With my wife and youngest headed to Mayo Clinic in Rochester for an appointment for our youngest, while our oldest was in Minneapolis for her last week of high school (I still can’t believe she’ll be graduating high school this coming Friday…where did the time go?), I am holding down the fort here in Springfield by myself. And when I’m by myself, with no real family responsibilities? Well when the cat and kittens are away, this mouse MUST play (disc golf)! Besides, it has been SO long since I’ve had the chance to add any new courses to my courses played collection, right?! 🙂
UDisc told me that there were three new courses a couple hours Southwest of me that have opened since I last played everything that area had to offer. So after quickly shoveling in some food we’ll call “brunch,” it was off to South Dakota!
UDisc said there is a new course in Luverne, Minnesota for me to play. But the further West I headed, the less chance of rain. With that in mind, I headed for Sioux Falls to check out a couple courses first…figuring that I could play Luverne on the way home. And after the two-hour drive, I arrived at Endeaver Elementary School to check out their nine-hole course.
As you might expect, the course at Endeavor was very short. A few longer, more challenging shots in the wind! But mostly a chance to work on ace runs and your approach and putting game. I managed a -7 (20) in my round there. Nothing spectacular, as a good player would probably shoot an 18 or 19 a fair amount of the time. But I hit all nine of my putts, and with the wind, I was satisfied that I hadn’t brought shame upon my family with a 20 on the card. 😛
After the elementary school, I headed over to Central Park in Harrisburg to check out their nine-hole course. With barely a tree or two, this course used distance as its major challenge (3,370 feet). Still hurting after playing nearly 500 holes of disc golf in the previous week, I wasn’t thrilled about trying to get it out there a ways off the tee! But I used the same philosophy I used in my C-Tier in North Carolina: “If I cannot reach the circle off the tee, just make sure to leave myself an easy approach and sink my three.” Which is exactly what I did. I successfully played “boring disc golf,” to the tune of a -5 (27) and an estimated round rating of 965.
Feeling pretty good after only eighteen holes, I turned for home. And when I got to Luverne (Minnesota), I realized that the course would be located on the same land where my youngest had run a cross country meet for sections. I thought that would be a lot of fun, with a nice mix of open holes, trees, and some elevation changes. Only when I got to that area, there wasn’t a single basket to be found. 🙁 I circled the area, twice! Nothing. So maybe a local is in the process of installing a new course there (though I saw zero signs of even having any anchors in the ground). Bummer. I had gotten my hopes up, only to have those hopes dashed.
We’ll need to call two new courses “good enough” for today. I had been hoping for three! But there is nothing I can do about it…as I would rather not put another ~200 miles (round-trip) on the car for only one new course (the nearest other course to home, by the time I get there from Luverne).
Magic Number = 259 (1,741 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 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.