Disc Golf Heaven

Got $80K? Want Your Own DG Course? Get it on eBay!

2009-08-21T08:30:00.000-06:00

Hyzer Creek just outside of Albany, New York is for sale. As of this post the eBay auction price is $75,100. As of this blog post, less than 11 hours remain in the auction: own your own disc golf course here!

Jordan

ESPN Features Disc Golf!

2009-08-20T18:04:00.003-06:00

The sport is growing, no doubt about it. ESPN sports writer Jack McCluskey authored 'Disc Golf has a Pro Tour, and Momentum' published yesterday, August 19th, 2009 on ESPN's Page 2. Avery Jenkins, Ken Climo, and Barry Schultz are among the players interviewed at the Vibram Open in Leicester, Massachusettes for the article.

ESPN Page 2: Disc Golf had a Pro Tour, and Momentum

Brian Graham, executive director of the PDGA, is quoted in the article as well, "Disc golf is really a grassroots sport, it grew up around the world by the hard work of volunteers. We have 40,000 lifetime members in 28 countries. Just about anywhere you go in the country where there's a course or a tournament, there are PDGA members and disc players willing to help."

With annual growth percentages frequently in the double digits, disc golf is poised to grow to involve the general public. ESPN is a huge step forward, even if it is just an article on Page 2.

Jordan

Get Better: Throw Analysis: YouTube 1, YouTube 2

Buy Your Own Disc Golf Course!!!

2009-07-25T08:00:00.001-06:00

So you want to own a piece of disc golf heaven? Here is your chance!

Disc Golf Course Ebay Auction...

Hyzer Creek disc golf course (www.hyzercreek.com) just outside of Albany, New York is being sold to the highest bidder via eBay. At this point the property is being marketed exclusively to disc golfers in hopes that the course will remain, and it is a gem.

Hyzer Creek, par 61, was ranked #34 on dgcoursereview.com's top 2008 courses with a 4/5 disc rating. The signature hole is a tight downhill 461 foot beast, ending up with the basket in the creek! The private layout construction started in 2001 by Morgan Wright and has been expanded to a full 18 hole course. Many PDGA tournaments have been held at Hyzer Creek, and hopefully there are many more to come.

Included in the auction for the property with the disc golf course are a livable cabin, storage shed, and camp space. As of this blog (July 25, 8am) the current bid is $14,100. I don't know about you, but I just might move to New York!

Jordan

Get Better: http://www.pdga.com/discussion/forumdisplay.php?f=172

The FASTEST Way to Get Better: Perfect Putt 360 & The Putting Confidence Program

2009-07-12T09:41:00.000-06:00

How many shots from within 100 feet do you throw in an average round? Top pros on an 18 hole course may throw as few as 20, especially when their putting is hot! Reducing the number of shots you have near the basket will take strokes off your game IMMEDIATELY. It's simple, make more putts!

If you want to make more putts, it would be wise to practice putting. Now I don't know about you, but after about fifteen minutes of putting with no goal or competition, I get bored. Even playing HORSE (or PIG - one person makes a putt, the next has to make it or he gets an H and so on) gets old fast. While games like HORSE are fun, they do not have any structure to promote the non-physical aspect of your putts. Another drawback to non structured games is that they can lead to unrealistic attempts at putts and even decreased confidence in your putting - horrible for your mental game!

The answer? Perfect Putt 360 & Mark Ellis' Putting Confidence Program!

The guys over at Flying Disc Magazine have published one of the best tools for improving your putting. The best part of the game is it requires you to go through your pre-putt routine EVERY putt, not just to warm up or when you feel like it. No rapid fire putting here, you have to slow down and concentrate, just like a tournament!

The Perfect Putt 360 chart and how to use it can be found here: http://www.flyingdiscmagazine.com/content/putt-perfect-perfect-putt

Mark Ellis (Team Discraft: http://www.discraft.com/team_ellis.html) has made it cool to practice your putts with his Putting Confidence Program. Check out Mark's discgolfersr.us page at http://discgolfer.ning.com/profile/markellis.
Mark's Putting Confidence Program:

Next time you play a round at your local course, keep a tally of how many shots you have, including putts, from within 100 feet. It might surprise you, and you will know where you need to improve. Make a commitment and you will shave at least a few strokes off your game!

