Today was another opportunity to play nine more new courses in wet conditions:
- Lakeside Hills DGC in Olathe, Kansas
- Frontier Trail in Olathe, Kansas
- Washington Elementary in Olathe, Kansas
- Timber Wolf Estates in Olathe, Kansas
- Swope Park in Kansas City, Missouri
- Minor Smith / Southwood in Raytown, Missouri
- Harmon & Santa Fe Parks DGC in Prairie Village, Kansas
- Shawnee Mission Park DGC in Shawnee, Kansas
- Lenexa DGC in Lenexa, Kansas
106 more holes of disc golf in the rain and wet conditions (I haven’t had dry feet since I left home). But the highlight of my day, and one of the main reasons I wanted to head to Kansas City this week, was to get a handshake and a little face time with Tyler Brickley, Marketing Manager at DGA.
Tyler is such a great guy! He has been a tremendous asset to DGA since being added to their staff. And while I have gotten to know him a little bit via Facebook, chats, texts, etc. over the past several months? I had yet to have the opportunity to get my handshake and “bro hug” with him…until today. 🙂
Tyler said that he wanted to take the opportunity of having me in Kansas City to film a little footage of me talking about course collecting, course design, tee sign design, and how it all ties into Steady Ed’s philosophy of “the player that has the most fun wins.” So while I did my best to not trip over my own tongue, with my Midwest “aw shucks” huckleberry on full display?! 😛 I got the opportunity to get to know Tyler a bit better as we checked out the two courses in the Kansas City metro where I have design tee signage for DGA in the past.
Tyler was too busy filming to throw a round with me at Washington Elementary (one of the courses in Kansas City where DGA created tee signage), but he and I got to throw a round together at Timber Wolf Estates (the other course in Kansas City where we’ve created tee signage so far), and he promptly kicked my behind! 🙂 Not that I was surprised, as he can throw it a mile off the tee! But I hope he doesn’t report back to the bosses that I am a fraud, barely able to get my drivers out there 250-275 feet right now (while hurt), LOL. Just kidding, just kidding. I do look forward to the time when I can get my form and distance back, however. Hopefully recovering fully from this current IT Band injury.
After getting my “fifteen minutes of fame” in front of the camera, Tyler headed home while I headed to Swope Park, to play that 18-holer in the rain. It was a struggle, a grind. But I managed a +1 (55) for an estimated round rating of 927. Then it was on to Tyler’s home, to meet his wife and kids, as well as throw in my $0.02 of ideas, specific to a fun nine-hole backyard course he has been creating in his yard.
After saying goodbye to Tyler and his kids, it was back on the course collecting trail! I started out at Harmon & Santa Fe Parks DGC in Prairie Village, Kansas, where I met a nice teenage guy. A local who works as a lifeguard and is just getting into disc golf, we ended up playing several holes together. And when I told him what I was doing and that I would be trying to play a couple more courses on the day? He asked if I wanted to drive over to his home course (Shawnee Mission Park DGC in Shawnee, Kansas). I said “sure,” so we followed each other to that second course and played another eighteen holes together.
He had skills, for only having played over the past several months! That said, I couldn’t resist offering a couple of tips for how if he couldn’t reach the circle off the tee? He should dial it back a little, focusing more on accuracy and hitting his landing zone versus trying to get as much distance as he can. [Edit to add: It warmed my heart, several days later, when I got a text from him. Thanking me for the advice, saying that him not worrying as much about distance on the holes where he couldn’t reach the circle off the tee helped him shoot his first under par round on that course!]
After getting to 97 holes played on the day, and having enough daylight to play a bit more disc golf, I decided that I had to squeeze in one more nine-holer before calling it a day. Lenexa DGC was the logical choice, after looking at my map of unplayed courses in UDisc. I finished with a ho-hum -6 (21) for an estimated round rating of 900. But I felt like I had accomplished a lot of positives on the day, and whether I shot a 21 or a 121? I still get a +1 on my “course collecting rating.” 🙂
Two hundred and twenty holes played in two days is pretty darned good. Especially considering the rain and wet conditions! But now I am definitely ready for some R&R…
Magic Number = 224 (1,776 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.