On Monday morning following the USDGC Doubles event, the Clash DVD crew drove out to Hornets Nest Disc Golf Course to finish the Clash taping that we tried to complete on the previous Friday but couldn’t due to the rainy weather. Billy Crump organized the competitors for this video - Barry Schultz, Eric McCabe, Brian Schweberger, Michael Johansen, Kevin McCoy and myself for the first of its kind - Worst Shot Doubles at Hornets Nest. It was formatted to be random draw for partners, and then both players on each team were to throw and the worst shot would be determined by the other groups. The play continued shot for shot until both players on the team made the putt to complete the hole. Yes, both players have to make the putt which is very difficult especially if your partner is a great putter - and that adds to the pressure.

We all flipped for partners and here’s how that went down: Schultz got teamed up with McCabe, Schweberger paired up with Johansen and I got the pleasure of being matched up with my good friend Kevin McCoy. The teams were solid. No matter how everyone got paired up it was going to be quite the battle on a tougher course for a worst shot formatted doubles. It was going to take some amazing play to beat out the Schweberger/Johansen team, which I considered to be the favorite considering that you could pair up Johansen with just about anyone to be a great team for the fact it was his home course. He knows these holes better then everyone combined. I made jokes about that the entire round.

So the show was about to begin. One thing that came to mind was that I was teamed up with the only player that did not play doubles over the weekend and I was concerned about how well he knew this particular course considering how long it has been since he has played it due to him starting a family and having a child in the last year or so. But rest assured – it’s Kevin McCoy, no matter how long it has been, he can always play well and he makes up for that by being a phenomenal putter.

I don’t want to ruin the story line of the DVD for everyone, but let me say that it was a battle throughout the entire round. It’s unlike any other doubles round because you could not rely on your partner to make great shots; a majority of the pressure was placed on yourself to perform or in many cases not mess up when it matters most. It is a very exciting video that plays with the players throwing skills, shot making abilities and a solid, calm patience to enable the best doubles team to become victorious that day. Look for the release of the video sometime near Christmas, like always I will keep everyone posted.

My parents, Leroy and Sharon, arrived that night into Rock Hill to attend their very first USDGC ever. I was glad that they could make the trip down after all the years that they have heard what a great tournament it was. I took them by the Innova East Factory on Tuesday morning to look through some discs and other rarities that you can get from the factory, including browsing1000’s and 1000’s of discs. I love going to factory when I get the opportunity once a year. We spent nearly 3 hours there. All of us went out to the Winthrop course later that afternoon to get in a Team Jenkins practice, just me and the family, never would have thought. It was great to show them the signature holes and the great landscape on the USDGC course, holes that they have only seen on video up to that point. It was a great practice day at the US Open.

We attended the Tournament Players Meeting that night, where they awarded the Golden Rake to deserving members Bill Jacobson and Lisa McDaniel for all of their hard work and continuous support of the USDGC year in and year out. The Tournament Director Jonathan Poole gave a brief history of the event and recited a very inspirational speech that I took to heart, hanging on every word. This was going to be my year, I could just feel it. They then began to call out the First Round Tee Times with groups starting at 7 am, keeping players on the edge of their seats and crossing their fingers that they get an 11 am or later tee time when the grass is dry and when it is warmer out. I got hooked up with a 9:20 am tee time, early enough to get out there before any kind of wind starts up but late enough where I don’t have to warm up in the morning fog. We all then collected our annual USDGC Players package, where we each received a really nice Huk Lab sweatshirt, a personalized t-shirt and caddie bib and a clear 1st-run Boss all contained in a custom USDGC graphics cooler -some of the nicest players packages that we get all year.

The first round of competitive play started on Wednesday morning. I got out there about 2 hours early to ensure a complete throwing and stretching warm up with enough time to get in a solid half hour of putting. I would rather have too much time on the practice field then not enough. Plus I throw lots of shots to make sure that I am ready for longer shots that I will be throwing during the round when each shot counts for so much. I was feeling good, but not as pumped up as I usually am for the start of the USDGC, not sure why. I approached the tee at the designated time and my Father was there to caddy for me every step of the way.

