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
Discasaurus – New Disc Golf Score Tracking App for the iPhone/Android!
Posted by randomtiz
Hey guys I’ve got a new disc golf app that you all should check out!
It’s a brand new app that will hit the App Store within the next week or two. I’ve been messing around trying out a TestFlight version of this app most of the day today and I would like to share my review with you.
| Interface: First off, the name of the app is called Discasaurus. This is a score tracking disc golf app unlike any other I’ve come across out there. Its interface is very user-friendly and has a nice, polished look to all the graphics. A lot of the free disc golf apps I’ve used before have crappy graphics and appear as if they were thrown together in Microsoft Paint. Not this one. I really like its web 2.0 look and feel. The text is very legible and the buttons are large—great for those with clumsy thumbs and on-the-fly scoring. Now let me take a few minutes to introduce and walk you through this handy app. You’ll be able to set up and start using this app by the time you reach the end of this article. Bet. |
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| Getting Started: Setup The setup process maybe takes 3-5 minutes, so here it goes! To get started, you’ll need to upload the course directory for your state. This is quick and very easy to do. From the main screen, you’ll go to “Settings” and hit “Update Course Directory.” Simply find your state and hit update. I was impressed by how quickly the courses loaded. When I selected Georgia, it was a mere 4 sec and boom!, loaded. You’ll probably be prompted to allow GPS location so it can find nearby courses for your area. From there, select your course and choose between the Blue or White tees, then hit “Start.” At some point it will ask you to enter your name, email address and choose a disc color. I would recommend taking a few extra minutes and sign up on Discasaurus.com (This will be extra beneficial later. Hold your horses, I’ll get to that part later.) =) |
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| Starting a Round: Scoring Now you’re ready to start! Scoring on this app is very intuitive—simply tap the screen for each shot you took. ie. If you scored a par, tap the screen 3 times. One thing that was confusing to me was how to correct your scoring if you messed up. I tend to type/tap fast and I accidentally tapped one too many strokes for a particular hole. At first, I couldn’t figure out how to reset the hole but after playing around several minutes, tapping everything possible and visible on the screen, I finally figured it out. Simply press down on the screen for 2 seconds and it will reset that hole. Upon later troubleshoot, I found two more ways to correct the scoring. 1) Two-finger touch decreases score by one stroke; 2) Three-finger touch resets the score too with a vibration. However, I do wish there was some sort of Tutorial that had a few quick instructions on setting up/scoring. It’s all pretty straightforward, but that confusion earlier created a slight roadblock for me. To advance to the next hole, just swipe your finger to the left and you’ll jump to the next hole. You can go back a hole by swiping your finger to the right. Get ready for this. Some of the best is yet to come! When you finish out the 18th screen, you have the option of submitting your score to Discasaurus’ website. This is where the Sign Up from earlier will come into play. |
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Expand the Experience! Submit Your Score to Discasaurus.com! I told you the best is yet to come and I wasn’t lying. Once you’ve signed up with a free account on Discasaurus.com, you have the ability to submit your round scores directly from the app. But that’s not all, there are LOTS more of cool stuff on the site available with your free account. By signing up, you’ll be able to create your own personal profile. You can choose a username and upload a picture to attach to your own profile. You can even set your city and state AND add your favorite courses as well to it. Connect with friends and other Discasaurus users from across the nation! See their recent scores, profiles, and favorite courses. Check out the course directory to find courses, scores, and pics of courses in your area. They even post leaderboards and recent scores for every course on there, awesome! Keep track of all your rounds and see how well you stand up with other fellow Discasaurus app fanatics! Another neat feature I’ve never seen before is the profile widget (see pic on right). You can paste this anywhere on the web. It tracks your average rounds/scores for friends to see. Well worth checking out, you won’t be sorry. Look for it in the app store soon, Discasaurus! |
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.
Discraft Avenger SS Elite Z
Posted by holeinone08
I found this disc untagged in a ditch. I threw it ten to fifteen times while practicing and decided it was not a lost disc but someone had thrown it in the ditch like it was a candy bar wrapper or a cigarette butt, TRASH. So now two months later I have revisited this disc at the driving range. This could possibly be the most versatile driver I have thrown. With a moderate amount of hyzer you can hold a long straight line with almost no fade at the end. This disc has replaced my forehand overstable drive when I need to go left and break back to the right. I throw it high and left with a little anhyzer and it will get around the obstacles and flex out back to the left which at that point is straight. With a lot of hyzer and thrown right it will fade like it is an over stable disc but try to flatten out late in the flight. I feel that this disc has endless possibilities. I will never play without one of these in my bag. I just don’t know the weight because discraft doesn’t write it on the bottom.
