I have entered The Zone

On July 12, 2010, I started the on the Zone diet. I've been doing it 80-90% and since I started I've lost 20# with no more exercise than a little extra walking at work (I sit in front of a computer all day).

I'm now down 60# since the start of the new year. Today I played 18 holes of golf at Patapsco ( and shot a new best of 65) and I WAS NOT TIRED AFTERWARDS. This is nice.

Read The Zone and Mastering the Zone by Barry Sears. I got them at the library and blasted through them in less than 3 weeks. Once you read and understand what's going on, you'll wish you had learned this 15 years ago when the first book was published. The fat will melt off and optimum health will follow.

Punishings from Patapsco

Hello!

It's been a while, but I'm back in the game.

I took some time off after the Druid Hill Open (last November) as I was afflicted with Plantar Fasciitis in both feet, but the left one is the worst. It still hurts, but it's getting better and it isn't as bad as it was at the end of last year.

I played in the Druid Ice Bowl and the Rockburn Ice Bowl/Chili Cook-Off. I didn't make any chili, but the offerings were very good. I look forward to next year's event. Funny story about me and Druid: at the Open in Nov, I lost a disc in a tree on #8. It's a big tree and the trunk splits about 30 feet up making a big "V." My disc is wedged in that "V." At the Ice Bowl, as we approached the 8th tee, I told the others in my group about the tree and how I lost the disc. I then step up to drive, and BAM! the disc lands in a hole about 6 feet below the "V" in the same tree. Lesson learned: don't talk about bad shots before you drive! Funny thing is, both discs are yellow Avenger SS's. I love those. Methinks I'll have to get some more, since it looks like they'll be in the tree for a long time.

Anyway, on to more recent happenings!

The Patapsco Punisher is next weekend and in preparation, I've played the course 3 times in the last 3 weeks. I'm thinking I might even hit it again tomorrow morning for more practice. I've come to notice that my accuracy is improving to the point where I see the line I want the disc to take and when I throw the disc, it follows the line I want. I'm also getting better at threading it throw small gaps in the trees without playing pinball.

Two weeks ago, I met a couple like minded fools at the course and we played a round from the blues. All the pins are in the Punisher layout (everything is in C). We get punished and I walk away with a 96! OUCH!!

Last weekend, I met the Nomads and we played from the reds. I shot a 78 and felt pretty damn good with myself. 15 strokes off the lead, but only 9 from my nemesis! That gap is usually larger. :)

Today, I played a solo round from the blues and shot an 88. Still not great (it should have been lower), but 8 strokes better than my last outing from the blues. The Punisher is 2 rounds, one red, one blue. I hoping to shoot lower than I did last year (88, 85) and get my rating up!

I'll check in next weekend and let you know how things went...

Ciao!

Patapsco: Snakes ho!

Hey, I remember this blog!

I played Patapsco today. First time out there in a couple of weeks. Just been too busy during the week and playing elsewhere on the weekends. Nomads and tournaments abound!

Today, though, I shot a 68 from the Reds. One of my best rounds there. Got 2 deuces (5 and 12). But also got a few 5s, so that kind of messed things up. What I really need to do is work on my putting as missing easy putts kind of screws up the score.

After finishing 3, I was walking along the path to 4 and heard a rustle in the leaves. I turned around and saw this guy sitting there looking a little miffed that I interrupted what ever he was doing. I whipped out the cell phone and snapped a pic, him hissing and snapping at me all the while.

Didn't find Mr. Turtle, but haven't really been looking for him. Playing solo, I tend to stay in the game and not sight-see. The only reason I saw the snake is because he drew my attention by lunging at me as I went by and made a noise.

I also think my drive might be coming back as I threw some real nice ones. Now I must work on putting (natch) and shake off the stress of competition as I seem to lose it in tourneys. Last weekend at the Seneca Screamer, I played poorly. Two weekends previous to that I played rather well at the course, so you can see my dilemma. Hopefully, I can get my act together for the Rockville Rumble on the 17th.

Until next time...

Patapsco and Heritage Farm Park

Yesterday, it was so nice I decided to play 2 rounds of golf: one at Patapsco around noon and the other at Heritage Farm Park (Walkersville) around 3:30. While I didn't throw my best, I certainly didn't throw my worst either.

