Master's Cup - Day 3

After a better nights sleep, I got up around 6:00 AM and proceeded to get a shower, then headed to Starbucks (where I got some coffee and a maple scone) and then off to the course. Kristin had left me some water in the car, so I didn't need to stop anywhere.

I got to the course around 7:00 AM, and there was not really anyone there from the tournament staff yet. I took the time to practice putting and some up shots. I noticed that Jon and Jason were playing hole #20, so I kidded them that they must have slept at the course. They said they were trying out new discs, and I wished them good luck. I was putting pretty well, but my up shots were inconsistent. I figured that I was pretty much locked into second place, being 20 shots behind, and also safe from Kane or Jason unless I imploded altogether or they got super hot. Still I was a little nervous given how my round yesterday had gone, but happy in the knowledge that today was the final round.

When we got to the tee, I found out that we would not be playing holes #13-#16, which was a nice surprise. Marty said that we would however be playing hole #5 (yeah!) but also hole #26A (which had given me trouble on day 1). Otherwise we were free to tee off and I was looking forward to being able to play at our own pace and not having to wait on every shot, as we had done for most of the tournament.

The tension between myself and Jon was over, and we both cheered each other (and the rest of the group) on with each good shot. I started off badly with a couple of bogies and a double, before finally getting my first par on hole #4. Despite the relatively easy set-up of the course, I was not having much success. I finally got a birdie on #8 with a parked tee shot, but the rest of the front passed without any major moves by anyone. Jon was still on fire, and was under par for most of the front side. I was starting to wonder if he was not in fact a more experienced player than he let on to be, and that the first day was the odd poor round for him... but it really didn't matter at this point. Kane was continuing his good play from the day before, but his opening round had put him in a huge hole (like me at Napa) so he was unlikely to be able to catch me. Jason played really well on the middle holes and was getting closer to me, I was starting to wonder exactly how many strokes I had to play with, but then figured if I just played the course and focused on my game I would be ok.

I had a close run at hole #17, and just missed a birdie, then played the next couple of holes at par. By the time we reached the parking lot, I was just focused on finishing the tournament and being done. The 3 days of playing, waiting and walking around was starting to take its toll and I had to really just stay in the moment and finish strong. I also didn't want to lose second, as that was my only shot at getting any cash - and as we rounded the parking lot, I had a few more pars and felt that Jason might be running out of holes to catch me. I was more playing "match play" with him and making sure that I did no worse than he did, while still trying to get par or better on each hole. I parred holes #24, #25, and #26 (with a great drive to within 30 ft.). As we headed to hole #26A at the top of the hill, I figured if I kept my drive in bounds that would seal the deal. I had the tee and just focused and threw my TL right down the middle. It went long and straight and came down on the left-hand side but very much in bounds. Unfortunately Jason threw his tee shot OB and that was it for his bid at second place.

As out group headed to the tee at "top of the world", Jon made the comment that he wished we had a camera to take a picture of our group. I said I had mine and so we planned to take a picture on the tee, which we did (see below). I asked him for his advice on throwing that hole, as I had really struggled with what to do and he had parked it both days. He told me to throw it straight and let the disc "turn over" on its own. I tried it, and it went right to the first tee pad, which is the best shot I think I have ever had on that hole and led to my first par on #27 all tournament.


Men's Rec Division - Myself, Jason, Jon, and Kane

We got done with the round about 10:40 AM, and thanked each other for playing. I asked Jon if he had any idea when they might do the awards, and he said he thought it would be at end of the day. I asked Marty about if they would pay out 2nd place, and he said that he thought they would, but that he had other people handling that aspect of the tournament for him. He said the awards would be after everyone was finished (whenever that was), but that if I was not there he would make sure I got whatever the prize turned out to be.

I now had a chance to relax and just hang out. I saw the Huk Lab guy (Jay) and we chatted for awhile. He had a great dog with him (his furry co-pilot) Boojum, who I think was an Irish Setter and Golden Lab mix. He looked like a shorter and stockier Irish Setter, and turned out to be really smart, mellow and just a wonderful fun dog. I bought a shirt from him, and looked around and found a nice Coyote disc with the Huk Lab logo on it and got that too. I looked at the DGA booth, but they didn't seem to have much I wanted at that point. I called Kristin and decided to go and pick her up at the hotel.

