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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


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


Missouri Winter Wonderland

Posted by mleefry


Hey Dogleggers, long time no talk!  I promise I haven’t forgotten about you guys—I actually daydream about blogging quite often.  For those who don’t know, I’m currently in my junior year of college, so let’s just say that I have to write a lot of stuff that’s not about disc golf during the school year and my brain can only produce so many words in a week.

Anyway, I’ve been DYING to tell you guys a little bit about the crazy winter we’ve been having here in Missouri.  It’s been a winter wonderland.  Not “wonderland” like the deep snow and beautiful trees on a Christmas card—we’re not quite northern enough for that.  I mean WONDERland, like “I wonder if it’s going to be 60 and sunny, or if it’s going to be so cold the news anchors are telling me not to let my dog outside for more than 10 minutes.”  So, let’s take a look at Missouri’s last few weekends.

Four weeks ago today I played in the 28th Annual Ice Bowl in Columbia, Mo.  Columbia is not only my hometown, but the home of the original Ice Bowl in 1987.  As we all know, the official Ice Bowl slogan is “No Wimps, No Whiners,” and for the 28th Annual there was nothing to complain about.  The weather was beautiful, in the 40s and no rain or snow.  I was very happy to be able to play in a division of 5 women, two of us celebrating one year since our first tournament!  On top of that, I shot my personal record on the Oakland Top course with a 2 stroke improvement.  It was a wonderful day!

Five ladies competed in the women's division at the 28th Annual Ice Bowl in Columbia, Mo.

Five ladies competed in the women’s division at the 28th Annual Ice Bowl in Columbia, Mo.

Ice Bowl Shirt

Winners of each division at the 28th Annual Ice Bowl in Columbia, Mo.

Winners of each division at the 28th Annual Ice Bowl in Columbia, Mo.

After such a great experience at the Columbia Ice Bowl, I was really pumped to play the following weekend in Jefferson City, Mo.  However, the night before the tournament there was an ice storm and it wasn’t safe to make the 30 minute drive.  Instead, I spent the day playing a 4-hole NOMAD course at my house and gathering with my neighbors to scrape ice off of my street.  Not so wonderful.

NOMAD target set up in my backyard while it was too icy to drive to a course safely.

NOMAD target set up in my backyard while it was too icy to drive to a course safely.

My street covered in ice, and everyone trying to clear it off.

My street covered in ice, and everyone trying to clear it off.

 

I didn’t get any golf in the following weekend.  There was more snow and I turned 21, so I think you can infer that I was a little busy doing other things…

Final Birthday

Last weekend I finally made my way down to Jefferson City to play league at their new course.  They still don’t have permanent baskets or tee pads installed, so we played the front nine twice with temp baskets.  Just by looking at the front nine and hearing rumors about the back nine, this course is going to be a BEAST.  There are a few water hazards, lots of elevation change, and a mix of tight tunnels and long fairway shots that have to be strategically placed.  (It’ll definitely be worthy of a course guide when it’s finished.)

Although it only snowed a little while I was there, there was plenty of “leftover” snow on the ground, cause it hadn’t been above freezing in at least a week.  The park’s namesake Binder Lake was frozen enough to walk on (although I never recommend walking on ice!), which is pretty rare.

During this round my winter weakness was particularly evident.  I’m usually pretty good at not letting cold affect my mental game, keeping my throwing hand warm, and not letting my feet get wet.  But the worst thing about winter disc golf is wearing so many layers that it limits my range of motion.  For the most part it doesn’t impact my driving, but trying to follow through on a putt when I feel like the Michelin Man is just not going to happen.

Geese on the shore of Binder Lake in Jefferson City, Mo., near their newest course.

Geese on the shore of Binder Lake in Jefferson City, Mo., near their newest course.

One of my drives at the new course in Binder Lake Park

One of my drives at the new course in Binder Lake Park

Jefferson City Disc Golf Club's President Stan Balke putting from a tree on the new course

Jefferson City Disc Golf Club’s President Stan Balke putting from a tree on the new course

Just six days later, I played my first short-sleeved round of the year at Carrollton Park in St. Louis.  It was a beautiful, sunny day reaching a high of nearly 60 degrees.  Can you say complete weather 180!?  Then, fast forward to today, when the high is expected to be only 38 degrees; my disc golf feat for the day will only consist of writing this post and wishing I were at the Gentlemen’s Club Challenge, where it is currently 65 and sunny!

Precarious basket at Carrollton Park in Bridgeton, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis.

Precarious basket at Carrollton Park in Bridgeton, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis.


Course Guide: Jones West, Emporia, KS

Posted by mleefry


I’m really excited to share with you all the first of many photo-based course guides I plan on creating.  I got the idea to start these when I realized that many members of the Dogleg community would not have the opportunity to practice the courses for Amateur Worlds until they arrived for the competition.  Since Columbia (my hometown) is only 3.5 hours away and St. Louis (where I go to school) is only 5 hours away, I figured I was in a great position to help non-Midwestern disc golfers prepare for such a big event.

But, making a trip to Emporia was easier said than done.  I sat on the idea for a month or two before Adam and I decided Valentine’s Day weekend would be the best time for us to take a disc golf trip.  (Jealous?  Refer to my last post: Love Is In The Air.)  After a few near-death experiences caused by our failure to realize that some highways outside of Kansas City were icy, we made it safely to my first Emporia course:  Jones West.

According to Disc Golf Course Review, Jones West, an 18-hole par-54 course, was established in 1989.  The topography has some gentle hills, but is mostly flat.  After all, it is Kansas we’re talking about!  Trees—ranging from broad and branchy evergreens to skinny deciduous trunks—definitely factor into the strategy on this course, but not to the degree that it creates the feeling of playing in the woods.  There are two ponds on the course, which create water hazards on 5 holes.  Each hole has two different pin placements, red and blue, for the Mach 3 baskets.  (For more info:  http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=1403)

As with most other Midwestern courses, the difficulty will vary with different weather and seasonal conditions.  Wind wasn’t a huge factor the day we played, but I’ve heard it can be pretty extreme in Emporia (there was a tornado nearby during the weekend of the Glass Blown Open last year).  The seasonal changes to the course will be a little more predictable.  Just like anywhere else, in spring and summer trees will be thicker and have more leaves; in the fall and winter they’ll thin out and leave more gaps.  The size of the ponds will change depending on precipitation in the days and weeks before.  This will cause the water hazards to be more or less extreme on some holes.  (The water was pretty low when I took these pictures; there was a drought last summer, and the heavy snow didn’t hit until a few weeks later.)

After playing the course, we swung by the Dynamic Discs store and talked with Adam Searle.  He said that all of the courses in the area will be getting new tee signs before hosting Am Worlds.  (The ones they have at Jones West now are pretty nice, but several have been vandalized.  I edited most of the vandalism out in my pictures.)  As of my correspondence with Dynamic Discs on Thursday, I learned that Jones West will not be used for the Glass Blown Open this year, but it will be for Am Worlds.  They are in the process of finalizing which pin placements will be used for the tournament.

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Now that I have all the details out of the way, enjoy the pictures!