The Perfect Putt 360 program is a great practice routine, and the Putting Confidence Program will make you a better putter, no doubt!

Jordan

Get Better: http://www.flyingdiscmagazine.com/

Grow The Game!

2009-06-25T09:00:00.003-06:00

Dave Feldberg, as quoted on his Innova player profile page (http://www.innovadiscs.com/team/davef.html) says: "If every one of you guys showed one woman how to play disc golf for every two guys you showed, there would be a much larger women's division. Then it would just roll over and the sport wouldn't be so one-sided." Not only would the game grow, men would hopefully be a little more respectful on the course.

Disc Golf needs a better reputation. A reputation other than the 'pot smokin' hippie' that most people think of the average golfer. I am not saying that people should not have fun on the course, quite the contrary. If the game weren't fun, there would be no reason to play. How do golfers expect the International Olympic Committee to consider disc golf for the Olympics when it is quite common to smell the wacky tabacky on almost any course?

I am asking each and every one of you to take personal responsibility for the reputation and growth of disc golf. Not next year, not next month, but the next time you go play. Pick up trash at your course, invite someone to play - invite a lady, and don't drop an F bomb so everyone on the course can hear when you miss that 15 footer, just mutter it under your breath instead, and for heaven sake, if you must smoke a bowl, do it discretely. The future of our sport depends on it.

Have fun on the course!

Jordan

Get Better: http://www.edgediscgolf.org/

Disc Golf on MTV Sports...

2009-06-22T23:00:00.001-06:00

Marty Hapner, '04 DG HOF Inductee, posted this old school video on his website (www.discgolf.com) dating from 1994 from MTV Sports with a closing segment on disc golf:

De La Veaga Disc Golf Course, the home of dg, in Santa Cruz is featured in the piece hosted by Dan Cortese. Where the hell did he go?

Thanks Marty for bringing us a piece of disc golf history, even if we don't want to remember the clothes. Who said disc golf has never been in the mainstream media?

Jordan

Get Better: www.pdga.com/pdgaradio

My 1st Big Win & My First 1000 Rated Round!

2009-06-14T18:00:00.000-06:00

I have been playing disc golf since late 2006 after college baseball and a short (and expensive) stint playing ball golf and trying to play competitively. I started out by finding the best disc golfers in Boise to ask questions of, play against, and push me to get better quickly.

My 1st tournament was a local winter series event on a mountain course that I threw 75% thumbers - after baseball the thumber is natural for me and I can get it out 350 with no problem. I would have finished 3rd in open, but I was playing intermediate and had no clue what I was doing. After a winter of decent intermediate play I made the jump to advanced (probably prematurely) and played in the middle of the pack most of the next two years with a few good tournament finishes (top 5) and a handful of non sanctioned wins and strong finishes.

I was looking forward to 2009 being a breakthrough year after a decent '08 season. I revamped my arm motion over the winter to keep the disc closer to my chest on the pullthrough, resulting in increased distance and a more consistent delivery. After asking many pros and very good ams, I came to the conclusion that the difference between winning a tournament and finishing in the middle was not in how far you throw it, but how few putts you take in a round. So, I worked my butt off over the winter putting in my house, after changing my delivery slightly to eliminate extraneous movement.

The first big tournament of '09 was the Treasure Valley Cup at Eagle Island State Park in early April, a one day PDGA C tier event. I played very well in the TVC in 2008, so I was expecting to perform at a high level again. I ended up making the Safari 6 in second place, and I held on to tie for second for a great start to the year. My rating went from 911 to 944 after that tournament.

The Gem State Disc Golfers (www.gemstatediscgolf.org) run the Snake River Series, six tournaments featuring Souther Idaho's best courses, the second of which was the Magic Valley Shootout in Twin Falls held at the College of Southern Idaho course and Rock Creek Park over the last weekend in May. Two rounds at CSI on Saturday and one at Rock Creek on Sunday, followed by a Safari 5 for advanced am and pros made up the format.