I came out of the gates on fire carding birdies on 2 of the first 3 holes; this was the start that I was looking for. I came into hole 4 sitting 2 down and looking to finish out the front 9 way under par. But I think that I may have looked too far ahead. I threw a bad sidearm off the tee and had to lay up where I would have a great look at throwing the spike over the trees for a par on the par 4. I threw the spike but I guess that I did not account for the tighter OB surrounding the trees around the green area. The shot hit the top of the trees and rolled back into the OB. No need to worry at that point, I just needed to throw in up there for a putt to walk with a bogie, but instead I decided to throw the shot a bit long to avoid another OB and missed the putt coming back, scoring a 7 on the hole. That quickly moved me from 2 down to 1 over in the matter of one hole, unbelievable. That was the hole that changed my thought process for the entire round and made me realize that this was for real. I cannot take any of these shots for granted. Never.

I played a pretty consistent front 9 carding birdies on the next 4 holes. I had some bad breaks as well as some bad rollaways to score 2 over on the back 9, including 3 bogeys and 2 doubles with 5 out-of-bounds throws to shoot a mind-numbing 67 on the course par 68. I could not believe that at that moment I had just carded a 1 down during one of the largest tournaments in the game at an event I have been waiting for this entire year, with everything short of a miracle I basically just shot myself out of any chance of winning the US Open. I had more OB’s the opening round then I had the entire tournament last year, and it was by far my worst round that I have scored there in years. It was almost too much to take at the time. All that I could do was take out my frustrations on the distance fields for the USDGC Distance qualifier.

I arrived down at the fields feeling absolutely crushed, but still knew that everything that happened out there was my doing and I was the only one that could bring it all back. It was all on me. I showed up at the qualifier a little early to watch some throws and get some great wind reads. The wind was better than most years; it seemed to be mostly tailwind at times. I was the 12th player to throw and that I did - really far. My first 2 throws were decent, but nothing to get me qualified as of yet. The 3rd throw was a smooth turn-around that caught perfectly and flew out the entire length of the field and then some to take the top qualifying spot at the time at approx. 660 feet. Now that’s how you take out some aggression. That made me feel just a little bit better about the day, but not completely. We went back to the hotel to prepare for the round that I had to face the following day.

This was going to be the day where I could change it all, and I kind of had to in the position that I was sitting in the tournament. I was currently in 43rd in the tournament and there was nowhere to go but up, way up. This day of warm-up was a lot more intense; I was throwing better then the day before and I had more motivation. I had something to prove. I had a great 4-some to start the 2nd round and that always means a lot to have good friends on the same card. It keeps me easy-going and less stressedWe approached the starting tee and I was ready to do this the right way.

I birdied the first 3 holes to start the round and thought nothing of it, I was on a mission. I soon approached my nemesis hole from the day before, good old hole #4. I played it really, really safe and walked away with a conservation par, saving 3 strokes from the first round. Off to a great start. I proceeded to shoot a consistent, clean front 9 going 6 down. I now had my work cut out for me as I approached the fierce back 9 that can destroy all those who do not respect it, in short it contains some of the hardest and most difficult holes on the entire course. I threw all of my shots precisely and on the mark to all of the locations I wanted to land off the tee. I then proceeded to make a bunch of solid putts on 10, 11, 12 and 13 to go 4 down with an eagle on 12. I played out the rest and birdied 15 and 16, with a par on the island green of hole 17. I had played the round mistake-free and laid up the tee shot on 17 just to insure an OB-free, bogey-free round. So a par was just fine at the time.