After we checked out, we headed to get me some lunch at Tacos Morenos, and then to our favorite beach spot (overlooking the harbor, wharf and boardwalk. Kristin took some pictures of me, and a cute little 3 legged dog who wanted to share my lunch. It was a glorious day, very sunny wand warm, and after lunch we figured we would head back up to the course and see how Gregg and the rest of the field was doing.



We got back up there around 1:30 PM and proceeded to check out the standings, chat with Anne who was done for the day and also look at all the stuff. Jay was getting ready to go and play in his division and so was closed up the Huk Lab booth. I sat in front of it and played with his dog for most of the rest of the day. I answered a few questions for people and let them know that Jay had more stuff available and would be around later to sell stuff. BooJum was such a cool dog, and I gave him a old tennis ball I had in my car, which he took to chewing and then wanting to have me throw for him.

The afternoon wore on, and once Les came in (after parking his tee shot on #27 to be closed to the pin (or CTP), we waited for the leaders and the awards ceremony. Finally at about 4:15 the leader group came through and we figured that it would not be long until we could get the goods and take off. I figured I would get something, but was not sure what or how much. Before that could take place, it was announced that there was a play-off for 1st place and so 2 guys headed back out to #1. It was amazing to see these guys play under the pressure of (a) the tournament being on the line, and (2) having 50-60 people watching them. As the day had wore on, more and more people gathered by the road to chat about their rounds and watch the remaining groups come in (cheering good shots and trying to will bad shots back in bounds - it was a lot of fun to see how people reacted to the growing crowd). The eventual winner won on the second playoff hole, with a HUGE "thumber" to within 45-50ft. of the hole and a near birdie putt. It was amazing to see.

The trophies were set up and I took a quick look. Unfortunately there was only a first place trophy for our division, while in other ones there was a first AND second place - oh well. They announced the winners of the woman's divisions and the Senior Masters, and then ours. It was nice to hear my name called and I went up to accept my award for second place. I got a big round of applause and a certificate for $65.00 bucks - WOW, it was more than I expected. I stayed around and clapped for those others who won in AM2, and as the AMs were being announced I headed over the DGA booth to select my prizes (see below). It was nice to get so much for second, and I only wish I could have spent it at Huk Lab as well as DGA, but was not able to (maybe if I go to Oregon for the Fling which they are sponsoring it might be that way).


I ended up getting a DGA polo shirt, towel, visor and mini-disc.


Overall it was a long, but very enjoyable 3 days. Unfortunately I did not play as well as I had hoped (or up to my expectations), given how well I had been playing and how much I had practiced. I have to remind myself that I have only been playing for 6 months and not 6 years, and that many of the people here have been playing for much longer than I have and it takes time to get good. I had a great time and it was nice that Kristin got a chance to be there with me and see me play. She was very patient on Sunday while we waited and hung out, and I am glad we did as who knows when I might play or win again. Now I have to look forward to being around and helping out on the Pro version in 2 weeks... and then maybe the Oregon State Fling in mid-May, not to mention the Moraga Weekly on Tuesday.

Master's Cup - Day 2

Kristin and I stayed at the Bayview Hotel in Aptos and neither of us got much sleep. This hotel has a bar and we were lucky enough to get the room right over it. Needless to say we were up until 1:30 AM, before finally they closed. This hotel is not really a bed and breakfast, although the play one on the internet, as the place is loud and really not sure what it wants to be.

After an ok breakfast, we asked about getting another room and they did manage to find one on the third floor, which was handy as we were prepared to go to another hotel than stay another night in this noisy hotel. We moved our stuff into this new room and not more than 20 minutes later, the front desk calls us back to inform us that there is a wedding that night and that they are likely to be playing music outside until 10 PM. Kristin and I decide to stay anyway as we are probably going the disc golf party that night and so probably won't be back until around that time anyway. Plus we think that being on the 3rd floor should help with the noise...

I decided to use my new basket and throw some in lower DeLa park before my round, so Kristin and I head over there about 1:00 PM. I throw a couple of up shots and practice putting for about an hour or so (see picture below) and feel pretty prepared to play. While I was not putting especially well, I am glad to have had the time to do some work beforehand. At around 2:00 PM we pack up and head to the event.


