The Terror at Terrace Creek

The morning of the Terror at Terrace Creek tournament looked promising. The sky was menacing, but the ground was dry. My hope for somewhat dry tee pads was blown away almost immediately when gallons of water began belching from the clouds.

I was eating an apple, walking the quiet path into the woods toward basket 11 when it started to fall. 

Oh well, I thought. My plan was to attack and the pacific northwest rain wasn't going to stop me. I was equipped with a giant umbrella and comfortable clothes that kept me warm and dry. In my bag sat two Maw N Paw towels and I planned to use them quickly and efficiently throughout the rounds.

After stretching a bit I began putting. This is when all my past tournament experiences usually begin creeping into my mind. Scenes of me missing putts or hurling uncontrolled throws rush in. This time was different though. I felt fed up. 

I began attacking the basket.

Ching, ching, ching from 10 feet. Ching, ching, ching from 15 feet. Ching, ching, ching from 20 feet. 

My Legacy Clutches were dialed in. I wasn't surprised. I've been putting more than anything else for a while now. I've adopted a new thought process that I picked up through watching all the major tournament videos on YouTube.

If I can see it then I can make it. 

I used to think – well if I miss I don't want to miss and have a long putt back.

Fuck that.

Excuse my language.

That technique left me with short putts and weak attempts. I'm all in now. If I miss the bird then I just make the par. If I miss the par then I need to practice putting more.

This tournament was going to be different. I had more confidence than ever before. 

Rain? What rain?

When I found out my card was starting on hole three I wondered if the Universe just watched my putting routine and eavesdropped on my inner battle. It's as if the starry bastard wanted to see how serious I was and maybe try to call me on my bullshit.

For those of you that have played Terrace Creek in Mountlake Terrace, WA. you know hole three is a relatively easy hole as long as you shoot the gap. For those of you that are not familiar with this course I'll tell you hole three is a short adventure over a ravine. There's a tiny tee pad with a steep drop off and there is a jail of trees to miss in order to make it across. A lot of people hit one of two trees right in front of the tee. Those trees have been hit so much that there are now 2x4s attached to reinforce and protect them from further damage. The photo above is taken from a bit of an extreme angle to show the basket position straight ahead, but that's basically what you're looking at.

Hole three is a birdie hole, but it's also easily a bogey hole.

So be it. I was ready to throw. What ever happens, happens. 

I made it.

It wasn't pretty, but I was across and looking at a long putt for bird. I ended up getting the par, but that was OK. I passed the first test.

Going hole by hole isn't my intention here, but the next hole needs to be written about.

Feeling good about my previous par, I walked on to tee four and mentally designed my drive. This hole is a blind, lazy hyzer shot. You have to bend your shot to the left around a hill and in front of a mando tree. You don't want to cut it too short, because you'll be stuck on the side of the hill, which is plagued with a serious case of fern-itis.

My drive looked great. My card mates agreed. They all had great ones too. We all walked out and everyone found their disc except me. It was hiding somewhere. We all searched. It didn't make any sense. I had hit that line many times before and I usually know where about my disc could land. The photo below shows the different landing areas around the bend. The basket is just behind the third tree on the right.

It was no where. I finally called the three minutes on myself and rushed back to the tee to re-throw. I was livid. I quickly drove and watched my disc hold a hyzer line right past the mando tree.

Damn.

I took a six.

The rest of the round was a battle to keep a dry grip and a positive attitude. I hit a few birds here and there. One of them was extremely memorable, because it was on a hole I had never birdied before.

Hole 11 is a 357 foot hallway shot. I've always been just a bit off on the drive and that small inaccuracy has consistently landed me in the shite off to one side.

This time around I had a Legacy Rival in my bag, but the problem was I had never tried it on the hole before. It's a new disc for me that I purchased at Discovering the World in California on my recent trip down there.

I used it a lot on the El Dorado course in Long Beach and from what I learned it seemed like it would be the better choice than the beat-in Star Teebird I usually throw on this hole.

One of my card mates saw it in my hand and told me he had only used a Cannon before from the Legacy lineup.