Hole 18 is a difficult birdie but a pretty standard par if you can keep all of your shots in bounds, and that’s exactly what I needed to do, play it safe and finish the round. So I picked the safest shot that I could choose on such a difficult tee-shot, the sidearm plays perfectly into the side hill ideally giving a great look at a comfortable approach shot and hopefully a birdie. Except for this time, the shot flew great off my hand and landed just where I wanted it but the misfortune of disc landing on a side hill caused it to stand and roll down the hill OB. This round was not to be as planned. I marked the stray shot back in bounds and threw the approach 15 feet from the basket to save par. It was everything that I could ask out of a round as I played absolutely perfect going into the last hole to shoot the New Winthrop Gold Course Record at a scorching score of 55. Just what I was looking for, an unbelievable round that went as planned shot for shot, hole for hole. I only made a few mistakes that I could have capitalized on, but I could not ask for much more after the round that I shot the day before. I was not to be outdone, but Nate Doss made claims to the course record as he came into the clubhouse with an amazing 55 as well. Two of the best rounds ever shot on that course during the very same round, I could have never imagined that to happen, it was meant to be. So now that I was back in the hunt to win it all, I felt a little more at ease with my position in the tournament. I moved up 40 spots in just one round and I was now just 6 strokes back of the lead.

It was now time to regain my UDSGC Distance title from 2006 against some of the longest throwers in the game. The top 5 qualifiers that made it to the finals were Jussi Meresma, Robbie Bratten, Garett Gurthie, Linus Astrom and myself. The event was held at this huge outdoor soccer complex the size of 3 fields in the evening under the lights, which made for an epic showdown on this cold autumn night. The first round consisted of five shots each with each player taking their longest recorded throw before moving into the final round of five throws. The longest throw of the 10 throws was to be determined the winner. The first round I had unleashed some great turnaround distance shots but none of the discs that I threw seemed to fly out the way that they did the day before due to the cold temperatures and the slight wind. I led the first round with a mediocre 507. Gurthie threw some great shots in the second round to push us into a throw-off for the tie at 507, Bratten at 592, Astrom at 477 and Meresma at 453. Gurthie and I were both granted 5 more shots to determine the Distance Champion. I have been thinking about this event all year long and this was the time to regain my title. I was throwing some of the biggest, longest shots of the night, so it seemed, but because of the conditions of the night the discs just didn’t seem to fly no matter how hard we threw. There is definitely something to be said about the physics of disc flight when the air temperatures are less than ideal. I could not believe that the longest throw up to that point was only 507 feet after we both qualified with distances of 660+, it was unreal. Gurthie threw a couple great shots during the sudden death finals to edge me out for the second straight year. He is a great distance thrower and he definitely proved that as he claimed his deserving title as this year’s USDGC Distance Champion. I congratulated him and I look forward to many more head to head distance battles in the future.

The 3rd round started on Friday morning; it was my debut to the prestigious lead card with Nate Doss -20, John E. McCray -16, Barry Schultz -14 and myself -14. I came out of the gates scoring a birdie on 4 of the first 5 holes with a lone bogey on 3 after an errant shot that strayed out of bounds. I ended -3 on the front 9 holes, falling another stroke off the lead but gaining strokes on the rest of the card totie for 2nd. I played a conservative, safe back 9 with birdies on 16 and 18 to finish it up to shoot a -5 for the round. I shot a total of -8 to score a 60 for the round to remain in solo 3rd but taking 2 strokes off the lead to remain 4 strokes back. Wait this is confusing. You said you shot -5 but then said you shot -8. Be more clear that you meant -3 on the first nine and -5 on the back nine to finish -8 for the round with a solid 60. It was all going to come down to the last and final round.

