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Friction DG Gloves Review

Posted by randomtiz


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Do you often find yourself losing grip on your discs when playing in humid, wet, or cold weather conditions?

To me, there’s nothing more frustrating than having your fingers prematurely slip off a disc sending your disc careening into the treeline at a mere 50 feet from the teepad.

Humid weather is very common here in the Georgia summers. If you’re like me, my hands tend to sweat a lot during summer rounds. Yes, towels and birdie bags help to a degree, but they can become cumbersome having to wipe down discs or drying off my hands after each throw.

Lately, we have also had lots of rain in the past month or two—a lot more than I remember in quite some time. We all know how bad your barehanded grip can be when the ground and your discs are wet. But does wet weather deter you away from the disc golf course during those weeks where it seems to rain every day? I hope your answer is “no.”  I would like to think that you’re a dedicated enough of a player that you wouldn’t let any inclement weather get in your way—that is, assuming it’s safe weather. But what if there was a possible solution to helping with your grip?

I’m sure I’m not the only one, but I don’t have the best circulation in my fingers and toes. This makes playing in frigid temps all the more difficult and uncomfortable when you can barely feel your fingers. Hand warmers and wearing gloves in between throws help to a degree, but when your bare fingers hit that air… yea, you know that feeling. Over the years I have looked for some sort of “throwing” glove that had decent grip on it as well as to keep my hand warm during winter rounds. The gloves I’d come across were either too bulky or had so much grip that I ended up griplocking the heck out of the disc. Regardless of the glove type, the gloves were still too thick. I was missing that feeling, that connection, of disc to my fingers—that grip of confidence.

Now fast forward to the last tournament I played in back in November. It was a cold, damp morning with temps in the upper 30s for the first round. My fingers were freezing! When my fingers are cold, I can forget having any kind of reliable grip to the disc. I made the lead card in my division for second round. I got paired with a few guys that were wearing these black gloves. I didn’t think much of it at first, because “Hey it’s freakin’ cold and lots of players here are bundled up in beanies and gloves, etc.”. But later in the round I noticed that three of the guys all had on what appeared to be the same brand of black gloves with an iconic yellow emblem. Ok now that observation piqued my interest, so I had to ask what they were. “Friction Gloves”, they said. 

That was the first I had heard of them. They swore by them and kept talking about how much they enjoyed the gloves and what an improvement they felt that gloves had made to their throwing. One of the guys offered to let me try the other glove. While I had struggled with keeping my drives in the fairway at the start of this round, I couldn’t chance trying out something new and different on my hands. My first thought was these things have got to affect my release. What if they were too grippy and I griplocked? I can’t afford for that to happen now, not on lead card, I told myself. He did admit that it took him a few throws to get used to them, but they were awesome.

Ok so yea, I really wanted to try it but after the tournament. I found him after the tournament and congratulated him on his 1st Place finish. He still spoke highly of the gloves and asked me if I wanted to try them. I took him up on the offer and did maybe 10-15 test throws in the field nearby. Still cold out and my arm was already pretty sore from throwing two rounds, but I still gave it a shot. It took me about 3 throws to get the right feel for them, but I was actually getting a bit more distance after several more throws than I had thrown all day! And this was after 36 holes. Hear me though, I’m not saying these gloves are going to give you more distance. I’m saying that these gloves can improve your grip during unfavorable playing conditions.

Playing in the dead of summer and your hands are sweaty? Try a Friction DG Glove.

Playing an early morning round with dew on the ground? Try a Friction DG Glove.

Playing in frigid temperatures and can’t feel your fingers? Try a Friction DG Glove (or better yet the Friction Warm version).

 

 

QUICK NOTES:

  • These gloves are allowed in PDGA play.
  • Comes in Men’s and Women’s sizes.
  • Available in Left- and Right-handed models.
  • Very thin, somewhat breathable material.
  • They are not tacky. A subtle grip that made a big difference to me.
  • Consistent grip in every playing condition
  • Great for playing in humid, wet, and cold weather
  • Single glove is around $17
  • A pair is around $25
  • They also offer an Ultimate Frisbee version glove

 

Don’t just take my word for it though, give Friction Gloves a try. 

I would love to hear from you guy’s if/when you use them and what you think.

Prodigy BP-2 Backpack Review

Posted by randomtiz


We’re back again for our second video review for this month. Dogleg DiscGolf and Avian Disc Sports bring you the 2019 Prodigy BP-2 (2019 version) backpack review! Dogleg JT gives you an in-depth look at the newest version of the BP-2 from Prodigy with an improved structure and available in an array of colors. We also take a look at the optional rainfly. The new bag just hit shelves earlier this past week, so take a look and get you one at a special price for our viewers!

First, we’ll take a look at the unboxing of the backpack before we dive into the review.

Here are several key points that we’ll touch on in the video review.

  • Weight: 3.4 lbs
  • Total disc capacity: Approximately 26 drivers (including side pockets); 22 in the main compartment
  • Up to 3 in putter pouch
  • 2-32oz drink pockets
  • Microfiber-lined compartment
  • Umbrella sleeve
  • Multi-functional accessory clip
  • Top putter pocket
  • Large side storage compartments
  • Reinforced base with two ground rails
  • Reinforced side panels
  • Optional rainfly w/ umbrella slot
  • LIFETIME WARRANTY
  • Padded shoulder straps
  • Padded backing
  • Available in a new array of colors for 2019

 

A special thanks to our friends at Avian Disc Sports, they’re offering our readers a special promo for 10% off your purchase of the new Prodigy BP-2 backpack from their site, AvianDiscSports.com. Use code starting October 28. This promo won’t last long so don’t delay!