At Patapsco, I ended up shooting 84 from the longs. Had I known before hand that I would be shooting both rounds of the Patapsco Punisher from the shorts (I'm in the bronze category), I would have played from those. I need the practice from them as I usually play the longs. I think I'll try to get a short round in tomorrow. Highlights? Nothing spectacular. I had an awesome drive on 13 that would have made for a nice approach, but since I went wide of the mando, I couldn't use it. I didn't even get a 3 on any holes: nine 4s, seven 5s (one was OB: on 13), one 6 and one 7. I really need to improve my game on this course if I plan to finish decently at the Punisher on the 30th. Looks like I have 2 weeks to try to accomplish this. I'm going to try for at least 2 rounds each week from the shorts, if not more.

After Patapsco, I went home, saw the chilluns fresh from school and then headed to Walkersville. I shot a 65 there, but it should have been lower. If I hadn't gone OB on #4, gotten the 5 on #2, and knocked some 4s down to 3s, then it would have been a great round. As it stands, I finished 2 strokes higher than I did there last week. No Birdies either. I ended with ten 3s, six 4s, one 5 and one 6 (the OB on #4). E showed up while I was finishing #5 and by the time I was on 11, he was one hole behind me. He joined me on 13 and we finished our rounds together. Really nice guy and I hope I convinced him to give Patapsco a try as he hasn't played it yet.

So, as stated earlier, not my best day, but certainly not my worst. I will be posting more rounds in the future as I plan to play more and enter more tourneys.

Rockburn: First impressions

So, last Sunday, the day after my horrible round at Patapsco, I went out to Rockburn to get a round in before I play there this next Sunday in the MD Monthly for March. I met O and N there and they graciously let me tag along for a round. I got a nice tour of the course from O and got to see how it should be played. I can tell you it shouldn't be played like I played it as I finished the round with 80. Eesh. At least I won't be hitting it as a virgin this Sunday.

Also, I joined the PDGA as an Am. My first sanctioned tourney will be the Patapsco Punisher at the end of the month. Let's hope I finish better than I did when I played the Ice Bowl (96! ouch!!) and get a decent rating. But to do that, I'll have to avoid 7s and 11s, and I don't have a problem with that! The recent practice has helped though and I think I've found a friend with the Archangel. I've got 2 weeks or so before the PP, so I plan to get in at least 4 rounds at P-tap before I get Punished.

Heritage Farm Park

Yesterday was a beautiful day for a round, so I hit Heritage Farm Park or as I refer to it: Walkersville (well, that's where it is!). I'm liking this course more than I did when I first saw it last year (without playing it). I agree that the front 9 is more interesting and the back 9 more forgiving (wide open).

I didn't shoot anything spectacular, but finished at +9 (pro pars: all 3s) or -9 (AM pars). Either way, I was happy given that this was my second round there. The first was a best disc round with E (he lives there ) back in Feb for an Ice Bowl, so I really didn't get a chance to see what I could do on my own.

Highlight: Deuced 6 by going over the OB. Hit the ground to right of pin and the disc spun around it leaving me an easy 10' putt.

Anti-highlight: went waaayyy OB on 3. Still got a 4, tho.

I forget where I got what (scorecard is in the trunk of my car) but I ended up with one 2, ten 3s, four 4s, and three 5s. I could have avoided a lot of the higher numbers if I was better at putting. Damn my nice layups! They've ruined me for long putts. I also skipped 19 as it's still mostly under water/mud.

In conclusion, I think I've found an "easy" home course to balance the terror that is Patapsco. (They're about equidistant from me.) It's nice to have a local course to give me back some confidence after being Punished at Patapsco. I also found I like my new Archangel that I got at a recent tourney.

Speaking of Patapsco, I played a round with RR last Saturday. I was keeping track of my scores on my cell phone, but at some point I realized that I had forgotten to enter one of the holes. By this time, I had been throwing crap, so I gave up on keeping score for myself. RR threw better than I, but it's all about the practice. I think HFP will help me work on my drives as there aren't as many trees to foul things up ten feet from the tee, like P-tap does.

Middletown, Walkersville, and Druid Hill: Tournies!

So I played in 2 more tournaments last weekend, one of which was an Ice Bowl.

On Saturday, the 16th, I played in an Ice Bowl that took place on 2 different courses: Middletown and Walkersville. It was pairs, favorite disc, which is similar to best disc except that we could throw from the lie we liked best as opposed to picking the best lie and then both of us throwing from there. The first round was at Middletown and it was a nice course. Cold, but nice. My partner for this round designed the course at Walkersville, which was where the second round took place. For that round, I had a new partner (we all did). This guy's home course was Walkersville, so it helped to have him with me as I had never played it. For that matter, I hadn't played Middletown before either.