This was the round that was going to change everything. This was the closest that I have been to a USDGC title going into the final round and I was more than ready to put on a show. The scores for the lead group were Nate Doss -26, Ken Climo -23, Myself -22 and Paul McBeth -21. It was going to be a battle until the end, and everyone on this lead card had a chance to win on a course this fierce where strokes can be given on any one of these holes. Whoever made the least amount of mistakes was going to win it all. It all comes down to this: playing on the lead group in the final round of the USDGC, with every shot counting for everything. I came out on fire parking Hole 1 and then proceeded to birdie 5 of the first 7 holes with a lone bogey on hole 5 due to an errant tee shot that forced me to play out the rest of the hole safe to avoid going out of bounds. I ended up shooting -5 on the front 9, going on to hole 10 still remaining 4 strokes behind Doss and pulling into solo 2nd past Climo. It started to heat up on hole 11 as I threw my approach within 40 feet and waited for Nate as his roller approach into the green barely made it back in bounds. He then proceeded to have his first putt rim out and roll to within in inches of OB. His second putt for par again rimmed out and rolled down the hill and towards OB to stop within inches. I stepped to my 40-footer, knowing how bad I needed it to catch him. I lined it up and cashed it for birdie in front of the giant gallery. Doss then stepped to his pressure putt 28-footer and cashed that for bogey. I moved to within 2 strokes with 7 holes remaining; this was the time and it all came down to these final holes.

I threw a pretty routine drive on the long par 5 hole 12, and lined up a long 430+ approach with a line-drive Excaliber that took a huge skip past the pin and rolled out just outside the circle. Doss then stepped to his approach to throw an amazing hyzer that settled with 15 of the basket. I lined up the eagle putt with the slight head wind and left it an inch low to leave me with a drop in birdie as Doss got a stroke back with a standard eagle 3. We continued to streak through the next couple of holes as Doss played great and took one stroke per hole as he birdied holes 13 and 14 and scored a par on 15 to take back a 5 stroke lead going into the last 3 holes, almost too many strokes with that many holes. There was only one thing to do at that point: I had to birdie out and see what Doss would do on Hole 17. I still had a chance. I then birdied the 391 foot hole 16 with a massive sidearm hyzer that spiked within 10 feet for the drop in.

It was all going to come down to Hole 17, which happened to be a lot less frightening this year compared to last for the fact that the player was not charged with a stroke penalty for an OB shot, it was only considered a BunCR and the player would just re-throw from the tee until a shot landed safe inbounds. So Doss would have to miss the island green 5+ times for me to tie him going into hole 18. I stepped to the tee and threw a Whippet-X sidearm and it cut rolled back to the pin on impact for the drop-in birdie. Doss then threw a smooth putter shot that settled down safely on the green and inbounds. He laid up the upshot and scored a par on the hole to pretty much seal the deal. I made a great tee shot on hole 18 and got up and threw an accurate approach into the pin. I was asking Schweberger as I walked up the 18th fairway what the 2nd card did for the round and if I had to run the putt if left with a longer downhill putt. He said that I had no worries and I had a secure 2nd place by 4 strokes over 3rd. Doss played out the hole super safe and conservative with a lay-up shot that he slid up to the pin. I stepped up to my 15 footer to claim 2nd place yet again for the second straight year. Doss dropped in to assure the victory as the gallery exploded with applause. It was a memorable moment that I will not soon forget; it was a battle until the end and a much deserved win for my good friend Nate Doss. It could not have happened to a better person in the world, he played like a Champion all week long.

I had an amazing time as always at this year’s United States Disc Golf Championships, it still remains one of my favorite tournaments year in and year out. This tournament will be mine someday; it will be my passion and the reason for my drive to be the best. Who knows how it would have ended if I had started this year’s first round just a little better, I want it more than ever now. It was even better to have my parents present at the event this year and my father caddying for me all four rounds made it even better. I wanted to win for them so bad, but they were still amazed how it all finished in the end. At least they got to see me own the stage and dominate at the Showcase Distance Finals over Winthrop Lake, quite the show for those that know. When you leave a tournament like that, you just can’t wait to get back. It will be a tournament that I will dream about until I once again get my chance to win it all. Until next year……………………………

Next Tournament: The Players Cup - Crystal River, FL

So I arrived in Charlotte, NC on Wednesday night before the start of the USDGC Doubles Championship. I made the 8 hour drive down from Ohio with my friend Steve Mills and pulled up to Billy Crump’s house to spend the weekend. Feldberg, Climo and Schultz just arrived that day as well, early enough to get some rounds in at Winthrop Gold, Renaissance and Honests Nest in preparation for the Doubles event. The Doubles Teams were Feldberg and I, Schultz and Schweberger, Climo and Brinster, and Orum and Barsby to name a few. It was due to be a super competitive doubles competition on some technical Carolina courses.

