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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-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


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


Disc Golf in Schools Program: Press Release

Posted by randomtiz


Download Summit Disc Golf Press Release Media Kit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Chris Singer
Contact Phone: 517-eight6two-0118
Contact: E-mail: summitdiscgolf@gmail.com

CORVALLIS, OR, 4/14/15 — Disc Golf in Schools program kicks off on April 20 at Lincoln Elementary School

Summit Disc Golf Promotions in partnership with Ascension Disc Golf, Team Oregon Disc Golf, Vision Air Disc Golf and Legacy Discs is proud to announce the launch of its first Disc Golf in Schools program on April 20 and 21 at Lincoln Elementary School in Corvallis, OR.

Summit Disc Golf Promotions launched the Disc Golf in Schools program in 2015 to provide schools with disc golf targets and discs. Our mission is to partner with schools’ physical education programs throughout Oregon and to hold disc golf clinics at each school to help introduce the fast-growing sport of disc golf to students.

The first clinics of the program will be taking place over two days at Lincoln Elementary School during students’ physical education classes. The clinics will be led by two professional disc golfers from Oregon: Zoe AnDyke and Dustin Keegan (download link below for media kit bio information).

Besides providing quality instruction from professional disc golfers, the Disc Golf in Schools program also will be giving Lincoln Elementary 9 disc golf targets (from DGNomad, www.dgnomad.com) and 60 disc golf discs from Legacy Discs (www.legacydiscs.com).

Funding for a significant portion of the Disc Golf in Schools program at Lincoln Elementary comes thanks to our title sponsor, Rotary Club of Corvallis – After 5.

Media interested in attending and viewing the program at Lincoln Elementary on April 20th and April 21st should contact us as soon as possible so we can set something up according to the District’s rules and guidelines.

Please visit www.summitdiscgolf.com for more information.

Download Summit Disc Golf Press Release Media Kit

Thanks for your time.

Best,

Chris Singer, Founder – Disc Golf in Schools


Matt Dollar’s Georgia Top Ten

Posted by randomtiz


Earlier last week, a thread started on Atlanta Disc Golf’s Facebook page where fellow members weighed in on their Top 10 favorite disc golf courses in Georgia. It was interesting to see everyone’s input and how many of the same courses were repeatedly making the lists. Most of the entries were simply just the course names, but the post that stood out to me the most was one by Loganville-local and Innova Disc Golf Pro, Matt Dollar #26045.

Since moving here to Georgia almost 5 years ago, I’ve been able to make it to and play almost 25 of the nearly 90 disc golf courses located here in the state. I am always up for playing new courses and checking them off my list. While I enjoyed reading everyone’s personal favs, Dollar’s was the one that stood out to me because his list was one of the few–if not the only–that included reasons behind each of his picks. I appreciated that. With permission from Matt, below is his post from the ADGO Facebook page.

And now my Top 10 Georgia courses and the reasons.

10. Bowden Golf Course – Macon.
It’s like no other course in Ga. You really feel like you’re in Texas. It’s hot as hades and is filled with sand, CACTI, lizards, and lots of things that poke you. I don’t ever play great there, but it’s a sick course.

09. Tom Triplett – Savannah.
With at least 2 or 3 tee pads on every hole, you have unlimited options at TTP. Hole 4 from Gold might be the best Par 5 in GA.

08. Redan – God’s Country.
This John David design is amazing. The course itself is only on about 15 acres. Some of the good old school long pins aren’t there anymore, and the key holders seem to favor the shorties. Redan is still awesome, and with PNUT raising funds for new pins, it has me excited to see some of those great pins back in the future.

07. Lake Russell – Elberton.
The other John David old school designed course on my list. Par 3 golf at it’s best. Most courses this old are getting easier with age, but LR is the exception. It keeps getting tighter and the areas that used to be tall grass back in the day are now small forests.

06. Jim Warner – IDGC.
The youngest of the IDGC courses is the squirreliest, but overall a sweet track. The back nine is a hike and features what is possibly the hardest Par 5 in GA, hole 15.

05. Perkerson – Atlanta.
John Ritger is one of the best designers there is IMO. The longtime temp course was amazing. When the permanent course finally got the green light, John had to redesign a course that everyone loved for years. That’s not an easy task and yet he came out with a great layout that pleases the masses.

04. NGCT – Lula.
Keith Johnson and John Ritger made a great design. And Keith pours his heart and soul into this place and it shows. This is the year of Lula with the GTI and 3 A Tiers. Oh, and you play through a chicken shack! Bakaaa!

03. Jackson – IDGC.
The big dog. Starts out with 6 Par fours in a row! And 3 Par Fives! Holes 3 and 12 are the only crappy holes here. Hole 17 is one of the hardest Par Fours in GA. Holes 8 and and 10 are sick.

02. JP Moseley – Stockbridge.
The course that has it all. Short, long, wooded, open, easy, hard, and a Skull Island. I haven’t played the news holes, but the original 18 is one of the best ever. The 3 Par Fives are sick. And The last five holes are like playing Lake Russell.

01. Steady Ed – IDGC.
The easiest course at the IDGC is also the most fun, and also the most valid. It’s super fun in the short pins and in the longs. Long arms get eagle chances on several holes on the long layout. Hole 5 is one of the coolest holes in GA when the lake is up. I could play Ed everyday without getting sick of it.
If Flyboy and Crucible were involved they’d be 1 and 2. Anyone who has ever played Flyboy knows it’s the best there is. Duh.

Innova Pro Matt Dollar

Innova Pro Matt Dollar

Matt’s already off to a hot start this 2015 season. He’s won the first two sanctioned tourneys he’s played in this year, Savannah Open and the IDGC Ice Bowl. So far he’s won 3 of the 7 sanctioned tourneys and had 2 more top 10 finishes. To follow Matt’s tournament journey, check out Matt Dollar #26045 PDGA.

If you have any more favorite Georgia courses, let us know by posting a comment below!
-jt


Hunter Park Vibram Birdie Bash Recap

Posted by randomtiz


Vibram Birdie Bash Swag Pack

A week later and just now getting a chance to sit down on this beautiful, cool morning to write about what I enjoy most, disc golf. Although arguably a better morning to be out on the course, it was important to me to get this post up as promised on our Dogleg Facebook page.

Two months ago I posted about an upcoming Vibram Birdie Bash being held at Hunter Memorial Park in Douglasville, GA. Well the time finally came last Saturday, March 21 as our four-man crew made the trek down to Douglasville. Not knowing quite what all to expect, it was all of our’s first time to play in a Birdie Bash and boy were we excited!

I like to think we’ve got a pretty solid, standup group of guys—Daniel, Rick, Sean and myself. Our four group plays regularly together on the weekends and an occasional weeknight. We try to select tournaments that we can all make and feel like it’d be a fun time. Although this was actually only the second tournament that all four of us had been able to participate in together since forming the group less than a year ago. I enjoyed our hour-long carpool down to D’ville last weekend talking disc golf and even strategizing for the Birdie Bash, haha. We had questions about how players would be split up amongst the cards for the first round and whether or not our 2-disc choices would play to an advantage. Of course it would be fun to all play on the same card the first round, but could that be a disadvantage to each of us four? Based on how we were thinking the point system worked, could we potentially be stealing points from one another? For example if no one scores on a hole, then the point goes to whoever landed closest to pin. Then we tried to figure out if our odds would be better if we played on different cards the first round in hopes to score similar and get paired together for second round. As much as we each love disc golf, we take it serious as well. All while having fun, of course!

Speaking from previous experiences in other tournaments I’ve played where you play with the supplied discs, it’s always good to get there as early as possible to sign in, get your discs and practice throwing them. The discs always seem to fly differently than what you expected or used to. So I highly recommend getting there early enough to get your discs and take them out on a couple of holes to practice. Learn how they fly. Test what they can do and how much arm they can handle. It sure helped me in our ~45 min. worth of practicing Saturday throwing the new discs before the start. I had thrown a Lace before, but not one that was in the weight range I chose. This one was a bit heavy and a little bit more overstable than what I’d thrown before. My other disc choice was an Obex which is an overstable, long glide midrange. I had never thrown one of these before either, so I’m glad I got out there and learned its flight path and how to control it to get it to work like I needed.