From us here at Dogleg, we hope you enjoyed the review and look forward to hearing your feedback!

– JT

Prodigy BP-1 v2 Backpack Review by Dogleg JT

Posted by randomtiz


Dogleg DiscGolf and Avian Disc Sports bring you the Prodigy BP-1 v2 backpack first look! Dogleg JT gives you an in-depth look at the new and improved disc golf bag that becomes available on October 23.

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First we’ll take a look at the unboxing of the backpack before we dive into the review.

Here are several key points that we’ll touch on in the video review.

  • Weight: 4 lbs
  • Total disc capacity: 34 discs (22 in main compartment)
  • Expandable deep side pockets w/ elastic inner accessory pocket
  • Deep 4-Disc zippered putter pocket on top
  • Inner zippered pouch on main compartment flap
  • Reinforced zipper pulls
  • Reinforced waterproof zipper tracks
  • 2-32oz drink pockets
  • Magnetic-close accessory side pockets
  • Umbrella holder slot
  • 2-rod stability support crossbars
  • Dual rail support on bottom of bag
  • Padded shoulder straps
  • Padded backing
  • Available in 4 unique color combinations

 

 

 

A special thanks to our friends at Avian Disc Sports, they’re offering our readers a special promo for 10% off your purchase of a Prodigy BP-1 v2 backpack from their site, AvianDiscSports.com. Use code doglegreviewpc starting October 23 when these awesome disc golf backpacks hit the shelves. This promo won’t last long so don’t delay!

From us here at Dogleg, we hope you enjoyed the review and look forward to hearing your feedback!

– JT

North Georgia/Chattanooga Disc Golf Trip: Part II

Posted by randomtiz


Welcome back to Part II of my 4-part blog series covering our North Georgia & Chattanooga, Tennessee disc golf trip during this past MLK weekend. Good times were had at Heritage Point DGC which was our first stop. If you missed out on that article, you can read it here. Our next stop on the trip was a beautiful drive up into the mountains further into the northwest corner of Georgia.

Cloudland Canyon State Park (Lookout Mountain, GA)

Cloudland Canyon State Park is located in Lookout Mountain, GA and was about an hour’s drive from Heritage Point. We actually had to drive up through parts of Chattanooga and then back down around the mountain to get there. From Chattanooga, you take I-24W to I-59S to Trenton. The actual drive up the mountain was the more scenic than the park itself. It would be quite a beautiful drive up in the Fall. I guess I was expecting somewhat more “grandiose” scenic views from the top where the park was, but it fell short in that department. There were some elevation changes along the course, but by no means was it situated on the side of the mountain or anything. I would rate the course as more of a “family-friendly” course with all of its shorter, open fairways and only a handful of pin positions in the woods. It was by far the easiest of the four courses we played though, so it made for a laid-back casual round. It was a fun course because the shorter holes made for several good Ace-runs for us and the few long, wide open fairways were great for ripping those long bombs.

Cloudland Canyon’s course is a full 18-hole with distances ranging from 190′-347′. The total distance on the course is 4585 ft with a par of 54. The state park entry fee is $5/per car and then roughly $4/per player to use the course. *For those that live within the surrounding area or plan to play it often might want to opt for their $25 annual pass. The Visitor Center located near the entrance to the park is where you pay-to-play and can purchase discs. In the Visitor Center, they do sell a variety of Innova Pro/Champion custom-stamped Cloudland Canyon discs. You can play for FREE if you buy any of their discs! TIP: If you’re going to buy a disc, buy it before you try to pay for the round. They won’t credit you a free play for purchasing a disc if you’ve already payed to play…found that out the hard way haha (Daniel).

Hole #1 Teebox

Hole #1 Teebox

The first hole is actually the longest at 347′. It’s a fairly wide open fairway with a tall, skinny signal tower (see pic above) that’s slightly offset from the middle of the fairway. For LHBH and RHFH players, it will come into play for you. Or test your accuracy and try to fly through the triangular gaps within the tower structure. The first five holes zigzag back and forth amongst one another and butt up against the parking lot area. A 241′ Hole #2 has one of the best Ace-run chances with a slightly downward run towards the basket. Holes #3-4 bring challenging obstacles consisting of a wall of trees between you and the basket. On Hole #3 the tree wall is set a little lower down the hill (about halfway to basket) and is easier to fly over/around. Hole #4 is the shortest on the course at only 190′, but challenging. The basket sets higher on the hill and positioned directly behind a very tall set of trees. A big hyzer or scooby shot works best here as you tee off from the woodline throwing back towards the parking lot. You’re going to want a shot that’s going to come it hot, fast and at a angle that will stick the landing beyond the trees. Or…you could just test your luck and throw straight at the trees in hopes of breaking through. You might have a better chance during the winter for that route, but I wouldn’t recommend it; too thick and branchy.

Hole #5 was set up more for a RHBH thrower. There’s a large bush that sticks out on the left of teepad that will prevent any ideal line for lefties or righthand forehand throwers. For righties, it is a straighter, slightly downhill shot to the basket. The basket sets back at the woodline about 253′ away. Be careful here not to throw to the left of the fairway–or much further beyond basket–because it drops off significantly to a very steep incline below. A 235′ Hole #6 includes a more, unobstructed teebox area with a huge oak tree sitting in the middle of the fairway. The tree is directly in line with the teepad and the basket nestled into the woods. This hole requires a hard hyzer route around the large oak or one might could skim one low enough to stay under the overhanging limbs.