Thursday we made a trip out to Wintrop the very next day to get in a solid day of wind practice in preparation for the doubles and for the singles later on the following week. It might have been the most wind that I have ever experienced on that course, making hole 17 one of the hardest holes ever just trying to land a shot in play anywhere on the green. The ropes seemed the tightest that they have ever been on many of the holes making the course at least 2 to 3 strokes harder in my opinion with a lot of the OB’s closer to many of the downhill slopes and surrounding many of the baskets.

On Friday, Billy Crump made arrangements to record a Worst-Shot Doubles Clash out at Hornets Nest but it was cancelled that morning due to mass amounts of rain that we experienced throughout the night into the remainder of the next day. Not the kind of weather that you want to worst shot doubles in, we also did not want to damage the expensive video equipment. We put off the video until Monday morning so that we could show the course at its best in better conditions.

The USDGC Doubles Championship started on Saturday morning at Hornets Nest in the downpour rain. Some teams decided not to play due to the weather and due to the amount of teams that actually signed up. Climo had to pull out of the event due to a hip injury and did not want to risk hurting it worst with the start of USDGC the following week. So Brinster teamed up with Ken “Tank” Franks that morning to join in on the action. The rain soon let up after the pre-round warmups.

The first round we started off playing an alternate shot format on Hornets Nest, being one of the tighter woods courses on tour. We played pretty consistent only missing a few drives and putts throughout the round, it that placed us in 3rd place after the first round of play shooting a 52. Michael Johansen and Jeremy Koling were leading the pack with a 47.

The 2nd round was played out at Renaissance Park, a great combination of wooded to moderately woods holes with a few shots to open up on throughout the round. That round was a straight up best shot doubles format and we were paired up with Disc Golf Legends - Stan McDaniel and Joe Mela. It was a Stan McDaniel designed course, so he knew that course better then anybody and it definitely showed as they shot a 51 for the round. We edged them out during the round shooting a mediocre 50 with lots of missed opportunities. Johansen and Koling shot a 50 as well to retain the lead with Will Schusterick and Kris Orrick shooting a 50 to move up to 2nd place 4 strokes off the lead. We remained in 3rd place still 5 strokes back going into the 3rd and final round at Winthrop Gold.

The 3rd round was held at the Winthrop Gold (USDGC) course, which for those that dont know, it is one of the most challenging and most difficult courses in the world. It has lots of of par 4’s and 5’s, with lots of open holes but also lots of OB on every hole. Trust me, its as good as it gets. We were paired up with McDaniel and Mela for the final round, what a pleasure, we could not ask for a better pairing for a doubles event. The doubles format for this round was best disc, which is a format where both players play the hole and best score between the two is then recorded. So it gives lots of opportunity to score well and it was probably the best format for us especially on this course where we have the most experience as compared to the teams ahead of us.

We battled through the first 5 holes only shooting at -3 down at that point, we didn’t start to really heat up until the back 9 holes where we birdied 7 of the last 9 holes to shoot a solid 57, but we both knew that it was probably not going to be good enough with the strength of some of the teams out there. We saw the lead card absolutely tearing it up, but no one was to say what they were shooting at the time. At the end, Schultz and Schweberger shot an amazing 54 to come back to take the temporary one stroke lead on Feldberg and I until Schusterick and Orrick came in the clubhouse with a solid 56 to hold them off for a one stroke win. So we finished 3rd place 2 strokes off of 1st and 1 stroke off of 2nd.

Congratulations to Kris Orrick and Will Schusterick for being the 1st Annual USDGC Doubles Champions!!!