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Hole #1:  We played this hole in the red placement.  For those of you who have played at Jones before, you may notice that the giant tree in the middle of the fairway (the one on the tee sign) is no longer there, which makes the hole play out a lot easier.  Water shouldn’t affect you on this hole, even though it can be seen on the tee sign.  Scores: Emily 4, Adam 3

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Hole #2:  We played this hole in the red placement.  The road on the left is OB.  Scores:  Emily 5, Adam 2

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Hole #3:  We played this in the blue placement.  Righties, beware of the road that runs down the left of the fairway, it’s OB!  Scores:  Emily 5, Adam 4

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Hole #4:  We played this hole in the blue placement.  The fairway is gently sloped downhill.  When the pin is in the red placement, water may come into play.  Scores: Emily 7, Adam 3

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Hole #5:  We played this in the red placement.  Scores: Emily 4, Adam 5

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Hole #6:  Based on the pictures I took, I can’t remember which placement this hole was in.  Tee for this hole is right up next to the edge of the pond, whose width will vary depending on rainfall.  I didn’t quite have the distance or confidence to go across, so I played around it.  The top center picture shows the view from the pad.  The far right picture looks back at the pad from across the pond.  The picture across the bottom shows the length of the pond; you can see the tee pad on the left.  Scores: Emily 7, Adam 4

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Hole #7:  We played this in the red placement.  I didn’t get any pictures of this one because I ended up in the water (which shouldn’t typically happen for lefties, but I kept griplocking REALLY badly).  Water will come into play though for right-handed hyzer shots if they go too long.  Scores: Emily 5, Adam 3

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Hole #8:  We played this in the red placement.  Scores: Emily 6, Adam 3

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Hole #9:  We played this in the red placement.  The fairway is slightly downhill overall, with a drainage creek running across it.  There is a cluster of skinny trees surrounding the tee pad, and a few larger evergreens guarding the basket.  Scores: Emily 5, Adam 4

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Hole #10:  We played this in the blue placement.  The big tree on the tee sign that used to be in the fairway is gone.  It previously played as a mando, so the shot to the basket is significantly more open than it has been in the past.  Scores: Emily 5, Adam 3

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Hole #11:  We played this in the blue placement.  The fairway curves to the left for both placements.  The green slopes down then back up, creating a bit of a valley.  Scores: Emily 5, Adam 5

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Hole #12:  We played this in the red placement.  The right side of the fairway is lined with trees; the left side is relatively open.  The basket is within the treeline on the right, and is surrounded by trees on 3 sides.  Scores: Emily 6, Adam 3

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Hole #13:  We played this in the red placement.  The road on the right is OB.  You can see that it is roped off on the edge of the pictures; the ropes are a few feet from the edge of the road.  Scores: Emily 4, Adam 3

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Hole #14:  We played this in the red placement.  The basket is tucked between two evergreen trees, and behind a smaller tree.  Scores: Emily 3, Adam 3

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Hole #15:  We played this in the blue placement.  The road on the right of the hole is OB.  Past the evergreens on the left is wide open, in the event a shot doesn’t land in the fairway.  Scores: Emily 5, Adam 3

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Hole #16:  We played this in the blue placement.  I didn’t get any pictures of this hole because, for me, it was long and frustrating, and Adam’s shot didn’t turn over and landed in someone’s yard across the road.  Whoops!  Scores: Emily 9, Adam 3

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Hole #17:  We played this in the red placement.  There is OB on both sides of the fairway (road on the right, houses on the left).  Water comes into play for the blue placement, but not the red.  Scores: Emily 5, Adam 3

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Hole #18:  We played this in a special placement that is usually used for Hole #1; it goes all the way across the pond and rests on the edge instead of being on the left side of it, as is seen in the red and blue placements.  You can see the basket from the tee in the top picture, where it is to the right of the brown trees.  The water makes this placement especially difficult.  We learned from experience that, if faced with a difficult putt, it is vital to throw a shot that will not roll if it hits the ground.  I ended up 50+ feet from the basket more than once on a roll.  Also, for the blue placement, it may be important to know that the road is OB behind the tree line.  Scores: Emily 11, Adam 4


Weekend Recap Part II: White Oak Park

Posted by randomtiz


Our disc golf-filled Saturday last weekend concluded with a trip to White Oak Park DGC.

After a successful round at Deer Lick [Read Deer Lick DGC Recap here.], the three of us headed down the road to the next course on our list, White Oak.

White Oak Park Disc Golf Course is a very large, open park with long, beautiful rolling hills located in Dallas, GA. It is one of my Top 5 Georgia disc golf courses that I’ve played around here. Although I wish it was a lot closer to where I live, but the experience and the views never fail me each time I go. Two things that really draw me to White Oak Park are: 1) Several elevated teebox areas set you up nicely for long, open drives to a downhill basket and 2) Signature Hole #17’s pond-flyover to a peninsula green [See image inset below.]

Signature Hole #17 at White Oak Park. Yellow line indicates roughly a 180-200ft shot over the pond. Or take your chances on the blue line with a 380ft shot to the bank in front of the basket.

Signature Hole #17 at White Oak Park. Yellow line indicates roughly a 180-200ft shot over the pond. Or take your chances on the blue line with a 380ft shot to the bank in front of the basket.

Once we got there, the disc golf part of the park (in the very back) was nearly vacant. Awesome, for disc golf. We met up with fellow contributor and Doglegger, Destin here to join us for this round. The weather was nice, mid 50’s and overcast with little wind. I was a little disappointed to find out that the park had temporarily removed holes #13 and 14 due to frolfers disrespect to neighboring properties. I started off with a rough start dropping me to +4 after just the first 2 holes. I think I hit every tree in sight. I turned it on at Hole #7 with a short-lived birdie streak run. Pulled it back together at the end and finished at +5. Not bad for me for that course.

Here’s a look at some pics from that day at White Oak along with videos of our Hole #17 pond-flyovers! I apologize for the crappy quality uploads from our phone.

Destin launching a killer drive from atop Hole #8's elevated teebox area. Over the treetops.

Destin launching a killer drive from atop Hole #8’s elevated teebox area.

White Oak's Hole #17 — Looking back towards teebox.

White Oak’s Hole #17 — Looking back towards teebox.

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*To read Destin’s White Oak Review and his tips on adjusting your grip and disc weight for winter weather, click here.


Weekend Recap: Deer Lick Park DGC

Posted by randomtiz


This past Saturday marked the first chance I’ve had this year to actually get out on the disc golf course. Prior to last weekend, I hadn’t played a round since being home for Thanksgiving. I was going through some serious disc golf withdrawals let me tell you. I normally play once a week. But with a strew of nasty weather, long work days, and being out-of-town on the weekends, I haven’t been able to.

Last weekend brought cloudy skies and milder temps reaching the mid 50s. Finally, it was nice enough to get out and throw. I had wanted to try a different course that I’d never played before. It’s a course that’s roughly an hour south of here called Deer Lick Park in Douglasville, GA. I actually tried to play this course last February when I just happened to be in the area. I only made it through the first six holes before calling it quits because I couldn’t feel my fingers any more. Obviously not dressed warm enough, temperatures were in the lower 40s that day with wind gusts near 20 mph. No condition to play in favorably. I wanted to give it another shot. So I called up the guys and it was time to roll!

jtDLP-4Deer Lick starts out with two shorter holes barely breaking 200 ft. With not having played in well over a month, I was pretty satisfied when my first drive landed within 15 ft from the basket and sinking my first bird of the new year. Hole #3 got a little more interesting when the length doubled from the previous two holes and ran parallel to a large pond on the left. Not only did you have the pond and increasing wind speeds picking up, the fairway consisted of varying tree obstacles and being completely on a downward slant towards the pond.

Hole #4 we got to tee off throwing around powerline support cables to a downhill basket tucked into the wood line which was protected by a small, winding creek [Inset on right]. The next few tinkered through the woods and then back out to a field and across the street. In the pic below is Justin with a long par save attempt on #7.

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#8 introduced us to a 463′ long straight, slightly downhill fairway that ran parallel to a county road. The only thing stopping a wayward disc were two rows of 6’+ tall shrubs. All three of us landed near the road if you were wondering. I had a terrible drive when I released the disc too late which pulled it way left (I’m LHBH thrower). It went smack into the thicket and dropped at the inside edge. I had a killer approach shot from ~300 and parked it within 10′ from the basket…Not sure how that happened, but I’ll take it.

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As luck would have it, my bro lands behind a set of trees on Deer Lick’s #13. You can barely see him through the trees. Up and over for par save? You got this bro! [Inset image above.]

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As we got to the back 9, #15 was pretty interesting. A kudzu-filled hole. [Inset image above.]

I really enjoyed Deer Lick Park. It sets less than 5 min off of I-20 West coming out of Atlanta. Very quite and serene in the disc golf area, hardly anyone playing disc golf. I like the courses where we can play at our own speed and not have to wait on the group ahead of us. This course was built back in 1997, but it well maintained. At this park, there are ball fields, a gymnasium, batting cages, skatepark, mini golf, and whatnot! This disc golf part of it is mild-moderately hilly with a good mix of long open holes and tighter, wooded holes. I did pretty well and lucked up with some incredible approach shots. I finished at +2—not too shabby considering not playing for over a month and being a newbie to the course. We had a good time all around and was a great first round for me of the new year. I will definitely go back and play there again.

-jt

UP NEXT: WHITE OAK PARK: WEEKEND RECAP COMING TOMORROW, STAY TUNED!


