Slowing inching towards 100 days.

I took the morning off today. Work for me is basically 7 days a week. I unintentionally set it up that way. I’ve been very aware it created a lot of my mental state last year.

So I took the morning off. I have to when I have it. It’s the same reason I’m trying to play every day. I have to still enjoy disc golf if I want to grow it. I have to be mentally capable of making the right choices for my business , our employees and now Sprinkle Valley.

So let’s look at my round.

Lots of good. Plenty of bad. Now let’s break it down mentally. 

(My blog plan for this weeks rounds are to focus on talking about my actual game plan for each hole/shot).

I am backhand dominant. My rollers are better than my forehands. My thumbers and tomahawks might be too. But overall I try to stick with what I am good at. I rarely walk up to a hole and throw a forehand unless it’s the high percentage shot and a bad throw isn’t going to kill me.

Hole 10:

Backhand putter all day. I used a 1st run glow Bullet. I throw it on hyzer and let the disc flip for me. Parked. Tap in.

If I used a mid or driver, I risk going long or slipping off the fairway. The putter play just gives me the best chance to score.

Hole 11:

I like the Lobster Hyzer Flip here but I have to be aware of the wind. It was a cross wind at the corner so I threw the disc flatter and let it work for me. Why? If I threw with too much hyzer and exposed the bottom of the disc to the tailwind, my disc would never turn. The wind will hold it up and I’d crash long. 

The downside to throwing it flat? You run out of flight time faster with a flippy disc. Once that nose turns down and the wind catches the top of it, it will get slapped down. So the shot has to be basically dead neutral and I have to TRUST it will flip.

I hit the gap clean and ended up a little short in the trees many of you know well. Because of the new OB I decided to lean out and do a “patent pending” BH turnover with my Bullet.

Why? It set me up where I could choose the hyzer over OB or play down the pipe. I was giving myself mental options so that the situation didn’t overwhelm me. I executed it and mentally did exactly what I wanted to do.

Thats real golf to me. Finding ways to reinforce success before the score shows.

I threw a Glow Grackle next over the OB and ended up by the walls and safe. Then threw a Turnover Bullet to about 40ft. While it wasn’t super close, I did do exactly the type of shot I wanted to do and the wind beat me. Whatever.

Ok now I have a 40ft putt for PAR.

Sailed it right over the basket. OK putting for 6 now.

Sailed it again.

Ok…

Sailed it again.

Tap in for 8.

To be good I can’t lay those up. I have to execute them. I did all the work to manage the hole mentally well and let it slip.

Hole 12:

Apex Grackle Backhand. I’ve been throwing this disc a lot. I absolutely love it. The flat flip is something I’ve been missing out of a fairway for years.

Left myself about 60 short. I just didn’t play the wind well enough. The nose was too far down and the wind pushed the disc down. I needed it just a smidge more flat and I probably park it.

Missed jump putt. Tap in for 3.

Hole 13:

This is actually my first time playing this new tee box. This is also a really weird shot now because it’s the “pro” box but it requires more of an “am” throw. I don’t mean to offend anyone, but I like the hole because of that.

For most of the course up until now, a 1000 rated MPO player isn’t asked to throw distance drivers. But this shot clearly requires one. 

So what is an “am throw”? Take a fast and flippy distance driver and spin it rather than leverage it. 

If you try to “power” through this tee shot and miss, you will either flip into the woods on the right or fade out early left. Or you even might kiss the low ceiling the long box now creates.

The problem is my only true distance driver in  the bag is a beefy Goat. I took my flippy Longhorn out for my smaller casual bag setup.

I threw my beat up Glow Diamondback. Finished short of the main landing zone but in the fairway. Glow Grackle forehand around the corner to the berm. Ended up being pinched on the right side and had to do a nose up patent pending with my flippy lobster.

Why a Lobster? It’s easy to control when my I need to use more arm instead of my legs. I also throw it slightly nose up because I knew that the previous crosswind would turn it a headwind at the basket, meaning the wind will pick up the nose and flex it back.

Executed perfectly. 15ft putt for the 4.

Hole 14:

There’s like one option here, the flex backhand. I got it wrong and threw some extras just to practice.

Took my 3 and moved on.

Hole 15:

The new ET Flex Grackle is a lot of fun here. It holds a good amount of turn when thrown flat(for me). So I took the left side and threw a nose up turnover.