Vibram Birdie Bash Swag Pack

Vibram Birdie Bash Swag Pack


We got there really early and was able to get in a few holes with our regular discs to warm up. As soon as the tent opened up, we signed in and got our Vibram swag packs with our discs. I actually appreciated how the swag packs were already put together with the discs already in there. I’ve been to other tournaments where the line gets backed up with everyone carefully choosing their disc weight and color—it takes forever. So I liked the simplicity of the pre-packaged swag packs. The swag packs come with the two discs you selected back during online registration, a tshirt, two stickers, playing cards, and a Vibram rubber coaster. Note: The water bottle is not part of the swag pack. I’ll mention that later. [see pic].

One thing I freakin’ love about Vibram discs is the awesome, tie-dyed swirled patterns in the discs. Check them out! I went with a 170M Lace and a 167M Obex. I prefer the X-Link Medium which is Vibram’s original and most popular material.

The X-Link material is a unique rubber-based compound which resists scuffs, has incredible durability and unequaled grip. Additionally, X-Link has a stronger memory than any disc currently on the market, so if you do manage to bend it out of shape, in all likelihood, it will work its way back.

The players’ meeting kicked off with the introduction, “brief” rules, group pairings and scorecards were handed out and then we were off to our starting holes. One thing I didn’t like was that I felt like the scoring instructions, penalty scenarios and starting rules weren’t as clear as they could have been or the OB rules which weren’t mentioned at all. For example, it didn’t come up until we were halfway to our start hole that we had no idea when we were supposed to start. TD didn’t mention if it was an airhorn start or at a specific time. We were at the furthest hole from the tent too. Also, TD never mentioned the OB rules (later covered prior to second round). Do OB rules apply in a tournament like this? What’s considered OB at this course? etc.

I know the scoring rules were on the back of the scorecard, but I felt there was still confusion in a few scenarios that weren’t covered on the card. However, I did like the fact that the TD gave out his phone number to each group and encouraged any player to call if there was a question. But to my point, I feel like the scoring could have been slightly unfair or different amongst the groups when there were obvious things that were failed to be covered. Did everyone count OB’s the first round? Did people ignore those? Can the same player get a metal point and CTP on the same hole, or does metal cancel out the CTP? I know not every scenario could be brought up during the first player’s meeting, but I feel like it can affect the scoring for sure. And I understand that a scenario might not arise until it actually happens during the round. So, say they call the TD and find out the ruling.. What now? How do the other groups learn of the ruling? Another group could have encountered the same thing and may have scored it differently. I feel like there’s too many variables that could come up. If one group counted it one way, and another group a different way…the points are now different. You see my point.

The first round, players were divided up in alphabetical order by their first name unless you had requested to be grouped with other players during the online registration. That was one thing we learned that we didn’t know about. We might have requested that if we had known during the online registration process. But it was cool though, it allowed us to get paired with others and meet new faces. By the way the names fell, Rick and Sean ended up on same card. I really enjoyed meeting each player and getting to know them a bit more as the round progressed. The first round I got paired with Mark, Michael and “Bull”–all fun guys to be around. I did have a rough start and even took me several holes to score my first point, ugh. But I did better later that round once I was felt more comfortable with my discs. After talking to the guys after the first 18, it sounded like we all had a weak first round.

 Lunch at Irish Bred Pub

Lunch at Irish Bred Pub

Hole #18 CTP

Hole #18 CTP


They gave us about a 1.5 hr lunch which was nice–plenty of time to grab some brews down the road. Ya know, loosen us up for the second round. The second round pairings were based on the scoring of the first round like most all tournaments. First round I had 13 pts and Daniel had 12, so we got paired together with Brian and Will. The second round I was on and already doing leaps better than my first round start. It was also nearly 20 degrees warmer the second round, so I felt more in my element with it being short-sleeve weather compared to our cold morning start. My group started the second round on Hole #16 and two holes later I ended up winning the second round CTP on #18 [see pic]. That CTP win is how I got the aluminum Vibram water bottle seen in pic above.

I ended with 18 pts the second round which was enough for a T-5th place finish of 31 pts. All in all I had a great time at the Bash and would recommend it to anyone, regardless of skill level. It’s fun getting out there, trying out new discs, enjoying the Spring weather and meeting new people. I plan to play in next year’s event too at a different course. My hopes would be that the rules will be more in-depth, OBs covered, and just explained more clearly to keep scoring fair amongst the cards. Check out Vibram’s Birdie Bash Locations to see when/where the next one is closest to you!

Congrats to Zach Haynes for the Hunter Park Vibram Birdie Bash win–pulling in a total of 44 pts! Great shooting.

Reviews from the Field:

The birdie bash was great. The format really allows players of all skill levels to have fun. I had never thrown a Vibram disc before the tournament. I was impressed and they will definitely have a spot in my bag going forward.” –Sean C.

It was my first Birdie Bash, first time throwing Vibram, and only second tournament. My biggest highlight was the player packs. I was able to add the Lace and Ridge to my bag. The Ridge is now my go to putter. The point’s system was new for me. But, it was easy to understand once you started playing and kept the tournament competitive regardless of skill level. Overall, I had a good time and learned a few things.
-Rick M.

I’ve been playing for right at one year, and this was my first birdie bash. I thought it was a really cool way to play a tournament. Haven’t really thrown Vibrams before, but really loved the discs we received. The disc material felt great and the look was cool. Everyone was given brand new discs which really leveled the playing field. The scoring method also helped everyone playing be competitive. Really enjoyed the bash!
-Daniel M.

Daniel #9 Tee Shot - Caboose Hole

Daniel #9 Tee Shot – Caboose Hole

Hole #11 Drive - Overshot basket on big dogleg right.

Hole #11 Drive – Overshot basket on big dogleg right.

JT walking away with Hole #18 CTP Prize.

JT walking away with Hole #18 CTP Prize.

If I have any tips to share, I’d leave you with this:

  • Disc Selection: If you’re not familiar with Vibram discs or have never thrown one, check out their flight paths and compare them to the discs you’re comfortable with on sites like Inbounds Disc Golf Disc Comparison. This might help you select the right Vibram disc that matches your own. Remember, you only get two Vibram discs to play with. Think about the course, the lines. Choose carefully.
  • Disc Material: Vibram discs come in X-Link Medium and X-Link Firm. The medium is the most popular and original material by Vibram. The medium has more of a grippy service, gets less skip, and more of a slightly flexible nature. The firm is a stiffer, less grippy rubber compound that cuts through the air and can get more ground skip.
  • Online Registration: If you’re wanting to play on the same first round card as your buddies, request that in the comments field of registration. If you don’t, you might end up getting paired alphabetically the day of.
  • Arrival to Tournament: Get there early! Sign in and get your swag packs as soon as they start handing them out. You’ll want to get in the extra practice and test out your new discs before the tournament starts.
  • Walking the Course: Be sure to walk as much of the course prior to the tournament. At ours, there was a few holes that the teepads were moved up on to lessen the difficulty. These were previously very long Par 3’s. Yellow flags were used to mark the closer “teepad” area. Start figuring out your lines from these new positions.
  • Players’ Meeting: Make sure the TD covers all rules, scoring and goes over what the OBs are. Not everyone has played that course before. Be sure everyone’s clear.
  • You ONLY get a CTP point within your group if NO ONE else scores a point on that hole. For example, if someone hits metal and you have the CTP, you don’t get the point. Their metal hits cancels out your CTP.
  • Most importantly, HAVE FUN! Meet new people, learn new things. Teach others. Have a positive attitude. Strive for that Spirit Award!

Hunter Park’s Vibram Birdie Bash made the local news. – Dogleg JT in the red shirt.