I arrive at 2:25 PM, which I think is plenty of time for my 2:40 PM starting time, but come to find out that I am suppose to be there at 2:20 PM for a 2:30 PM tee time - yikes!! I rush up to the tee and get there just in time. I tee off 2nd and still seem a bit rushed.

I played ok for the first 10 holes, as I had 5 pars and only 1 five - but then on hole #11 I just started to throw badly. I could not seem to make 2 good throws in a row. Over the next 8 holes, I take three 6's, a 7!! In fact, on hole #18 I am laying up with my 3rd shot from 25 ft away and park it under the, only to watch in horror as it catches a root, gets on edge and proceeds to roll completely OFF THE WORLD!!! I mean it is gone over a cliff that I can not see beyond and thus my putter was lost (or donated to the disc golf gods depending on your religion). That was a tough one to take as I should have had at worst a 4, and instead take a 7 - wow!

The rest of my round was up and down and I really didn't have anything exciting happen. Unfortunately the man I was trying to catch was on fire for most of the day, he carded a 98 to my 112 and thus ended my hope for any chance at winning. Meanwhile Kane played much better, I guess figuring that he had nothing to lose, and actually beat me for the day by 1. Jason shot a 116 so I continued to but space between myself and my nearest rival and was up 8 going into the final day.

I was very disappointed in how I played, and the fact I could not hold my round together and/or score as I had been. I am not sure why I did not execute, aside from being tired - and I really tried to not worry about the last shot when I was playing poorly, but it didn't seem to help. I was seemingly unable to just make simple, easy throws back-to-back. I really need to work on this aspect of things, but am just not sure how.

On a positive note, I was able to meet the guy from huk labs, and he was really nice. I bought a visor from him the first day, and today maybe wanted to get shirt but by the time we got off the course he was packing up for the party that was set to start at 7:30-8:00 PM at club caution on Front Street. I asked if he was going to be around tomorrow, which he was, so with that I headed off and let him pack up. Kristin met me after my round and we headed with Gregg L, Les and Anne over to the party.

We got there and not many people were there yet. Gregg got us a round of drinks and we talked about my round. Gregg was in the middle of his division and said he was shooting better than the first day. I explained how my round went and that I was hoping I could hold onto second, given how I was playing. The raffle got started as our food arrived and Gregg managed to win a couple of nice discs. Anne won a great huk lab shirt (as it turns out she bought 20 tickets) and I got zip - oh well. We finished our dinner and stuck around for the second raffle, for the basket. None of us won anything in this one and we left around 10:00 PM.

When Kristin and I arrived back at the hotel, the wedding was still going on - it started at 4:00 PM. They were suppose to be inside by now, but weren't and so after 20 minutes or so, I called down and asked them when the wedding would be over. The staff evidentially ran out and told the DJ, as we hear over the speakers "The hotel has asked me to shut it off so goodnight..." and with that the party is over. I had no idea that would happen, but am glad to get the rest. I swear we are never staying here again!

Tomorrow is the final day, and our group is suppose to tee off first at 7:30 AM. I will be glad to finish this thing as it has been a long 2 days already. I hope I can shoot better and maybe get some cash. I guess I will have to wait and see.

Master's Cup - Day 1

The day of the tournament has arrived and Kristin and I arrived at about 1:30 PM. We went and got some lunch at Tacos Morenos, and then headed to the course. We got up there about 2:00 PM, and Kristin dropped me off and headed to go downtown and shop.

The parking lot was full and unfortunately there was no place to practice putting (as the basket area was tournament central). DGA and huk lab had tents there, as well as the tournament tent with merchandise. I checked in and looked at the player's packages, which looked pretty sweet. In fact, while I did not get mine until the end of the round they had quite a bit of stuff (A beach towel, commemorative disc, full-color mini, stickers and a plain denim hat).