I wanted to get all the way back to the right side to set me up for a low skip hyzer or big spike. So because I threw a nose up turnover, it carried to the right side and then faded out in the perfect spot for a low glow flex Mustang shot.

Executed the gameplay and got the tap in 3.

Hole 16:

Caught a group of 3 dudes(shoutout to the Lost Boys club) who were behind a 6 card and finished the next 3 holes with them.

I love this tee shot. One of my favorites on the course. Olse literally points out at the OB and says “don’t go there.” Yet we all still do.

So I pulled out my now seasoned Red Apex Grackle. I want to throw this flat but make sure my run up angle creates the turnover for me. I also want to do it in a way where the wind can pick it up for more distance while not flexing it so far right that it goes OB.

Landed about 100ft short of the big trees on the right side. 

The upshot looks like a hyzer but for me it’s really just a nose up flat shot with the Glow Flex Mustang. I aim at the trees in the OB and rip it, trusting it will fade back.

The disc does exactly what I want but leaves me about 40ft short left. Got the distance wrong. Maybe could have thrown a Grackle but super happy I executed the shot I planned on throwing.

Big putt time for 3.

Sailed it.

Cage the putt for 4.

Tap in 5.

Hole 17:

I’ll never throw a forehand here. This hole is all about the wind read and placement. I tried to throw the same nose up flat shot I did on 16 but it came out on a line drive at wall height and barely lifted over it. I found myself in line with the pin and horns but safe. About 1 meter inside. I was worried I slid OB off the tee because I had just mowed that green before I played. I knew it was likely to have more ground play.

Banged the putt for 2.

Felt good after I whiffed so much on 11 & 16.

I know I can putt good if I focus on the right things. Usually if I can focus on where my hand starts and finishes, I don’t miss. I’ve been struggling with remembering to focus on that.

Hence the missed putts. Bad execution.

Hole 18:

Ok. I’m not gonna lie, given that I had 3 other dudes watching I thought about throwing a roller or something crazy.

I wanted to give them something to remember. 

Then I decided that seeing a throw-in for 3 might be the coolest thing they could see.

I could only do that with my backhand. My best skill. The shots I am elite at. The shots I always believe in.

My game plan on the tee: Grackle hyzer flip to dead center between the walls. Mustang or Grackle down the middle gap for a run at 3.

I aim the drive above the left side walls. Why? If it flips a little more than I want then I’m in bounds. But if the wind holds it up, I’ll likely just land high left on the road. The Grackle also has low fade, so I know it’s less likely to hyzer hard at the end.

I also know I have a tailwind. So if I throw it dead straight rather than with hyzer, the wind and fact that I am going uphill(creating nose up) will help me control the distance by pushing down on the top of the disc.

Landed between the walls. Hmm maybe a Bullet? Nah, Mustang looks right. I can’t risk being short. I also don’t want to rip a driver and risk skipping OB left.

I decided on a flat flex shot at full power. The new glow mustangs have pretty low glide, so I can actually throw this thing like a driver and it won’t get away from me. Plus it’s super grippy and flexy so less skips.

Hit my line again.

I land it pretty much dead center but 75ft short of the stairs.

I chose that Bullet I threw in 10. Hyzer flip. Aim at the trees above and behind the basket.

But you know what’s hard to throw on a slight incline? Hyzer flips.

Here is my chance at a 3. I set myself up perfectly.

Despite the putting hiccups on 11 and 16, I was throwing the disc really well today. 

Like the best since I started this challenge to play every day.

Missed my line. Faded left. OB.

Mark my lie at the stairs.

I have my two Soft Royal UFOs left that I putt with. Let’s try that. I use them a lot for touch up shots.

First one barely clears the stairs. 

Short left and OB again.

Ok reset.

Throw the shot.

Same disc.

Out of my hand we think it’s going in. Fades left and long. Missed the comeback.

Easy 9.

That’s Sprinkle Valley.

The mistakes I made are what it does when you aren’t executing shots. Every type.

I am limited because my forehand sucks. So my backhand has to be ELITE. I also can’t ever 3 putt(or more). Just one 3 putt on a green will cost you the tournament. It matters that much.

Mentally I walked away super happy.

I’ll take that score every day because I was able to learn what areas I need to keep working on to be able to compete again.