After waking up this morning, my kidney stone was still talking to me. Saying: “Hey Derek, it’s great hanging out with you! Can we be besties and spend lots of time together in the future?!” [sigh] So after hearing fictitious voices in my head from a talking blob of calcium, or salt, or ???, I asked my daughter if she minded driving me to Oregon State Hospital in Salem, so that I could check out the facilities as a potential future resident. Er, I mean to check out the 3,027-foot nine-hole disc golf course on their property.
I’m still on two sets of pain medicines for my kidney stone today, so I sort of “floated” through my round. But one thing that frustrated me was that because my head isn’t entirely clear at the moment, I ended up forgetting to take photos from every tee. 🙁 So the photos I am including in this post have been recycled from the DGCourseReview.com website. I don’t like using other people’s photos in my posts, because I cannot always figure out who actually took the photos (to ask their permission). But since I have added probably thousands of photos to the DGCR website that others have used for various purposes over the years, I figured that just this once, folks wouldn’t mind. 🙂
I actually thought this course was a lot of fun! Mostly flat, with just enough variety in hole length to keep me interested, it was fun trying to weave my ProLine Tempest, Undertow and Squall through all those mature trees. Keeping track of my score in my head (I like to not record my scores in UDisc until the conclusion of my rounds) couldn’t have been easier too: nine 3s! An even-par 27, for an estimated round rating of 931. Not the greatest of rounds, specific to my performance! But hey, I got a +1 in my course collector rating. That, and I was NOT admitted into the facility! So we’ll consider it a win. 🙂
Magic Number = 42 (1,958 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’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.