After a wonderful evening of R&R with my wife eating at Grandma’s and exploring the Duluth Rose Garden and Leif Erikson Park, after doing work on some wooded property we own on the Iron Range of Northern Minnesota, I woke up rested in Duluth, knowing that I was in a land with approximately a dozen disc golf courses I had never played before. The sun was shining, there wasn’t much wind, and it was about the perfect temperature outside. So once Becky was awake and we had enjoyed our breakfast, I gave her that look that says: “You know…there are some disc golf courses nearby that I haven’t played before…” 😀
We both were anxious to get home and spend time with our daughter too! But Becky knows that look well (ha), AND now she is feeling added pressure to let me play, since Tyler Brickley at DGA called me a “legend“ (I’m not sure I will ever live that down with friends and family here in Minnesota, LOL). So Becky asked me if there were any nine-holers nearby that I could play, in effort to be a better Ambassador and see if I could find any local players to throw a few holes with and talk a bit about DGA.
Our first stop on the morning was at the University of Minnesota – Duluth. A VERY short (1,806 feet) nine-hole course, I think we were in and out of the campus in less than fifteen minutes. I shot a -7 (20), for an estimated round rating of 945. I should have shot an 18…but I was having a hard time even walking, much less using 1-3 steps on my shots from the tee boxes. The pain in my back/hip/knee is always worse when I’ve had hours of inactivity prior to walking or playing. Once I had 3-4 holes under my belt? Those tee shots and deuces came on auto-pilot…as they should when holes are less than ~225 feet in length! But a couple of early shots with TERRIBLE form left me too far from the basket to save those deuces. So a -7 (20) it is.
Our next (and last) stop on the morning was at Lincoln Park in Duluth. The above photo doesn’t do the course justice, as the photo makes it appear as though the course is not well maintained. Hole 1 was about the worst the course had to offer, specific to maintenance. I managed a -4 (23, estimated rating of 932) over this 1,905-foot nine-holer. Though I felt robbed of at LEAST a 22 (if not a 21), as I got a whole lot of the Hole 6 basket off the tee! Only to excitedly walk to see if I got the ace and find that my disc had rolled down and away from the basket by about forty feet. 🙁 A potential ace, turning into a “par” 3. It’s better than a deuce turning into a four, or a par three turning into a five! But still, I was not happy putting a three into UDisc for that hole.
I wasn’t going to push my luck with Becky, after getting to sneak in three courses on this quick trip to Northern Minnesota (when I had been hoping to play at least one). So after a wonderful 36-hour mini-trip up North with my favorite person in the universe, we headed for home.
Magic Number = 197 (1,803 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.