Mancation 2012: Denver Disc Golf (Part II)

Posted by randomtiz


Continued from Mancation 2012: Denver Disc Golf (Part I)

After Saturday’s windy experience and lack of elevation at Arvada’s Johnny Roberts DGC, I was a tad bitter with my Colorado disc golfing thus far. First of all, I thought Denver was mountainous and had a lot more hills than it turned out to have. I expected Colorado disc golf courses to be filled with firs, spruces, and aspens, elevation changes, cool breeze and impeccable, breathtaking scenic views. Don’t get me wrong, now the Johnny Roberts course was indeed fun, but it was just not the scenic course I was hoping for. We needed to find a bigger, better course before this trip was over.

Then I remembered back a few weeks prior to our trip, North Colorado Disc Golf (@NoCoDG) tweeted us and mentioned that we needed to get up in the hills—that that’s where the bigger, better courses are. We researched that night and found out about Conifer Park at Beaver Ranch. The only problem?, it was about 45 min north of Denver and we had no car. After calling around town, we luckily found a car rental place that actually still had cars available. [There were several big events and conferences going on that same weekend, so it was hard to find any still available.] Locked it in for Sunday, check. Now we’re headed to the Mountains, boys!

Goodbye city. Hello Mountains.

Conifer Park at Beaver Ranch (Conifer, CO)
The whole drive up to Conifer was really nice. The Rockies—once off in the distance—were finally now getting closer and closer. Steeper inclines ahead as we winded up the hills leaving the city behind. The directions we had were horrible..or either it was that stupid GPS. Either way, once we got off the main road it felt like we drove in circles for a half hour trying to find one little road. I don’t know how many times it redirected us after we’d make a turn. The address on the GPS took us up one hill into this mountainside trailer park. Yea…don’t think there’s a disc golf course in this mess. “Heya Billy, 2 points if you ding one off da satellite dish into the plastic kiddie pool.” Yea..no. Ok after a different address confirmation, we’re back on track and finally get there. It’s already starting to look and feel like the “Colorado Disc Golf Experience” I was hoping for. Beaver Ranch is located down a long dirt road with a small dirt parking lot at the base. There to the side is a small cabin store-looking thing that reminded me of what you’d see atop a mountain while skiing. It is cool out, light breeze and the air is thin. Then you catch the subtle scent of the mountainous, evergreen air. Yes, this is it.

Some locals pull up about the same time we do and tell us Hole #1 is about a half mile from the parking lot.. Half a mile, seriously? Gees. That first time you know how it always seems like it takes forever? Well we walk and walk—crossing an overgrown, brush-filled creek. I’m talking thicket so thick, there could be bears hiding in there.

We get to #1’s teepad and the excitement and thrill level could not be any higher! This was intense. Hole #1 is straight uphill? Yes—with a very tight, heavily wooded fairway window staring right back at us. Hole #1 you’re basically teeing from ground level and throwing high and up into the mountain. Leaving no room for error, the first hole was a little intimidating. With the majority of us being from the Southeast, we’re not used to this level of drastic elevation change on the holes to follow.

There was a courtesy box and sign at the bottom of the wooden stairs leading up the fairway to basket #1. This was to put in your $3/per person (highly worth it) and grab a dated tag for the day’s round. After teeing off, the elevation change kicked in. I believe Tim was the only one that had a decent tee shot on this hole. On our next throws, we found ourselves fighting for a steady balance along the hill’s steep incline. I’m glad the day was cool, because with all the hiking/climbing we were about to endure, it could have been miserable.

Joe at Teebox #1

Joe Approach Shot on Hole #1

Basket #1 looking down fairway to #1 Teepad

The first four holes you’re playing your way up the mountain. So each hole the hike gets a bit more strenuous and the air gets thinner and the 9mm ammo in the bag gets heavier. Beautiful views of the trees and mountains off in the distance as you play. Tight cut lines surrounded by tall, thin pines and firs filled the landscape. Didn’t see any wildlife, but loved the nature sounds. I also did like how there was not a lot of small plant life around. This made it much easier to find your disc in the dirt or pine straw. Really the only thing you had to watch out for was if your disc became a roller and rolled off course…and down the hill. On Hole #10 I believe it was..we searched nearly a half hour for one of mine that skipped and rolled away. One of the zipline guides actually spotted it for us. Whew, did not want to lose that one. Oh and Yes, they had ziplines (next time I’m adding that to my list)!

Hole #2 Basket

JT on #4 Teebox

Joe on #5 Teebox

Needed a breather.

After the first 7 holes (1/3 of the way done), we needed a breather. Lots of walking, hiking on this treacherous hilly mountainside already. I’m glad we brought all of the water and snacks that we did. Come prepared if you play this course! Especially with this tight #8 (pic below) coming up, we needed to think about just how in fact we were going to pull off this next laser drive. It required roughly a 100+ft straight shot just to clear the tree line with literally less than a 15-ft window to work with. Here in the pic below, Jason’s eyeing the fairway leading up to the basket. Throw it soft to lay up and keep your line? or risk pinballing one through the trees and down the left side of the hill with a burner? Decisions. I’ve scored par on every hole up to this point and up by several strokes, so what do I have to lose? I’m going for it, son. Indeed did hit a tree or two, but would end up serving me well on this one.

Hole #8 Teebox and view of mountain from basket.

I managed to hang on at even par through the first 9, then I started to fall apart…as did everyone else. I would go on to bogey the next 6 in a row…ouch. The holes were getting longer and more difficult. We were feeling the burn from all the walking/hiking and arms were getting sore after the next handful of holes.

Jason about to ding the top of the #12 basket on a 310′ shot.

Basket #13…Anthill Mound. Unforgiving to say the least.

See the basket? Neither do we. But it’s in the midst of the Aspens in the back. #14 Approach Shot

I feel like we’ve been playing across the top of this mountain for hours. Isn’t it time the holes start making its downward spiral? Yep. Here goes. Hole #17 was a beast of a downward distance hole. This hole is some odd 430’+ long, but you’re pretty much teeing off from on top of the hill aiming to a downward basket. With a steep incline directly behind the pocketed basket, you could huck the hell out of your disc and not worry too much of overshooting the hole..As long as you angled it downhill. My goal, spike it in the hill behind the basket. Or at least hit it hard enough it would catch an edge and roll down to the pin. Check out the view from the teebox down to the basket.

JT on #17 Mountain Teebox to Downhill Basket. Seeyahhhhhhhhh. Bomb.

Tim bombing one at Hole #17. 435’+ to downhill hole.

Jason on #17 Teebox

Tim sinking a solid on #18.

Then the rain came. And it fell hard! With nowhere to go, we found slight shelter under some low-lying branches. The next few holes we played in the pouring rain. We were this close to the end—can’t stop now. Conifer Park is made up of “21” holes, but could not seem to find Hole #21. Hole #20 was a steep downhill hole with a heavily-wooded line to the basket. This hole you needed one to lay low and set down or your disc might be rolling all the way to the bottom off the mountain. There was one last teebox after Hole #20, but was not designated by a teesign. Could this be #21? It was long and far and required throwing over that overgrown, hellish creek I mentioned earlier. And the bad part about it? The creek lied maybe 50-ft in front of the basket. You either had to lay up before the creek, or bomb one hoping to land on the other side. We turned this into a CTP hole instead.

Course Recap:
All in all it was an excellent course with 21 beautiful holes. By far, the absolute BEST disc golf course I have played yet (yes, even topping Flyboys). Conifer Park at Beaver Ranch has the whole package. You’ve got the cool weather; the beautiful scenery; the mountains; the tall-standing thin trunked trees; challenging elevation…everything. This course is not for the beginner nor would I recommend for people out of shape. It’s rough. It demands lots of stamina, walking and hiking up steep terrain. Some holes have loose footing on the dirt and straw on the hillside. Bring LOTS of water/snacks. You’ll be out here for a few hours with just the amount of time to walk the entire course. It’s challenging and I loved every minute of it. I would catch myself taking in the scenery and snapping pics and missing some of the great shots we made. Ahhh if I just had some of those on film. No aces, but a few close ones. I love the outdoors, nature and I certainly love the mountains. This course made my “Colorado Disc Golf Experience”. It was everything that I imagined disc golf in Colorado to be like. I would’ve been highly disappointed to make it all the way out here from Georgia, and to have not gotten a chance to play something of this caliber.

