After getting a taste of being back on the course collecting trail yesterday, and being within ten miles of five courses I hadn’t yet played in the Seattle, Washington area, I was a man on a mission this morning. My hope was to play at least one new eighteen-hole course before heading to WIBC to watch my daughter (Eleanor) perform, but I managed to have JUST enough time to play two new eighteen-hole courses! Although it didn’t come without its share of drama.
My first stop on the morning was at White River in Auburn. A 5,306-foot course over eighteen holes, I had a lot of fun! It was my kind of course, with lots of trees to keep you honest on the tee. But it also had a TON of leaves on the ground. And since most of my favorite discs to throw tend to be orange? I needed to dial it back a bit and switch to back-ups in different colors. My sky blue DGA ProLine Squalls, in particular.
Even throwing the same molds, in the same plastic, at the same weights, I swear the psychological differences of knowing you aren’t throwing your same (favorite) discs can mess with your head a bit! I did fine throwing those blue Squalls! But it was a little different than throwing my trusty orange plastic! And “fine” is different than “good” or “great.” So I left a few deuces out on the course that I probably should have captured, had I thrown better tee shots.
By the time I had made it to Hole 18’s basket, I had accomplished Mission #1: Keeping a full backpack of discs! But I ended up shooting an underwhelming +1 (55), for an estimated round rating of 930. I felt as though I should shoot at LEAST a -3 or -4 on that course…so to post an over par score on a course where I should excel was a disappointment.
After White River, it was on to Lake Fenwick in Kent, Washington. And it was at Lake Fenwick where my fears were realized.
The leaves at Lake Fenwick were THICK! I thought the leaves on the ground at Rotary Riverside Park (yesterday) and White River were thick, but they paled in comparison to Lake Fenwick. And on the Hole 3 tee, I threw my tee shot with my blue ProLine Squall a little right of the fairway, on a hill that sloped down and to the right. And I could not find my disc.
I looked EVERYWHERE, through ankle-deep leaves, for at least 10-15 minutes. No disc. I played Hole 4 (above), then went back to Hole 3 to search again (after two people behind me offered to help me look). No disc. Seven hours from home, I was faced with the prospect of leaving a disc behind that should have been within 20-25 feet of the fairway and 40-45 feet of the basket. If I threw a disc into water or made a terrible shot, that would be different. But to make an okay/good shot and lose a disc is one of the most frustrating things that I think can happen on a disc golf course.
After a solid 20-25 minutes (that I barely had to spare) of searching for my sky-blue ProLine Squall? I needed to abandon my search, call the disc lost, and quickly finish my round. 🙁 So I made my way around the rest of the course, being even MORE careful on the tees than I had already been, finishing with a +1 (55) and an estimated round rating of 951. But as I made my way back to the car, I asked Becky: “Can I give it ONE MORE SEARCH?!“
We were tight on time, but she said to hurry and look. And after another 6-7 minutes of searching? I caught a ~2×2″ flash of blue to my right on the hill. My Squall! Thank you, “disc golf gods,” for allowing me to return to Oregon with a full backpack of discs!
Obviously, it is “just” a $20 piece of plastic. But it is MY $20 piece of plastic. That over hundreds/thousands of throws, becomes a trusted friend on the disc golf course. And the prospect of leaving that piece of plastic behind, PARTICULARLY so close to the basket (a potential deuce putt), wasn’t an option if I could avoid that outcome in any way, shape or form.
Becky and I rolled into the DoubleTree where WIBC was being held, parked, then stood in line to enter the performance, and sat down with about two minutes to spare. I appreciate her being patient with me. My spending probably almost a half-hour looking for a $20 piece of plastic. Although she might have left me in Kent if I had caused us to miss a second of Eleanor’s performance. 🙂
Magic Number = -41 (2,041 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.