I came into the tournament with tons of confidence in my game, especially my putting. The College of Southern Idaho course is moderately open with an 8 foot wide ditch running the length of the course. I started off great with a 5 down my first round at CSI, followed by a 7 down, 1007 rated round showing, my best tournament performance to date. Everything just seemed to go my way, but it could have been better, as always! I minimized the mistakes and capitalized on most scoring opportunities. I ended the day leading all advanced ams by four strokes, 12 down on the day.

Rock Creek #10

Click to see larger image

The final round was held at Rock Creek Park, a course carved out of a small canyon, rock walls on one side and a stream on the other, running the length of the course, with a few elevated tees. The signature hole is around 270 feet with the basket sitting on a 12 foot wide ledge, 40 feet up the face of a rock wall, trees protecting almost every look at the basket. I shot 6 down leading my group easily, not the best I could have thrown, but good enough to still lead by 4 strokes after 3 regulation rounds.

There was a long break between round 3 and the Safari 5, and keeping my head was a bit challenging. The Safari 5 was fun, and I played well on all but one hole on which I took a 7, two obs will do that to you.

I held on to win by three strokes for my first advanced am win, along with my best overall tournament performance. I am looking forward to the Idaho Masters in June, and putting together another good tournament.

Thanks for reading,

Jordan

Get Better: http://www.averyjenkins7495.com/history/tournament-focus-and-mental-game/

Featured Website: www.discgolfreview.com

2009-06-10T08:56:00.000-06:00

A guy named Blake out of Minnesota created a site to help disc golfers get better. If you don't know about www.discgolfreview.com, you are missing out.

Among the tremendous amount of information you will find:

Disc Reviews: http://www.discgolfreview.com/

Articles: http://www.discgolfreview.com/resources/articles.shtml

Forum*: http://www.discgolfreview.com/forums/index.php

Throw Analysis: http://www.discgolfreview.com/resources/throwanalysis.shtml

Beginner Tips: http://www.discgolfreview.com/resources/tips.shtml

Blake's site is amazing. There is a search feature in the forum - an amazing resource in itself - that you can use to find something specific you are working on, like form for example.

If you want to check out one of the best players around, see Dave Feldberg's form here: http://www.discgolfreview.com/resources/analysis/davefeldberg.shtml

You can scroll down to the bottom of the page and download each video FOR FREE to study on your own. This is where you go to get better!

Jordan

Get Better: http://www.discgolfreview.com/resources/articles/distancesecrets.shtml

The Thumber

2009-06-08T07:26:00.000-06:00

Since I played college baseball, throwing a disc over my head (like a baseball) for a thumber, resulting in a high arcing flight path, has been very natural for me. I can hit 400+ feet when I put everything into my toss, but I can regularly reach 350 pretty easily. Although I don't throw a thumber all the time, it is one of the most accurate and reliable shots in my bag - great for getting out of trouble, and it can be for you as well with a few simple techniques.

Grip: Keep it simple; make a fist with your throwing hand and hold it tight. Hold the disc vertical and face the top of it away from your thumb. Place it in the V of your thumb and index finger with your thumb pad on the inside of the rim and the top of the disc touching the thumb side of your index finger. Keep your grip tight. The disc will rip out of your hand when thrown.

Arm Motion: Imagine someone throwing a baseball from the outfield to home plate. Your arm will rotate from behind you, up and over your throwing shoulder and will finish in front of you with the follow through. Your shoulders will rotate around the axis of your spine to allow your arm to move from behind you to in front of you.

Choice of Disc: Different discs will fly differently for a thumber, just as when they are thrown backhand or sidearm. An understable disc will 'flip' faster and not go quite as far while an overstable disc will resist the 'flip' and stay in the air longer, resulting in more distance. I have found the champion firebird or champion eagle to be the best for a thumber due to their thin rim. Other good thumber discs include: z xtreme, champion whippet, champion orc, and z wildcat. A special note on the Aerobie Epic: I have thrown the Epic 450+, but it is absolutely unreliable. If you can get it to fly the same twice, good for you.