At any rate, at the end of the day I was tied for second to last. NOT LAST! The best part, besides the free lunch ;), was the last hole: I made an awesome putt for a birdie. Made me happy. I also picked up a Maryland Tag from Sharky: #92.

The next day, Sunday, I played in the second MD Monthly at Druid Hill. This was a singles event, so I had to carry my own ass: no partner to help. The first round was from the shorts (metals) and I didn't do too badly. Some pars, too many bogies, and one very nice birdie on #1. The second round was from the longs (woods) and I did worse: no birdies and one double bogey. Eeesh. In the end, though, I was not last, nor second from last. I finished 4th from last! Yay me. Moving on up. This was also a Tag Match, so I gave up my tag in hopes of getting a lower one. NOT! Ended up with #93. At least it was only one back.

This week, I think I'm going to blow $40 and join the PDGA as an AM. And there's a tourney at Seneca tomorrow, but the weather's been crap and things are slightly frozen over. I'm not sure if I'll play, but I want to. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Buh!

Patapsco and Burke: The Glutton is Back!

Hello to everyone who doesn't read this blog and I think that covers EVERYONE. :)

I'm back! I haven't posted much as this was mainly a blog about my adventures playing disc golf and I haven't played in a few months. Well, I played 2, yes 2!, rounds this last weekend. Not only that, but I also played in my first 2 tourneys evar!

The first one was on Saturday at Patapsco. It was their annual Ice-Bowl (winter DG to raise money for the Food Bank) and I had to play. I just had to. I'd been itching to play and to enjoy being Patapsco's bitch once again. I finished Dead Last. Woot! And for the record, Patapsco was in Full Punishment Mode: all pins in "C" position.

Wait, I can explain! Started on 13 (shotgun start) and got a 7. Not good, but it was the first hole and the first time I'd thrown a disc in 4 months or more. I figured things would get better as I warmed up. Things did not go that way initially. On 15, I got an 11. Yes, an 11! The pin was sitting at the top of a steep hill (I swear it was like a 45 angle) and my 4th or 5th shot (my putt) missed. Upon hitting the ground, the disc flipped on edge and took off down the hill. All the way to the bottom and almost in the river! 4 strokes later, I was back near the top. I think the worst part of this mini-adventure was that I could still see the pin from where the disc stopped but there was no way I'd be able to get it up there without eating some strokes.

Finally, on 7, whose C position is like 3 miles past the A position, I got an 8. If I had gotten 4's on those 3 holes, I would have ended up with an 80 instead of my 94. But on the plus side, I made a noob happy as I kept him from being last. ;) That won't happen again, E! I can promise that.

At the end of the day, I realized a couple things:

1. Being out of shape and practice does not help my game (d'uh!)
2. Holes 1 and 2 do not have it in for me. (More below on this one)
3. I was so sore it felt like I had been hit by a car. (Need to remedy this)

For holes 1 and 2 (I got a 4 and 3 respectively), I came to realize that they are indeed easier than I thought. The major factor in me sucking on those holes is that I'M NOT WARMED UP when I usually play them. Hence my horrible scores on the holes normally. I mean, I PARRED 2 in it's C position. That really told me something. So, I apologize to 1 and 2 for hating them when it was my fault all along.

The next day...
I drove down to Burke Lake and played in their Ice-Bowl with my buddy Alex. It was a "bring your own partner, best disc" match. We were to play 2 rounds: one from the longs and the second from the shorts.

The first round went OK. I think we played more of my throws than Alex's, but that's not the point. We (Team Boozer) had fun and we didn't come in last. :) Although I can't find the results online yet, I know this because we were 1 stroke ahead of one of the two teams we played with. I had a couple awesome drives, but still came to realize I need to get out more and practice a few things.

After lunch, we came back to the park and there were trees down and really bad winds. Due to this, the second round was canceled for safety concerns. No problem. The last place I want to be in high winds is in the woods with dead shit waiting to fall.

It was a good day, non the less, as we had a good time, and lots of money and food was raised for the food bank.

I also got 2 new discs (one from each IB).

So, that was the extent of my weekend and it's nice to know that playing in 40 degree weather ain't that bad. Just need to keep moving and stay warm.

