) and jumps up to a tie for 2nd with Nate Doss and Phil Arthur, all 3 behind Dave Feldberg.

Other hot rounds today were Cale Leviska and Avery Jenkins with 59.

Matt blakely shot a 63. He's gotten better each round. Unfortunately Matt often has a tough first round and then gets better. Keep it up Matt.

Got a good one going on!

Phil Arthur has closed within 1 stroke of Dave Feldberg after 7 holes in round 3.

Some scoring updates

Pete Caldwell finished his 3rd round at even. Much better day for Pete. Keep it up Pete.

Dave Cox is 4 up after 12 holes.

Matt Blakely is -2 after 6. Have that good round today Matt. Pulling for you.

Johnny Sias even after 6.

Some Pics from Thursday's round

This is Hole 18

Some Local/Regional Players Scores

Tyler Horne -7 - not sure what's going on here: PDGA has him -5, while the USDGC site has -7
Brad Schick -4
Ken Climo -4
Matt Blakely +1
Johnny Sias +2
John Ferensen +8
Eric Roadhouse +14
Dave Cox +15
Kevin Stewart +20
Pete Caldwell +29

Come on everybody - have some hot rounds today and improve on all of those.

For those who don't know you can watch disc golf’s best players - you can Register with a Donation OR Register to Watch For Free They also have the dots going again at USDGC.com

I've been blogging and tweeting when I can so you can follow there too - http://twitter.com/discndat

Feldberg has the lead at USDGC




A Focused Feldberg Forges Four-throw Lead at USDGC

by Dr. John G. Duesler, Jr.

Under a warm sun and gentle winds, David Feldberg caught fire in his second round yesterday to extend his lead to a four-throw advantage at the 2009 United States Disc Golf Championship. Feldberg’s second-round 57 (1070-rated) was only bested by Josh Anthon, who carded a 56 and moved to within 8-throws of the lead. Thursday’s final foursome was completed by first-round co-leader Brian Schweberger, who threw a 63, Michael Johansen (second-round 62), and Joe Mela (second-round 64).
These scores in the low 60’s resulted in a major shuffle at the top of the leaderboard, three new players have now moved into the leadgroup to join Feldberg. 2009 masters division World Champion, Phil Arthur, continued his outstanding play this year with a second round 59 on the Winthrop Gold course. His 1058-rated round helped move Arthur into sole possession of second place. The 2008 USDGC titlest, Nate Doss, regained championship form on Thursday carding a 58, which moved him into a third-place tie with Finland’s Jussi Meresmaa.
You can watch all the action from Winthrop University live, as third-round Internet broadcasting of the 2009 United States Disc Golf Championship will begin Friday at 12:15 pm ET and continue throughout the day.
To watch disc golf’s best players, you can
Register with a Donation
OR
Register to Watch For Free

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Used Discs

If you're in the area and like used discs, we have gotten quite a few in the past couple of weeks so stop in and see what we have. Actually, there are some pretty sweet ones in there.

Some USDGC Scores

Josh Anthon in the house with a -12 on the day. Avery Jenkins -8. Steve Rico -8. Our own Matt Blakely in the house with a -3 today. Brad Schick also -3. Cam Todd back playing and shot a -6 today. Kevin Stewart 13 up, Dave Cox 8 up. Pete Caldwell 11 up, Eric Roadhouse 6 up.

2009 Innova Pumpkin Discs are in!


Yes, you heard us. Those famous Pumpkin discs are back. This is the 13th year Innova has produced the pumpkin discs. They're available on Aviar Putters, Rocs and STAR Boss. Check them out here. Limited quantities available so get them while you can.

Dave Feldberg Video from USDGC

This is compliments of Chuck Kennedy:


Early Morn at USDGC







Thursday morning 10/8 at the USDGC - wow, looks like a great place to be.

Ask and ye shall find out...








So, yes Tyler did compete and here's a couple pics.

Going the Distance at the USDGC


I wonder if any of our locals participated - Matt, Pete, Dave or Tyler? I'd like to hear what they have to say about the distance competition if they saw it.
This is an excerpt from the USDGC site:

By Todd Harrell
Defending champion Garrett Gurthie nearly threw it a Texas mile during a Wednesday distance qualify session that blew away the scores from last year.
The 19-year-old, of Gainesville, Fla., chunked a handful of Innova Pro Destroyers over 600 feet. His best was recorded at 654, which was nearly 150 feet further than the throw that won it for him last year against Avery Jenkins. Jenkins, always a contender in the long throw, squeaked by and tied for sixth.
The top six of all who attempted at the Winthrop golf course moved on to compete in finals Thursday at a time and location that will be later determined.
Others who made the cut include: Robbie Bratten at 615, Matt Orum at 609, Coda Hatfield at 600, Dion Arlyn at 594, and Avery Jenkins and Jeremy Koling were tied at 582.
Gurthie said his drive style and run-up changes little from his normal heaves except for an extra hop before he releases. He said others my try to do a 360- degree type hurl release, but that’s never worked for him. Gurthie, who has been playing since age 3, uses new light weight Pro Destroyers, which he said are easier to control than beat up discs.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

