True to my word (from yesterday), today wasn’t about disc golf. It was about spending time with my wife and youngest daughter. That said….. 🙂
One of the things my youngest wanted to do today was to head to a Goodwill to look at clothing she might be able to purchase and then re-sell in her ever-expanding online clothing resale empire! It sounds as though I am joking. I am serious! She has figured out a way to turn an interest and a hobby into something that makes her (many) hundreds of dollars! Maybe a chip off her ‘ol dad’s entrepreneurial block?!
Our daughter can spend HOURS sifting through racks (and more racks) of clothing, and the last thing she wants is “dad” looking over her shoulder and/or looking at a watch/clock while she does it. So rather than be an annoyance? My wife, daughter and I decided that the best place for me was at an area disc golf course. And the nearest course to that Goodwill that I hadn’t yet played was Athey Creek Middle School in Tualatin, Oregon.
The course itself was not well marked, so I was VERY thankful to have a current hole map of the course available to me in UDisc! Course maps in UDisc have saved me countless hours of wandering around a property lost over the years. Not to mention the countless hours UDisc has (also) saved me in getting me right to a course’s parking lot and/or Hole 1 tee. I don’t know how anyone can be a serious course collector and not make heavy use of the UDisc app on their smartphones!
The course itself was nothing special. Not great, not terrible. What 70-80 percent of all disc golf courses are around the United States: AVERAGE. This is why I tend to rate 70-80 percent of the courses I play as a 2.5 (on a five-point scale). Locals often get frustrated with me as a result, rating “their baby” as a 2.5! But a “C course” should get a “C grade” in my book. And a “C” isn’t an “F!” It just means that I cannot in good conscious rank it up there with the Maple Hills of the world.
I managed a quick -6 (21) for an estimated round rating of 976…before making a beeline back to Beaverton to pick up my wife and daughter and see what treasures Ellie had found. I personally don’t have much of a “fashion sense!” But Ellie can look through a rack of clothes and tell you the 2-3 items that will sell quickly, for several times more than she’ll need to pay for them. More power to her! Making customers happy while getting a little extra folding money to help find her next collection of items.
Magic Number = 72 (1,928 Courses Played)
How it All Got Started: Tonn’s Travels >>
A main purpose of this blog will be to share information, helpful tips and tricks (everything from health and fitness to methods for saving money while you’re out “bagging courses” of your own), and ideas for better, safer course design. But I am also hoping to inspire others with my passion for the sport, via the stories I can share about all of the interesting experiences I have. All of the interesting people I meet. All of the amazing courses I am blessed to have the opportunity to play. If I can inspire even a handful of individuals to get off the couch, get “out of their bubble” or “security blanket” and explore more of this big, beautiful planet we all call home? Then I will consider this effort a success.
About Derek
Derek Tonn is a member of the DGA’s Ambassador Team. His company, Mapformation, LLC, has been DGA’s partner in the development of disc golf tee signage since 2012. The longer our two companies have worked together, and the more Derek has gotten to know all the great folks at DGA, the more he has wanted to formally sing the company’s praises. The more he has realized that “Steady” Ed’s (the father of disc golf and the modern-day Frisbee) vision for the sport and his company perfectly describes his own interests and priorities related to disc golf, and the more Derek has recently been encouraged to share his story.