This week, I needed to head to Nashville, to attend the ASBDC conference for work. With roughly 1,500 people in attendance, it was the largest conference I have attended in my career. A chance to rub elbows with my counterparts from every state in the country, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and even countries such as Chile and Columbia. I learned a lot! But of course, having the chance to be in a place 1,000+ miles from home, my eyes wandered onto my Unplayed Courses map on UDisc…to see if there might be anywhere I could quickly play while I was in town.
Fortunately for me, there was a great eighteen-hole course that I hadn’t yet played, a few miles from my conference hotel: Two Rivers Park. A course that reminded me a little bit of the first disc golf course I had ever played with baskets (Riverside Park in St. Cloud, Minnesota), it took a little more than two miles (one-way) to walk there. But I had about four hours this morning before my opening pre-conference session, so I decided to walk over to the course with my DGA ProLine Tempest and DGA ProLine Squall, the only two discs I had room for in my carry-on, to see what I could do.
I have to say, I REALLY liked this course! Just a bit under 6,000 feet over eighteen holes, the course had a nice mix of elevation changes, along with just enough trees to force you to shape your shots (in order to have any chance at getting your deuces). I started out shooting five threes and a four (-1, with posted pars), but then after shaking the rust off, I started to play really well. Surgical strikes off the tee, and only one missed putt on the round.
After deucing Holes 7, 10, 14, 15 and 17, I was standing on the Hole 18 tee (above) needing a deuce to break into the 40s for my round. And on that 307-foot hole, I landed my tee shot about ten feet right of the basket…pin high. I thought shooting a 49 on that course was a VERY strong round. Particularly considering that I had a few mile, sweaty walk to the course and only two discs to my name. 🙂 DGCourseReview seemed to agree with me, estimating my rating for the round to be 987.
I would love to play a couple more courses while I am here in Tennessee! But I’m not here to disc golf, I am here for work. And without a car? This was the only course I am able to reach on foot in the time I have allowed. So we’ll need to consider a +1 in my course collection to be good enough for this trip. My 30th course I have played in Tennessee over my lifetime.
Magic Number = -31 (2,031 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.