It was a great weekend and we played some great golf on some challenging courses. I know that we should have shot a lot better the first couple of rounds on the wooded courses especially on those layouts. It was not exactly what we expected but they played great and totally deserved the hard fought win. Thanks to the Bill Jacobson and Charlotte Disc Golf Club for hosting and running this Annual Doubles tournament. Looking forward to next years USDGC Doubles event.

USDGC Singles Coming Soon…………………………..

One of the most defined skills of any professional player is the ability to throw accurate and precise approaches in any situation. These shots are most helpful when playing long holes that are just out of reach off the tee or in certain predicaments following errant drives on wooded holes when a stroke-saving shot is required.

The properly thrown approach shot can ease the tension and stress of having to make a long putt to save par, as well as reduce the number of strokes recorded on the scorecard.

It may be one of the most routine shots in disc golf to execute when compared to drives and putting, but quite possibly the most important shot that you have to perform in order to score well on the golf course.

There are a variety of situations that require different approach shots, but here are some general things to remember in any upshot situation:

Proper alignment – Always face the target or intended flight path (gap) of choice when throwing toward the basket.

Solid stance – Balanced foot placement with lead leg (same side as throwing arm) behind mark or lie. Or when straddling out on a lie the use of either leg is preferred.

Body positioning – Position body with slight turn in stance to ensure smooth and fluent arm swing. Always make enough room to complete a full throwing motion by sometimes straddling out from the mark depending on the lie off the fairway.

Disc selection – Choose a disc depending on the shot (whether stable-left or understable-right for a right-handed thrower) to be a controllable midrange or putter. A driver can be used if thats what the shot calls for in low ceiling or skip shots situations. I prefer putters for shorter range shots because they are easier to control and shape the flight path depending on the shot. They also stay close to the basket when landing due to their slower flight and deeper rim.

Throw and release – A smooth, fluent arm swing toward the target with control and touch appropriate to the shot that is being executed is important. The release should be deliberate and the timing needs to be precise when maneuvering through objects on the way to basket. Remember to either power up or down or the shot depending on elevation changes and always determine the speed at which you want to throw in order to keep the shot close to the target.

Follow through – Ensure the flight of the disc is on line. The follow through may be shortened or obscured in certain situations when trees or other object are near. Use caution and make sure to quickly stop the arm swing after the release of the disc to avoid hitting objects on the follow through.

The ability to throw accurate approaches and upshots will make the difference in everyone’s game and is guaranteed to improve round scores. I recommend playing as much catch as possible to get in lots of repetitions along with learning shot timing and release angles. Practice is key to being great at anything, so get out there and practice throwing those approaches and upshots. Good Luck!

For more Pro Tips go to: Flyingdiscmagazine.com

Always glad to receive questions, drop me a line.

So we arrived into Boston after returning from Sweden where we spent the last two weeks on the EuroTour. The Swedish tournaments were amazing and had some consistent finishes in both the Stockholm Open (5th) and the Scandinavian Open (4th). Our good friend Tim Walsh picked us up and provided us with a place to stay with his family throughout the weekend.

On Thursday (July 24) I celebrated the big 3-0 and spent the day playing doubles designed for the top four players in National Tour points in attendance at the tournament. Dave and I were the obvious doubles team along with Schultz and McCabe being the other team. The tournament then organized a doubles qualifier where Sprague, Olson and Pete Johnson became the final team as a triple team. They all threw tee shots and then were allowed to choose the best shot and that player was then not allowed the following shot. It preceded on from that point until the hole was finished. We played a stableford doubles points format where the teams were awarded 10 pts foran eagle, 3 pts for a birdie, 0 pts for a par, -1 pts for a bogey and -2 for a double bogey or worse. Long story short, Dave and I played decent but due to that type of format and limited chances at eagle placed 3rd. We still walked away with some appearance fees and enjoyed our time getting another practice round in before the start of the tournament.