Hole #7 fairway runs parallel with the road that leads up to the disc golf parking lot area. Don’t be confused though, this is a blind, left-meathook hole. Take note of the huge rock formation setting on the rightside of the fairway along the road. That is where a gap opens in the fairway leading to the basket that you’ll want to hit. You want to at least throw past this huge rock in the air before your disc starts breaking back down towards the basket. You can’t miss this rock, it’s huge. Sitting about 250′ away, #7’s basket can be reached with a high hyzer shot around the rock and over some trees for a RHBH player.

Hole #8 is the second blind hole in a row. It’s another long, dogleg-left blind drive to the 270′ downhill basket. For RHBH, here’s your chance to rip a high hyzer shot out around the initial tree set into the open and back around. It’s windy up this high, so let the wind carry your disc high into the air and allow it to push it back towards the mountain and basket. Hole #9 is a 260′ line drive shot that hugs the tree line. Hole #10, you’re throwing out from the woodline into the wide open to an uphill basket. Wind and elevation come into play here–baskets always appear much closer than they really are. Be sure to arm up even though it’s only ~280′; it’s deceiving.

Holes #11-13 are out in the open and really give you a chance to show off your guns. Hole #11 is the second longest hole at 346′. Be mindful of the crosswinds and not let it divert your disc OB over the road on your right. The road runs parallel, very close to the fairway. However, there is a drop point further down if you happen to fly out or land in the road. Hole #12 is a 256′ shot to the basket. The hole is protected by a short row of trees with low hanging branches that create a protective canopy over the basket. It’s better to land on leftside of fairway so you’ll have a better angle putting to basket. Even straighter drives that fall short in line with the basket will provide a challenge putting opportunities with those low-hanging limbs. Some of us had to putt kneeling down.

Hole #12 approach

Hole #12 approach

Rick's Hole #13 hyzer spike

Rick’s Hole #13 hyzer spike

Hole #13 basket takes you back up the hill about 300′. The teepad is close to the woodline, so throw one long and stay right. If you get into the woodline mess, you’ll have trouble feeding one back through and could struggle to save par. #14 is a straighter ~210′ shot to a set of trees protecting a slightly nestled basket. Be sure to hit the clearing in the set of trees or at least, stay further left to leave you a nicer view of basket. My drive went right and I ended up having to skip a disc under the brush & trees to land near the basket on my approach.

The next 3 holes take you into the woods where you’ll find tighter fairways and more subtle elevation changes. Hole #17 is an uphill route through a very wooded, narrower fairway to a 232′ basket that rests barely outside of the woodline. It is positioned out in the open, but you’ll need a long, straight pull uphill to get out of the woods. Hole #18, you’re back up top with an open teebox area and tossing into woods again to the shallow-placed basket position. Overall, it’s a fun little course up on the mountain with mostly open holes and few challenging holes. Like I said, it is more of a family- and beginner-friendly course though. Great for families camping or for taking younger players. There were very few people playing when we went, which was nice so we could take our time and try other shots. It might be one to check off your list, but to me, not worth the admission time after time.

Views on #12 fairway (top) and outwards overlooking the mountain from #18 teebox.

Views on #12 fairway (top) and outwards overlooking the mountain from #18 teebox.

Photo credits: Rick M.

Missed Part I of our 4-part North Georgia/Chattanooga Series? Read Dogleg JT’s course review on Heritage Point DGC.

North Georgia/Chattanooga Disc Golf Trip: Part I

Posted by randomtiz


Wednesday is here, and you know what that means… Well Hump Day, yes. But that mean’s a disc golf weekend is closer in view. MLK weekend, a couple friends and I went on a weekend disc golf road trip up through North Georgia and the Chattanooga area for one of the guy’s 30th Birthdays. Along the way we crossed four courses off our lists starting with Heritage Point Park (Dalton, GA), Cloudland Canyon State Park (Lookout Mountain, GA), Sticky Pines (Ooltewah, TN) and The Sinks (Chattanooga)!

We’re at the start of February in 2016, and I’ve already crossed off five disc golf courses that I’ve never played before. With a lil one on the way (less than a month!), I’m trying to cram in as much disc golf as I physically can (or at least as much as the wifey will let me these next few weeks) haha. So to celebrate Rick’s 30th—and I guess, my last hoorah—they guys and I took off for the mountains for the weekend to hit up several courses along the way to our final destination in Chattanooga. We dubbed the trip “Mahan Mayhem” after Rick and I designed a custom print mini to commemorate the wild weekend. We had my design printed on a mini for each of the guys that went (Standard for trips of ours haha).12507547_10153953981979658_355307784037450490_n

Our goal was to hit two courses a day during our 2-day trip. We had researched parks along the way and chose the ones that higher rated via DgCourseReview.com that were on our route. I have gathered several pics from our trip and will showcase those below as I briefly discuss each course we played.

With so much to cover for each course, I’m going to break this up into a four-part series with each post dedicated to each course. I don’t want to overwhelm you guys with a daunting, seemingly infinite scroll of course coverage, pics, and who knows what else [I’m currently sippin’ a Funky Buddha Sweet Potato Casserole Strong Ale so there’s no telling how this will go. Don’t knock it ’til you try it. It’s actually pretty good by itself.]

DAY 1: North Georgia

Heritage Point Park (Dalton, GA)

Only a little over an hour north of us up I-75 is Heritage Point Park which would become our first stop of trip. According to DgCourseReview.com, Heritage Point is rated 3.16 built in 2009 and is a very hilly and heavily wooded mixture of 18 holes. It was a fairly tight and technical course that had lots of elevation changes. That’s what we were looking for heading into mountain territory. There is a pretty big creek that runs through the course that comes into play on 15-17. Although the morning was chilly and windy, we were left with bad course conditions considering the enormous amounts of continuous days of rain earlier that week. Much of the lower areas of the course were flooded. So it was pretty muddy and marshy to say the least. I loved the elevation changes and it was a good workout climbing up and down some of the hills going from hole to hole. It only had two holes over 300′ (305′ longest); but the tight fairways, elevation changes, and heavily wooded areas made it a challenging course to kick off the trip.

