Today was exciting…as it is my first opportunity in months to have an honest-to-goodness course collecting road trip. No meetings for work! No travel companions needing frequent pit stops and three meals a day! Just me, my discs, and squeezing in as many courses as my health, my car, daylight and the weather would allow. And with a week to essentially just focus on disc golf? I decided to road trip down to Kansas City. An area that has 70+ courses that I have yet to play. Not to mention dozens of new courses I can play to/from. So after saying my goodbyes and making sure I’ve got my wallet, discs and enough clean clothes to get me through the week, I was off!
My first stop on the day was at Mental Health Clinic – Beacon Hollow in Cherokee, Iowa. I had played the nine-hole course on the property before, but the 18-hole course was new since my last time traveling through the area. And I must say, what a fun course! The 18-hole course has a little of everything. Length, elevation, open, technical. And I played it well, to the tune of a -3 (57) and an estimated round rating of 989. Though the entire time I was playing, I was practically jogging between shots, as there were dark clouds to the West (and it was thundering and lighting well to the South of the course). It would only be a matter of time until the skies opened up. And not ten minutes after I got back into my car? It started raining in sheets. Raining so hard that I could barely see out of my windshield as I was driving to my next course!
Fortunately, the rain slowed to a sprinkle by the time I made it to course #2 on the day: Sergeant Bluff DGC in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa. I shot an underwhelming 27 over nine holes, for an estimated round rating of 852. But it was thundering and lightning South of me, with it looking like a downpour was imminent. So I didn’t care about my score, as much as not getting soaking wet before I got back in the car.
Sure enough, not five minutes after I got back in the car, the skies opened up and it poured. Really difficult to see out my windshield, and standing water everywhere. Though I slowly, safely made my way to Coleridge, Nebraska, to check out my third course on the day. More thunder, lightning (safely South of me) and dark clouds to my West. So I hurried through that round and managed to shoot a -7 (20) for an estimated round rating of 964. Three dogs in the adjacent ballfield were not excited to see me, at ALL! But the woman who was with them kept them from running over to me, and was very friendly. She also saw those dark clouds to our West and was trying to give her dogs a bit of exercise before retreating to her truck. And sure enough? Not 7-8 minutes after I got back in my car, it absolutely POURED. Rain so hard that I was driving 30 MPH in a 55 MPH zone, and still could barely stay on the road…passing numerous vehicles sitting on the shoulder of the road with their hazards on. Waiting until the storm had passed. And less than a mile or two from my next stop on the afternoon (Randolph, Nebraska), the rain slowed to a sprinkle.
Randolph was a fun short course! Several safety issues, with the holes being designed close to other park amenities! But with an empty park on a rainy afternoon, there were a lot of fun lines to attack off the tee with my ProLine Squall. And attack them I did, to the tune of a -9 (18) and an estimated round rating of 1020. That was not ACTUALLY a 1,000+ rated round in my book, as any Intermediate/Advanced player with a solid mid-range game could shoot in the teens! But I’ll take it.
After Randolph, the skies opened up again. A hard rain. But as I approached course #5 on the day, Willow Creek Recreation Area near Pierce, Nebraska, the rain let up again and I actually saw peeks of sunshine! The rough at Willow Creek was FIERCE! A short course, but lots of chances to lose discs…not to mention struggling to get your par 3s. I ended up shooting a +1 (29) for an estimated round rating of 926. Not the greatest, but considering how wet the course was, on top of me playing the tee shots VERY conservatively (not wanting to waste time looking for my discs)? Not terrible.
After Willow Creek, and after saying goodbye to two freeloading ticks who were crawling on me after the round, I made my way to Norfolk, Nebraska for one more round on the day, at Northeast Community College. The course was difficult to navigate, even with the help of a map in UDisc. But I made my way around the course as best I could. Dark clouds were looming to the West, and I didn’t want to press my luck…getting stuck out on this 4,104 foot nine-hole course in a downpour and/or with lightning. So I played things as quickly as I could, managing to shoot even par (30), for an estimated round rating of 974. A nice way to finish up my day. And as I am typing this post from my hotel room in Norfolk? It is thundering, lighting and absolutely pouring (rain) outside. I don’t think I’ve ever had a day on the course collecting trail like today. POURING rain while I am in the car, then sprinkles or no rain on six courses. What are the odds?! Maybe the “disc golf gods” are smiling upon me…wanting me to have a good time and do some damage to my courses played collection as I travel to/from Kansas City? 🙂
Magic Number = 253 (1,747 Courses Played)
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.