This is one of those blogs where I’m just gonna go with a thought process.

Minimal edits.

Edit: nope, lots of edits and additions.

Am I going to be right? Does it matter? Will anything I say here change disc golf?

Probably not.

This is just my inner thoughts whether I need to say them or not.

I don’t expect to be right. It’s just what I’m seeing.

When I look at whatever my “skill set” is I think it starts with my ability to observe situations and patterns.

I was pretty quiet and reserved for most of my life until I found disc golf.

Then it was like I was shot out of a cannon.

Being more reserved meant that I spent more time just watching than talking.

That skill hasn’t left me as I’ve become more known in the disc golf community.

I am starting to see a lot more people get interested in course design.

While I still want to get the chance to do a course all by myself, I am still very cautious with when I will do it.

I have done a few holes here and there.

Provided insight in tweaks I think will work.

I have come up with a handful of temp layouts on various properties.

I built Sprinkle although it was 100% Mikes design.

Never done a course completely myself.

Why?

I am still observing.

I am not sure what is best for disc golf yet.

I have an idea.

I am not sure I am ready in terms of responsibility to the game to do it.

I know I won’t do it just to do it.

I have enough feathers already.

I know I really like the way Mike designs because he brings a sense of intention that is hard to describe until you build it with him.

Sprinkle taught me to not criticize what people create anymore.

If you ask me a question about a course, I may not give it high praise, but I’ll explain what I see and respect what’s been done.

There are a lot of famous courses that have been eroded into the ground.

The less famous ones get even less love and upkeep.

Yet we keep building new ones.

Ignoring the infrastructure that’s failing.

The old courses that were sold to parks departments as “pay once and you’re good for life”.

A majority of the more famous designers adopted this approach. 

They treat courses like highway construction.

Show back up in 20 years when the potholes we could have avoided start to show.

Lately I am watching the current touring pros try their hand at designing.

I think many of them see it as the next phase of their career.

They make a living on content now too.

Course design is something I think every disc golfer wants to do.

We see potential holes everywhere we go.

So I am curious to see how today’s touring pros approach design.

Will they make courses that get video clicks?

Do they only want to design for DGPT?

Or maybe just to advance their non-profit?

Will any of them design for 10 years from now?

A course that can sustain itself when it has heavy traffic or bad weather.

Will they reject projects because it is environmentally unwise?

Will they design to challenge players?

Not just the current ones, but the ones 10 years from now.

15 years ago people started incorporating more forehands in design.

Disc technology improved. Discs got more durable. Forehands became more common with the younger players because it crossed over to other sports.

There are shots and skills the current players can do, but we don’t to ask them to try.

The current pros are still doing a kick flip.

The AMs can barely Ollie.

I want to see people doing 900’s.

I want to see it every time they touch a disc.

Skateboarding embraced the impossible when the sales weren’t there.

They knew they had more levels to reach.

It worked out for them.

We can pour as much money as we want into the players and the tour.

The product isn’t impressive enough to me.

Not because of the filming or the effort or the capital investment.

But because we aren’t asking the players to be impressive.

We ask them to chase ratings, tour standings and make sales pitches.

The Holy Shot worked because the design for 18 allowed Conrad to do the impossible.

We all knew on the tee box that he was likely going to have to throw something in or take some sort of insane risk on the approach to get a 3.

We watched Catrina do it in FPO right before he did.

She threw one of the best upshot’s I’ve ever seen in the sport given the circumstances.

James then took it to another level.

Because his skillset matched the design.

He was the peak of the backhand era. He showcased the skills he had to learn growing up.

The course highlighted that with intention.

The impossible moment became reality.

It sparked a million dreams for the next generation of golfers.

The design allowed for really only one way to win that hole under pressure.

A backhand turnover.

It said prove it.

Tony Hawk did that over and over in skateboarding.

They designed skate parks to not just highlight their skills but to allow for special moments.

Skateboarding has had a million of those moments now.

Not every fringe sport has that potential to create. Some of them are just too much of a race to proof of score perfection rather than a creative outlet for the impossible.

I want to see things I’ve never seen before.

I don’t care about -18 or 1100 in today’s terms.

That’s not why disc golf intrigued me so many years ago.

I was intrigued by flights I didn’t know were possible.

I throw a lot of rollers because I want to make the impossible happen with one.

I like showing people something they didn’t know could be done

So as we build more course I just want to see more people aiming for that level of skill.

Just like in golf, the style will depend on the property.

Some will need innovative landing zones.

Some will ask for more OB.

Is all of this just my defense for Hole 18?

Nah there’s no defense or apology needed.

Figure it out or you won’t win here

We understood what Mike was willing to ask of players

So let’s go back to the start.

Let’s look at Hole 1.

I watched the best MA1 players from North America tee off at Sprinkle last week.

Most of the players were not ready for Hole 1.

They missed the Mando a lot.

They hugged the left side on bakchands.

A lot of forehands finished early into the corner.

You could see the doubt. Feel the nerves.

The locals though…they made me smile.

Hole 1 was easy for them.

Most of them have the putter flip or forehand flex now.

Because of Hole 1.

If they missed a little? You could see the comfort and calm as they walked off the tee.

What is impossible to some, is just another day at Sprinkle for them.

There will come a day that someone wins a tournament by throwing it in for a 3 on 18.

Mike designed it that way.

The ultimate prove it moment.

Will you be the one to do the impossible?