Hole #1 you’re teeing off 305′ from a slightly elevated tee box into the woods to a lower set basket. Even though the basket sets lower than the teebox, it still is on a downward sloping hill all around it. You overshoot the basket of go way off the left on your drive and you’ll find your disc setting some 100-150 ft at the bottom of the hill. Hole #2 is only 215′, but it’s a slight dogleg right and WAY up on a steep, muddy hill.

Hole #1 Approach to downhill basket.

Hole #1 Approach to downhill basket.

Hole #3 was also a pretty short hole around 200′. You have a blind drive towards the basket. The basket sets much lower than the teebox again and is positioned on another steep downward hill. This hill had a lot more trees so they were either your friend or your worst enemy depending on whether or not they stopped your disc from rolling all the way down the hill or prevented you from having a clear upshot back towards the basket.

Hole #3 Approach to even steeper downhill basket.

Hole #3 Approach to even steeper downhill basket.


Hole #3 pin location

Hole #3 pin location

Hole #4 (see next two pics) was one of the worst flooded holes on the course. The entire thing was incredibly marshy.

View from Hole #4 box. Good thing there's a dock walkway.

View from Hole #4 box. Good thing there’s a dock walkway.


Approach view to #4 basket with flooded conditions surrounding.

Approach view to #4 basket with flooded conditions surrounding.

Holes 5 and 6 were muddy as well, but at least they weren’t flooded. #5 was a slight dogleg left to a 285′ basket position. The trees were not my friend on this hole and had an unlucky run getting close to the basket. Hole #7 I redeemed by self with a high hyzer flick and parked it at the basket some 165′ away. The basket was tucked way to the left in a tight corner protected by tall brush in the front. Hole 8-10 were a bit straighter fairways. #9 teepad sets behind a set of trees that you have to split to throw uphill towards a slightly elevated basket. With me being left-handed, #10 played well for me with a stiff hyzer to a dogleg right pin position around 220′. #11 brings you out of the woods and up to the backside of the tennis courts. Here you’re throwing over an exposed sewer pipe back into the woods.

The creek was unforgiving to me on Hole #12 when I drove a beat Wahoo and that took off into an extreme anhyzer line and lost sight of it through the tees. We looked and looked but figured the creek swallowed it. The creek isn’t even that close to Hole #12 although it does run parallel to #16–which runs right next to the creek. I hated to lose that disc; that was my floater. The creek was moving so fast it would’ve been long gone by the time I reached it. Hole #13 was very tight and wooded. It was a dogleg left right around 200′ to the basket. Short hole that needed a strong hook to make the dogleg. Hole #14 was a bit longer at 250′ and had more elevation change. The teepad is positioned higher up the hill and you throw down & over a dip/low valley, across a runoff creek, and up to the basket. The next three holes follow the large creek. It gets pretty thick on the right side which acts as a pretty nice buffer between the fairway and the water. With all the rain we’d had lately, the creek was high, murky and moving rapidly. You weren’t finding anything in it.

#18 View from teepad

#18 View from teepad

#18 was a long 290′ foot hole where you teed off from an elevated tee box through a fairway valley and played up a steep hill to the basket. We had one or two throws up the hill that caught an edge and rolled all the way back down…fail. I’d love to play this course again once it really dries up. The mud and the sheer amount of flooded areas made it difficult to navigate and play. Great lil course though. If you’re up for a wooded, hilly technical course with elevation changes, you should check out Heritage Point. Great start to the trip!
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Check back later for Part II of the series!
-jt

NiteIze FlashFlight LED Disc Golf Discs Review

Posted by randomtiz


Don’t stop playing at dusk anymore. Keep your round going on into the night!

Winter is here, and for most of us, it gets dark very early. For me personally, it’s dark well before I even get off work which limits me to squeezing in a few holes during a lunch break or just weekend play. NiteIze has come out with a set of LED discs called FlashFlights that you have to check out if you’re an avid disc golfer. These are not your typical “glow” discs either that require you applying a light source to for hours on end to “charge” them up. The NiteIze FlashFlight Disc Golf Discs use patented fiber-optic array lighting that vividly illuminates the disc. Your typical glow discs only put off so much glow–you even lose sight of them on longer drives. But not anymore, these are super-bright color changing LED discs made from professional molds designed by professional players!

The color changing option cycles through 7 colors. Simply press the button on the underside a second time to lock in your color selection as the colors cycle through. Choose from Red, Purple, Blue, Aqua, Green, and White or even let it cycle infinitely. These LED discs are pretty durable from what I could tell during my testing phase as well as water-resistant. NiteIze claims the discs have approximately 20-hrs of LED runtime! The weight of the discs weights range from 169-175g althoug I didn’t see where it was actually marked anywhere on the discs.

You can buy the LED discs individually for ~$23/ea. or a 3-pk set for ~$60. Each set comes with a driver, midrange and a putter (link down below).

Now you never have to cut your round short again! These discs add a whole new challenging twist of fun to your everyday casual round! You don’t have to use these just at night either. Throwing over a water hazard and afraid you might lose sight of your disc underwater? Turn on the light and chunk it with confidence. (While not tested) You might be able to see it lit up in shallow water. I was amazed how far away you could still see them lit up in the distance. The video review doesn’t do them justice in terms of how bright they are.These discs would make a great idea for an unsanctioned 3-disc Night Round tourney (continued after the jump).