Off topic, my brother was in the Letterman audience last Friday. Here he is:

Patapsco, worst round ever!

At least I think it is. I shot 18 over the other day. Eesh.

I had not played since the round I played with EB when I returned his disc. I think 9 days since my last then. Below, I present to sets of numbers: the first being the round with EB (I think) and the second being the round from last Sunday morning. Both at Patapsco, natch!

The Return of the Disc Round:

1. Bogey, 4
2. Double bogey, 5
3. Bogey, 5
4. Bogey, 4
5. Bogey, 5
6. Bogey, 5
7. Birdie, 3
8. Bogey, 5
9. Double bogey, 6
10. Bogey, 4
11. Birdie, 4
12. Bogey, 4
13. Double bogey, 6
14. Bogey, 4
15. Bogey, 4
16. Bogey, 5
17. Double bogey, 6
18. Bogey, 5

Definitely not a great round: 42 up front and 42 out back. 8freakin4!!! Ouch.

Sunday's round:

1. Bogey, 4
2. Double bogey, 5
3. Bogey, 5
4. Bogey, 4
5. Bogey, 5
6. Bogey, 5
7. Bogey, 5
8. Par, 4
9. Bogey, 5
10. Bogey, 4
11. Bogey, 6
12. Double bogey, 5
13. Par, 4
14. Bogey, 4
15. Double bogey, 5
16. Triple bogey! 7
17. Bogey, 5
18. Bogey, 5

That one sucked as well: 46 up front and 45 out back for 91. Now that I see the totals, definitely my worst round. At least it wasn't from the reds!

Ah well, I'll hit it again Thursday morning I think and I'm considering heading down to Seneca this weekend to check out a tourney. Not play in, just check out. See what all the hub bubs about and maybe get some new plastic.

Patapsco, 3 days of #s

OK, so I played Patapsco yet again last week. 3 times, to be sure. I'm going to list them all in this post as I don't want to add 3 posts, I'm lazy, and blah blah blah... Anyway, in round A, I broke 80! Not great in the big scheme of things, but in my wee world, it makes me happy.

Round A:

1. Bogey, 4
2. Triple bogey, 6
3. Par, 4
4. Double bogey, 5
5. Bogey, 5
6. Par, 4
7. Par, 4
8. Par, 4
9. Par, 4
10. Par, 3
11. Par, 5
12. Double bogey, 5
13. Bogey, 5
14. Par, 3
15. Double bogey, 5
16. Par, 4
17. Par, 4
18. Birdie, 3

Only one Birdie there, but look at that string of Pars! 40 on the front, and 37 on the back for.... 77! I do believe this be a new low for me on the Blues. Only a few strokes higher than my lowest from the Reds. 72 or less shouldn't be too far away. I hope.

Round B:

1. Bogey, 4
2. Triple bogey, 6
3. Bogey, 5
4. Double bogey, 5
5. Par, 4
6. Bogey, 5
7. Bogey, 5
8. Bogey, 5
9. Par, 4
10. Par, 3
11. Birdie, 4
12. Bogey, 4
13. Par, 4
14. Par, 3
15. Bogey, 4
16. Double bogey, 6
17. Bogey, 5
18. Par, 4

#2 is really pissing me off. 43 up front and 37 out back for a total of 80.

Round C:

1. Double bogey, 5
2. Triple bogey, 6
3. Double bogey, 6
4. Double bogey, 5
5. Bogey, 5
6. Par, 4
7. Birdie, 3
8. Par, 4
9. Bogey, 5
10. Bogey, 4
11. Birdie, 4
12. Double bogey, 5
13. Par, 4
14. Bogey, 4
15. Par, 3
16. Bogey, 5
17. Par, 4
18. Birdie, 3

43 up front and 36 out back for 79. Broke 80 again, but just didn't feel like I was playing well. 18 was great tho. Nice long drive and in the short grass for once! Forehanded an approach that landed about 3' from the pin. Birdie was a "gimme!" ;) I need more of those.

Anyway, I had decided to take a few days off from playing and rest up a bit. Don't want to overdue it and make things worse. It rained yesterday, so this decision was well met. Today, I received a call from the guy who's disc I found last week on #18 (Round A). Since I'm off tomorrow and he drives thru my town daily, he's going to stop by and pick it up. Hopefully we'll both have time and will go play a round at P.