Course Rating: 9.8/10

If you’re ever in the Denver area, you have to go play this course. Set aside a few hours to play..and of course, transportation to get there. Like I mentioned earlier, it is a ways out of the way but you will not regret it. No wonder it is rated a 4.6+/5 on DGCourseReview.com.

For a full look into our Denver Disc Golf Experience and over a hundred more pics, please check out our Dogleg Flickr page.

If you liked this post, don’t forget to “like” it and share below! Thanks guys!

-jt


The Importance of a Fairway Driver

Posted by destinjames


After reading J.T.’s review of Legacy Park, I thought I would take the trip to Kennesaw and check out the lil’ 9-holer. The course is in a beautiful community that is extremely well maintained, but as you may have already read in previous posts, the course is private to residents and/or their guests.

I LOVED the little course, and it may be my number one favorite course in Georgia so far. BUT… I feel the reason may have been the day I chose to play Legacy. 68 degrees, perfect breeze, leaves falling and squirrels everywhere gathering for winter. It was simply beautiful disc golf or no disc golf.

The best thing about Legacy may be it’s downfall. It is extremely accessible to beginners and is certainly the course that hooks a newbie into the sport, but serious disc golfers may be bored with it’s mainly ace-able holes and lack of diversity on the land.

What this course is PERFECT for is working on your straight game, and I can’t stress enough the importance of a fairway driver. While not as fast as a distance driver, it will go where you put it without a lot of fade.

I throw the Innova TL, and exclusively threw it playing Legacy. I don’t know if I was just having a good day on the course, or the TL is truly amazing. I’m not a hard thrower, so it tends to go just as far as my distance drivers anyway, but it’s placement is reliable.

A lot of players think that throwing a distance driver means getting distance, but what may happen is they under power the disc and it doesn’t go any farther than a mid range would, and the disc dives to the ground where you didn’t want it. I’ve been there.

What I love about a fairway driver is not only how they fly, but how they feel. When I toss the TL, The grip is much more comfortable than a sharp distance driver, and it rips out of my hands with grace.

After having a wonderful day with the TL, I know what my go-to disc is now. The next time you need a straight beautiful drive, reach for your favorite fairway driver.

Here are a few pics from beautiful Legacy Park:

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Mancation 2012: Denver Disc Golf (Part I)

Posted by randomtiz


Whew, what a trip!

I’ll start with that. Months in the planning and almost as long to finally get a review up on the blog. This past Labor Day, several of the Dogleg crew flew out to Denver for a guy’s weekend full of local brew tours, good eats,  and of course, disc golf.

There is soo much to cover from our trip that it’d take me hours to write up. So I’m breaking this trip review down into two parts to spare you all the details. I’ll sum it up the best I can and try to focus on mostly the disc golf part of it. At the end I will also provide a link to our Dogleg Flickr account so you can see most all of the pics we took from our trip (Special thanks to Jason for submitting his pics and for being the only other one to take a camera).

We had been talking this trip up forever it seemed, but just couldn’t get it all worked out on finding that perfect weekend to go that all of us could make. It’s always nice to get away from your local routine courses, terrain and weather and branch out to something new. Something far away that has very different terrain and weather conditions. Here at Dogleg, all of us share a strong passion for disc golf and (the majority of us) good beer. Where else has an excellent selection of both? Denver, Colorado. Home to several big beer names as well as loads of microbreweries. Not to mention all the disc golf courses!

With so many courses to choose from and so little time, I had to turn to our Twitter friends for Colorado disc golf recommendations. North Colorado Disc Golf (@NoCoDG) shot us back some of their favs which included Johnny Roberts, Badlands and Birds Nest. They also told us we should really go higher up in the mountains and play Beaver Ranch. One minor problem, we lacked a car. The closest course to our downtown hotel was roughly 6 mi away. Too far to walk and about a 45 min bus ride…exactly. We walked most places or either took the bus. Either one, it took forever to get longer distances.

Johnny Roberts DGC (Arvada, CO):
Saturday, we decided upon Johnny Roberts DGC located in Arvada to be our first course of the trip. We checked into renting a car for the day, but everywhere around was rented out. So we took to the ol’ trusty local metro transportation of the bus route. After waiting nearly 20 min for the bus to come to our stop, we were now on a 6 mi journey to Arvada. 45 minutes later, we were to our stop in Arvada.. Don’t get me started on local transportation. 

Anyway, after walking a few blocks we come up on the park. Doesn’t look like the best part of town, but heard that we just had to play this course for the history of Colorado disc golf. A couple of people calling it the “granddaddy” of  Colorado’s courses. You could tell. The park was crowded and the signage wasn’t real clear of where the start of the course was from walking up to it. Hole #1 you throw across an open field, which seemed a bit dangerous for other people and young ones playing around and running through it. There were a few holes where you threw across the sidewalk, which also seemed a bit dangerous to pedestrians and bicyclists.  One of my favorites parts of the course early on was the creek that runs through the park. This intertwining–very wide, yet very shallow–creek became a great obstacle through half of the course’s fairways. Several holes had the pin placement fairly close to the edge of the water. I thought this was pretty clever and as it required much more accuracy in laying up on your throws.

Hole #2 Basket next to Ralston Creek

In general, this was a very tight course. It had several very narrow fairways off the tee pad with lots of trees and brush lining the sides. On the holes that had open fairways, you had to deal with pedestrians and young bicyclists crossing by as you were about to launch. I could see where people could get hit often. They had nice, concrete tee pads and decent signs on each hole. The sign’s graphics were a bit weathered, but were designed very well. Each tee pad sign had an actual photo of the fairway, prominent hole number, distance to each pin location, and an overhead graphic of the fairway. Awesome! But, it was a little difficult–once you got to the basket–to figure out where the next hole began.
[Review continued after the jump.]

Joe on Hole #3 Tee Pad

Tim on Hole #6 Tee Pad

Hole #6 was a longer hole and liked to suck discs into the creek off to it’s left. Not only did they roll into the creek, it left an almost impossible clear shot out through the thick brush. Here’s Joe tossing up towards #6’s basket.

Joe for Par on #6

Thanks to the tip from a few fellow locals, that there is no longer a Hole #8. Apparently Hole #8 line of throw used to cross back over Hole #7..all out disc war, right? Throwing towards one another and high speeds of spinning plastic.  Hole #7 was neat too as you threw over the bridge down the creek line to a basket way off to the left alongside the sidewalk. Hole #9 was an Ace-able hole for sure. You tee off a slightly elevated pad and toss ~150 ft down to a lower pin placement on the edge of the creek. This is when the sandstorm hit. I mean hit hard! This is some of the hardest wind I have ever played in. The sky got dark and the wind blew furiously. Much of the course alongside the creek is dirt–which was where we were. I have never seen wind pick up dirt and blow it like that. It was ridiculous and you could hardly keep your eyes open but for a few seconds. Dirt, debris and leaves were flying everywhere. The wind storm lasted a good 15 or 20 min as we scurried as fast as we could through the next several holes. The wind in general made it very difficult to get in a good throw. Lots of our throws were picked up by wind changes and taken way off course. Bogeys and Doubles to follow.

Jason looking for his disc in a tree on #18.

The wind stopped, but the holes kept getting harder. More lines along the creek, more mandos, and tighter tee shots. Back 9 I fell apart and finished +7. All in all, I’d like to give this course at least another shot. Too crowded for me, but loved the challenging and technical game that it brings out of one. Not much for the scenery, I was expecting to be surrounded by more firs, pines and aspens..and hilly, mountainous terrain. I wasn’t going to stop at this course to my “Colorado Course”. I am, however, glad we got to play this one–especially to appreciate the history of Colorado Disc Golf.

Course Rating: 7/10

*CLICK HERE FOR PART II – CONIFER PARK @ BEAVER RANCH!

-jt


Cheers to Deer, a Legacy Park DGC Review

Posted by randomtiz


Now with the sun setting earlier than ever it seems, my disc golf adventures are being forced to the weekends. The closest two 18-hole courses from where I work are a mere ~30 minutes away. If I leave work on time, drive a half hour, I maybe have a good 7 holes in before I’m swamped with darkness and straining my eyes following my disc through the air down the fairway…or through the trees. Not worth it, especially when you spend more time looking for your discs in the dark than it did to play the first 5 holes.