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Big thanks to NiteIze for allowing us to review your new product as well as Sean for his help in the video! For more info on NiteIze FlashFlight LED Disc Golf discs, check out their site here.

What do you think? Have you tried these discs yet?

-jt

George Smith Earns 10th Win at 31st Annual Mid America Open

Posted by mleefry


Instead of starting my post with a typical excuse for not blogging in so long, let’s be real. Life got crazy and I was experiencing some disc golf burnout. Since my last post, I earned two college degrees and started my first full time job. Clearly disc golf has taken a back seat.

But now that I’m settling back into “normal life” with a “normal routine” I see everything really connecting back to the sport. It is my stress reliever and my social life. It promotes the values I want to uphold in my career at the Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing: accessibility, fairness, health, and community. It’s an activity I can share with my boyfriend. It makes me think. And, most of all, I’ve gotten some pretty badass disc golf stories in my neighborhood lately.

Stories like this one I put together to send out to my local media have helped me to rediscover my love for the game. I hope this inspires you to pick up your bag and play this week, and that your feedback will get me out myself!

(Some alterations to this press release were made to fit the disc golf audience. If YOUR club needs help building relationships with your local media, let us know! I’m happy to provide guidance, and if there is interest, write about best practices or develop press templates for disc golf events. I’ll post links to press coverage here if the release is successful!)

Last weekend marked the 31st Annual Mid America Open disc golf tournament presented by the Columbia Disc Golf Club, Dynamic Discs, and Columbia Parks and Recreation. The event included a doubles event on Friday and a three-round tournament on Saturday and Sunday at Albert-Oakland and Indian Hills Parks. The tournament included 123 players from Missouri, Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas.

George Smith, 44, of Columbia earned his tenth Mid America Open title with a score of -52 for the weekend. His Saturday afternoon round on the Albert-Oakland Top Course was 13 under par and rated 1087 (yeah, that’s not a typo). It was the highest rated round of his career to date. Smith began playing disc golf in 1984 at the Albert-Oakland Top Course, the only course in Columbia at the time. He has since traveled internationally as a professional disc golf player, his tour including tournaments in Japan and Finland. In addition to his tournament win, Smith also won the Friday doubles tournament along with Grant Hodges of Columbia, MO.

The weekend’s winners also included: Andrea Meyers (Jonesboro, AR), Open Women; Keith Amerson (Columbia, MO), Open Masters; Justin McCain (Joelton, TN), Advanced Amateur; Gary Harvey (Roeland Park, KS), Advanced Masters; Paul Morrison aka Mo Louis (Columbia, MO), Advanced Grandmasters; Justin Neudecker (Alton, IL), Intermediate; Mariah Flagg (Camdenton, MO), Intermediate Women; Scott Foreman (Columbia, MO), Recreational; Beth Aubuchon (Columbia, MO), Recreational Women; Jack Lowen (Blue Springs, MO), Juniors Under 13 Boys; and Cynthia Riocciotti (Columbia, MO), Juniors Under 13 Girls.

Tournament competitor lands a disc in the basket during the Ring of Fire

Tournament competitor lands a disc in the basket during the Ring of Fire

Smith putting during the Final Nine Sunday afternoon at Albert-Oakland Park

Smith putting during the Final Nine Sunday afternoon at Albert-Oakland Park

Smith finishes a hole during the Final Nine as a gallery watches from across a pond

Smith finishes a hole during the Final Nine as a gallery watches from across a pond

Paul Morrison aka Mo Louis, radio personality from 102.3 KBXR, celebrates his win over the Advanced Grandmasters division during the awards ceremony Sunday evening

Paul Morrison aka Mo Louis, radio personality from 102.3 KBXR, celebrates his win over the Advanced Grandmasters division during the awards ceremony Sunday evening

Smith and his trophy following the awards ceremony

Smith and his trophy following the awards ceremony

Smith and Jack Lowen, Junior Under 13 Boys winner, with their trophies following the awards ceremony

Smith and Jack Lowen, Junior Under 13 Boys winner, with their trophies following the awards ceremony

Grip-N-Rip Presents the Downtown Throwdown

Posted by randomtiz


Dogleg JT here and boy do I have have a unique disc golf tournament to tell you about! It’s the inaugural “Downtown Throwdown” hosted by Jasper’s local disc golf club, Grip-N-Rip. Most people might not understand how unusual and rare of an opportunity that this tourney will be. This is an event you seriously do not want to miss! Disc Golf…downtown, seriously. Sweet prize packs. Free food. Beer. Live music. Heck of a good time.

It takes place this coming weekend in Downtown Jasper, Alabama and ONLY 11 spots left. What’s that mean? You still have time to sign up after you read this interview with Grip-N-Rip Disc Golf co-founder, Stephen Robertson. But hurry, this tourney is sure to fill up before Saturday’s matchup!

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There’s several reasons I wanted to take on this special blog post. First, it’s a very unique, urban disc golf tournament—second of its kind in the United States—that takes place in my hometown of Jasper, Alabama. It’s also being hosted by a great group of guys, whom are close friends from high school, called Grip-N-Rip Disc Golf. Third, it’s being held this coming weekend, Father’s Day weekend. What better way to spend quality time with your father (or son) for this extraordinary disc golf event, haha. Lastly, I was asked to design the logo for the event. And I couldn’t have been more excited and honored!

Alright alright, lets get right into this interview shall we? I’m sitting here with close friend, Stephen Robertson, co-founder of Grip-N-Rip Disc Golf.