Please share!,
-jt


Introducing “PING”, the First Trackable Discgolf Disc

Posted by randomtiz


I don’t know how often you guys troll crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter.com which allows backers to pledge funding to creative startup projects. These projects typically offer backers tangible rewards and/or special experiences in exchange for the pledge. Kickstarter’s a platform to help bring creative projects come to life. There is ALL kinds of clever and innovative, cool stuff on there! But back to my point, I do browse through Kickstarter’s site quite often and search for disc golf-related projects. Currently on Kickstarter, there are nearly 30 “disc golf”-related projects that show up in search results dating back to 2011. However, only one of those projects is currently active and it’s the one I really want you guys to check out. Introducing PING, the world’s first trackable disc golf disc!

Have you ever lost a disc in the woods or spent hours on end stumbling through briars and mud looking for you disc?
Well, check out the PING disc from Tobu Discs. Claiming it’s the first trackable disc, this disc has a built-in, underside compartment that states it does not affect the disc’s flight path and also completely waterproof. The disc pairs with the bluetooth on your iPhone or Android phone along with their free Tobu app. The app—specially designed for the Ping—will help lead you to locate your disc once you start walking in the direction of the thrown disc. The PING disc will automatically begin to beep and flash once it’s thrown too!

The app also lets you search for other courses in your area, view course maps using your phone’s GPS, rate courses, create/submit your own courses, track you and your friend’s scores, and even measure and record the distance of your throw.

Ping Trackable Disc

There’s a lot more to it as well. I don’t want to spoil it here, so get over to the PING Kickstarter campaign and learn more! The project’s campaign only lasts until 3:00pm EST this coming Thursday, February 5th 2015. Pledge them!

Visit their Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2015374999/ping-trackable-disc-golf-disc

Visit their website: www.tobudiscs.com

-jt


2015 Vibram Birdie Bash

Posted by randomtiz


4304327_orig

Earlier in the week, I caught up with Steve Dodge of Vibram Disc Golf on this year’s upcoming Vibram Birdie Bash. Here’s what he had to say:

With Spring fast approaching (as well as two feet of snow!), it is time to look into the Vibram Birdie Bash. In addition to improved prizes and more streamlined admin for TDs, we have added in a Vibram Birdie Bash World Championship. http://www.birdiebash.com/championship.html.

The VBB World Championship is happening the weekend before Am Worlds at one of the Am Worlds courses. It will be broadcast live by Terry Miller and Smashboxx TV, and all VBB TDs and VBB winners are invited to attend.

The VBB is geared towards bringing non-tournament players into organized disc golf as well as creating the next generation of Tournament Directors. By design, the events are easy to setup and run. We also emphasize the culture of the disc through our Spirit Award.

-Steve Dodge, Vibram Disc Golf

What is the Birdie Bash you might ask?
The Vibram Birdie Bash is a two disc/two round tournament where everyone throws one shot less than the par for that hole. Eagles are worth five points, birdies two, and metal hits count as one. If nobody in the group scores on a hole, the CTP after the final throw gets the point.

Birdie Bashes run from February 28th to May 31st this year. You MUST pre-register online to sign up for the event. Check out the Birdie Bash Event Finder here to see which events are happening closest to you.

For those of you here in Georgia, as of right now, there are two approved so far for this year. The first one will be hosted at Patriot’s Park DGC on March 8th near Augusta and the second will be later that month on the 21st at Hunter Memorial Park in Douglasville.

Patriots Park – Grovetown, GA
-March 8, 2015
http://www.discgolfscene.com/tournaments/Vibram_Birdie_Bash_at_Patriots_Park_2015

Hunter Memorial Park – Douglasville, GA
-March 21, 2015
http://www.discgolfscene.com/tournaments/Vibram_Birdie_Bash_at_Hunter_Memorial_Park_2015

How much is it?
Only $30 gets you signed up and a player pack (valued over $60)!

What kind of swag is there this year?
The player packs are looking pretty sharp; here’s what you get:
Birdie Bash Player Pack:
Two Discs (one driver, one putter or mid)
One VBB Shirt
One VDG Coaster Mini
One VDG Sticker

Birdie Bash Prizes:
Card Winner prize for 1st round
Per Group CTPs for 2nd round
1st Place Men’s Prize
1st Place Women’s Prize
1st Place Juniors (under 13) Prize
Spirit Award Winner

Extra Prizes are Possible: The TD will award these extra prizes however they want!
VDG Water Bottle prize for every 10 players
VDG Hat prize for every 20 players
VDG Bag prize for every 30 players

Looking forward to seeing you guys out on the course!
-jt


Custom Zipper Pulls with an Edge!

Posted by randomtiz


Custom zipper pulls make zipping/unzipping pockets a breeze, with a unique twist! Thanks to Gone Discin Paracords, you can stylize your disc golf bags and backpacks zippers with an edgy, custom flare! These things rock!

Custom-made "Cobra" Zipper Pulls with Spikes from Gone Discin Paracords

Custom-made “Cobra” Zipper Pulls with Spikes from Gone Discin Paracords

[backstory]
If you’re like me, I love backpacks. But not just any backpack, I like backpacks with as many compartments and pouches as imaginable. Regardless of what I’m using the backpack for, I like having lots of storage knowing that I can store anything and everything I deem necessary to tote around with me. I like being prepared–prepared for any unexpected potential situation. Especially when it comes to disc golf and being outdoors. Aside from carrying all of my discs, minis, pens, towels, etc…I also like carrying essential camping/emergency accessories such as a flashlight, knife, paracord, drybags, band-aids, matches and an assortment of other stuff when I go play disc golf. Hey, you never know.

This leads me to my modified disc golf backpack that I use now. I wasn’t satisfied with a lot of the current designs and the associated hefty price tags that come with a lot of the pro disc golf backpacks out on the market today. I just couldn’t justify paying nearly $150 for a pro bag that had the adequate amount of storage space/pockets I needed when I could potentially modify my own for a fraction of the cost. So I browsed for weeks for a low price point bag that had enough pockets and compartments that suited my needs. I finally found one to hold everything that I could possibly want to carry along with me in my disc golf bag. I wanted it to almost be like a disc golf/survival backpack. I bought a FUL backpack on clearance for less than $15 that had ample storage and had a bicycle helment pouch attached to the front. A bicycle helmet pouch you ask? Yes, it would serve as a loose, quick-access pouch that was perfect for holding my 3 go-to discs. I even went as far as to build a custom PVC exterior frame for the bag to give it enough support to stand upright. But I digress.

So with that many zippered pockets on my new bag, I had to find a better way to keep track of where everything was stashed and which pockets I accessed the most each round. Discs make up three of the pockets and others house things like snacks or emergency stuff that don’t necessarily get pulled out or used on a round-to-round basis. For those of you that have played with me before, know that I like to play speedy rounds. I have to be able to grab discs quickly and efficiently. I found myself quite often fumbling with all the zippers trying to find the correct zipper to the correct pocket. It can get frustrating–especially when it’s super cold out and your fingers are numb.

So how do I keep track of where everything is? How do I quickly find what I’m looking for or where the most important pockets are? Well it’s a heckuva lot easier now that I’ve added custom-made zipper pulls from Gone Discin Paracords to those main pockets!

From hole to hole, it’s a breeze to quickly find the correct zippers to pull open and grab discs. And you know how difficult and cumbersome it can be reaching for those dang little zippers. But guess what, it shouldn’t have to be anymore. Welcome to Gone Discin Paracords custom-made zipper pulls. Add these badass, wicked little zipper pulls for quick access to those pesky minuscule zippers!photo4

Steve and Lindsay Wilmoth are the owners of the small Michigan business, Gone Discin Paracords. They are gracious and super nice! Please check out their Facebook page to see a variety of their zipper pull designs. Be sure to notice the double helix and the DNA knot ones too, they look sweeeet! Steve and Lindsay do completely custom orders to suit your needs.

photo6

These high-quality, durable zipper pulls and sets make great giveaways for tourneys or your club. The set I have shown here in the pics is the “Cobra” Set with skulls and spikes. I haven’t added all the pulls onto my bag yet, but the set comes with 6 pulls, birdie beads, and a bag tag/towel holder! You can select from 5 designs and nearly 30+ colors. Don’t like the skulls? Get the beads instead. Imagine the combination possibilities!

Still looking for Christmas gift ideas? These zipper pulls can also make great gifts or stocking stuffers (there’s still time)! Actually, this month they’re even running a special sale so grab the deal while it lasts!