But there’s Fall/Winter weekday hope. It’s called Legacy Park and it’s only 10 minutes away from my office. It’s only 9 holes, but it’s a fair course that’s very well maintained and landscaped. Biggest downside is that it’s located in a very nice Kennesaw neighborhood that’s technically only for the residents—unless you tag along with one.

It’s a great course to get in a very quick game after work that requires your short, technical game. Being in Legacy Park, you get a family friendly atmosphere as these 9 holes are laid out along the winding walking trail, nestled in the woods. I’ve played here maybe 5 times and every time I recall seeing at least one deer or more. Last month I played one evening around sunset and counted a total of 7 deer walking through different fairways; pretty cool! Ok, to the hole descriptions..

At Hole #1, there is a large course map sign. Pay attention to this as the course is poorly marked past this point. If you follow the walking trail, it will help you out if you’re looking for the next teepad. But don’t rely solely on this. Each “teepad” is marked by 6″ red pavers that are set in the ground. These are flush with the ground meaning you cannot see them from further than 15′ out or so. Keep your head down and look for the bare spots in the grass areas. More than likely, the pavers are set around that area and the grass is worn out from the disc golfers.

Hole #1 is tricky in that—for me being a lefty—it requires a hard anhyzer down the tree line. You tee off almost under a large overhanging limb and are required to curve it around the trees maybe ~270 ft. to a basket tucked approximately 15 ft. in a small cutout in the woods on the left. My suggestion, throw as far as you can and keep it wide in the fairway closer to the road. This leaves you a more open shot into the tucked pin position. If you hug it around the woods, you’ll more than likely have to throw it back out to the open, then turn around and throw back into the pocket. Another thing I don’t like is none of the teepads have teesigns with par/distance info. This is a fairly short Par 3 course with several Ace-able holes. This course will definitely test your precision and accuracy because most of the holes require tighter, straight shots through narrow fairways and low-hanging limbs.

PROS:
-Really close to work. Great for a quick 30 min. round right after work.
-Never seen it crowded.
-Wildlife! Good bit of deer around towards dusk.
-Several <270' Ace-able hole opportunities. Keep it low and straight!
-Improves your level throwing accuracy

CONS:
-Disc Golf Course for residents only. Find someone that knows somebody that knows somebody that lives there. Call ’em up!
-Only 9 holes
-Half of the hole’s fairways are actually the walking path. Watch out for joggers/walkers coming around the corner ahead of you!
-Course slightly difficult to navigate after Hole #1. Pay attention to course map on Hole #1.
-No teesigns. Pavers hard to see/find in the ground for first timers.
-Hole #9 ends a good ways from Hole #1. Requires a good little walk back to where you started from (where you parked)
-Parallel parking on side of road.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
-Don’t plan a weekend road trip to this course. Definitely play it if you’re local and/or know someone that lives in Legacy Park. Enjoy wildlife, nice landscaping, trickling stream and watch out hucking towards pedestrians!

-jt


Urban Atlanta’s Perkerson Park: Course Review

Posted by randomtiz


This past weekend I got a chance to play a course down in the city called Perkerson Park with a few friends. I really enjoyed the course layout itself, but as we finished, we each had mixed reviews. I’ll give my review.

I first came across this course a few months ago in a listing on DGCourseReview.com. I was doing a local search trying to figure out what all courses were located within an hour radius of where I live. Perkerson Park came up as one of them and also had one of the highest ratings of any within my radius. So I’m thinking Why haven’t I heard of this place before?. With a rating of a near 4 out of 5 on DGCourseReview, I thought Man, I’ve got check this place out! So, research I did…

Let me preface this by saying I’m not that familiar with all the different suburbs of Atlanta. After reading mixed reviews online, I was curious about where in Atlanta this course was actually located and it’s surroundings. The reviews online talked about how nice the park and the course layout was, but there were several concerns with the people that frequent the park. I even read where someone said that they carry a taser with them to the park…Now I’m thinking Oh gees, do we need to bring something? or yet even play?. We give it a shot. How bad can it be in broad daylight?

We get there a lil earlier than the others and we sit in the first parking lot for about 10 min. There’s a good bit of people around, maybe a reunion or birthday party. From the car, I’m not seeing where the first basket could be. I check the website on my phone and realized I need to be in a different gravel lot. We pull out and around to the next entrance which had the gravel lot. A lot less cars down there. In that first lot, I wouldn’t say I felt unsafe, but indifferent maybe.

So anyway, we get out and you have to walk down the creek about 300′ to the practice basket and trail for Tee #1. They had a really nice large, flat area with a practice basket and large stones marking 10′, 20′, 30′ and 40′ distances to putt from. After a bit of flippin’, we head up the short trail to teepad #1. Hole #1 is pretty sweet to start off the round. Picture this. You’re teeing off from halfway up the hill in a cutout in the trees. You’re roughly 30′ up teeing off over the creek, through the clearing and up the hill on the other side to a basket nearly 360′ away. Nice!

This large creek (trickling stream) bed runs through the park and comes into play for the first four holes and 11 and 18. I love how open and large this park is. There are trees in the open parts, but it’s not dense and the mature trees are spread nicely down/across the fairways for obstacles. After the first 6, you start into the woods where the fairways get tighter as your technical games comes out.

The course consists of mostly longer holes with the shortest only being around 240′ and going to the signature Par 5 Hole #18 at a hella-long 850′! I had a great time and never once felt unsafe once we actually got onto the course past the parking lot areas. I would definitely go back and play again with a group. Either way, I wouldn’t play the course alone. Play in a group.

You can tell how hard the crew works to keep this course up as best as possible. The landscaping, lines, and pin placement is excellent. I know they constantly work every Saturday mornings on the course using all 100% volunteer labor. There’s still lots to be done and they do only have carpet tee pads and temporary signs for now. I’m listing it as a con for now, but I know this park will be Awesome when it’s finally done. =)

PROS:
-Great layout and terrain. Loved the elevation changes and long open fairways.
-Enjoyed the Fall weather/leaves changing color.
-DG Course not crowded at all.
-Excellent balance of open and wooded, tighter fairways. Really tests your skills requiring a variety of shot types.
-Nice park in general! I hope they can keep this park up and going!

CONS:
-Surrounding neighborhood/area
-One of the trashiest courses I’ve played as far as garbage, shopping carts, baby strollers, baby cribs, random clothes lying in the woods/creek beds along the course. The park itself is really nice, don’t get me wrong. Just needs cleaned up in the woods.
-Temp signage; one was missing. I wish they had the Par listed on them. I had to constantly check my internet to see what DGCourseReview.com had each hole listed as.
-Carpet teepads; I know they’re working on getting concrete teepads.
-Hole #14…where is the basket? We couldn’t find it. Threw down fairway through mando, then ended up throwing 90 degree to the right across the creek to basket? Later realized this was Hole #17 basket. Do they share a basket?
-There is a good bit of walking between some baskets to the next teepad. We spent some time trying to find where the next holes were. Better directional arrows would help.

FINAL THOUGHTS: I say, GO PLAY IT! (midday, with some friends)

-jt


Wanna go to Indigo?

Posted by mojoe4u


I haven’t posted in a while due to the fact that other than league night on Wednesdays at George Ward, I haven’t played that many different courses lately.  This post is long overdue for the course and this could be a blessing in disguise that I’ve waited such a long time to recollect my experiences in a nutshell.  On my first two trips to this park I was accompanied by Tony Sanders – props to him for giving me valuable insight into a straighter drive with added distance.