[Dogleg] Stephen, tell us a little about Grip-n-Rip Disc Golf.

Grip N Rip Disc Golf

Grip N Rip Disc Golf


[Stephen] We are a disc golf club that started in Jasper 3 years ago. It was originally started by Jeremiah Blackmon and me. We have brought some more awesome guys and a girl on the board—Billy Thompson, Jake Aaron, David Driver, and MaLeigh Robertson. Without them, we could not get to what we have gotten accomplished. There is also a lot club members that help as well. We run leagues during the season as well as tournaments. In the last few years, all of the money that has been raised has been going to fund improvements to our current course and now towards the construction of a new course to be located here in Jasper. Also once a year we run a fundraising tournament for a good cause. Each year we select a different. Last year it was for a local elementary school, where we raised and donated $1500 to the school. This year we are hoping to do the same for EASI. But mostly, we are a group of guys and gals that love playing disc golf.

[Dogleg] Now that we have the GnR background, tell us what exactly is the Downtown Throwdown?

[Stephen] The tournament is to be held on June 20th. It will be a temporary course that is put up just for the one day. The course is going to run through the downtown area of Jasper. You will play down streets, in alleys, and across parking lots. The course will start and finish at the Courthouse square. Warehouse 319 is our main sponsor for the event, so set-up for picking up players pack and registration will be in front of their building. Also they are serving breakfast and lunch day-of. Breakfast will run from 7:30am-9am and lunch will be in between rounds.

[Dogleg] The concept is crazy cool! Where did you guys get the idea of an urban dg tourney like this?

[Stephen] There has been an event similar to this before, just not in Jasper. Cary, North Carolina runs a disc golf tournament around a part of their town. It has been happening there since I believe 2012. Seeing videos of their events on YouTube is what inspired us to do it. Also it looked like a ton of fun.

[Dogleg] I can’t argue with that! How were you able to get something of this scale to even take place in downtown on a Saturday?

[Stephen] The club has been doing and will be doing a ton of work leading up to the event. We had to get permission from all Downtown businesses. Also, we have had a ton of help from the city council members. Tana Williams, Jennifer Williams Smith and Joe Mathews have been huge assets as well. Originally the idea for this was brought up in passing with Jennifer, Joe, and Tana and they loved the idea and helped us get approval for the event with the city council. They have also been helping with getting all of the permissions needed. Without their help, we definitely would not have gotten all of the things needed to run it. In the early stage of preparation, Warehouse 319 came on board as a primary sponsor. With their help, we are going to be able to feed all of the players both breakfast and lunch.

[Dogleg] That’s great to hear man. I love seeing community come together and helping one another to pull this off. Ok, so knowing how downtown Jasper is layed out with all the storefronts, what about the safety of windows? Will players be throwing down the street? Like down streets lined with large window fronts?

[Stephen] They will be throwing down some streets but there are only 2 places on the entire course where windows are even remotely close to being in play. We were very careful of the course layout to try to avoid any windows.

[Dogleg] Sounds like you guys have put tons of thought into this–especially with safety. So can you tell us what the course layout will be like?

[Stephen] It will be 20 holes. The entire course plays 4,585 ft. We will be using the new MachX baskets that were purchased for the brand new course being built on Walston Bridge Road.

GnR Downtown Throwdown (course map)

GnR Downtown Throwdown (course map)

[Dogleg] What will the format of the tournament be like?

[Stephen] This will be a PDGA-sanctioned tournament. There will be 2 rounds of disc golf. The first round will have a 9:30am tee off. The second round will tee off roughly an hour after the last card is turned in from the first round.

[Dogleg] How many players are you guys expecting?

[Stephen] We have ability to accept 100 players. As of June 15, we have 85 people already registered.

[Dogleg] What all can players expect in the player’s pack?

[Stephen] The player pack consists of: a custom-printed disc storage box from Box4Discs, an event stamped disc and mini, and free breakfast and lunch. There is also a token for 6 free wings that can be redeemed any time at Warehouse 319. For people who were registered by June 10th, they will also be receiving a tournament shirt. We will have some more tournament shirts there for purchase for anyone who didn’t make the early registration.

We are having a players’ party Friday night June 20th in front of Warehouse 319. You can pick up your players pack and your tournament book from 6-8pm that night. That will give people an opportunity to walk the course if they would like. The baskets will not be up until Saturday morning, but the tee pads and locations of baskets will be marked Friday night.

[Dogleg] That sounds awesome! Is it too late to sign up? Where can players go to still get in on this unique opportunity of a tourney?

[Stephen] We will have registration open all the way until the morning of the event or until we fill up, whichever comes first. If it doesn’t fill up, we will have registration open until 9am the morning of the event.

http://www.discgolfscene.com/tournaments/GnRs_Downtown_Throwdown_2015 is the registration page.

But Grip N Rip DGC on Facebook also has a link for it.

[Dogleg] Any shoutouts to local sponsors you’d like to give a plug to?

[Stephen] Warehouse 319, Cindy Thompson Realtor, Custom Shirts and Signs, Sexton Auto Solutions, David Driver and Marty Scott.

[Dogleg] Lastly, if anyone would like more info, where should they go?

Grip N Rip DGC on Facebook or the DiscGolfScene page are the best places.

Or you can contact Stephen Robertson or Jeremiah Blackmon on Facebook.

[Dogleg] Well thank you so much for your time, Stephen. I can not wait for this tournament this weekend! I’ve been stoked about it ever since you and Jeremiah contacted me about the design of it earlier this year. To all our readers–and especially the local ones–I hope to see you this Saturday in Downtown Jasper. We shall Throwdown!