[from their Facebook page]

December $ale of the month!!!!

Full Sets will be $15 Shipped on all designs! Includes 6 pulls, Birdie Beads, Bag Tag Holder, and FREE Towel Holder

  • $1 pulls for all designs. (30+ colors) (5 Designs)
  • $4 Birdie Beads with beads or skulls.
  • $2 Bag Tag Holders.
  • $2 Towel Holders.
  • Shipping Starts at $3
  • 50% off customization including Spikes Available in Cobra only, Numbers/Letters Available in Cobra, DNA, and Double Helix.

Visit Gone Discin Paracords on Facebook.
-jt


And the Winner is…

Posted by randomtiz


And the winner of our BLACK FRIDAY/CYBER MONDAY WEEK GIVEAWAY is Cody Larson!

Congratulations Cody, you have a won an autographed paperback copy of “Zen and the Art of Disc Golf” by Patrick M. McCormick and a custom stamped DoglegDiscGolf.com Axiom Crave disc!

Please message us or email DoglegDG@gmail.com within one week to claim your prize. If prize is not claimed within one week, we will do a redraw.

Thank you so much to everyone that entered! We truly appreciate your support and following. Look for more giveaways coming soon!
DoglegGiveaway_Winner


Dogleg BLACK FRIDAY Giveaway!

Posted by randomtiz


DoglegZen_GiveawayBrought to you by DoglegDiscGolf.com and Zen Disc Golf

DOGLEG BLACK FRIDAY GIVEAWAY ($50 value)!


– Custom DoglegDiscGolf.com stamped Axiom Crave disc
– Autographed copy of “Zen and the Art of Disc Golf” by Patrick D. McCormick (paperback)

—Here’s How to Enter!—


1. Must “LIKE” both facebook.com/DoglegDiscGolf and Zen Disc Golf facebook pages.
(or) “FOLLOW” both @DoglegDisc and @ZenDiscGolf on Twitter.
2. SHARE this post on social media to increase your chances!

*Contest runs until 12/06/14 at 10pm EST. One winner will be announced 12/07/14.


Remembering Dogleg Destin

Posted by randomtiz


Hello Dogleg Community,
Unfortunately I have some sad news to share. This is not going to be my typical, lighthearted or pun-filled style of post. It is a tribute, a special dedication, to Destin Walch who passed away this past weekend. Destin was a very close, personal friend of mine and fellow Doglegger to the blog. Allow me to share some of my memories as we take a moment to remember Destin.

It was around 10am this past Saturday morning (Nov. 1) that I received a phone call from the wife of a very close, dear friend of mine. The type of call you never want to receive. She told me that Destin didn’t make it—that he had passed a few hours earlier. I got very quiet, I could barely speak. I lost it. I could not believe what I was hearing—no, not Destin, surely this couldn’t be happening right now. It did and I took the news very very hard.. He had finally succumbed to his 6-month fight with liver failure.

Destin was truly a character. He had such an outgoing, friendly personality—the type of person that you enjoyed being around. He had a sense of humor about him that always kept it interesting out on the course. Destin and I first met a little over two years ago stumbling across our blog while searching for disc golf app reviews. He joined the Dogleg crew back in October 2012 and became one of our top bloggers. I remember him talking about how excited he was to find out that we were actually headquartered right down the road from where he was living. Destin had moved down here to GA from Michigan for chiropractic school a few years earlier. I still remember that day I first met Destin in person. It was back on October 3, 2012 at Oregon Park Disc Golf Course where we’d first met up to throw a round. I remember how excited he was to finally meet up with us. He had the biggest smile on his face when he got out of the car and, haha, literally ran up to shake my hand. We had a really good round of disc golf accompanied with good talks. I knew from that moment on that we were going to get along well and be good friends. He was as obsessed with disc golf at the time as I was–and that was pretty awesome.

destinthrow

Destin had a love for the game. He loved talking about disc golf; loved writing about it. The passion that drew him to Dogleg and lead him to write posts for us here at DoglegDiscGolf.com. Destin really helped me grow the Dogleg brand and blog these past two years–especially here locally. He had a passion for writing tutorials for frolfers new-to-the-game, disc reviews, and interesting articles relevant to the physics of disc golf. He helped make several connections to a few larger disc manufacturers and loved reviewing discs they would send us. I went to visit Destin the first time he was admitted to the hospital in late April/May. He had just gotten the then-unreleased Vibram Four20 driver in the mail a week or so earlier. Due to his illness he had not had a chance yet to toss it so he gave it to me to try it out. He would not know that he would never get that chance to ever throw it. That disc would also become the last one he ever gave to me. It has so much more meaning to me now–I’ve already retired it.

Even in the two short years I knew Destin, he quickly became one of my closest friends I had made (outside of work) since living here in Georgia. Our friendship grew with a shared passion for disc golf, determined to help grow the sport, the blog, and welcoming any new friends to the game. Destin always jumped at the opportunity to go play disc golf after work and school. Whenever I wanted to check out a new course in the area that I hadn’t played before, he was my go-to guy to call because he rarely turned down an opportunity. He and I both liked buying old discs and trading them or giving them to friends that were new to the sport to get them started. I remember one time we were out at Perkerson Park DGC in Atlanta and met up with this guy that played alongside us. That guy was fairly new to the sport and I remember Destin giving him one of his extra bags to carry his discs in after we finished the round. He was just like that. He liked telling people about Dogleg and the blog and always coming up with ideas on how to expand it. He was such a fun guy to be around—the kind of guy that always made you laugh when he was around.

We were very competitive when we played disc golf together. At the time we met, neither one of us had gotten our first Aces yet. Every time we’d go out to play, we were determined that this would be the round. With several close ones brushing the chains, we got to where we started filming all of our throws for every short hole we played—you know, just in case we hit that first Ace.. We wanted it on film. Although Destin never got his Ace here on Earth, I like to think that he’s clanging those Aces up there. I hope—at the very least—he’s playing disc golf everyday. He was an Ace in my book, a great friend.

Aside from disc golf, Destin loved music and flyfishing as well. We talked fishing a lot and had mentioned plans about putting together a flyfishing trip. We were even planning a trip this fall with our wives to go up to my grandparent’s lakehouse to fish all weekend.. Destin shared his birthday date with my wife and I’s anniversary as well. I had invited Destin and his wife to our wedding and even thought it was on his birthday, we were very excited that they came. I remember Destin having such a good time there that night. Haha I remember him literally taking my camera and laying on the floor taking pictures and videos of the events. I guess you could say he became our unofficial wedding photographer for the night. If it wasn’t for Destin, we wouldn’t have any video from our wedding.. He took that job upon him out of the kindness of his heart.

Destin had been battling liver failure since the end of April and had been in/out of the hospital a few times during that span. He first told me that he’d been admitted on my 30th birthday. It was a few days later that I was actually able to visit him while he was there. It was hard to see him like that—in so much pain. He was very weak but I was glad I got to see him and talk to him. He had a tough time gaining enough strength and energy the first time he got out of the hospital. It was months before he was able to get back on the course again. And even at that, he could only play a few holes before he’d get too weak and have to stop. We played disc golf only a few times since that first stint, but never able to complete a full round. On August 13, a few friends and I met Destin up at Legacy Park after work for a round. ..That would ultimately be the last time Destin ever got to play disc golf…

He had some more complications a few weeks later and was put back into the hospital the first week of September. He was there over a month before taking a turn for the worst two weeks ago and went into a coma. Just the weekend before they’d moved him out of the ICU down to a normal room. But late that Sunday they found bleeding in his stomach and it didn’t improve any all week. He hadn’t really been able to speak and had to have a trach put in at one point. For awhile he was too weak to speak and could only communicate by writing on a board. He did get to where he could mouth words. His wife told me that last Thursday that he knew he was going, it was time. That he wasn’t scared. That he was ready…

539641_10200279499860435_63968251_n Full of life, that kid. He was much too young. He saw his 27th birthday in the hospital. He truly will be missed and will be thought of every time I hit the course. I would like to think he’s up there watching down, helping my game or either making fun of every tree I hit on a drive. I lost two friends back in high school (over a decade ago), but never a friend as close as Destin.

