Saturday, April 25, 2009

What could of been and what was.

Well, I find it necessary to report on the last Sunday Mendo tournament. "Conditions were perfect"-Flight of the Conchords. Anyways, this day saw 8 excited people go out for a beautiful round. The first Frolers including: Myself (David), Parksalot, Rusty, and B-Run. The second group was: Jimmerson, Roy, Nate Dog, and Vincenzo. Well lets start with my round and what was: Birdies--hole 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 18. Pars--hole 2, 7, 8, 9, 13, 16, 17. Boges--None. Chain outs--hole 2 and 13. Well, I can't complain I shot an 11 down (8 under my handicap). Now lets consider what could of been if I would of chained IN on holes 2 and 13...I would of been 13 under...F*^*%! Well, I guess thats why we keep playing...right boys? I am forgetting the rest of the scores but I remember that B-Run came in second place and Rusty came in third. Well, I hate to bring it up (not really) but Rye Bread...I am knocking on the door again. I hope to see everyone tomorrow.

David

Warm ups for the KOA Jam

"They say that no one is perfect. Then they say practice makes perfect. I wish they would make up their minds." Word up Winston C.! There is no perfect, but you can get really close with practice. Just like you guys can hit under at the high school, with practice you can hit those scores at the KOA course.
So we went and practiced on Friday. Jim, Davey the Dentist, D-money, Roy, Rusty, and myself B of the Brody arrived at the KOA on a cool windy afternoon. We decided we should play a skins round. So as you probably know skins is a little different than your regular over all low score wins. This is a game of big birds, not the kind from Sesame St. These shots were for all or nothing. We started out with a round of big 2's that stole my "headbanger" on one. Over on hole two Derrick made us start working and no one was ready for the job. He took the first two skins with ease. We made the climb up to the long hole 3 where Jim showed us how to drive for a bird or ace with his Roadrunner. Even with the great drive the putt was a little long and left Jim and others with a still happy 3. We went on taking the skin out from each other. Made it past six with six dry disc, and the skin total adding up. On and on the holes went adding a skin with each. What a good skins round! So we come to hole 15 "The Saddle" if you will. Get on top and get ready to go for a ride. I was excited for this hole unlike some by the sounds of it. I was first up and this is for 13 skins. I fall short, but in the fair way and know I have a sealed 3. D-money steps up and out throws me. Derrick had the only real bird look. With Davey in the woods and Roy and Jim past me, I think to myself "Self, D has an easy 3 there goes my bucket of skins." At the same time Derrick is not only ready for his shot but he has handed me his camera so he could relive this moment over and over. Listen to the howl. Scary.

Oh I forgot Rusty landed his up shot dead in the can. The trash can. He is waiting to putt in the video.
That was that all of our money given to the one we nicknamed D-MONEY! Of course the round was not over and it really doesn't matter. But here it is anyway. Davey went on to take the next 2 skins with a nice bird on 17. Davey and I were tied for overall going into the 18th and I took the victory only because Davey really wanted that last skin. I also won the last skin in a CTP round with my rare flick. It was a wonderful round with ups and downs. Good times and bad times. Old people asking lots of questions and Yoda farting on the ride home. I will leave you with this: Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Appreciate your friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.
-Mary Ann Radmacher
With this creed or quote and some more trips to Willits the MFC will be unstoppable at the Pro-Am Jam. Thanks guys!

Thursday, April 16, 2009

The Return Of The Jim?