The Vibram Open tournament consisted of 3 rounds of 18 holes on the Maple Hill course at the location of the MSDGC (Marshall Street Disc Golf Championships) on three consecutive days. The course consisted of a huge tee shot on Hole #1 600+ over the famous Maple Hill pond. It had lots of technical par 4’s in the woods and it opened up on the back nine with some longer field shots that set up for lots of great birdie attempts. It ended on an epic Hole #18 550+ uphill with an island green that either forces the player to go for the eagle or lay up for the par, lots of risk-reward opportunities on every hole.

On Friday I had an early start and prayed that it would not rain much like the previous days of torrential down pour showers. I played a consistent opening round with 5 birdies and one bad hole that tested my patience in the middle of the round with a 5 on a par 3. I finished the round with a solid 56 to soon be surpassed by a new course record score of 54 shot by Feldberg. Val had a tough opening round shooting a 71 putting her 5 strokes off the lead to start.

On Saturday I was fortunate enough too a late tee time and take some time to catch up on some well deserved sleep. I got to the course early enough to watch as Val, Dave and Tournament Director Steve Dodge got interviewed by a local news crew for a sports piece on disc golf. I continued to warm up and was ready to play a much cleaner round then the previous day, there were strokes that I left out there in the first round that I wanted back and I was determined to get them. I started the round shooting 4 down after 6 holes and 7 down after 10 holes. I was on record setting pace and tried not to think about it at any time. I missed putts on #11 and #12, recording pars on each. I then shredded the remainder of the course with birdies on 5 of the last 6 holes with a missed putt par on #17. I crushed the tee shot on the uphill #18 to set up for an easy layup shot for birdie to finish the round. I ended up shooting the new course record of 51 rated 1085 with the 3 missed putts which would have put me well above an 1100 rated round. It was nearly a perfect round and by far the best round that I have shot in a while. It felt amazing making all of those shots and playing like I know how to play, solid and consistent throughout the entire round.

That round put me in the lead by 3 strokes over 2nd place and 9 strokes over 3rd place, it was setting up to be an amazing final round on Sunday. After the round we headed over to a golf driving range down the road for a long drive contest that displayed not only distance but accuracy as well. They set up three throwing stations and a 700′+ rope down the middle of the fairway to measure the accuracy of the shots. The throws were recorded for their distance and subtracted half of the distance from the line for the total distance. I by far threw the farthest shot of the competition but it was far from being close to the line. Henry Childress from Innova won the event with Robbie Bratten placing a close 2nd. The tournament also hosted a putting contest where the qualifying players were judged but the creativity and presentation of their showcase putting skills. Our gracious host, Tim Walsh won the putting contest with a back-flip off the table putt to take the title. It was a great event to watch with lots of high-flying putts and a putting demonstration I have never seen before. I can not wait until I see the video, it was awesome.

On Sunday I came out feeling refreshed and ready to play that challenging course. It was Feldberg, Adam Olsen, Paul Ulibarri and myself on the lead card for the final round. It was really close at the 3rd and 4th spots where there would be a battle for at least 5 people throughout the round, as for the top spot it was only a battle between Dave and I for the win. We started at a great pace and quickly separated ourselves within the first 6 holes making it a race to the finish throughout the front nine. I played solid throughout making very little mistakes and keeping a great birdie pace. I had gained few stokes after the water hole on #8, leading by 6 stokes at that point with 10 holes to play. I never looked back as I tried to hold composure and finish the task that I set out to do. I had heard halfway through the round that Val had made up the 3 stroke deficit going into the round and was leading by 3 strokes going into the last hole. For all of those that know, it is usually either one or the other that win during the weekend, it has been a rarity that both of us win on the same weekend. On all of my victories this year Val has taken losses for some odd reason, its a karma thing where we tap into each others energy and there is only so much for the both of us. But is was going to happen.

I missed a few opportunities down the stretch to birdie and finished really solid leading by 9 strokes going into the last hole. Feldberg secured 2nd by 6 stokes earlier in the round and was just having fun with it as he whistled along after every tee shot and putt. I threw a great tee shot up to the middle of the fairway and tried an aggressive sidearm approach to the island green but unfortunately threw OB and missed the putt. I waited until everyone finished out the hole and tapped out to take the much anticipated victory winning by 7 strokes over 2nd and 13 strokes over 3rd place. It was my second National Tour event victory of the year with another win at Tulsa, OK earlier in the spring.