Later that Saturday that I received the news, I went out on the course here at Legacy Park (last course Destin would’ve played) to reflect on the good times we had. A solo round. Destin sure was a talker, especially when we played. I miss all the good conversations we used to have. This round was extremely quiet though—it was a hard round to make it through. But I knew if he was here and well, he would’ve been out there with me; in search of that Ace. That next day, Sunday, some mutual disc golf friends of mine and Destin’s went out to Oregon Park (first course Destin and I ever played together) and joined me for a Memoriam round for Destin. It was a good time talking to one another and sharing the memories we had of Destin. I felt like he was there with us.

unnamed-3b
Hole #9 at Legacy Park DGC. This is the hole that Destin and I used to pretty much empty our entire bags—throwing every disc—in hopes for an Ace. In honor of Destin, I emptied half my bag trying for an Ace later that Saturday.

unnamed-2b
Hole #18 at Legacy Park DGC. After finishing 18 holes, I sat on the creek bank and reflected on the memories and good times we’d had in the two very short years we knew one another.

This has been a really hard week on me..it’s taken me all week to get something going. I’ve been fairly quiet online all week for those of you that follow me on some of my other personal social media accounts.. It’s been more of a reflection this past week and realizing how much we actually take for granted. How short a time we actually have on this Earth. How little time we actually have to make the most of our life. Take nothing for granted. Take a moment, look around, absorb how beautiful nature really is. Enjoy every single breath and moment of life, because no one’s guaranteed tomorrow. It can come and go so fast. Create memories that will last a lifetime—that people will remember you by—a legacy. In the short time I had to know Destin, he did just that. How will people remember you?

-jt

To read some of Destin’s blog posts here on Dogleg, click here.


JT & Destin — Walk up to #9 at Wills Park DGC.

JT & Destin — Walk up to #9 at Wills Park DGC.

the blog: doglegdiscgolf.com
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Fred the Disc Golf Dog

Posted by randomtiz


Happy Hump Day! I know personally it has been awhile since my last post and a new post was due from me. I’ve been pretty tied up the past few months with my brother’s wedding, selling and buying a house, moving, and have been out of the country for over a week to the Dominican for my wife and I’s 1-year anniversary!

I was sent this video earlier today and it made me smile =). So I wanted to take a moment and share with you guys “Fred the Disc Golf Dog”. Cute story if I say so myself—especially if you’re a dog lover. This video was shot at Hornings Hideout DGC in Portland, Oregon by a cinematographer duo called Chibi Moku who travels the country in an RV and films their crazy adventures.

Meet disc golfer Jaslyn Cincotta and her loyal disc golfer companion, Fred. Fred, an energetic stray puppy that latched onto Jaslyn one day and the companionship soon followed.

“He came and sat at my feet and just looked me in the eyes with these cutest expression in the world. And I…realized in that moment that…that this dog had picked me. And I had a dog now.”

Fred loves tagging along with Jaslyn as she goes to play disc golf and even tracks your thrown disc! How awesome would that be to have a dog like Fred?! Imagine never losing a disc in the woods or to thick brush again because your dog follows your thrown disc and leads you to where it landed. He even knows the course!

Tell us what you think of the video and feel free to share if you like!
-jt


The “Towch” Review by Dogleg JT

Posted by randomtiz


As the end to Valentine’s Day Weekend draws near, I would like to share with you guys a new love that’s in the air. Something that I hope you guys will end up loving as much as I have.

A few weeks ago I was searching for a new towel to clip onto my disc golf bag. I stumbled across this thing called the “Towch®” and was like whaaaaaaaat? Weird name, right? This was something unlike I had ever seen or heard of before. For those of you that know me, I am huge proponent and fan of new technology—especially when it relates to disc golf.

Towch1

It’s Called a…What Now?:
What exactly is the Towch® you might ask? Well let me tell you. The Towch® is a pouch that also doubles as a towel. Before I dive too much further into the review, I’d rather you watch the video review we put together. Watch the video below and see the Towch® in action!

*If the video does not load, click here to view it on YouTube!

How it Works:
1) Using the 2 carabiner clips, attach to your belt loops, belt or bag.
2) Insert 3-5 discs to use as a carrying pouch.
3) Insert 1 disc and spin the disc around within the pouch to dry it off or to remove dirt/mud.

Final Thoughts:
This thing has so many different uses! Lately I’ve found myself using it more as a putter carrier attached to my belt loops. I haven’t had 5 discs maxed out in it yet while playing, so not sure if it affects my throwing. But 1-3 discs do not affect my throw. I like keeping my putter(s) in there for super quick access for putting. This would be a great solution for frolfers that only carry a handful of discs anyway.

During this cold spell these past few weeks, I’ve found myself even using it as a handwarmer pouch. Put a “Hot Hands” packet in there and keep that throwing hand warm! You could also use it to carry snacks, maybe a cold drink or two, camera, etc. Hahha or even use it as a hat to keep your head and ears warms! (See me being ridiculous towards the end of the video where I demonstrate the hat use). Possibilities are endless!

Get this, they’re 100% made in the USA! That’s awesome.

I want one! Where can I buy one?:
Please visit their site at TowelPouch.com to learn more! Towches® currently come in a variety of 8 colors. The standard, one-color Towch® has an MSRP of $11.99. Be sure to “like” their FB page at www.facebook.com/TheTowch! Mention you read the Towch® review on DoglegDiscGolf.com.

Share the Towch® love this Valentine’s!
-jt


the blog: doglegdiscgolf.com
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Vibram Birdie Bash, the Steve Dodge Interview

Posted by randomtiz


I am excited to kick off the 2014 year with our first post this year! An interview with Steve Dodge from Vibram! Steve is a continuing supporter of the Dogleg Blog and has worked with us before allowing us to test/review a few new Vibram discs before they hit shelves. We are very fortunate that we could connect with Steve for this interview and learn more about Vibram’s annual Birdie Bash for a Dogleg special.

Q&A with Vibram’s Steve Dodge:


DLDG: Thank you Steve for helping make this happen and for being a part of our first post of the year! I know we’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s jump right into it.

So Steve, tell me a little about the history behind the Vibram Birdie Bash (VBB). How did it all start?

Steve: I get bored easily and wanted to create an event that was both easy to run and fun and engaging to play. Discraft’s Ace Race was a great starting point, although it was too minimal for me. After a dozen test events in 2012, adding a second throw, a creative scoring system, and counting metal hits for points were the primary changes that made the event universally fun.

birdie-bash-v1.10.0.1732.1218.356.250.c

DLDG: What exactly is a Birdie Bash?

Steve: In a sentence, use two discs and get two throws per hole.

Scoring:
– Birdies: 2 Points
– Ace/Eagle: 5 Points
– Any metal hit: 1 Point

For example: hit metal on the drive, sink the birdie putt: 3 points

The Birdie Bash format was created to increase the fun of a good shot and decrease the aggravation of a bad shot.

DLDG: That sounds like a lot of fun. I agree sometimes Ace Race’s can go by way too quick and it’s either all or none. I like the thought of getting more throws in there to where it’s more of a competitive, strategic game rather than a throw-off. OK, so who would play in a Birdie Bash?

Steve: Advanced and Pro players would play to enjoy a great day of fun disc golf, maybe try out some new discs, win some great prizes, and help teach some newer players how great our sport is.

Newer players will find a relaxed atmosphere for one of their first “organized” disc golf events. They will also get some great discs, meet their local discers, and have a chance to win some great prizes.

Basically, if you want to have fun, come play a Birdie Bash.

DLDG: We all love swag! What kind of sweet gear comes with signing up for the VBB?

Steve: $30 gets each player:
– two Vibram discs (of their choice)
– a Vibram dry fit tee
– a Vibram towel, mini, and sticker

As well as a chance to win tons of prizes: http://www.vibramdiscgolf.com/players-pack-and-prizes.html.

DLDG: I’m liking what I hear! That swag tops Ace Race’s in my opinion! And the Birdie Bash is open to anyone, right?