Aiming: The thumber is unique in that you have to throw the disc about 35-45 degrees up in the air to get the max distance out of the flight. You can control distance with the height of the throw; throw the disc higher than the optimal distance height and it will go shorter, throw the disc lower than the optimal distance height and it will go shorter as well. Thumbers thrown extremely low will have a tendency to take a wild skip to the right after they hit the ground. As for direction, the disc will end up pretty close to the direction you aim. For me a champ firebird will end up a bit to the right of my release point.

Keep it Vertical!!! The most common breakdown in technique when throwing a thumber is to let the disc go at an angle further to the side of your body as opposed to vertical. For max distance, keep the disc as vertical as possible upon release. This will force the disc to start with more 'flip' distance to travel before turning over and heading straight toward the ground.

Practice your thumbers a bit and you will find they are not that difficult to throw. They can save your butt when you are in trouble, or they may give you that edge you have been looking for. It is a great tool to have available, especially when there is an open lane up top and tons of trees below

Good Luck & Have Fun!

Jordan

Get Better: http://www.discgolfreview.com/resources/analysis/brianschweberger2.shtml

Intention & Allowance

2009-06-03T07:06:00.000-06:00

In my short disc golf career of two and a half years, I have learned one thing as certain; Allowing your intention to move you to where you want to be is only way to achieve your goals.

Let me say that in a different way. Sometimes the description of an idea doesn't do it justice.

When someone intends to become a better disc golfer, there are many things that person can do about it. Practice, play, practice, research, play, practice some more... but what happens when it seems like everything is going wrong and there is no improvement? Human nature takes over and we start to push - the worst thing to do - and that leads to frustration. That is the time for allowance. No, not the $1 you got when you did your chores as a kid. Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary has the following definition of the word allow: to make a possibility. So who has the power to create possibilities? I know I do. The answer is you. Make it a possibility in your head that you can get better, that you can make this putt, or win this tournament.

A disc golf buddy - one of the smartest disc minds out there - recently explained to me his approach to the results of his throw. "Once the disc leaves your hand, there is nothing you can do about it." Pretty simple right? Try not being involved in the results of your missed ten footer!

Jordan

Get Better: http://www.discgolfreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8925

Disc Golf Heaven: Improve Your Game!

2009-06-02T08:14:00.014-06:00

I want this blog to help disc golfers get better. If you find just one thing that moves you toward playing better disc golf, this blog has worked. I hope you find the presentation entertaining and informational enough to suggest it to friends. Just email them this link - http://www.discgolfheaven.blogspot.com - tell them they will be a better golfer because of it.

Feel free to send me suggestions for future blogs. At the end of each blog you will find a way to get better, usually a link to a site, a video, or a book to read.

Follow Disc Golf Heaven: Just create an acount at blogger.com (you don't have to have a blog, just an account - but now that you have an account, go ahead, create your own blog). Go to your dashboard - in the top right corner - click 'add' about halfway down the page and copy and paste the url (http://www.discgolfheaven.blogspot.com) into the space provided, and you will be notified on your dashboard when new blogs are posted. I post at least a couple times a week with everything from dg featured sites, how to articles, old school disc golf, and even a little about my disc golf adventures. Everything here is geared toward you becoming a better disc golfer.

About Me:

My name is Jordan Mardis and I live in Boise, Idaho. I have been playing disc golf since October of 2006 and I am still using the first Aviar I ever purchased - it is my main putter. I played baseball growing up and into college, but I didn't touch a disc (five years after college) until a friend told me he took his kids out to play here and there and they had a blast. The ironic part is that I attended middle school and high school next to Lakeview disc golf course in Seattle. I wanted to try it out so I picked up a few discs and I was hooked. I just won my first advanced tournament, the Magic Valley Shootout in late May this year, and I my goal for 2009 is to win the Snake River Series Advanced Am Championship (www.gemstatediscgolfers.org).

Thanks for reading,

Jordan