Grip-N-Rip’s Downtown Throwdown featured last week on ABC 33/40!
ABC 33/40 – Birmingham News, Weather, Sports

Grip N Rip DGC on Facebook or the 11401433_1608378189447113_6587265809346782403_n

-jt

2015 Trilogy Challenge Discs Review

Posted by randomtiz


You’ve asked for it, now you have it!

Dogleg JT reviews the unreleased Westside Discs Elasto Sampo driver, Dynamic Discs Fuzion Evidence midrange and the Latitude 64 Retro Macana putter from this year’s Trilogy Challenge.


Music credits: Bensound.com

I am a LHBH thrower. If you’re watching the video, for comparison, I would consider my arm speed to be medium. If you are a power thrower, expect the discs to fly more understable. If you have slower arm speed, expect the discs to be more overstable.

Westside Elasto Sampo Driver

Stronger arms could get it to turnover, but The Westside Sampo was a bit too overstable for me. The first round we played silver-to-silver (short layout) and I maybe used the driver 2-3 times. To be honest, I didn’t give it much of a chance but I don’t see it making a spot in my bag. I have only thrown a handfull of Westside discs but have not found one I liked yet. The Elasto plastic is a flexible, almost gummy plastic that has a nice grip but can feel a bit wobbly. Not sure if it’s the best plastic for a driver when you’re trying to get a hard, tight grip.

Dynamic Discs Fuzion Evidence Midrange

The DD Evidence midrange disc I really enjoyed. It was more on the stable side but I could get it to turnover if I put enough arm speed into it and play a slight anhyzer line. I normally throw a Dynamic Discs Biofuzion Truth, so the mold and feel of the Evidence felt familiar. Although I feel the Truth is a bit more overstable, I can see breaking out the Evidence in casual rounds. The Evidence has a very comfortable grip to me.

Latitude 64° Retro Macana

The was the first Lat 64 disc that I had ever thrown. I’m typically not a fan of putters, but something about this disc really stood out to me during the Trilogy Challenge. It quickly made a spot in my permanent bag as that day I seemed to be on fire with it–at least for awhile. The Retro plastic is more of a cheaper, baseline grade of plastic but a nod to the plastics used back in the 80s–hence the name. The Retro plastic dings really easily but does have a nice grip to it. Of all three Trilogy discs, the Macana became my easy favorite.

What did you think of the discs?

To read more about the Trilogy Challenge that I participated in, be sure to check out my previous post, “2015 Trilogy Challenge – Oregon Park Recap.”
-jt

2015 Trilogy Challenge – Oregon Park Recap

Posted by randomtiz


G’morning all and what a beautiful Saturday it is! An early disc golf round already lined up with friends and I can’t wait to get this day started. But before I head out, I had the pleasure of playing in my first Trilogy Challenge last weekend (May 30th) at Oregon Park and wanted to share how it went.

trilogy_errbody

2015 Trilogy Challenge Group shot. Photo credit: Derek Disc.

What is the Trilogy Challenge you might ask?
The Trilogy Challenge is brought to you by Dynamic Discs, Latitude 64°, and Westside Discs who’s goal is to gain better visibility of the sport and get more new players involved. In each player pack, you get three discs to use in the tournament–a Westside Elasto Sampo Driver, a Dynamic Discs Fusion Evidence Midrange, and a Lat 64° Retro Macana Putter. Basically everything you need to play a round. On top of the three discs, each player gets a Trilogy stamped mini, a mini clipboard, mini sharpie, scorecard and a pencil. All included in your entry cost of $30! Pretty sweet deal.

Now what about the format?
The format of the tournament is up to the TD. The one I participated in was a two-round format where the first round silver-to-silver and the second round gold-to-gold layout. Each round had its own winner–scores didn’t carry over from one to the next. For the first round, everyone played from the shortest layout there at Oregon Park which was silver-to-silver. In the Trilogy Challenge, players were only allowed to throw the three discs they received in this year’s player pack. The second round format was a bit different. Everyone played the long layout, gold-to-gold, and had the option to either add their three Trilogy discs from last year’s player pack OR substitute one of the three from this year with one of their own. I didn’t throw the driver much the first round on the short layout, so I opted to switch it out for one of my other drivers the second round.

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Westside Elasto Sampo Driver, Dynamic Discs Fusion Evidence Midrange, and a Lat 64° Retro Macana Putter. To watch Dogleg JT’s review of the three 2015 Trilogy Discs, click here.

Via their website, The Trilogy Challenge is a worldwide event from May 29th to September 20th that concludes with the Trilogy Öppna in Emporia, Kansas on September 19th-20th. The discs in each player pack will be unreleased until the last Challenge in Emporia. So be sure to get in on the action!

Between the two rounds, they had several raffle giveaways which consisted of Dynamic Discs Soldier & Cadet DG bags, Lat 64, Westside, and Dynamic Discs drivers, mids and putters. I won the first raffle drawing (shoutout to Jason Kirkaldy for drawing my name) of a brand new DD Soldier bag filled with 9 discs!

First Raffle Winner Prize Pack – DD Soldier Disc Golf bag with 9 discs included!

First Raffle Winner Prize Pack – DD Soldier Disc Golf bag with 9 discs included!

I had a great time with friends and meeting several new faces out there. It was a lot of fun and I will be playing next year in it for sure. The turnout was huge! I felt like everything went really smoothly and a big shoutout and thanks to Walter Black for running TD this year! I had a chance to talk to Walter earlier this week on how the tourney went. Here’s what Walter had to say:

So, we all start somewhere, right? It is easy to forget after years of playing and moving up from beginner to league play to playing tournaments just how hard those first throws were. How awkward it was to throw a disc the way it is supposed to be thrown. How confusing the different discs and their numbers were. How just finding other people to play with is an obstacle. When I decided to run the Trilogy Challenge, I wanted to be sure I didn’t forget what it was like to be new to the sport.