– TimmyP
175 DX Leopard
Posted by holeinone08
I purchased another Leopard since I left my last one at agnes moffit in Houston after purchasing it on the way to play and only throwing it 3 times. Once again I have the 175 g Red DX Leopard. I can throw this disc about 300′ with a little hyzer. Thrown like this, I love the flight path. The disc levels out fast and then holds a straight line before graduallly fading at the end. I have also found this disc to be useful as a roller. I am still a rank below novice when it comes to throwing a roller shot but this disc if thrown left of the target flat or with a little anhyzer will flip over fast and roll straight, then it turns a little right as its speed dies. I am still not putting with it sorry tizz but I love the aviar.
-TimmyP
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
Daps for the WordPress iPhone App!
Posted by randomtiz
On the go and want something to show? Don’t wait til you reach a computer, post live and straight from the course! There’s been several times when I could not wait to get home to post to tell everybody about an awesome shot I had/made. Well guys, I recommend downloading the WordPress app for your iPhone. This handy free app lets you keep track of multiple blogs, upload pictures, read and write comments and posts all straight from your phone to the Dogleg Disc Golf blog! Very easy to use; I think its interface actually is a little more user-friendly than this. Try it out!
My latest post, “Dogleg Custom (Illustrated) Stamp” was done all from that app. Uploaded the pic from it too, cool!
-jt
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
Gregory Carter, Shorter but Harder
Posted by randomtiz
What a Good Friday it was. After a successful morning round at North Jasper DGC, Stephen and I drove to Trussville to meet up with some friends to play course 2 of Civitan Park. Last weekend we played the first course, John LeMaster; this weekend it was the second, Gregory Carter Memorial DGC.
If you like heavily wooded courses, and the difficulty, check out Gregory Carter Memorial DGC. This is a very short course–with holes averaging around ~215 ft.–but the thick foliage, abundance of trees, and dogleg pin positions make it a tricky and technical course. There’s only a few holes where you can really release a beast of a throw. But the majority of the holes are thick through the woods with tighter fairways and require strategic, shorter throws. The Cahaba and large rock formations are factors on a few holes of the front 9 that you’ll have to keep in mind.
Overall, a fun and challenging, technical course. Bring your short game. This course really tests your accuracy and placement.
*TIPS: Bring a good mid-range disc. They may work to your advantage on these shorter holes which require more accurate/straighter throws. Keep your throws low. Much of the front 9 is on slanted hillsides. So if your disc catches an edge, expect it to roll …and roll …and roll down the hill. Expect to chase at least one downhill.
-JT
New course in Hoover
Posted by curly2284
Joe actually sent me the link to the info about this course so I wanted to share it with everyone. This makes me extremely exhited this will make 4 18 hole courses in birmingham alone.
DGB has received official confirmation that we’re ready to get started on Birmingham Metro’s newest course! This project has been in the works for well over a year and has finally cleared the last few hurdles to start work.
With the land provided by the City of Hoover, DGB has been tasked with installing a championship level disc golf course at the “Inverness Nature Park”. The Inverness Nature Park is a tract of land located only three miles south/east of the 459/280 interchange. The park is mostly wooded with a few open areas, rolling hills, and some water. Initial plans for the park include parking, benches & trash cans with future plans to include restrooms and a pavilion.
With the available land, we’re expecting a championship level course that will play Par 60+ from the Pro tees! Initial estimates have the Pro tees at almost 8,000′, for comparison George Ward is 5,600′! Am tees will be similar in length to George Ward but will provide additional challenges with wooded fairways and elevation.
DGB will be providing the baskets, signs, and course design for this project and we’re going to need sponsors! Sponsorship opportunities will include graphics and other information on tee-signs and baskets. If you know of any businesses that would like to support our course in Hoover please let me know.
~Stephen
Can’t Believe It’s Not [a] Putter
Posted by randomtiz
I’m telling you–and Stephen can attest to this–you have to invest in a Leopard. For me, it’s the DX. Two of them to be exact.
My Leopards are so accurate and predictable, I use them from everything to fairway driver to midrange, to most used as my PUTTER. I have used these over and over and can depend on them every time. They fly fairly straight at high speeds and have a slight hyzer fade at the end. If you can get where you can predict the fade at the end on ranges of 25+ ft, you’re golden. If I’m anywhere within 100 ft. of the pin, I’m always throwing a Leopard.
My two longest ringers ever at distances of ~ 90+ ft, were both thrown with a 166g DX Leopard. I’ve hit numerous shots from around the 30-40 ft. range with these same two Leopards. Check this out, today on three consecutive holes I rang from ~30, 25, and 18 ft respectively. Bombed the next hole, then the next hit another birdie from 32 ft. I would never play without one. Great for all experience levels. DX’s run you shy of $8, get you one. And then lets hear stories.