The course = brutally awesome

The park = sketch

Highlights

  • Coming together quickly for such a new course due to the efforts of volunteers associated with DGB – great job guys!
  • Great layout with an intimidating first hole
  • Very scenic hike – can even catch a glimpse of a rusted out car hull from the 50’s
  • Tee pads are poured concrete
  • For such a heavily wooded area, poison ivy is contained to the perimeter
  • Gate at front entrance – doesn’t go anywhere but looks cool
  • Amateur and pro pads – diggin’ this even though not playing pro pads

Sketch/This sucks/Why is this happening to me

  • Got into chiggers – left and right legs from knee down covered
  • Weird hiker on course
  • Called a friend in the medical industry about the empty packets I found on the course  and apparently it is similar to methadone – sketch
  • Stung on right jaw bone by yellow jacket on hole #18
  • No trash cans on course or parking lot area
  • Slow drive bys in parking lot
  • Found a shoe and backpack off gully on right side of #1 – don’t need a ‘Stand By Me’ moment
  • Pulled tick off stomach and got a slight infection on the area it attached
  • People sitting and/or sleeping in their cars at park entrance – because I normally like to pull my vehicle into a city park’s parking lot to catch a little shut-eye
  • Traffic coming in and out of Lake Heather’s gated access for boats

Keep in mind that for beginners looking to have an enriching first time to play disc golf, this is not the place for such an experience.   Out of the local courses, George Ward is still the best place to take people new to the sport due to:  chill folks playing, easy walk, not difficult keeping up with your disc and most importantly, Tom is there.  For those that haven’t met Tom, you are definitely missing out on affordable merchandise (discs, accessories, etc.) and solid advice.

Four of the Dogleg crew (including myself) returned from Denver this past Monday.  Stay posted for some stories on this adventure.

Joe


Sudden Death Defeat

Posted by randomtiz


What an eventful weekend it was. Our short trip to Alabama did allow for a few rounds of disc golf at my hometown’s North Jasper Disc Golf Park.

This course is a fairly easy and short course but the unforgiving wind conditions always take a toll on your scores. With few trees on this fairly flat and wide open course, knowing how to play into the wind becomes a vital factor.

Saturday morning, Stephen, Jeremiah and I took on the rolling flatness of this fore mentioned park. The previous week’s rains left for some marshy areas and muddy tee pads. Great. The wind came into play on the back 9 and really got me on #18 when it took my sailing disc and carried it damn near the parking lot. Awesome…I now have as long a drive to the basket from here than I did from the tee pad. Bogeying that hole knocked me to +1.

Saturday, a few hours later, Dad and Eliz join me for yet another round. It’d been awhile since I’d played that course with my Dad–granted too that he’d only started playing several months back and a handful of times at that. So I was just about to find out how much he’d improved. To much of my dismay, he took an early lead as I struggled hitting long putts. He had me on those shorter holes for sure as trees instantly became magnets to my throws. So Dad kept a 1-2 stroke lead up until about 15 when I tied it up. Got another back on 16. Missed a gimme putt on 17 to drop back and even it back up…Tie on 18.

Can’t stop now, it’s sudden death son.

Tie #1. Hole #2, Dad lands less than 10 ft from the hole. I fly about 20 ft past the basket leaving me up to my trusty Leopard and my putting skills. Hit that long bird shot to tie #2. Hole #3, I’m up and sail one 30+ ft past the hole and, of course Dad, lands a few feet from within the basket. Gees. This is it, my only hope. 30 ft ringer—which I practice regularly in my yard—to send it into Hole 4 Sudden Death or either a few month’s bragging rights for Dad. No pressure, right? I toss one high and straight on…banks slight right clanking the chains and sails on past…done, that’s it. Game over. Dad goes Crazy; calls my bro on speakerphone to tell him the news and I have yet to hear the end of it. Haha great game Ham! Well played, well played. My Dad beats me at my own game. He loves it.

-jt

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NYE at Flyboy!

Posted by randomtiz


Flyboy Aviation – Main Hangar

All I can say is, wow. What an awesome Saturday morning to be out playing disc golf. We couldn’t have asked for a better day. Clear skies, low 60s and very little wind if any. This trip we’ve talked up for months and the day had finally arrived. The majority of the Dogleg Team drove in from Alabama and met two of us from Georgia yesterday morning at Flyboy Aviation in Whitesburg, GA.

Flyboy Aviation is a private disc golf mecca located on and around a private gated community airpark. It is made up of 27 holes—11 of which are considered water holes—that range anywhere from around an uphill 190 ft hole to a winding, slightly elevated 1,080 ft monster. This course has a variety of terrain and elevation changes that’s 12291 ft in total length with a par of 95. Flyboy is one of the top-rated courses in the country and a MUST for any disc golf enthusiast!

There was 7 of us in altogether, but they only allowed 4-5 per group to play; so we split into two groups. We started around 10:30am and finished the last hole around 4:30pm. Yes, 6 hours of playing with only breaking once for an on-site lunch. The course was beautiful and very well maintained. Each hole had a tee sign with a rubber teebox and equipped with a broom to dust off the teebox area.

-jt

Stephen at #3 Teepad

Hole #3 was the first water beast of a hole. It’s roughly 440 ft from the teepad to the water’s edge. Then you had roughly a 285 shot to the basket from there to the basket. You needed a good 250 shot to clear the lake. Sweet setup, but scary this early on. Felt like we were in for a very long day after this one. The course is a nice mix of long, open fairways mixed with tighter, narrower baskets through the woods. Lots of elevation changes kept it interesting and challenging. There were a few holes that required you playing down the edge of the lake which really called for precision on your throws. I couldn’t imagine playing this course on a windy day, forget that unless you have a bag full of floaters.

As the day went on, the holes got harder, further and more challenging. Not to mention getting sore and tired from hucking long drives on several 700+ ft holes. All in all, it was a great day out on the field with most of us together playing an exclusive pro-level private course. Very glad we had to the opportunity to play and would love the chance to be able to play again soon.

TIPS: Make sure you grab the course map from the clubhouse. It’ll help you remember where the basket is after you’re already 8 throws in and forgotten where the heck you’re throwing towards. Bring SEVERAL extra discs. If it’s your first time playing this course, you’re bound to lose one in the drink..or three or four. If it’s hot, bring a swimsuit, you may actually swim and find your’s or twelve others. If you’re not comfortable throwing over water or don’t want to lose your fav disc, take the drop. But yea, bring older cheaper discs for the water holes unless you know you can chuck one 250+ consistently. Bring drinks/snacks with you. It’s a long way back to the hangar for this once you get past the first few holes. DO NOT litter. Please help keep this park up and well-maintained. By far, the nicest, cleanest course I’d ever played.

Justin - Basket shot on #9

JT on #20 Teepad

Jeremiah chillin' @ Hangar

Heads Up - Plane coming in!

#25, Teepad to Peninsula to basket...385 ft/ Par 3

(L to R) JT, Blake, Justin, Smalls and Stephen


Disc Golf in Cullman

Posted by mojoe4u


It has been a while since I’ve posted and thought I’d do a quick briefing before I get into the post title.  It has been over a month since I’ve thrown a disc.  This sucks and it looks like it will be another few weeks before I’ve got time to get down to business as usual.  The last time I played was with Jeremiah at George Ward and am definitely eager to get back to it soon.  I also got tagged in the left ass cheek with a disc the week prior to meeting up with Jeremiah at George Ward on #16 – an omen?
Anyways, I saw in the Cullman Times where they have finally done a write up on the new course at Heritage Park in Cullman.  For those of you interested, yes, it is awesome.  I’ve played it several times and always early on Sunday morning.  I am usually the only person out there but that is to be expected before 8 in the morning.  Check out the article for the highlights – http://www.cullmantimes.com/localsports/x1184191812/LOCAL-SPORTS-Heritage-Park-adds-disc-golf-course .  If you happen to be in the area without your discs, have heard that Werner’s Trading Company is selling discs and is on the way to the course if you are arriving by Exit 308  on I-65 –  http://www.wernerstrading.com/ .  They also sell craft brews.  Just sayin’.

Give me a couple more weeks and another post will follow – hopefully one that doesn’t include me getting hit by another disc.

Joe


East Bound and Down

Posted by mojoe4u


My latest travels brought me to the suburbs of Atlanta in search of the rhythm and soul sensation of Huey Lewis and The News, the crisp finish of Sweetwater’s finest yield, culinary tour of the local hot spots and disc golf at Wills Park. Matt Moore embarked upon this adventure with me with what I can only assume was gusto and trepidation. This was his first time to play disc golf.

Locating the first tee is a task in and of itself.  Luckily we were able to find an employee that was able to point us in the right direction.  This quest took us past pavilions, baseball fields and tennis courts until we found ourselves adjacent to a bathroom with a practice basket in the front. The first fairway brought us to one of the meandering creeks that flow throughout the entirety of the park.  The majority of the holes were not only adjacent to a creek but also in a flood plain (bringing an extra pair of shoes is not a bad idea).  I was one of the lucky few that managed to fall in the creek (think around #4) and later had the pleasure of walking the rest of the course with a large brown streak on my backside.  Good times.