Patapsco, 3rd time in 3 days

I played Patapsco again on Sunday. Nothing spectacular to report. Much the same as before. The numbers:

1. Bogey, 4
2. Triple bogey, 6
3. Double bogey, 6
4. Bogey, 4
5. Bogey, 5
6. Par, 4
7. Bogey, 5
8. Birdie, 3
9. Double bogey, 6
10. Par, 3
11. Par, 5
12. Bogey, 4
13. Birdie, 3
14. Double bogey, 5
15. Double bogey, 5
16. Double bogey, 6
17. Par, 4
18. Birdie, 3

While I did have a couple decent holes and it was nice to end with a Birdie (really a par, if all are played as 3), the numbers shout that I am not on top of my game.

43 (+10) up front! 38 (+5) out back. 81 (+15) for the course. Certainly not my best effort. I can tell you a lot of this is avoidable, I just need to practice. Hopefully, I'll be playing again on Thursday with my brother. We were chatting online last night and I think I've convinced him to come up for a round, seeing as he's unemployed and has the time.

Patapsco, more pros!

So today I wasn't planning on playing a round, although it was a thought in the back of my mind. Around 10:30am, I checked the MD forums and someone had put out the challenge: any course before 3. I tossed out Patapsco @ noon and it was game on!

I arrived a wee bit late, but that was due to an accident on 26. Upon arrival, I met O and G. On our way to the first tee, we meet W. W's been playing for 20 years I'm told and I should watch him play. I'm glad to hear this as an opportunity to learn is upon me. We set off and I didn't embarrass myself too badly. :) W made an awesome shot on 3 and walked away with a deuce. I had never seen such an incredible shot in person.

My numbers:

1. Bogey, 4
2. Quad..@#$*^%$, 7
3. Par, 4
4. Double bogey, 5
5. Par, 4
   
6. Bogey, 5
7. Par, 4
8. Bogey, 5
9. Bogey, 5
10. Bogey, 4
11. Birdie, 4
12. Bogey, 4
13. Bogey, 5
    
14. Par, 4
    
15. Double bogey, 5
16. Par, 4
17. Bogey, 5
18. Par, 4

43 (+10) on the front 9 and 39 (+5) on the back 9 for a total of 82 (+15) shots.
Not my best, but I did the same on the front 9 yesterday. The game will come together. I will break 72 before my birthday. That means I need to shave 10 strokes off my game in one month. Hopefully, I can achieve this goal.

I might play a round tomorrow and another Monday. We shall see what awaits me.

And thanks go out to the other guys (they shot 65, 51, and 63!!) for showing me what can be done at Patapsco and for letting me play with them. It was a pleasure to meet them and I hope to see them again.

Patapsco: A New Achievement

Achievement? Yes, indeed! On yesterday's round, I got my first eagle! I got a par 5 in 3. It felt nice. This was on #11 at Patapsco. The numbers:

1. Double bogey, 5
2. Triple!! bogey, 6
3. Double bogey, 6
4. Bogey, 4
5. Par, 4
6. Bogey, 5
7. Bogey, 5
8. Par, 4
9. Par, 4
10. Par, 3
11. Eagle!!!!!, 3
12. Bogey, 4
13. Birdie, 3
14. Par, 3
15. Double Bogey, 5
16. Bogey, 5
17. Bogey, 5
18. Bogey, 5

43 (+10) for the front and 36 (+2) on the back for a total of 79 (+12) strokes. Actually, another first: my lowest from the blues so far.

I don't even want to think about playing all holes as 3s yet!

Patapsco: 8th hole

This is the short tee for 8 at Patapsco. The basket is there, one just need look hard and follow these clues: Find the road going across the image towards the top. It's just before the green stuff in the far background. Follow the path from the tee straight out and one can see a fuzzy gray thing just before the road. That's the tee. I birdied this once from the blues. The pin is also 50' below the tees. A great hole and one of the reasons I love this course.

This shot was with a cell phone. I hope to bring the digi-cam out one day, maybe even with a tripod, and get some nice shots.

Patapsco, back with the blues...

Well, I hit Patapsco from the blues today. Another stellar round.

Not.