I explained to him that it had been flying for me like a beat Teebird.

I stepped up, visualized my throw and hit such a perfect line that it kind of freaked me out. It just stayed straight. Even at the end. I walked back to get my bag and my card mate said he was going to have to check one out.

I was still on the narrow path when I walked up to putt. I didn't have an easy, short putt, but it was within my range. I found my link, gave it a dead stare and didn't look away until I saw my Clutch hit the chains and fall in.

I was in shock, but I ran up and retrieved my disc like it was usual business.

That round was tough and I was sitting six over at the end, but I wasn't too bummed out because a lot of good things happened. I couldn't wait to start that second round.

Toward the end of the second round I was soaked and chilled to the bone, but I was throwing strong. My card had started on hole three again, but I got through with no problems. Missed the putt, but moved on with a par.

On hole 18 I was sitting at -1. I had three more holes to go. All of them are easy pars and two of them I have birdied before. Unfortunately I let that near 980 rated round slip away and ended the round with a 56. Two over wasn't too bad considering it ended up being my highest rated round (951) in a tournament ever.

I placed sixth over all in advanced and earned the last spot for scrip. I earned enough for a new disc and that made me happy.

My pick for the evening was a Legacy Icon Patriot since I haden't thrown one yet and a mini for the Dish.

After all my drama I'm happy with the way things turned out. I knew I could have placed higher and knowing that inspires me to work harder. My goal is to raise my rating to where I believe it should be and I am on my way to accomplishing that.

I'll never know where my Pro Destroyer landed on hole four that first round. I even went back the next day to look more thoroughly. It simply vanished. Maybe the Universe took it. That's OK though – it makes for a great story.

Battle Benny Two

For one brief moment I broke free from the familiar mind voodoo I experience during tournament play. Then things went back to normal, but with that little bit of confidence came enough of a lesson that I may be making a run out of the intermediate field and in to the advanced this year. Hopefully.

Battle Benny II was a fundraiser event for the annual Battle of Seattle tournament held in June. This tournament was the first event played on the newly designed SeaTac DGC. The course is now home to 27 awesome fairways and quite a few brand new Mach X baskets.

I was blown away when I saw the result from all the hard work put in. This place is even better now in my opinion. SeaTac was already a beast of a course, but now it's a beast with a baby.

The event layout was simple – play one round of 27 and call it a day. I was happy when I realized my card was starting on one, but I had no idea that nearly five hours later I would be even happier putting out on 27 to end the brutality.

My confidence level remained at an all-time high up until hole 16. I was playing safe, making pars and taking birdies when I had the chance. Everything was working just like casual play, but I'm not sure if it was the rain, the cold, my hungry stomach or the speed of play that got to me. Maybe it was a little bit of everything.

I was sitting at even with 11 more holes left when I placed a drive in to the shit of 16. That's where I boarded the bogie train and rode it to the end of the line. I couldn't stop the horror.

My world came crashing down around me. Nothing was making sense anymore. I had no grip, no aim. My discs were falling like the heavy droplets of water responsible for the chill in my bones.

Finally the massacre of a good round was over. We were one of the last groups to arrive back at tournament central. People were already leaving. Our card tallied up the scores and handed them over.

I ended up with a 101. Par for the course was set at 86. First place in my division was a 93.

It wasn't my time to win, but I feel my time is coming. This year perhaps. The lesson I took away from this tournament was something I had heard, or read before. If you want to play well in tournaments then you have to play tournaments.

We'll see.

Thanks for reading.

When Birdies Feel Like Aces

Yeah, right.

No shot feels quite like an ace, but carding these recent birdies I'm about to detail for you felt like a decent accomplishment.

My home course is Terrace Creek in Mountlake Terrace, WA. It's a damn rascal of a spread. This thing invites you over, drags your ass through the mud and makes you walk home.

I'm kind of serious about the walking home bit. Starting with hole eight this design has you walking in one direction – away from your car. When you're finished with 18 you have either a delightful hike back through the course while replaying great throws in your mind or you have a miserable stomp through the cold, wet woods wishing you were home with a bourbon in one hand and a cheeseburger in the other.