Steve: Yes!

DLDG: I heard that anyone can be a TD for the Birdie Bash too, is that right? Is it really that easy?

Steve: Yes! We have a document that does a step-by-step including prep work, day of, players meeting, getting sponsors and more. It really is a Tournament-In-A-Box.

DLDG: Oh wow, yes that does sound easy! I think sometimes the overall impression about being a first-time TD can be fear of inexperience. I think that is awesome that you guys have put that much time and thought into this that does makes it easy enough for anyone to be a tournament director to run a Birdie Bash.

Now do Birdie Bash tournaments occur during a particular seasonal timeframe or do they go year-round?

Steve: The VBB events are held each Spring. This year they can be held anytime from March 1 to June 1.

DLDG: I know Dogleg has some international readers that might be curious, is the Birdie Bash available outside the US?

Steve: Yes, although not everywhere yet. We are expanding it to Canada, the UK, and the EU. We shut registration a week earlier and charge a little extra for shipping. If it works well, we will expand to Asia and Australia in 2015.

DLDG: Tell me about this Spirit Award. What is that?

Steve: Spirit, or the culture of the disc, is the reason that I want to grow our sport. In short, the ability to compete with honor and respect is what Spirit is all about. This year, we are introducing a Spirit Award which is given to a player that embodies the culture of the disc.

I invite people to read more about my motivation here: http://www.vibramdiscgolf.com/4/post/2013/11/grow-the-sport-why.html

DLDG: I love that idea about the Spirit Award, what characteristics make someone a prime candidate to win the Spirit Award?

Steve: A Spirit Award winner:

  • Is fair-minded and respectful
  • Has a positive attitude
  • Is happy when someone else makes a great shot
  • Listens and considers
  • Is respected by their competitors
  • Treats others as they want to be treated
  • Believes there is someone else more deserving
  • Instantly helps to find a lost disc
  • Is happy to be surrounded by so many friends
  • Has fun
  • DLDG: Ok I’m stoked about the VBB concept! Now how can I find out if there’s one close to me?

    Steve: www.BirdieBash.com

    DLDG: Ok Steve, I’ve got to ask. What is it like working at Vibram? Kind of jealous, it must be awesome! Right?

    Steve: I am very fortunate to not only be working in the industry I love, but to also be able to have an impact on it. 3,500 people played in a VBB in 2013. For over 2,000 of these people, it was their first “organized” disc golf event. Additionally, over 40 people TDed their first event. It takes a lot to move an industry and I’m excited to be able to push as much as I can.

    DLDG: How long have you been with Vibram? What is your position there?

    Steve: 2008: Vibram sponsors Vibram Open, which I TD.
    2009: hired by Quabaug, which manufactures for Vibram, as a consultant for Vibram Disc Golf.
    2010: Quabaug hired me full time to develop the Vibram Disc Golf business unit
    2012: Shifted to Vibram corporate as the Business Unit Manager for Vibram Disc Golf

    DLDG: What would you say your top 3 favorite go-to Vibram discs are and why?

    Steve: Ibex — it is easy to put on any line and it is forgiving when I don’t put enough pop on it.
    Lace — this disc allows me to throw 400′ again, something I had lost for over a decade.
    Summit — 80 feet and in, I’ve got a legit chance to sink it with this slow-speed-friendly finesse putter.

    DLDG: Can you give us a glimpse of what to expect from Vibram [products] this year?

    Steve: Nope 😉

    DLDG: Dang! Lol, I figured that’d be your answer. =) No, but we’re really excited for what’s to come for Vibram this year. Several of the guys here at Dogleg are big fans. Is there any bit of disc golf advice you would like to leave as a takeaway for our Dogleg readers?

    Steve: Vinnie Miller once told me, “Brother, this life ain’t long, get happy as fast as you can.” Disc golf makes me happy. My advice, have fun and do good.

    DLDG: Thanks again Steve for helping us put together this interview. I’m very excited about the Vibram Birdie Bash and hope to make it to one this year!


    Here in Georgia where the Dogleg Headquarters is located, there is already one Birdie Bash set to take place at Patriot’s Park in Grovetown, GA on May 24th. Click to read more on the 2014 Patriot’s Park Birdie Bash.

    Some of our fellow Dogleg members are helping with a Birdie Bash in our hometown of Jasper, Alabama. They have two dates set already for March 8th and one later on May 24th. Click for more info on the 2014 North Jasper Park Birdie Bash in March and for the 2014 North Jasper Park “Second Session” Birdie Bash that will take place in May.

    To find out if there is a Birdie Bash already scheduled in your area, check out the Vibram Birdie Bash’s Events page.

    Want to register for a Birdie Bash? Find your VBB and sign up here.

    Want to take it to the next level and host your own Birdie Bash?
    Click here to sign up to be a TD.

    Follow Steve’s Disc Golf BlogVibram Disc Golf Blog
    Read More on the Vibram Birdie BashBirdieBash.com
    “Like” Vibram Disc Golf on Facebookfacebook.com/VibramDiscGolf
    Follow Vibram Disc Golf on Twittertwitter.com/VibramDiscGolf

    -JT


    Kickstarting a DG Following

    Posted by randomtiz


    According to the “Disc Golf and PDGA Demographics” article on PDGA’s website, last year there were an estimated 500+ thousand regular disc golf players in the world. Disc golf is rapidly growing at a significant rate every year. And it can grow at an even more substantial rate with the help of the hundreds of thousands—if not millions—disc golfers all over the world. We, as a disc golf community, have to back and support our fellow disc golfers and companies looking to improve and expand the sport. Look how far disc golf has grown just in the past 10 years, for example. It is astonishing to me. Whether it’s a new type of disc technology, a new disc retriever, a rolling disc golf cart that houses everything but the kitchen sink, or even a new disc golf app that lets you—right from your living room couch—flick discs into those sweet chain sounds we’ve learned to love, there are numerous projects out there that can have an impact on disc golf.

    One place I’ve found to help support and hopefully “kick start” a fellow disc golfer’s dream is Kickstarter.com. If you guys aren’t familiar with Kickstarter, check it out—it may have more appeal to you than one might think. Ok, so Kickstarter started back in 2009 and is a community of both big and small projects that are “brought to life through the direct support” of people like us. “Project creators set a funding goal and deadline. If people like a project, they can pledge money to make it happen. “ With over 52,000 projects listed since its launch in 2009, there have only been around 16—that I’ve found—to be disc golf related. Funding is all or nothing with these campaigns, soif the projects do not reach their goal, no funding is allocated. It is a really low risk form of investment for people looking to support creative projects, and the incentives that are created for Kickstarter backers are often very cool and can only be had by backing a project.

    Lets take a moment and review a few of these. After recent research of the disc golf Kickstarter projects that I could find listed on the site, there were only a few that I felt were truly unique and worthy enough to mention. I will start by commenting on the very first disc golf project I could find, the “carbon disc” by Tyler Seamons. The “carbon disc” was a disc driver prototype made from Carbon Fiber with a heavy-duty polyurethane plastic protective edge. Sounded like it would have been pretty cool—something that sturdy and could take a beating—but I doubt it would have ever be approved by the PDGA. It raised over $4400 of its $7500 funding goal.

    Then a few projects later there was “Chains the Movie: The First Disc Golf Documentary” launched by pro disc golfer Avery Jenkins back in 2011. “Chains” was to be the first definitive disc golf documentary featuring pros from all over the world in hopes of bringing the sport to the mainstream. Although nearly $20k short of the funding goal, it still raised over $6k. If I had known about this project and Kickstarter years ago, I would have for sure pledged some bucks their way! I’ve always been a fan of Avery’s—not to mention he’s a subscriber of our blog too.

    There are several other neat ideas such as the Walkadisc and Six Shooter disc holsters, but I’m not sure how those would work with big spin drives. Then there’s a handful of “wtf” projects that leave you wondering if it was a joke or if these people were actually serious? Regardless, only 1 of these 16 disc golf Kickstarter projects was successful by meeting its funding goal.

