After three days on the road at Salishan, then one day back in Coos Bay, it was back to being a road warrior, attending the Rural Community Building Summit in Bend. An event that was organized and hosted by The Ford Family Foundation, a friend to our Small Business Development Center and numerous other community/economic development organizations across rural Oregon and Siskiyou County in Northern California. I was traveling with a colleague and friend, since I am supposed to limit my driving as much as possible, due to the small risk of seizures while my neurologists see how a new dosage of my anti-seizure meds is doing. The risk is small, but not zero. So my friends, family and colleagues are keeping that risk at zero via my being a passenger in their vehicles.
A few days ago, I asked Stephanie if she would do me a HUUUUUUUGE favor and let me stop and play a small disc golf course, any disc golf course, while we made our way over to the conference. “Pretty, PRETTY PLEASE?!“ 😀 She said that would be okay…ESPECIALLY if it might mean that I’ll have more of my own discs to donate to our community’s annual disc golf tournament during our July Jubilee celebration (if I keep DGA happy with my playing more courses, meeting more people and sharing more stories). So we agreed that I would get to play ONE course. Ha!
As we looked on UDisc for the closest unplayed disc golf course to our conference location, it looked as though Central Oregon Community College (Cascade Forest) would be the winner. Nine holes, and less than five miles from our conference hotel while not being out of the way. So we made our way to the course, after I told Stephanie thank you several more times for the favor.
When we arrived at the course, I told Stephanie: “Twenty minutes…tops!” I don’t think she believed me, but when I’m playing alone and there aren’t a lot of other players on a course? I can average two minutes per hole when I need to. Of course, walking to the Hole 1 tee, there was a foursome who was just in the process of teeing off. I looked at them, probably half out of breath from my half-running to them, then they asked: “Do you want to play through?!” YES! I thanked them as I got to the tee box, exhaled, then let my tee shot fly. Thanking them again as I hustled down the fairway. “You don’t need to hurry,” they said, as I speed-walked to my disc. I shouted back: “I’ll be out of your way as quickly as I can,” then by the time I teed off on Hole 3, they were just walking to the Hole 2 tee. I’m HURRYING, Stephanie! 😀
I was playing fast, BORING disc golf! Safe tee shot to a good spot for my second, park the approach, drop in for par. I did that through the first five holes. But then when I got to Holes 6 and 7, I slowed down just a little bit. Partially to see if I could get a few deuces, partially to catch my breath! I did get my deuces on Holes 6 and 7, but then I thought about Stephanie back in the car and my twenty-minute promise, so I decided to race through Holes 8 and 9 with more boring golf. Also known as easy par threes. I got my last two threes, finishing with a -2 (25) for an estimated round rating of 983. Then I jogged back to the car.
Stephanie was surprised, saying: “You’re back already?!” Yes ma’am. I keep my promises! 🙂 And then we were off to our conference.
Magic Number = -77 (2,077 Courses Played)
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.