The rest of the course plays fairly quickly until you get to #s 15 and 16.  Getting lost is a given but the best part is locating #17 which happens to be at the other end of the park. I will have to say that playing eighteen holes at Wills Park is sort of like performing the lead role in Jim Henson’s “Labyrinth”; you feel directionless (poor course markings), confused with the spontaneous outbreaks of song and dance (nearby pavilions are host to summer camps) and witness to things you don’t ordinarily see (neighboring equestrian arena and an overabundance of discarded baseballs).

I would definitely play this course again.

Highlights

  • Concrete tee boxes with awesome signs
  • Saw a couple of snakes chilling (one in a creek and another in the woods)
  • Restroom on the course (not sure what the deal was with the benches inside – very odd)
  • The local players we met gave helpful advice on hole locations and playability

Disappointments

  • Lack of signs, course markings, etc.
  • Played course in wet shoes and muddy shorts
  • There were a LOT of people on the walking trails – try not to hit anyone
  • A good bit of poison oak and ivy – watch out

– Joe


3 Guys, 2 Courses and an Ascot (Part 2 of 2)

Posted by mojoe4u


A chocolate flavored Philly cigar and 45 minutes later we roll into Huntsville to discover that it is after 12 o’clock.  Sweet action.*Please see notation 1 at bottom.  We make our way out of the closest gas station laden with a 9 pack of the new pint sized Miller Lites with screw caps and a sixer of Natty.  I feel this is the right moment to include that if Bud Light Lime was willing to make the move to these awesomely futuristic, non-spill aluminum screw top bottles, disc golf would never be the same. I always manage to spill my canned beverage throughout my travels on the course with antics such as knocking it over with my foot, spilling over my hand as well as other forms of delightful inelegance.  You love it.

We pulled into Monte Sano and paid our $3 admission per person to find that the course was immediately next to the gate.  I was surprised to find that the entire course is wooded.  For those that have been reading my posts, I’m sure you know how unwavering I am in my attitude towards poison oak.  Fortunately the course was well maintained and there were only small patches throughout.*Please see notation 2 at bottom.  I found this course to be the most enjoyable wooded course I have been on yet – sorry, Trussville.  #6 is a bit difficult to find, but that’s all right.  On your roundabout walk to the tee, you can stop by the gift shop to hit up the air conditioned bathroom or chill outside and talk to the assortment of hikers, bikers and other disc golf aficionado’s.

I was a little disappointed that the front 9 went by so quickly – it seemed like it only took us 30 minutes to finish these.  Fortunately the back 9 and the scenic view overlooking the park next to #17 more than made up for this.  There are a lot of trees/obstacles to throw around but not a big deal; it seems that it gives you a bit more of a challenge than your ordinary park.  I was not thrilled with the course’s ratings from the website we had referenced; could use an elevated rating from its current status.

I would definitely come back and play another 18 at Monte Sano.

The ride back to Good Hope wasn’t bad at all considering we had a stop to Krystal’s on Memorial Parkway in Huntsville for a bite to eat.  We later had a bathroom stop at the Stuckey’s/Dairy Queen in Lacon where we somehow managed to find the exit within the overcrowded maze of knickknack filled aisles.  Helpful tip – do not venture into the bathroom stall in the Men’s Room. I’m fairly certain a small creature ventured into the toilet only to die in there weeks ago and will probably still be there to greet unsuspecting travelers in the upcoming months.

Highlights

  • The trees afforded much needed shade for a warm summer day
  • Very scenic and enjoyable hike through the woods
  • Easily navigable with painted arrows and multitude of signs
  • Low amount of poison oak
  • Gift shop/air conditioned rest room
  • There were benches throughout to take a breather and watch the wildlife – saw a lot of squirrels, birds and even a snake chilling in a ditch

Disappointments

  • The tees had carpet over them – wasn’t sure how to take this
  • No hole was less than 200’
  • Stephen did not purchase a pecan log at Stuckey’s
  • Not many trash cans throughout course

*Notation 1 – For the out of town readers on the 12 o’ clock bit – please be aware of the local ordinances within ‘wet’ cities/towns in Alabama. You typically have to wait until 12 noon before you can purchase beer or wine.  Also, some jurisdictions will not allow the consumer to purchase ANY alcohol on Sunday outside of a restaurant (notable example includes Shelby County).  Welcome to the Bible Belt.

*Notation 2 – Poison oak – Please do not be confused with a five leafed native plant that does have similar leaf margins because I assure you it is NOT poison oak.  WHY?  What is the easiest way to distinguish between this five leafed native plant and poison oak?  Poison oak has three leaves and as the old adage goes that aids in remembering this, “Leaves of three, let it be.”

– Joe


3 Guys, 2 Courses and an Ascot (Part 1 of 2)

Posted by mojoe4u


It began as a rendezvous at the Jack’s Truck Stop and Western Wear parking lot in Good Hope, AL.  The plan: meet up with Jeremiah and Stephen, head to Sparkman Park in Hartselle, maybe grab a bite to eat and be back before lunch.  Plans are subject to change.

I can only make it two plates into the breakfast buffet at Jacks before I have to throw in the towel; looks like it’s time to head to Hartselle.  Thirty minutes later, we pull into the deserted parking lot adjacent to some baseball fields and it is already smoldering outside; it’s not even noon.  Four holes into the course and drastic times call for drastic measures – I rocked an ascot.  My standard attire usually consists of a Grateful Dead bandana, sweat band on the wrist, Sperry’s, collared shirt and comfortable shorts.  However, it looks like I may have just added a little flavor to the usual ensemble from here on out.  Beware.

This is the first time any of us had ventured to the Sparkman Park and overall I was not impressed.  The ongoing premise shared by all is that it would be a good practice/home course but definitely not somewhere to drive out of your way to.

Highlights

  • Concrete tee boxes – made every drive a pleasure
  • Bathroom on site (and not a portable one – wow)
  • Easy to locate discs
  • Lack of poison oak
  • Not many obstacles to throw around (trees, shrubs, etc.)

Disappointments

  • No signs for the majority of the tee boxes
  • Baskets were not numbered
  • Due to the prior two bullets, we were unable to find the last three holes – only played thru 15
  • There was a lot of trash – this was probably due in part to the close proximity of the parking lot, baseball fields and local school

We left Hartselle and I felt incomplete.  The course didn’t meet my expectations and we hadn’t played 18.  Jeremiah and Stephen had already planned to play at least 1 course in Huntsville that they had not played on their last visit.

Count me in.

– Joe


The 36-Fix

Posted by randomtiz


That’s right, 36. One of my favorite local courses (also my home course), Oregon Park, has now been upgraded to 36 holes! This newly renovated course is much longer than the previous, less crowded, and now has two sets of teepads and baskets per hole. Awesome! Right now its a mix between concrete and dirt pads. Talked to one of the locals the other day and he said they’re still working on getting the signs made up for each hole. I’m pretty pumped about the new course layout. This will give me many more reasons to go play there this summer. I’d played the old course for so long it was getting a little too easy for me. Not that it was necessarily an easy course to start with, it just wasn’t much of a challenge anymore—even from the back blue tees.

The new Oregon Park course has quite a few dogleg holes that play to right-hander’s advantage. Me, being the lefty that I am, will make it much more challenging and will require me to bring back the flickin’. Always up for the challenge, I love this course again already! Another interesting part about this new setup—I don’t know if it was intentional in design or not—is the easier ability to play thru. By this I mean, with the two sets of tee pads separated a good distance apart to the side, you can play thru slower groups quicker and easier by throwing from the other set. I saw this happen a few times the other day. Seems like it could be a good idea…until someone gets clocked in the temple from an unruly tomahawk toss from out of the brush.

Holes #1-4, 7, and 9-15 are all new. #5 Silver is the old #1, #5 Gold crosses the old #17. #6 is part of the old #2. #8 is the old #5 going uphill. #16 is the old #9. #17 is the old #10, and the old #11 is now #18.

I went this past Tuesday with some friends and ended up finishing +1 on the Silver tees (closest set). I hope to make it back this eve to play from the Gold (back) tees. You guys need to make it up one weekend this summer. There’s so many here to hit up!
-jt

*UPDATE: My brother and I hit up Oregon Park again tonight. He actually took the cake with -1 and I finished Even. We ended up playing the Silver (close) tees again. Great story ahead. Look for next post coming within next 24 hrs.


