I wrapped up my housesit with those six cats this afternoon, and had about four hours of time to kill between leaving the housesit and checking into my hotel for the Community Development Society annual conference in Portland. According to UDisc, there were two last courses (open this time of year) I am legally allowed to play in the metro. The first was a 19-hole object course around a school, and the other was a nine-holer that was actually quite a bit out of my way. Though as I mentioned, I had time to kill.
My first stop was at Lowrie Primary in Wilsonville, Oregon. Something I might question being called a “course,” although I’ve played similar types of object courses in the past…so we’ll call it a “questionable” +1 to my Courses Played Collection. From a safety standpoint? This “course” was literally frightening! 🙁 Throwing over streets. Throwing over playground equipment (as seen in the photo above…I had to wait quite a while before the boys in the photo were done kicking a soccer ball around before I felt I could safety throw my tee shot). Even on a beautiful Summer day? There were a half-dozen kids out enjoying the playground equipment, as they should! But if any disc golfer showed up and were a little less than sober, skilled with a disc in their hands and/or lacking etiquette? It is an injury waiting to happen. And if I were the school administration? I would petition UDisc to remove the course from their directory…as well as asking DGCourseReview.com to list the course as extinct.
I actually met the course designer while searching for a disc that had wandered a little far right from my intended landing zone on the southwestern corner of the property. He said that the course was created on UDisc as almost a bit of a “joke.” (?) But that students there would actually LOVE to get a “real course” with baskets on the property that they could enjoy. And they actually have a beautiful piece of property on the northeastern corner of the campus that would be beautiful for a short recreational course! I told him that I would be honest in my review of the course. I also shared information about the Disc Golf Foundation’s Matching Baskets Program, in case they might want to consider developing a small recreational course on the property. But for anyone reading this who also is a course collector? I might recommend not playing here. As if there are any kids around and/or cars in the parking lots? It is issues or injuries waiting to happen.
That experience bummed me out. Seeing something that could actually give disc golf a bad name and/or injure people and damage property. 🙁 But my next experience, at Ivor Davies in Molalla, was outright strange. I used UDisc to get to the course. Only when I got to where UDisc told me the course was, all I found was a greenhouse/nursery. I parked, got out of my car, and went to ask a man I saw if I was in the right place for disc golf. He said no…I needed to drive a mile or so North and a little West. Then he got quiet, lifted a piece of his clothing up and showed me about a 7-8 inch knife on his right hip. I said “thank you, sir,” got back in my car, and left as quickly as I could. I don’t know if it was just an innocent little thing he did, but it gave me a weird vibe.
Even stranger, when I used his directions and got to where he said the course actually is, there was no course to be found. So I got out UDisc again, brought up the course map, and found out that the course was located immediately to the West of the nursery. There was no way I was going back to the property, so I parked on a residential street well North of the course and walked South until I got to the course. He saw me walking toward the Hole 6 tee (I played it, 6 thru 5, the way I got to the property), but didn’t say anything. I think being a little worried about my safety threw me off my game. I managed a -3 (24), but my estimated round rating was a new personal low: 590. LOL. I might need go to an Introduction to Disc Golf clinic so I can learn the basics of how to play? 🙂
I thought after that weird experience, it was the universe telling me it was time to stop collecting and get to my conference hotel. I thought I did pretty good damage to my unplayed courses map over the past sixty hours…adding thirteen new courses played in Oregon and Washington! I am going to try and play a few more courses when I need to go to Minnesota later this week for a family event. But finally getting a bunch of new courses played over a long weekend was just what the doctor ordered.
Magic Number = –28 (2,028 Courses Played)
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.