I've discussed hole one here before. It's a challenging shot up a sloping fairway with OB road on the left and a mess of trees on the right just before the basket. This hole is deceiving in that the distance is only 300 feet or so, but the gradual uphill climb makes it play longer.

I've seen people throw big RHBH anhyzers out over the road, rollers up the right side that eventually fight the blades of grass and ride the ridge on the left staying in bounds and straight shots up the middle. I put a pink dot to show where the basket is in the photo below. Can you see it?

I've been hurling drivers up the middle for a while now, but I've always failed to reach a gimme-putt position. Every drive that felt good and powerful has either found road or branches.

Not this time.

On this particular day I timed a sturdy right-foot plant and a tight last-second grip off the tee pad. The white Legacy Cannon boogied out of my hand on a slight hyzer heading toward the sidewalk. Then I watched that disc stand up and start bending right toward the edge of the tree line.

At first I thought the trees were going to swallow another feel-good drive, but the disc had enough speed to get past the dense green mess. The natural fade back was brief since the fairway slopes uphill the whole way. When my drive came to rest I knew I was sitting pretty for an easy putt for bird.

I made the chains sing. The accomplishment of carding a bird on this hole for the first time felt really good, but it was also proof that my driving power had increased. My practice is paying off.

The other hole on this course that's been messing with me is hole 15. I've been close to shooting the bird on this bastard a few times, but I've always missed the putt. On this particular day I was playing the round with my friend Don. I wasn't having a great day or anything, so I was surprised when I watched my disc weave down the fairway and land near the big, mossy tree near the basket.

The slideshow below will walk you down the fairway.

I'm not sure exactly how far this hole is, but dgcoursereview.com has it measured out to 402 feet. I brought out a 300ft tape measure and, as straight as I could, I measured out the 300ft mark, then measured to the basket using the same line. I wasn't in perfect line with the basket, but the distance was around 392ft, so the DGCR measurement is probably close.

My drive landed about 10 to 12 feet short. It was the farthest point I've ever reached. To top off the day I actually made my putt.

I love crossing holes off my birdie list:

Here's to a progress-filled 2014.

Thanks for reading.

Disc Golf Days #2: Spirit Animal

I sarcastically asked this black Lab if he was a spirit animal. He didn't reply. 

I politely asked this black Lab to move so we could drive on hole two. He lazily strolled to the side and sat. After we threw he rushed ahead and hung out near the basket.

Something weird was happening here.

When I play a new course I wonder if I'll get through it all since some courses are a little difficult to navigate without help. When we arrived at Lower Columbia DGC in Astoria, OR, a day after our adventure at Lucky Mud, we were pleased to meet a guy named Joey. He briefed us on the short nine-hole layout and asked if he could join up.

I said yes, but explained we would probably be extremely slow since we had a two-year-old in tow. He understood and played on without us.

We stood and took in what we could see near the billboard just beyond the gravel parking lot. In the distance Joey was putting out on hole one and moving on.

We all took turns hurling hope out over an open field. I love the feeling of playing a new course, especially when I bird the first hole.

The black Lab appeared out of nowhere while we were walking over to tee pad number two. After we putted out he dashed off up a hill. I was wondering about two things. Where was tee three located and where is this dog's owner? Then I decided to follow the pooch.

There he was – waiting near the next tee pad. I started petting him at this point. After driving up a hill and around a line of huge trees he bolted for the basket. At this moment Joey was walking past us on his way to tee seven. I asked him about the dog. He didn't know where the dog's home was, but said it's not unusual to play a full round with him. He's always there.

Sometime between holes four and five pooch found a huge branch and carried it over to me. As I went to grab it he pulled away. It was play time.

He continued to follow us as we moved through the course. In between throws I played tug-of-war with him – only succeeding at pulling the branch from his jaws once. This doggy was strong.

After putting out on nine he stood by our car and everyone petted him and said goodbye. I said thanks for showing us around and told him I hoped to see him again.

So if you ever play this course and have an opportunity to spend time with this cool dog do me a favor... give him a pat on the head for me.