It was a Jenkins National Tour Sweep. We have won B-tiers and supertours together before, but this was our first NT victory together. We kept the Marshall Street tradition alive by taking a victory dive into the Maple Hill pond. Throughout the years I have seen other players play amazing rounds on there birthday, I have only ever got an NT ace on my birthday a few years back in Minnesota. It was an amazing birthday weekend that I will never forget and a present to myself that I felt I really deserved. I can not wait until the Vibram Open DVD comes out sometime this fall, I will keep everyone posted on its release. Thanks to Steve Dodge for hosting one of the best tournaments that I have played all season, he is setting the bar and raising the level of National Tour events. Thanks again to the Walsh family for opening their home to us throughout the week and providing us with some relaxing accommodations. And a special thanks to Tracy Bratten who came all the way from NYC to caddie for me all weekend long, I have been victorious at every tournament that she has been in attendance.

I will play my best at this upcoming World Championships, looking for another Jenkins Sweep.

Next Tournament: The PDGA World Championships - Kalamazoo, MI

On our travels back to the East after the Big D in the Desert, Val and I played back to back tournaments in Kentucky. The second event being the Disc ‘n Dat Bluegrass Open, one of my favorites due to the courses and the travel vicinity to my parents home in Ohio, an annual tournament that I used to play every year when I lived back home. It is also great to see some old friends that I have not seen in years, great time to catch up on some past DG stories. (more…)

So the Big D in the Desert distance event was more then expected. Val and I arrived early into Primm, Nevada on Thursday afternoon along with Cary Trotter and Andrew Rich, whom drove 19 hours the day before just to make it down to the event. (more…)

The season is now in full swing, we have played 3 tournaments thus far this year. Including a 7th Place at the Gentleman’s Club Challenge in Las Vagas, a 12th Place finish at The Memorial National Tour Event in Phoenix, AZ and a 2nd Place at the Aloha Sushi Classic in Walla Walla, Washington. (more…)

It has been long awaited, but its finally here. Its not like I wanted to season to end, but now that it has it is something to truly enjoy to the fullest. It is always good to give the body and mind a break from the world of Disc Golf. I have to tell you that it wears on me sometimes but it is not something that I am complaining about in anyway because I am fortunate enough to do what I do for a living, I am truly grateful to be given the opportunity to throw discs for a current occupation. I have been very productive thus far this winter. (more…)

The week started out as I was called out for an earlier then expected tee time at 9:20 am, which was definitely a later start then last year when I had to warm up in the dark of the morning. I came out the gates and birdied 8 of the first 10 holes, I was on a roll. It reminded me of the start that I had during the 2005 USDGC when I birdied the first 10 holes, a feat that has not been accomplished by any other player in the game, (more…)

The anticipation grows as we draw closer toward the start of the 2007 United States Disc Golf Championships. It is going to be my 8th year in attendence and I plan to inprove my career best finish from last year, which was 4th, and finally win this prestigious event. It’s all about the title, even though it also comes with a $15,000 dollar check. Competitors from all over the world come to Rock Hill, South Carolina to challenge the best players in the world on one of the challenging courses in the world.

On Tuesday before the event, Billy Crump has organized a best shot doubles event to be played on the Winthrop Gold Course. The teams are: The 12-time world champion Ken Climo teamed up with the current world champion Nate Doss, the defending USDGC champion Barry Schultz teamed up with the best european player Markus Kallstrom and myself teamed up with the 2005 USDGC champion Dave Feldberg as Team Oregon. Risky shots and very agressive play is going to produce some exciting disc golf all captured by four person camera crew for a future USDGC DVD. I will be sure to post when that video becomes available. Stay tuned for more updates from this years USDGC…………………..