The course was set up with all the pins in their long positions, hole #5 was removed and a 26A was added on the way to the "top of the world" hole. Also holes #13-#16 were OPEN (I have never played these holes as they have been under repair for longer than I have been playing disc golf), and represented some of the most difficult holes on the course. I was not so happy about to hear that these were open and our group had the decision of playing the holes or not - I voted no, but the rest of group wanted to play them and so that is what we ended up doing. Marty was the starter and sent us off right on time at 2:40 PM - our group consisted of myself, Jon, Kane and Jason and they seemed like mellow guys who would be enjoy playing together.

I started off strong and got the tee pad right away. I held it for the first 5-6 holes before giving it up to Jon. It was after playing a few holes I started to size up the competition. I figured that Kane was fairly new to disc golf, as he was having a hard time just making bogey's at times, but both Jon and Jason seemed to be about as good as I was and so would be my main competition. On hole #4 I made a newbie mistake and picked up Jon's disc. We had all driven off the tee and after playing my shot (which was a nice drive and down in the open spot) I noticed a black Wraith just sitting there, and as we were the last group I figured I would pick it up and turn it in to the lost and found. Unfortunately I was not paying attention, and it turned out to be Jon's drive. I said I was sorry for the mistake and put it back where it was. He was not too upset and just informed me that it was never a good idea to pick up a disc at a tournament since it could be a penalty. I said thanks and thought it was the end of it.

After we putted out, we called out our scores and Jon said he got a par. I knew that he had taken a 4, as I did and so asked him if he was sure of his score? He thought about it and then realized that he made a mistake as well and said he had in fact gotten a 4. This was a little unnerving as I didn't want to have to keep track of other people's score to make sure they were not cheating, but figured I would just see if he did it again and decide what to do about it then.

The middle of round I started to get hot, as I made birdies on both #15 and #17. I was excited about getting past the new holes as I just had no idea what to expect. I got a 5 on "I-5" (so named as most people who play it say, "I 5'd") and then took a bogey on #14 and #16, to come out of those holes +3, which I thought was good for the first time playing them.

As we made our way to the parking lot, I realized that I was ahead or tied for the lead and thought this would be a close race between myself and Jon, as now Jason was also struggling to keep up with our pace. Jon was a member of the "Otters" in Carmel valley and had played in their tournament not too long ago. I could tell he was a decent player as his up shots were pretty good and it was only his drives that caused him trouble.

I had a great shot on #20 to start what I consider the back nine, right over the trees and about 25 feet away from the pin. Everyone else went into the trees or down the ravine. I missed the putt and ended up with par. I then doubled the next easy hole when my approach went too far and rolled down the hill. The next few were up and down and then Kristin called and met me in the parking lot as we were getting ready to throw #25. She walked the rest of the round with us and finally got a chance to see me play.

Our group then came to the new 26A, which was a straight shot with out of bounds on either side. I had never seen this hole played before, and it was a little unnerving to see such a straight lane with OB all around. Sure enough I went OB and took a 5. "Top of the world" was also not so nice, as I over cooked a hyzer shot and landed in a bush at the bottom of the hill and finished with a 5 there as well.

We finished at about 7:30 PM, which was about a 5 hour round - Yikes! When we added up our scores, I was 6 back of Jon and in second place. Not bad, as I had not played my best and was still right there with 2 whole days to go. I figured that I had plenty of time to catch up and felt good about my ability to hold off Jason or Kane (since both are quite a few shots down already and would also have to play better to pass me). I hope I can improve tomorrow and just play a little more conservative. Today I ran at a few pins and missed comeback putts, but I have been practicing and putting better so they seemed like good chances at the time. If I cut those down I think I can take it, or at least I hope so (as what I really want is a trophy).

Stay tuned, more to come.

More Master's Cup Practice...

I took the opportunity to go back to Santa Cruz one last time before the Master's Cup this weekend, as basketball is still being played on Wednesdays. The weather was great and I shot my best round ever - 11 over! I hope I can carry this hot round into the tournament, as I can't imagine that there will be many recreation players that will be able to duplicate that kind of scoring.

I played alone for the most part, and birdied number 8. I only had two 5's on my card, which I think is the reason for my good score. I had 13 pars out of a total of 24 holes, and I am pretty happy with that. The pins were mostly in the long positions as well, which is where they will be for the tournament and I don't think I could be any more ready. I just need to practice putting and then get mentally ready to go - should be a lot fun!