USDGC Early Clubhouse Leaders


A few players are in the clubhouse and the early leaders are:


Karl Johan Nybo -7


Devan Owens -5

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

New Glow Discs from Discraft


Yes, it's that itme of year and we have some new glow discs by Discraft:


We've also got Glow Lights and other good stuff for your night adventures in disc golf

Monday Qualifying at USDGC - WOW!


USDGC hosted by Innova - Qualifiers: Gregg Barsby 63, Will Schusterick 65, David Tucker 65, Henry Childres 67, John Murphy 67.
John Murphy of Levittown, PA was waiting on the 17th tee with his caddy. They needed to find someone to observe his score on the final two holes to make his qualifying round official. Everyone in his original group had either bailed completely or had returned to HQ for another try by then. The caddy asked if I would join them. At this point John was at +1 for the round. Last they heard, even par by Tim Barr was on the bubble to qualify. Murphy's drive barely clears the hay bales safe about 25 feet away from the pin. He makes a great putt for two and now lies even with the treacherous hole 18 remaining.
Hole 18 plays tough enough in good weather. But with the cool, unending drizzle all day, the left sloping fairway played that much slicker, especially for the righties who don't have a reliable 300 ft forehand. They have to throw that far and have the disc settle down quickly and not skip OB off to the left. John played it perfectly with the disc thrown up to the right nice and flat. Then, with a slight fade left, it settled down with a slow ending curl, sparking a quick shot of aderenaline as we watched, before it appeared to settle safely in the fairway.
John's 67 placed him in the top five with several hours and several more players striving to reach 67 or better. The top dog still out there was Gregg Barsby who had won the Masters Cup back in May but not paid his entry fee in time and had to qualify. Gregg had a few bogeys out there along the way increasing the stress. but a few birds later and he came in with a solid 5 down 63 to top the qualifiers as many had expected. That still kept John in the top five, tied with one other for the fourth and fifth spots.
Watching from the clubhouse, it was hard to sense the tension on the course as the players worked hard to play their best and qualify. Early in the afternoon, I was watching around holes 8 and 9. In most cases, players bailed to take another try by the time they completed hole 7, since it's a longer walk after you head to play the 8 thru 14 loop. However, that's where more of the tough holes are located that can blow up a round. I watched a blow up on hole 9 where Bryan Motley and Mark Muren decided it was time for a do-over.
Several players were seeing the USDGC course for the first time and had no idea how tough it is to play it well, even after playing it several times. You could tell from watching the body language of the players on the 18th if they were coming in with a good round. One player played short and safe on the tee shot. You figured he was playing for a "safe" 4 if there is such a thing here. His second shot was safe on the high side, far enough to make a safe upshot for a potential drop-in 4 but not in range for a hero putt birdie 3. Not sure, but I suspect he snagged a 67 putting him into a tie for that last spot.
David Tucker rated 917 came in with perhaps the round of his life with a 65 to secure a spot late in the day. Four players - Zac Newhouse, Henry Childres, John Murphy and Chris Eads - had 67s forcing a playoff for two spots. Murphy and Childres birdie the tough 17 to win the two spots. So for John Murphy, it really was as "easy" as 1-2-3 on 18, but with the added spice of a playoff.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

2009 USDGC


The United States Disc Golf Championship is almost here and here's the website to check things out and sign up to watch it live USDGC Website
Also, if anyone is thinking about going down I have some single day passes available. Let me know. Benefits include:
*Admission to any single day of competition
*Commemorative USDGC golf disc to the first 1000 spectators.
Matt Blakely, Disc 'n Dat sponsored player, Dave Cox, Pete Caldwell, John Ferrnesen/C-bus, Brad Schick/C-bus, Kevin Stewart/C-bus, Scott Rief/L-vil, Eric Roadhouse/L-vil and Dave Greenwell/L-vil are some of the local/regional competitors that I see are registered along with Avery and Val Jenkins of Hinkley, Ohio. Good luck to all.

Deadline to Signup for the Pig




Ok, deadline to signup for the 2009 Flying Pig Open 10/17/09 and 10/18/09 is rapidly aproaching - tomorrow 10/3/09 is the deadline. You can still signup today only at Disc 'n Dat or online with Paypal today and tomorrow at the Flying Pig website. The tournament is going to be played at Harbin Park in Fairfield (2 rounds) and Mt. Airy in Cincinnati (1 round and final 9).