    Why weren’t more of these successful? Was the proposed budget goal too high? Is there not enough current support in the disc golf community? Does the disc golf community even know about these efforts? Or it could just be a flawed concept to begin with. I won’t get into that now—my sole intent here is to raise awareness to new disc golf initiatives and encourage this ever-growing disc golf community for their support. If you feel like these new projects, companies, and apps present a strong concept, please support them! Just think, what if a project that you actually helped fund, made it all the way to completion!

    DiscGolfUnchained-Logo-Light

    This leads me to my final topic. The latest disc golf project to hit Kickstarter that needs your help and support! The “Disc Golf Unchained” campaign by Local Route Labs is the latest disc golf video game app project. Check it out here on Kickstarter and on their website, Local Route Labs for more info.

    I was excited to see the “Disc Golf Unchained” gameplay featured in the video above put out by Local Route Labs. The graphics and environment felt very realistic compared to any other disc golf game app that I have come across. It’s awesome to see the progress and where disc golf video gaming has come so far. After reading about the project on both their website and Kickstarter, I was itching to know more! I was able to get in touch with Local Route Labs’ co-founder, Tyler Krucas, to learn more about the project. Here’s what Tyler had to say:

    “Local Route Labs is proud to introduce Disc Golf Unchained, the most realistic and engaging disc golf video game in development. Disc Golf Unchained is a video game by disc golfers for disc golfers. We want Disc Golf Unchained to satisfy both the casual and hardcore player, hopefully steering new people into disc golf. The game looks to capture the excitement and experience of throwing the perfect shot and bring it to the palm of your hand. We attempted to create realistic flight physics and course environments that, along with a complex player progression system, offer a fun and immersive game anyone can enjoy, just like actual disc golf.

    The game is slated for release on Android and iOS sometime in 2014, and we have developed an extremely intuitive touch interface for the game on these platforms. Although we intend to initially release Disc Golf Unchained on mobile devices, advancements in human interface technology and online networks for next-gen consoles have us thinking about the full potential of disc golf in the virtual world. Imagine throwing a round with or against your friends at your beautiful local course, but from the comfort of your respective living rooms! The prospects for Disc Golf Unchained are very bright.”

    This is where the guys at Local Route Labs and “Disc Golf Unchained” need your help. With ONLY 7 DAYS (ends Dec. 3rd) to go with their Kickstarter campaign, they have already raised over $5500 but still have a good ways to go. Please check out the campaign where you can read more on the project, watch their video, and if you like, pledge money! There are different pledge levels starting as low as donating $1. Each pledge level gets you more swag as the pledge amount increases. It’s pretty cool how it works!

    I’m very excited about “Disc Golf Unchained” and can’t wait to hopefully see it in the App Store and Google Play Store soon! Even better, I hope it makes it to a gaming console in the near future. Lets put the “fun” in funding and go support your fellow disc golf community—I just did!

    -jt


    For more info on the “Disc Golf Unchained” project, check out the following links:
    “Disc Golf Unchained” Kickstarter campaign
    Local Route Labs
    Local Route Labs on Facebook


    “A Throw Above the Rest” – Interview with Full Flight Disc Golf

    Posted by randomtiz


    Hello everyone, JT here with DoglegDiscGolf.com. I’ve got a special interview to share with you guys with Nichole & Sean Gallagher, owners of Full Flight Disc Golf—one of Canada’s rapidly-growing disc golf retailers! Full Flight Disc Golf, based out of Ontario, has been taking the Canadian disc golf scene by storm!

    Sean and I first started talking back earlier this year about teaming up to do something for the blog. Because of our different schedules between company name transitions, wedding planning and several other things our interview had to get pushed back to fourth quarter. I’m really excited about this interview/post finally coming into fruition. Just from talking to Sean, I’ve found that he is extremely passionate about disc golf, he & his wife’s new company Full Flight Disc Golf, life in general and an all-around genuine guy. We’ve sat down and put something together for you guys that I hope you’ll like. If you enjoy our interview, please share! Enjoy.

    leadgraphic

    Q&A with Full Flight Disc Golf:


    DLDG: Thank you Nichole & Sean for joining us today. Alright guys lets kick this off. First, tell me a little about Full Flight Disc Golf.

    FF: Full Flight is the newest Canadian family-owned disc golf company. We want to support, promote and bring a new fresh look to disc golfers in Ontario & Canada.

    DLDG: Where exactly in Canada are you guys based out of?

    FF: We are based out of St. Thomas, Ontario Canada. We are spoiled here, 2 courses locally (V.A. Barrie & Dalewood) and many other courses are very close within driving distance!

    DLDG: Now tell me a little about the history of Full Flight.

    FF: Full Flight started earlier this year. As a player and living in Canada, we don’t have anywhere we can go and shop (except for some variety stores that want $26 for discs & usually only is Discraft or Innova—not that there is anything wrong with that, but no selection) and online there is nobody. So we find ourselves going online to the States and having to pay more for shipping and longer times to wait for that new disc. My wife said to me “We should just sell them ourselves.” Guys I don’t know if you know this, NEVER argue with your wife—she is always right. And so Full Flight was born.

    DLDG: Haha, great piece of marriage advice there Sean. As you know, I just got married this September, so I’ll be sure to hang onto that one. Haha OK, so tell me a little about the disc golf culture in Canada.

    FF: We are the same as anywhere else. Disc golf isn’t as big here yet as it is in the States, but that’s changing—and changing quickly. It’s a new sport you can play with friends and family or compete and enjoy every minute of it. Full Flight is trying to support, attend & set up shop at tourneys to show all disc golfers there is more. The feedback has been huge & we can’t wait for next year!

    DLDG: What are courses like up there in Canada? I’d LOVE to get up there one day and play Canada!

    FF: Courses are AWESOME!! We have lots of beautiful courses and lots more are coming. V.A. Barrie, Christie Lake, Toronto Island, Barrie, Peterborough…I missed tons but they are all sweet—and that’s just locally. There are beauties in every province.

    midgraphic

    DLDG: Is disc golf a seasonal sport up there? I mean, you guys must have snow like most months out of the year, haha right?

    FF: LOL… well when the polar bears leave and the penguins aren’t stealing our discs LOL!! But really, we have a pretty good season. Usually can start playing in April and go until November. We still play in the winter, but we use brighter discs and usually add streamers onto the discs. And again that is just locally, I am sure it varies everywhere!

    DLDG: Lol, that’s hilarious. I don’t know if I could handle sub-zero temps playing in snow for an extended period of time. But again, I guess I could get used to it if that was my only choice til the warmer season. I’m pretty accustomed to playing in the heat of summer here when the heat index breaks into triple digits. Good ol’ Georgia heat, haha.

    Wait, so streamers on discs?

    FF: Yea, like “ribbon”. You cut off pieces of ribbon and then tape them to the disc. So if your disc happens to land in the deeper snow, you can find it by the piece of string hanging out!

    DLDG: That’s amazing. I would have never thought of that.

    Well what led you guys to decide to start selling online?

    FF: We started locally and the response was awesome; then we hooked up with some of the amazing TD’s running tournaments locally in Ontario. We were able to go and set up shop right at the tourneys. In Canada that is not seen or even heard of. We wanted that to change. We are working hard to bring tons of different manufacturers to the tourneys for players to touch and feel and drool on!!!

    So one thing lead to another—we thought if we have that problem here in Ontario, the rest of Canada has to be in the same boat. So we thought lets reach out on the net!

    DLDG: That’s a smart move Sean. With the way technology and direction the internet is going, it’s crazy not to have an online presence. I read in Internet Retailer earlier this year that—just in the U.S. alone—e-commerce sales totaled over $225 billion in 2012! And sales are expected to increase by like 10% or something each year, that’s insane! Also with the increasing popularity of tablets and smartphones, people are spending more and more time online including shopping.

    With all these other online disc golf retailers, what would you say sets Full Flight apart from others?

    FF: Well selection and price. There isn’t much around and that’s where Full Flight wants to change that and grow it to!!! We want to have the biggest disc shop in Ontario and we’re working hard everyday to try to do that! Players and customers are number 1 to us. Without their support we would not even be where we are now without them!