Sunday @ DeLa

Today Gregg L. and I went to play the Santa Cruz course to prepare for next week's tournament. DeLa has a weekly doubles tournament that starts at 9:30 am, and Gregg wanted a chance to play the course with local players to see what lines they throw and to get in some throws on the course. I just wanted to play and figured I would go as well.

We got there around 9:00 am and had plenty of time to throw practice drives and putts. Once the guys got organized, we each paired off with an "A" player and headed out. I did not play particularly well, and thus put a lot of pressure on my partner to keep us under par. I did have one good hole, #20 where I threw a great drive and then made the 35' foot putt for birdie. Unfortunately it was not enough and we finished out of the money. Gregg L. did better, but also finished out of the cash.

Greg (TW) Randolf showed up around 12:30 and so after a short break we headed out again. Greg was trying to get warmed up and didn't play as well as he had been. I started off playing fairly well and after playing the parking lot through 27, the Greg's decided to start over and I won the shortened round. :D I don't think I have eve won cash before, so it was nice although it felt like cheating as we only played 8 holes.

As we began again on hole #1, everyone was looking to improve their play and see how we would do throwing our own discs for the entire round. Gregg threw a few extras to get in some practice and I was still shooting about bogey golf. Greg (TW) had some great throws but was up and down and couldn't seem to score as well as he had been. I started playing a little better than I had in the morning (when I hit a tree on seemingly every drive) and took an early lead. It was nice to be playing better, but I also knew that the Gregs were likely to put a run of birdies or pars together at any moment so I need to get shooting well if I wanted to keep up with them.

By the time we got back to the parking lot, everyone was starting to get tired, and Greg (TW) decided to get an early start back home. Gregg L. and I continued on, and Gregg really getting hot and finished with 6 straight pars, before we called it quits after hole #24. I ended up beating Gregg by 1 stroke, as I had built up a lead prior to his hot streak, and we were both pooped from a lot of golf holes.

I feel pretty ready for the AM Masters next week, and hope to get one more day of practice in there (maybe on Wednesday) before the event. It was a lot of fun to play with the Gregs at DeLa, as I never get the chance to play with the local boys at my favorite course. Hopefully we can do it again soon.

More practice...

I took the opportunity to go back to Santa Cruz one last time before the Master's Cup this weekend, as basketball is still being played on Wednesdays. The weather was great and I shot my best round ever - 11 over! I hope I can carry this hot round into the tournament, as I can't imagine that there will be many recreation players that will be able to duplicate that kind of scoring.

I played alone for the most part, and birdied number 8. I only had two 5's on my card, which I think is the reason for my good score. I had 13 pars out of a total of 24 holes, and I am pretty happy with that. The pins were mostly in the long positions as well, which is where they will be for the tournament and I don't think I could be any more ready. I just need to practice putting and then get mentally ready to go - should be a lot fun!

Practicing at Santa Cruz

I went to Santa Cruz today to get some practice in before the AM Masters Cup on the 28th-30th of the month. I played ok and shot 18 over (or a score of 102), but holes 13-17 are still closed for repairs. It was a very nice day weather wise, and I played with a couple of local players that were both pretty good. I had no birdies, but no 6's either, which allowed my score to remain fairly low.

I checked the scores of last year's AM Masters and I would need to be a little better to have win against those players, but this year there looks to be less Rec players and it will be interesting to see how their scores will compare with mine.

Overall it was great to play this course and it remains my favorite.

Napa Tourney - Day 2

The second day of the Napa event started out with much wetter conditions. We got there around 8:30 am to attend the players meeting at 9:30 am, and see where we stood. There was probably about 100 players overall, and most seemed to know each other. I was still in the last group, but had caught up to George, but Gary was still ahead of me. We were to play in opposite course order, which meant we started on the permanent course and finished on the temp course in the afternoon. It stopped raining after only a few holes, but the wind would be an increasing factor the rest of the day.

I found that I was playing better, and having the same group of guys who had similar strengths and weaknesses also helped me focus on my own game. I felt like I could certainly hang with these guys, if not beat them, and so was able to both be competitive with them and yet realize we were not really competing for anything except not finishing last. I had some nice birdies and was throwing well overall. I ended up shooting my best round of Napa and improving on my previous best by shooting a 63 (or 8 over).