The Fireside Chat from Bowers Park

Posted by rolltidethrow


A funny think happened to me on the way to do some bridge maintenance at Bowers last week.  I met three guys on hole 12 pro tee that encouraged me to sign up and perhaps submit material here on dogleg.  So, after a week of procrastinating and watching the terrible news involving the tornadoes in the midwest, I finally got the gumption to sit down and type out my thoughts and say hello.

For those that don’t know, Bowers Park is in beautiful sunny Tuscaloosa, Alabama.  Yes, a tornado came through, and yes it did damage, but a lot of work has been done to make it playable, and all 18 holes are playable.  The course is maintained by three groups.  Tuscaloosa county Parks and Recreational Authority or PARA owns the property and does minimal work.  Tuscaloosa Disc Golf Club is the official group that does trimming, brush clearing and rotates basket locations.  Then there is this super secret disc golf society that I, myself belong to, called the Bowers Park Holes that do a lot of work behind the scenes.  I will tell you about the Holes, how we got our name, what we do, and how we do it in another post. 

Bowers is one of the more challenging courses in Alabama, and has a reputation amongst the players for eating discs and causing bogies.  More than one player in the Eat Sleep Disc series declined to come to Bowers, citing it was the hardest course on the tour and would be difficult to compete in.  My friends and I just call it home.  The course has three tees for each hole.  The blacks were added last fall for all holes and make it quite a challenge for the pros.  Each hole also has three positions and some even have a fourth, but until all eighteen holes have a fourth, we will just have positions A, B, and C for now.  The month of June will see the positions shift from B to short.  The tee to pin distance ranges greatly from under 200 in some positions to nearly 500 on Hole 3 long.  The terrain ranges from open with little trees on Hole 1 to a ‘hairy booger’ on any hole of the back nine you choose to throw.  It’s a good hike up and down hills, across creeks and through the woods, but in the end youwill find that there is something for every thrower, newbie to pro, lefty to righty.

That being said, I will be posting things about Bowers, encouraging all of you to come throw.  The invitation is there, every 7:30 Saturday mornings.


Don’t Fake the Funk. . . .

Posted by mojoe4u


. . .on a nasty dunk.  Shaq’s wise adage from his much exalted Reebok commercial certainly rings true on my experience with #15 at North Jasper Park – 42 foot putt for par on that bad boy.  Not too shabby for the guy that has yet to even make a birdie on this course.

I met up with Stephen and Jeremiah early in the morning this past Sunday for our outing before they began their North Alabama disc golf tour.  We started a little after 9 and there was no one on the course before we began or after we finished – sweet action.  Stephen and I tied at 3 over and Jeremiah finished at 5 over.  Not bad for a day’s work; especially when you’ve broken a sweat before stepping up to the first tee box.

Morning Highlights

  • Random pair of fitness shorts sitting on the park bench adjacent to parking lot
  • Deserted course
  • Dead raccoon was gone – Stephen and Jeremiah watched one of the neighborhood dogs chewing on it Saturday afternoon.  Apparently it was the same dog that a week prior planted himself in the middle of a nearby driveway and proceeded to go to town on himself for at least half an hour

Morning Disappointments

  • Still no birdie for this guy
  • Tied with same score as last week
  • Pine trees were knocking discs down like it was going out of style

In case you haven’t noticed, the dates of my last few postings have been somewhat irregular – like a week or two between them.  Due to the recent tornado/high wind damage on the family property, I have been pretty much out of the game running a chainsaw for the last few weeks (and many more weeks to come).  Combine this with me living in 1912 (yes, Stephen, I am a little behind on the technology curve) and there will be a few inconsistencies in my posts. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy running a chainsaw but I’d also be much happier maneuvering an early 90’s Chris-Craft with Roxette’s “Dangerous” playing in the background and accompanied by some overzealous dancers that hail from the Mississippi Delta.

Everyone needs a goal in life.

– joe


J-town or Bust

Posted by mojoe4u


Saturday evening rolls around and it begins; scratching of the arms, body spasms, slurred speech and uncontrolled movement of my legs.  I’m jonesing.  It’s been 2 weeks since I played and the craving has kicked in with a fury; time to call Stephen.

North Jasper Park in Jasper, AL has been on my list for a while since it has been played by the majority of the Dogleg crew and also due to its short driving distance from Birmingham.  For those of you that are unaware of where this course is located, please do not consult with Yahoo Maps or you will wind up in a random industrial park in the back water of Jasper wondering why the only vehicle in the parking lot appears to be the semi-trailer truck that was featured in “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome”.

I did not bring my discs with me this time (sound familiar?) and Stephen let me borrow some of his.  I was pretty stoked about this but unfortunately the only bag I could find to carry my gear was a large mesh football practice bag with my former high school’s slogan and number.  Great – throw in a gnarled hickory branch to carry it and I’m headed off to the nearest rail yard to board a box car bound for a hobo life of panhandling and malt liquor.  Aside from the bag, I was able to try out some new discs Stephen had gotten in.  The Ching Prism did not rank very high for use as a driver; I would have similar distance and flight pattern if I thawed a DiGiorno pizza and attempted to throw it.  I primarily used an Innova Monarch for a driver and after getting used to it, I was throwing it as well as the Dragon – not too shabby, but I still missed the Dragon.  Stephen finished par for the course and I finished 3 over.  Overall I greatly enjoyed this park and would definitely play it again.  Below are some highlights and also shortcomings of North Jasper Park.

Highlights

  • No poison oak, few trees and essentially flat terrain – made for an easy day of tall boys and relaxation
  • There is a swimming pool adjacent to the course that was filled in with dirt and currently has a garden planted in it (ladders and other accessories still attached)
  • Regularly mown – easy to find discs if they’ve traveled off the path
  • Porta-john – few courses I’ve been to rarely have anything vaguely resembling a toilet
  • The majority of the holes are around 200 feet
  • Not many disc golf players – can leisurely enjoy each hole

Shortcomings

  • Walkers and joggers are rampant on sidewalk throughout course – watch out!
  • Dead raccoon
  • Somewhat difficult to find if not familiar with the area or using Yahoo Maps

– joe


Afternoon Delight

Posted by mojoe4u


Friday afternoon, sun blazing, disc golf tee time steadily approaching and off I go in the ‘Russian Tank’ bound for an eatery downtown to meet up with the rest of the crew.  Would anyone at the delicatessen notice the guy walking in with a backpack rattling with various accoutrements and attired in a sweat-soaked shirt?  Before I could give this much more thought, I became a spectator to the new marketing strategy of a homeless gent that decided to slap the side of an SUV while it was backing up (pretty sure this didn’t pan out for him) and also saw an anti-death rally at 5 Points that featured a person tied to a cross.   Should I take these events as some sort of omen?  I was soon able to enjoy an awesome sandwich that eventually caught up with me (not too awesome 45 minutes later) that made me sound like a gristmill thundering  it’s way from hole to hole.  Mix that in with some wine and apparently that was the secret to my success for the day.

Greg Carter Memorial DGC was the latest of the courses to conquer.  It’s around half a mile away for Poison Oak Gulch (John LeMaster DGC) and for anyone that has a can-do attitude and a pocket full of dreams, both courses can be played in a matter of hours with a driving time of less than 2 minutes.  Sweet action.  This was my 5th time to play and first time to play this course.  While there is a bit of poison oak beginning with #7 thru #16 (excluding #’s 12 & 13), it is in no shape or fashion a disaster area like the other course (still carrying Benadryl cream and a grudge from weekend prior).  #’s 14 thru 17 are hazardous – the road is precariously close to the holes, so watch for traffic.

I had my longest putt (between 60 – 70 feet) and also my longest drive (unfortunately onto neighboring baseball field).   I am still using one of my Carson Classics (Pig) as my putter and the Dragon has been a champ on the drives.  I observed possibly the longest drive with a Beast by Stephen – 3 to 4 football field lengths at a 45º degree angle straight into the woods; the Beast was never heard from again.  The results of the game are as follows:  J.T. in the lead, Jeremiah in second and I tied for third with Stephen.

Had a great time and hope to see the rest of the crew soon.

– joe


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