    DLDG: I know what you mean. I try to buy/support local as much as I can, but sometimes the selection just isn’t there. Especially if I’m ordering larger quantities, I’ll shop around online and find the best deals mixed with great selection. That’s what’s great about online retailers too, the deals you’ll find!

    Do you guys just sell to Canada?

    FF: We are trying to concentrate on the needs of Canadians. But if there is something any player sees that they want, we want them to have it and will do what ever it takes to make that happen for them. You have to remember there isn’t much for disc golf selection in Canada; we want Canadians to see Full Flight can get it to them faster—no hidden border fees and pretty much the same cost!

    DLDG: What are some of the hottest-selling discs right now that you guys have found?

    FF: Everything is selling well, we find people are trying everything because they can! We try and keep up with all the newest discs, bags and clothes. Anything disc golf-related, we want Canadians to see Full Flight can fulfill all their plastic cravings!

    DLDG: I hear Full Flight Disc Golf actually has a sponsored team too, is that right?

    FF: Yes, we have team Full Flight. An amazing group of disc golfers that support and support the disc golf community above and beyond. We are proud to say the players wear the Full Flight logo and are proud of it. They are a huge part of Full Flight and we can’t thank them enough. Thank you Guys!

    DLDG: Tell me about the Full Flight team. Who all do you guys have on board?

    Team Full Flight is made up of 5 amazing players:

    • Dave Northrup – PDGA# 9448
    • Brian Farquhar – PDGA# 55627
    • Jamie Pay – PDGA# 14000
    • Steve McNeil aka McFlight – PDGA# 50280
    • Chris Stein – PDGA# 49993

    DLDG: That’s awesome, very cool! Nichole & Sean, is there anything else that you would like to share with the Dogleg DG Community?

    Honestly we can’t say enough about team Full Flight. These guys play hard and support even harder. We had an awesome year this year with Dave Northrup taking 1st place at the ODSA finals. We just added Steve McNeil & Chris Stein to the team late this year. We are excited about next year and wish the boys the best of luck. Be watching—we are hoping to add a female to the Full Flight line up!

    DLDG: Thanks again Sean, Nichole and Full Flight Disc Golf for taking the time to make this interview happen! [Keep reading below for a special offer and pics.]


    This interview itself was a long time coming, but I’m very glad and excited that it happened. I believe Nichole & Sean have a good thing going up there in Canada. Once again I want to thank Sean and his team for working with us and sending us shots below from St. Thomas V.A. Barrie Park.

    Be sure to check them out at FullFlightDiscGolf.com for all your discing needs including the latest selection in discs, bags, accessories and more. Full Flight is offering a SPECIAL DEAL just for our Dogleg readers, use Untitled-2 to receive 10% OFF your order! Just in time for Thanksgiving—hurry, it’s only good for 2 weeks!

    Also, be sure to follow Full Flight on Facebook and “Like” their page, facebook.com/FullFlightDiscGolf!

    team1

    FFlogo2

    team2

    1394880_10151669541236330_1583758670_n

    hatfullflight

    [*Photos courtesy of Full Flight Disc Golf and W. Mac Photography.]

    Visit their Online StoreFullFlightDiscGolf.com
    “Like” Full Flight on Facebookfacebook.com/FullFlightDiscGolf
    Follow Full Flight on Twittertwitter.com/FullFlightDG


    Discraft Buzzz 500 Giveaway!

    Posted by randomtiz


    I know I’m late on this one, but there’s still a week to go! Listen up.

    You may have been on your favorite social media websites lately and noticed these little avatars popping up everywhere, yes? What the heck is it? Well it’s a contest going on RIGHT now during the month of October! Discraft is giving away 500 copies of their Buzzz this month to help celebrate their 10-year anniversary.

    “Throughout October 2013, we’re closing out our Ten Year Buzzz Anniversary celebration by giving away a stock Z Buzzz to 20 different fans every weekday!” – Discraft

    » Click here to read the full details and rules.

    You’ll have to read their contest details to find out all the rules. But in short, you have to select one of their three official bee mascot icons to use as your avatar. Next you have to follow any (or all) of Discraft’s social media outlets. They’ll do 20 random draws from their pool of followers on their social media outlets. So yes, go follow and make that bee icon as your avatar.

    Help Discraft close out another awesome year as well as their Ten Year Anniversary by following them today! Good luck in winning a Buzzz!


    Retrieve Discs Easily and Safely with DiscGator!

    Posted by randomtiz


    I recently was able to get my hands on a DiscGator disc retriever prototype. I was enthusiastic about receiving it in the mail after all the positive things I had read about it a few weeks prior. Could this finally be my solution for grabbing discs out of heavy brush and debris-filled ponds? I was about to soon find out.

    A brief backstory. A few years ago I was introduced to the Golden Disc Retriever [review here]. To say the least, I was not a slight bit impressed with it. It was hard to aim and was completely useless in ponds with heavy submerged plants or either you couldn’t see your disc. It seemed to only be effective in water hazards with smooth bottom surfaces where you could actually see the disc underwater. Anyways, if you want to read that review to compare it with the DiscGator, by all means.

    Out of the Bag:

    The DiscGator comes in a pull-cord 24″ mesh bag. Inside the mesh bag is the telescopic pole that can extend to nearly 5-ft. Also included is the clamp—the second main element to the DiscGator. The clamp is what will screw onto the end of the telescopic pole. The mesh bag also comes with two aluminum clasp hooks which make it easy to snap to the outside of your disc golf bag. discgator1

    They’re easily removable as well if you need to expand the width between the two to fit your bag accordingly. One thing I wish–or hope–the final version will have is for some way for the clamp to attach (or hang) from the pole when not in use. The pole itself condenses down to 24″. But this leaves you with the big clamp hanging outside of the mesh bag. May not be an issue for most, but could become cumbersome if you’re constantly swinging your bag on/off your shoulder.
    Attaches nicely to the straps on your bag!

    Attaches nicely to disc golf bag’s straps!

    *Keep in mind this is the prototype, so some “flaws” might be fixed on the final version of the DiscGator.

    How it Works:
    1) Remove the DiscGator from the mesh bag.
    2) Screw on the clamp to end of the telescopic pole.
    3) Untwist the telescopic pole to extend to full length.
    4) Place the trigger hook into the notched position.
    5) Reach for edge of disc and align with DiscGator’s clamp.
    6) Once edge of disc is between the clamps fingers, jab forward to trigger.
    7) Chomp! You got it.

    The DiscGator Gets Put to the Test:
    Watch the video below to see the Dogleg crew test out the DiscGator in streams, heavy brush, trees, ponds and deep ditches. See for yourself just how easy it is.

    *If the video does not load, click here to watch the DiscGator in action!

    Final Thoughts:
    In a completely unbiased opinion, the DiscGator is BY FAR the most convenient, practical, versatile and “best worth your investment” product that I have reviewed here to date on the blog. As far as retrievals, it has yet to fail me. If you and your buddy both have one, combine both telescopic poles to one another to get over 10-ft of length! This will really allow you to reach further into a tree or out into the water.

    It has exceeded my expectations and I can’t believe how simple the concept is. It’s amazing. Like I mentioned earlier, the only minor flaw I saw is that I wish there was a better way for the clamp part to attach to the mesh bag (or if the mesh bag had a separate pocket) when not in use. Now I’m having to keep the clamp in my side drink pocket of my bag—which means I can’t fit my tasty beverage of choice =P. Another minor issue that Dogleg Destin encountered was with the clamp on his DiscGator. He mentioned that the trigger seemed a bit stiff—to where it took a slightly harder jab at the disc to release the trigger mechanism. He was going to try to loosen the tightening screw a little to see if that would help.

    All in all, this DiscGator is well worth the investment. Think about how many discs you can save/retrieve and never have to get wet, dirty, scratched or even have to come into contact with Poison Ivy or other such poisonous plants. According to their website, DiscGator.com, they hope the DiscGator will be available for nationwide sales by early 2014. I can’t wait to see how the final version will turn out. If I’m that amazed by the prototype, I can only imagine. Here’s to a well-designed product, Now Go Get Chompin’!

    Please share this post!
    -jt


    the blog: doglegdiscgolf.com
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