Our club gets together early in the year to hash out the events we want to host. Last year’s Trilogy Challenge was a success and I asked to run it again this year. I had only one real question for the club and that was, “Do you want me to make money?” The answer was “No”. They didn’t want me to make money. The club wanted everything we took in to be paid back out. It is an important distinction for me because if I don’t have to make money, then I can spend what I feel I need to attract the largest number of players. More players, more money. More money, more prizes. More prizes, more players. I had posters and postcards made to make sure anyone who visited Oregon Park knew about the event. We tapped into social media on the Cobb Disc Golf Club and Atlanta Disc Golf Organization Facebook page. The registrations were slow to get going but as we got closer and closer to the event date they started snowballing.

When we originally planned our Trilogy Challenge we wanted to offer more than what was necessary. More opportunities to play and compete and more prizes. Everyone played the Trilogy Challenge just as Dynamic Discs intended. One round, winner wins the prize pack. A second optional round was added with a few twists. It would be played on the longest layout of the course and would have it’s own prize. We expanded the number of prizes and had a drawing for them. Anything you could win with skill, you could win by getting lucky. No matter how new you were to the sport, everyone paid the same to enter, everyone would have a chance to win. I added another Soldier bag and nine discs to be won in a drawing and also upgraded the Cadet bags to Soldier bags. For the second round winner, a choice of a Recruit practice basket or any bag/backpack that Dynamic Discs sold was offered. There was also a drawing for the same Recruit basket or bag/backpack that could be won just for purchasing a player pack. For the drawings you didn’t have to be present to win. You didn’t even have to play. If you purchased a player pack you were entered into all the drawings.

More players are always good right up to the point that they aren’t and a week out we were rapidly approaching our limit for what the course could accommodate. I knew from experience we would get 20-30 participants walk-up on the day of the event. The problem was, I was already at my limit with the players who had preregistered. Where was I going to put another 30? At the last moment I contacted Dynamic Discs and tossed up another event, the Friday Night Flight, and got another winners pack for that event along with 50 more player packs. I wasn’t going to turn anyone away. I needed to get 25-30 players who had registered for Saturday to play their Trilogy Challenge round on Friday night to make room for the walk-ups I expected for Saturday. Just enough to give us a little breathing room.

For Friday we did a simple flex start where the players could show up after work and get grouped with a few others and head out to play. This was attractive for some because they could get their round in and be done in less than two hours. Friday night I had 33 total participants play their Trilogy Challenge round but I still had a problem. Only 20 had preregistered. The other thirteen were walk-ups. This meant that while I did manage to pull some away, I was still going to have more than 90 players show up on Saturday.

I worried about how Saturday would play out well into the night on Friday, not getting to bed until around 2am. I was trying to figure out the best way to get 90+ players to fit on an 18-hole course. I could do cards for five and a few sixes but how long would that take with all the new players even on the shortest layout? I could split the field and run two rounds but what would 40-50 players do for two hours while the other half played? Both of these options had their advantages and disadvantages. I really didn’t like either choice. I give credit to one of the players for suggesting a rolling start. Everyone would head to hole one when they were ready to play and be sent out in groups of 3, 4 or 5. Friends could play with friends and solo players would be added in to fill out the card. Players would already be out on the course while others were just checking in. It worked very well with just a short wait time at hole one.

In total, we sold out of all 125 player packs and I only had to turn one person away because we just didn’t have any more. The Trilogy Challenge is Dynamic Discs effort to #growthesport but the additional prizes also attracted some very good long-time players. The winning round for both Friday and Saturday on the short silver-to-silver layout was a 13-under par 41. John Riley, a local player, won on Friday while Jason Kirkaldy, who traveled all the way from Augusta, won on Saturday. The second round was very competitive on the longer gold-to-gold layout with Jason Kirkaldy winning by one stroke over John Riley and Jermaine Barksdale with an 8-under par 51. But let’s not forget the real winners here. The three dads playing with their young sons. The fireman and his girlfriend, neither of whom had ever thrown a disc before, playing for the first time. The women, although few, playing together. All the other new players and beginners who came out and played with nearly one-hundred other disc golfers. We all start somewhere. That’s a pretty good start.

-Walter

For information about the Trilogy Challenge and seeing if there are any in your area, check out http://trilogychallenge.com/.

Jason Kirkaldy (left), Saturday's first round Winner accepting his prize pack from TD Walter Black (right).

Jason Kirkaldy (left), Saturday’s first round Winner accepting his prize pack from TD Walter Black (right).

Daniel – First round, Hole #1 tee shot. Photo cred: Derek Disc

Daniel – First round, Hole #1 tee shot. Photo cred: Derek Disc

Justin – First round, Hole #1 tee shot. Photo cred: Derek Disc

Justin – First round, Hole #1 tee shot. Photo cred: Derek Disc

Sean – First round, Hole #1 tee shot. Photo cred: Derek Disc

Sean – First round, Hole #1 tee shot. Photo cred: Derek Disc

JT – First round, Hole #1 tee shot. Photo cred: Derek Disc

JT – First round, Hole #1 tee shot. Photo cred: Derek Disc

Final player's meeting end of the second round.

Final player’s meeting end of the second round.

Want to see what Dogleg JT thought of this year’s Trilogy Challenge discs? Read/watch his latest post here.

-jt

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