-JT
Cahaba Flow, Pints to Go and Suited-up Joe
Posted by randomtiz
John LeMaster Hole #2 - Death Rocks
Ahh man what a weekend! So yet again, another big disc golf weekend. This time, Birmingham for Tim’s wedding. I want to thank Robin (you’re awesome) for allowing Tim to make it out to play disc golf the day after the wedding. So Sunday it is and all the guys from the bachelor party are in town ready to play. We had a couple of hours to kill before the Talladega race ended and before Jason had to catch his flight. So why not a round of disc golf, right? Great choice.
This was the first time I’ve played at the John LeMaster’s DGC and only the second course I’ve played in Birmingham. After throwing my disc into the Cahaba on Hole #1 and tripping over huge boulders and being approached by a feral cat on Hole #2, I was beginning to rethink what the heck I doing here. Then I took a drink of my Imperial Red and realized I was here with a great group of guys and what an adventure this was about to be.
John LeMaster DGC has some intensely, traverse fairways and tight spots. The majority of the pin locations are visible as straight shots from the tee box. However, welcome to big fields full of tall, unforgiving trees. There’s a few holes that are extremely tight and narrow with lots of hungry foliage and what seemed like, booby-trapped mine fields full of sharp, jagged rocks and empty creek beds. When searching for your misguided disc here, be sure to watch your footing as there are many sharp rocks and big drop-offs down to creek beds–not to mention the poison oak flooded down several of the wooded fairways.
This course is very challenging and a great choice for anyone looking to step it up to the next level. This course also has a few interesting pin locations–such as a long dogleg hole with a pin set back on a narrow trail in a shrubbery ‘cave’. This course also has pretty high grass. I’m not sure how often it gets cut, but can be difficult to find your disc after a long throw or either after ricocheting one off 3 trees. I would certainly like to come back and play this course again, and to finish it for that matter. We ended after 11 in order to get Jason back to the airport in time for his flight.
Great weekend you guys! We must do this again; another day, another city, another course.
LeMaster Tip: *Bring extra discs. Use neon ones. Good luck; you’ll need it.
-JT
Our group (L to R), Jason, Tim, Joe, Stephen and myself (not pictured)
Ace……not quite.
Posted by holeinone08
Picture of my drive on a 233 footer. I set myself up for a nice little birdie but I thought I had more. The JLS is my original driver and it is finding it’s way out of the bag more and more nowadays when I need a 170 to 240 straight shot. After coming back to it I seem to have the S-curve figured out.
“Im in love with a…….. Leopard?”
Posted by curly2284
Im relatively new to the game of disc golf. So I have just recently got comfortable with my swing and controlling my throws. But the one thing I have noticed with myself and others if you are comfortable with a disc you generally are a better golfer. My Innova leopard is that disc. It is the only disc in my collection that I can grab and throw. As soon as it leaves my hand I know exactly where its going. The confidence that gives you cant be summed up in words.
I now own three leopards. Thats right T H R E E. I have the first leopard I bought, which was a 175 dx. This is the disc that started it. In the beginning it was the only disc that I could throw straight. My new favorite is a 169 champion leopard. With it if I am less than 220 feet its getting thrown. I usually and pretty dang close with it. This is also the only disc that I can hyzer or anhyzer on command. For a backhanded newb thats saying alot. My newest is a 171 star leopard, I love the feel of it but I havnt actually played with it. Thats gonna happen very shortly though cant wait to get out with it.
If you dont have a leopard in your bag I suggest borrowing from a buddy or go out and by one and throw it around youll be happy with it. Then you could be hitting 80 ft birdy shots like tiz.
Flickin’ Birdies
Posted by randomtiz
I’ve been experimenting with different forehand/backhand throws and gradually getting better at each. But one of the most crucial aspects of the game is being able to have a stellar short game.
I live almost 20 min from the nearest course, so getting out there and practicing my putts often wasn’t always the easiest option. Lately I’ve had numerous shots land within the 25-40 ft range after a long drive. Although luckily I’ve managed to sink a few of those, most of them I’ve missed pretty badly (I’m not one to always lay up, I like to go for it.) So i figured this is the area i need the most work.
I tried setting up make-shift goals consisting of large water buckets, laundry baskets and even fertilizer carts. They worked for what they were, but I was missing out on the “ching”!
After researching for a few weeks online for different disc golf targets, I came across the DGA Mach Lite basket. I was looking for something that had really good reviews, portable, and of course affordable. This was just that. I ordered it off Amazon for right around $150 w/ free shipping. It got here within a week and sets up within 5 min! It looks way better in person than it did online. It’s legit and sturdy. Regulation size but does have thinner, lighter-weight chains than the regulation baskets do. I’ve thrown at it a good bit already and the chains seem to stop it every time. I have had one throw that went all the way through, but that’s it. Highly recommended. Comes in red or blue and has a flag that attaches to the top. Get you one and you’ll be flickin’ in birdie shots from 25+ ft away in no time!
-JT
My new DGA Mach Lite target