Well Fellow Frolfers, Easter Sunday saw the return of Italy's/Mendocino's own James B. Eldridge (and you better believe that B stands for Birdie) . James showed up on the scene: wind blown, weather beaten, and jet lagged but that didn't stop him nor did it stop this author and 4 other eager disc golfers from skipping out on the traditional egg hunts and silly bunny games. The round had 2 CTP prizes, one for hole 9 and one for hole 12 which got pushed to hole 13 due to Parkweather's (he donated this prize) park job. The disc golfers on this day included this author (David), Jimmy, Park N' Pay, Nate Dizzle, Vincenzo, and B-Runoffski. Vincenzo took home the first CTP prize (I forget the prize...Jim, can you help me?) and Jimmy, beating me out by several micro-inches, took home $10 generously donated by Parks. We all played together rapping and carrying on until the last several holes where things began to tighten up and the players started to metaphorically position themeselves in for the win. Standing on hole 18, I was in the lead at 5 under my handicap and Nate DizDiz and B-Run were on my tail (Easter Pun) at 4 under their handis. The 3 of us missed the uprights and I pulled out the win by one stroke over Nate Dog. Jimmy and Parksalot both made the uprights and pulled out birdies. The scores were as follows:

DaveyD: -7 (4 under handi)
Nate Dog: +4 (3 under handi)
Vincenze: even (1 under his handi)...I think
Parks: even (1 under handi)
Jimmy: -5 (even with handi)...not to shabby Jim for not playing for 1-2 months.
B-Run: I forget...someone help me.

see ya.

Monday, April 6, 2009

"may your drives skip where you want them to and your putts stay down"

We all need some help from time to time.  When I was moving from my house in Mendocino, where I could play disc everyday, to my home up here in Inglenook, my pal, and MFC president, Matthew "State Parks" Starkweather was there to offer his truck, trailer and brawn for the transport of my things, on the day after Christmas.  When I was drunk out of my mind on Absinthe and getting roughed up by two trigger-happy New Zealanders down at the Woodlands, who was the dark hero to come to my rescue, even though I was about to get the best of them?  That's right, our very own Nathan "Nate-Dog" Anderson of Anderson Alternatives in Mendocino, that's who.  When "Detroit or Bust" David Stein needed companionship for the last game of the regular season for his beloved Lions, it was Matthew "All park and no bite" Starkweather and yours truly who endured the loss with him.  This is the support of a community.  It's strength lies in the bonds it creates.  No matter how strong that bond may be, it is up to a higher power whether or not your putt will stay down and if that skip and roll will be towards the basket.  Some people believe that if you yell at your disc loud enough, and with enough conviction, then it will respond accordingly and save your shot.   Others say that "body english" or leaning in the direction you want the disc to go will correct its flight path.  A small but dedicated group of people are convinced that saying "luck of the Irish" at just the moment before impact with a tree will kick the disc out into the fairway and out of trouble.  Have we as disc golfers been reduced to the superstition ridden level of the ball golfer?  Luck plays a part in our games but good old fashioned confidence is more powerful than all the shots that bounce around in the tree on #9 and end up next to the hoop.  There was a fair bit of talk at the sunday round of "scores that could have been".  I know I was so frustrated with my "luck" that I picked up an innocent plastic chair and hurled it into the lacrosse field.  The human brain tries to find patterns in life and make judgments based on these patterns.  It is easy to have a few shots chain out and roll down the hill, farther away from the basket than the original shot.  Sometimes shots that hit directly into the center of the basket will ricochet off the pole and onto the ground.  These things happen.  When you think that they are because of some hex on your game, then they will continue to happen.  You loose the confidence to make the shots that count.  Aaron Brun did not have that problem.  When you are playing with the confidence that Aaron has been bringing to the course, your putts don't fall out because you don't let them.  You don't shoot too hard, or too soft.  You don't miss just barely right and chain out, only to blame it on the basket or bad luck.  When you play with the confidence of "The Brun" your shots are calculated and without risk.  That is how you score a handicapped -11.  In second and third respectively were A. "to the M- F'n" J. and D- ricculous with both scores of -4.  That is a record for best handicapped score for Aaron "the gravedigger" Brun.  Time will tell if Brun can keep up the intensity of this score. 

"nobody gives you any respect, anyway they already expect you to write out your check to tax deductible charity organizations" -Bob Dylan