Thanks for reading.

A brand new year. Part one.

I was born sometime in the afternoon on Nov. 3, 1976 in Oklahoma. Ed Headrick established DGA that year. "Silly Love Songs" by Wings held top spot on the Billboard chart and President Jimmy Carter had just squeaked out a win against incumbent President Gerald Ford. Sometime in the afternoon on Nov. 3, 2013 I drove a blue Buzzz off of tee one at Lucky Mud DGC in Skamokawa, WA. Something silly is probably topping the Billboard chart and President Obama is freaking people out with healthcare change.

Long Beach, WA. was my choice when my wife asked where I wanted to go for my birthday. We both lived in Long Beach, CA. for a long time and I thought it would be fun to check out the other LBC. Just like every other trip we take I look up where the disc golf courses are in the area.

On this trip there were two: Lucky Mud and Lower Columbia DGC in Astoria, OR.

Rain slapped the ground with the anger of an adolescent bully during our drive down toward the Columbia River. I was worried our day out on the course would come to an end before we even started, but as we pulled off the highway and up the small country road toward Lucky Mud the only worry on my mind was the possibility of getting lost.

Then we all saw this:

The stormy sky was on break. The winds were gaining strength and the road was sketchy, but nothing seemed to matter after I saw the damn swastika. Now I was wondering where the delusional bald dudes were hiding and were they going to greet us somewhere deep in the woods.

Lucky Mud is actually a bed and breakfast sitting on a bunch of acres, so I was optimistic that we would be safe since the hateful symbol was spray painted on a neighboring property.  My mind was put at ease with the gentle smile of the Inn's owner. Jessica welcomed us to her property and gave us a brief run down of the course.

The wind whipped up something special for us all as she was finishing. Jessica pointed in the direction of tee one and playfully said, "Good luck."

We looked at the sky, then we looked at each other. It was time to play.

Changes Made to Northwest University DGC

The small nine-hole course at Northwest University in Kirkland, WA had its layout modified recently.

Major changes came to holes eight and nine and minor changes were made to holes one, two, five and seven.

The original placements of eight and nine apparently caused some issues for faculty and students. The tee pad of eight was in close proximity of a building and both eight and nine's fairway were situated too close to parking lots.

I'm a little bummed out about the changes only because the original hole eight as I knew it was designated a par four – a short par four, which means I could, with a great drive, have a chance at an eagle. I never pulled it off though.

So here's the run down. Hole one plays pretty much the same, but the basket has been moved further to the right away from the volleyball court.

The basket used to stand closer to the tree on the left in the picture above. You can see the small divot left in the grass where the position was.

Tee two's pad has moved to the right a bit.

The sign tells you so.

The new tee position is kind of a fun position to throw from. I like trying to anhyzer shots around trees and this hole is perfect for that now.

Hole three was left untouched.

Even though this course isn't very difficult I love coming here with my wife and daughter because it's never crowded and I feel safe letting my daughter roam around and explore each fairway as we play them. That's her in the pink in the photo above.

Hole four remained the same as well.

Hole five has been reversed. Now the basket is right next to the old tee pad and the new tee pad is off of a sidewalk behind the old basket position. 

It had started raining on us at this point. I discovered that the sidewalk becomes extremely slippery. We chose to tee off from the grass.

Unfortunately hole six is the same. I say that because I've never felt comfortable using the tee area. The dirt is extremely uneven and the sign feels like it's in the way.

Tee seven was moved back just a little bit. The adjustment didn't change the hole too much. It's still a messed up tunnel shot straight into the ground. Each time I've played this course I've been wanting to throw a roller out through the gap, but I never remember to bag my roller though.

This time I remembered.

The decision panned out. I ended up pin high.

But I missed the putt.

Hole eight now plays behind seven. You can see the tee sign up near the sidewalk in the picture above.

The basket is tucked in the trees up and to the right.

Tee nine is another uncomfortable shot. I felt crowded and there's a small gap in the trees to hit. I got the bird though, so I can't complain too much.

So there you have it. Thanks for stopping by.