While I had some very nice drives, it seems I really need to continue working on the rest of my game. You don't think so? Check out the stats:

1. Kid picked up my second shot, but put it back where it was for me. Bogey, 4
2. Ouch. OUCH! (*$#@@ Triple Bogey, 6
3. Bogey, 5
4. Bogey, 4
5. Double Bogey, 6
6. This is definitely the first time parred from the blues, if not ever. Par! 4
7. Birdie, 3
8. Par, 4
9. Bogey, 5
10. Par, 3
11. Should have Birdied this one. Par, 5
12. This shouldn't be here either: Double Bogey, 5
13. Par, 4
14. Par, 4
15. Bogey, 4
16. Bogey, 5
17. Bogey, 5
18. Bogey, 5

The totals: +8, +6 for +14 (ouch) in 41, 40 for 81 strokes. I need to shave 10 strokes off my game before my birthday (Oct 2). And that's from the blues!

I have a knack it seems for coming up way short on approaches. I think there's a reason for that. At least, one that I can name: today, I used 2 discs: the XS I found, and the Roc that was given to me by P. Neither was suitable for me to use for approaches. Too long. I need to bring a shorter disc for that stuff.

Today, I also started throwing the extra disc on drives and approaches. I played through a group of 4 (2 were noobs) on 4 (great drive there, btw) and saw no one else. Since I was pretty much alone and not holding anyone up, I took practice throws. Tried some sidearms. That's going to require a lot of work. Keep throwing them too high.

Finally, I need to work on uphill drives because mine are killing me. On 2 and 16, I keep hitting ground near the red tees. I can't tell you how much that bites my nads!

Burke: with Katie

I've been slacking a bit. I played Burke last Thursday with my sister, Kate, but haven't gotten around to posting the results. Not that anyone cares. I don't think anyone's reading this but me. But anyway...

My sister turned 22 on Wednesday and we played 18 at Burke on Thursday. Here's the results:

1. I don't know how I managed to do this: Double Bogey, 5
2. I think one of my best drives on this hole. Birdie, 2
3. Bogey, 4
4. Par, 3
5. Par, 3
6. Par, 3
7. Par, 4
8. Birdie, 3
9. Birdie, 3
10. Par, 3
11. Birdie, 3
12. Par, 3
13. Bogey, 4
14. Birdie, 3
15. Double Bogey, 5
16. Par, 4
17. Par, 4
18. Birdie, 3

Basically, I shot par on the front and back 9s: 30, 32 for a total of 62 strokes. I would be so happy to have that from the blues at Patapsco. My sister ended with 5 over, which is pretty good considering she hasn't played but a few times, and most of those with object holes instead of baskets.

I hope to play more with Kate, and my brother, and it's nice to see them both develop an initial interest in the game without my involvement.

Burke Lake: An old friend...

On Sat, I had a chance to go see a Redskins pre-season game against the Steelers. A friend of mine in NoVA was able to get tickets, so I headed his way. Since he lives just a hop, skip, and a jump from Burke Lake, I headed down a wee bit early and we played a round with his GF.

Before we get to the numbers, I just want to talk a bit about BL. I really enjoy this course. It was my first and will always have a place in my heart even though it's no longer my home course. It's a short 18 in the woods and on the weekends can be a very crowded place. Being short, it lends itself to the newb player and allowed for me to learn the game without massively bad scores in the beginning. It also taught me about pinball. And hating trees. And made it so that when I now play courses that are out in the open and sculpted like ball golf courses, I feel out of place. "Where are the trees?" I jokingly told the guys at Druid Hill last week that one of the reasons I was throwing poorly was that the "wide open spaces confuse and frighten me." (Think "Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer") Of course, it wasn't true, I was just looking for excuses.

The Burke numbers:

1. I should have parred this one but... Bogey, 4
2. Par, 3
3. Par, 3
4. Par, 3
5. Bogey, 4
6. Birdie, 2
7. Par, 4
8. Par, 4
9. Birdie, 3
10. Par, 3
11. Birdie, 3
12. I don't even remember how I did this, but I think it was from missing a simple putt. Double Bogey, 5
13. Par, 3
14. Birdie, 3
15. Double Bogey, 5
16. Par, 4
17. Birdie, 3
18. Par, 4

Par: 62
Me: 63

+1 for the round. Not bad, but should have been better. I shouldn't have any double bogeys up there, but I do and I'm not proud. But, I'm not unhappy with the round. Which brings up another thing I love about this course, it's not hard to beat and always leaves me feeling happy.

Ah well... I think I'll be hitting it again later this week. My sister and I have scheduled to play a round on Thursday. Hopefully it will happen. "You play?" I ask her when she shows an interest in joining me. "I'll kick yer ass!" she responds. Game on, sis, game on.

Druid Hill: A new title begining!

