It’s been a rough couple of months. 🙁 Health-wise, my side-effects of my epilepsy medication have made me feel extremely tired and sick to my stomach. The irony of which has been the fact that the type of seizures I experience only make me feel sick to my stomach. No shaking or convulsions. No loss in cognitive ability. Just nausea. With the medication prescribed to treat said nausea (seizures) making me feel nauseous. [sigh] That pleasantness, along with my continuing to not have the ability to drive (four months and counting), has made course collecting all but impossible.
That said, the planets aligned this weekend, as a new course opened recently at a K-12 school about forty minutes East of me. A course DGA recently asked me to develop tee signage for (above). And with me expected to attend an event in Mankato, Minnesota earlier this morning, that my oldest daughter also wanted to attend? I asked if she would mind stopping in Nicollet and letting me play a quick round.
The course in Nicollet was student-designed, so there are several holes that play parallel to adjacent streets. That, and a few of the holes come uncomfortably close to some adjacent softball and baseball fields. Though the school plans to keep close watch of things, not allowing play on the course when there are scheduled events on the adjacent fields. That, and they are planning to pull the baskets each Winter, making it a seasonal course only available for play in the Spring, Summer and Fall.
I struggled on the course, managing a -3 (26) over nine holes. In my defense? It was WINDY…with sustained winds over 25+ MPH and even stronger gusts! That said, the rust on my game was pretty thick, as my performance on several tees left a LOT to be desired. But it was good to get out on a course again, even if “the struggle was real.” 🙂
My favorite part of the round was bumping into a young father with his wife and preschool-aged son. I assume they lived a few blocks from school, as their son rode his bike to the course while the mom pushed a stroller. The dad asked me if I knew how the course played, since tee signs haven’t yet been installed. So I brought up a map of the course on my phone, and showed him where to tee off on each of the holes. Fortunately, I made good tee shots on Holes 8 and 9 while they watched, so as not to embarrass myself TOO much in the wind.
Magic Number = 481 (1,519 Courses Played)
About Tonn’s Travels
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.