After the morning rounds, the wind really started to pick up. There was light rain on and off, but by the third hole it was sunny again but VERY windy. This made playing in the open field challenging to say the least. A new member was added to our threesome, a player who was playing much better than us, but who did not play in the morning round so his score was super high (the TD gave him a 7 for every hole - ouch!). So we were not a foursome and I still played pretty well. I knew I was longer than the other guys in my group, and Gary thought for sure that I would pass him since he was more of a finesse player. I figured I might, but it was certainly no guarantee - as it turns out he beat me by one stroke. I shot a 62 my best round so far, and felt lucky to do so.

Gary, Geroge and myself after our last hole.

Gregg and I stayed past nine o'clock to watch the trophy presentations and raffle. Neither he or I did not win anything, and if I was driving I might have gone home a bit sooner, but since Gregg had the keys we stayed until the end. Gregg also bought a red "eye" roc like mine and we played a little "up-shot" game while we waited for the raffle and the trophies to be handed out. I resisted the urge to buy a bunch of stuff, but did get a nice collared shirt for $15 bucks.

I can take away a few highlights including the fact that my putting was much improved. The practice I put in lately gave me more confidence on putts of less than 20 feet, since I remembered I made 4 out of 5 almost every time. I just stepped up and banged them in, which made me feel good (and was what most of the better players were doing as well). I also improved with each round I played and felt more comfortable and had more fun. Overall, while I wish I would have started off better and played my game from the start, it was a great experience and while I don't intend to play every week-end, I do look forward to playing in Santa Cruz a maybe a few other tournaments in the months ahead.

Napa Tourney - Day 1

Well I decided to play in the Vintage Cup as my first tournament, as Gregg L. was going to play and I wanted to play in at least one tournament before Santa Cruz at the end of the month. I was really not sure what to expect, but figured there was only one way to find out.

The weather had been projected to be rainy, windy and wet, but turned out to be very nice. There was some rain, but it was very light and the biggest problem was the wet grass (on the temporary course in the archery range). The tounrament consisted of two rounds per on Saturday and Sunday (one each on the regular course and temp. course). Gregg and I were to play the temp course in the morning and the regular course in the afternoon. As it turned out, Gregg and I got to play together for the first round, as we were randomly put together, which was nice.

The first group consisted of Gregg, Shannon Scott (aka Monk), Jay and myself. I found that after a few holes I was a little over matched and not quite as good as the rest of the group. This was ok, and I tried to remember I have only played for a few months, and not to get caught up trying to play beyond my capabilities - but despite that I was trying too hard to throw longer than I can or make shots I don't have. I found that I am more competitive than I thought and so did not shoot as well as I wanted (and took a 72). This put me in the position of being "dead f*@%ing last" (or DFL) for the intermediate division, not the kind of showing I thought I would have!! Chika was there as well and he had a great early round and seemed to be doing really well.

After the first round, I realized I just needed to play each hole and shot the best I could and not try to do too much. Also in the second round, I was paired with the other guys I would spend the rest of the event with, George and Gary. They had shot considerable better than I did and had me by 5 and 7 shots respectively, but as we started I felt more comfortable as their throws were about as good as mine and they were great guys who were easy going and out to have fun. With that, I played much better and had my best round at Napa so far (shooting +10 over and a 65).

Riding home, Gregg and I discussed the day and how I sort of got caught up in trying to play above my head and not my own game. I still had fun and the weather was not nearly the factor we both thought it might be. Gregg shot his usual consistent game and was in the mix for AM2. The whole experience reminded me of when I played grass volleyball and going to tournaments, and how low key things were and not much sponsors and the organization was done informally for the most part. Day one was good, I learned that my game is still a long way from being competitive with more seasoned players, but that I could rise to the challenge and play better when needed by focusing on my own shots and not the outcome.

Enough Already...

I added a couple of discs in the mail today. I need to play more and buy less... :D


I got this new Star TeeRex (170 grams), and a 2006 USDGC Champion "Eye" Roc (168 grams).


I was looking all over for the new TeeRex, and when I saw the Roc online I figured I would get one before they were all gone - so bought both to save on shipping. If it will stop raining I can get out and throw.