Yes. It's true. I've finally met another MD course: Druid Hill in Scenic Baltimore. Right by the zoo.

Via a various virtual message board, I found someone intent on playing today @ 3. When going to a new course, I prefer a guided tour. ;) I showed up and met P, G, and R; three very nice guys who were kind enough to let me schlep along with them. One was a pro! er.... Pro! They all played like pros compared to me. But I had fun and didn't do too poorly.

We played 21 holes. I know we started with #1, but after 4, we cut into the woods for 3 "X" holes, then went back to the main course. I didn't pay attention to actual #s on the holes, just what I shot, so the #s below might not correspond to the proper hole #.

1. Bogey, 4
2. Double Bogey, 5
3. Double Bogey, 5
4. Bogey, 4
5. Bogey, 4
6. Double Bogey, 5
7. Bogey, 4
8. Par, 3!
9. Bogey, 4
10. Par, 3!
11. Bogey, 4
12. Par, 3!
13. Bogey, 4
14. Bogey, 4
15. Bogey, 4
16. Bogey, 4
17. Double Bogey, 5
18. Double Bogey, 5

For some reason, I stopped keeping track at that point. I think there were a couple par 4s in the end, but I don't recall where or if I even marked them correctly. ;) I was mostly there to play a round, meet some MD players, and as ever: practice. Need more of it, btw. ;P I'm happy I made 3 pars.

Oh, and I'm not adding them today. You can do that. I'm beat! But I will add a link to an older map I know of online. I don't think it includes the 9 X holes. One last thing about Druid Hill, it's the home of Thursday Night Triples, 2 hours before sunset.

Patapsco, The Glutton Returns

Getting tired of the "Patapsco,..." titles? I am a little bit and thought about stopping today, but I like being able to just scan and know what a given article is about from the first word of the title. How does this title relate to today's tale of woe?

Well, I played another round today. That makes 5 in 9 days. Still feeling tired but in the long run I'm sure this will be good for me, two-fold: my game and my overall health. Probably about 2 miles of walking per round. I need better shoes!

The results (from the blues, natch!):

1. Bogey, 4
2. Bogey, 4
3. Bogey, 5
4. Bogey, 4
5. Par, 4
6. Double Bogey, 6
7. Bogey, 5
8. Birdie!!!!, 3
9. Bogey, 5
10. Bogey, 4
11. Birdie!!!, 4
12. Double Bogey, 5
13. Par, 4
14. Bogey, 4
15. Double Bogey, 5
16. Bogey, 5
17. Double Bogey, 6
18. Bogey, 5

Not the best round by far, but I wasn't necessarily trying my hardest. Today was more about getting out, getting exercise, and still working on my drive. Most of the crap above was my own fault and could have been avoided had I brought my A game and gave it 110%.

The totals: 40, 42 (82) Baaaad! Hopefully that will be my worst and I'll never be there again.

Something else to be noted: I took some practice drives with a sidearm throw. Trying some techniques I learned online that are completely different from the way I'm used to throwing sidearm. Had some very promising results and I'm hoping that I can incorporate that throw into my game soon. I actually did use it twice today for approaches that needed it and did them fairly well.

Patapsco, the pain!

Well, ok, Patapsco isn't painful. What is painful is the day after playing when I've been playing a round every 2 days for a week. Yes, this is the end of that week and I'm a bit sore. My right bicep especially. I played 72 holes of disc golf this week. 18 on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. All at Patapsco. 3 from the red tees, 1 from the blues. BTW, I'm phasing the reds out of my game unless someone else requests them. From here on out, Mikey's got the blues, baby!

Saturday's round (8/11/07):

1. Double Bogey, 5
2. Double Bogey, 5
3. Par, 4
4. Par, 3
5. Par, 4
6. Double Bogey, 6
7. Par, 4
8. Birdie, 3
9. Par, 4
10. Par, 3
11. Birdie, 4
12. Bogey, 4
13. Birdie, 3
14. Par, 3
15. Bogey, 4
16. Double Bogey, 6
17. Par, 4
18. Par, 4

That's the round. The totals:

+7 (+5, +2) in 73 strokes (38, 35). I should have been lower, but I wasn't necessarily trying to beat my best. I was trying, but I was also working as a tour guide. My friend, Alex, and his gf, Vicky, were visiting and had not played Patapsco before. Therefor, I was showing them around and just playing casually. I promise to play better next time! And from the blues, too!