disc golf

Lines seemingly drawn in disc golf standoff

September 14, 2016

It’s been awhile since I’ve paid much attention to the world of disc golf.

There were many reasons I walked away from the sport a few years ago. Not that I ever was a great player, but it was a fun game and I enjoyed going to events and tournaments. Though one of the reasons I stopped was because I had to drive more than an hour to play at a decent course and that I had a new job, another was because I didn’t like certain directions the sport at the higher levels was going.

Up until that point, I had run a pretty successful disc golf blog (rattlingchains.com) and tried to utilize journalism as a way to cover the sport, rather than basic Q&As or reviews. I think, for the most part, me and the group of people who worked tirelessly and voluntarily did a solid job of covering that mission.

Still, I had lost my true like for the sport for various reasons and decided I needed to walk away, so I did. I’m not saying I’ll never play another disc golf round again, but I knew I needed to take a long break and not worry about it. I do still read a couple of blogs, and I watch tour standings for the pros and all (after all, a few top-level pros had contributed to Rattling Chains, so it’s nice to see them continue to grow and push the sport), but I have distanced myself from other parts.

Steve Dodge, as shown here at the 2011 Vibram Open, is a visionary in the sport of disc golf and has made a big stand in hoping to help the game.

Part of that is the PDGA, which is the governing body of the sport. Though the reality is you never will agree with everything a governing board does, I scratched my head more often than not about things the PDGA did. For those who read my blog, you may recall me writing about a phone interview I had where one of the questions I was asked about my like or dislike of dogs?

Yeah, this post covers that.

Let’s just say that the interview came with a certain governing body of a sport I once used to play on a more regular basis.

Anyway, over the few years I ran Rattling Chains, I had the opportunity to interview, talk with, and pick the brains of many prominent people in the industry. Some of them were higher up, so to speak than others. Some of these people I still call friends to this day, which is something I hold a bit more near and dear.

And some of these people I would also call visionaries. I don’t use that term lightly, but when dealing with a sport that is still in its grassroots era and trying to grow beyond an image of pot, booze, and flipping Frisbees, you need visionaries.

You need somebody like Steve Dodge.

I met Steve several years ago through a mutual friend and I came to like and respect Steve at the highest level. His mind on the game is amazing. He’s the head of Vibram’s disc golf division. And though he told me, honestly, that he loved the idea of what I was trying to accomplish with Rattling Chains, the reality was it might be a little before the time (it was) that the sport needed something like that.

I had the chance to watch Steve in several capacities and I’ve tried to maintain some contact with him as much as I can. This past summer, he actually contacted me about possibly doing some work with him — to help get media coverage and give some as well for this fledging new tour he was working on — The Disc Golf Pro Tour. Unfortunately, with my schedule for the summer, it just wasn’t a match. But it made me look to see what he was doing and, as per normal, his vision was moving the game in a good direction.

Recently, I read a blog Steve posted about a pro player being suspended for 18 months for actions on the course. With not being there and only reading a few reports, I can’t really comment on the situation. Apparently, this player has had issues before and was currently on probation. Apparently, the situation, too, includes some possible physicality. If all that is true, I have a hard time thinking this person shouldn’t be suspended for some length — but is 18 months too long?

That’s what the PDGA did, though.

Now, disc golf touring pros go grassroots. They make their money in many ways, be it sponsorship, tournament winnings, clinics, etc. So this would definitely cut into a person’s living if he couldn’t play sanctioned tournaments. And I’m not defending any negative actions he did. If any normal person did something negative like this, they’d likely be suspended or fired. Just because he’s an athlete doesn’t mean he should get special treatment.

Disc golf really is a great sport, but it needs to keep growing in many ways and with many people.

But it seems like there are other ways to take care of this, as well as making sure you still uphold the integrity of the game and keep top players playing.

And these are the types of things, too, that I’ve long said hurt the sport reaching the mainstream more. You can’t have tantrums and physical confrontations and things like that, mixed in with how many people view the sport already (hippy sport) and expect it to grow in a positive light. I remember a few years ago when I was playing in a tournament and saw one of the most amazing meltdowns I’ve ever seen by an adult. Screaming, throwing of discs and bags and, eventually, walking off the course.

If you get like that over throwing plastic — no matter your level of play — you need a dose of reality and a suspension is likely called for. But back to the original — is 18 months too long? Does it hurt the sport? Normally I would say probably not. But in this situation it might. A punishment can be handed down without that long of a suspension and without just extending a probationary period. Maybe a mix of the two and some fines might help. But when handing out punishments, sometimes you have to look at a lot of things. Again, I wasn’t there and I didn’t see it, as well as only hearing certain aspects. So take that all with a grain of salt as I’m going off what I have heard/read.

As the governing body of the sport, the PDGA has to accomplish many things. Since I’ve left playing the game on a regular basis, I watch things to see if it continues to grow. I know at a local level, some things have (local to me) because I still see one or two area clubs and what they do is amazing. But, that’s local. That’s not the PDGA. Most things I see happening in a positive way are more grassroots. I’m not saying the PDGA doesn’t do anything good — the organization does — but not at the level it probably should.

Taking all this in mind, I was still shocked when I saw Steve Dodge’s Disc Golf Pro Tour, which is holding its championship this weekend, decide to not sanction the tournament. That means it is no longer a PDGA event. So, those playing in it won’t do anything with their PDGA ratings etc.

In the end, for the pro players, that probably doesn’t matter. After all, they’ll still get paid if they place. The PDGA doesn’t hand over money for tournament directors to give to the winners.

This is a bigger issue, though, and Steve Dodge is making a stand. He outlines in his post why he is doing this and he isn’t afraid to call the PDGA out. I encourage you to read Steve’s post and form your own thoughts and opinions on this stand.

Basically, according to Steve’s post, the PDGA is not working with the DGPT, and the DGWT (a world tour that also started this year) in regard to scheduling, working together on other aspects etc.

So, the PDGA basically drew the line in the sand and took their discs and went home. Steve has seemingly shrugged and grabbed his own discs and is playing anyway.

This is a good thing. This is the type of stance that makes organizations take notice. This is the type of situation that can lead to eventual change.

For disc golf to get to the next level, a lot of things have to happen. But people like Steve Dodge and others have visions that need to get some attention. The PDGA seems to walk the same line (at least as long as I’ve been near the sport), which doesn’t necessarily grow the sport. Little things are good, but you can’t do everything as one organization. Steve Dodge is being smart — he’s looking to grow the professional tournament end of things. Bigger prize money and things like that.

Change doesn’t happen overnight, but it takes something big to usually make change happen.

But the game needs to grow underneath for it to be bigger and bigger and that means the amateurs, and the people who just go out and chuck discs. Without them, you lose a base that allows the pro tour to continue to get bigger. It takes time and it takes a lot of vision to be able to shape the direction of a growing sport. But for a professional tour to grow and gain major sponsors, you need fans. The way to keep growing a fanbase is to grow at the lower levels and not just be worried about a professional tour. That’s something the PDGA should fully invest in doing, especially when you have people like Steve Dodge and Jussi Meresmaa (Disc Golf World Tour) utilizing great visions for a top-level pro tour. These are people the PDGA should be working with, not necessarily against or in competition with.

Growing the game also means having the ability to change your thinking and be open to ideas that go beyond the realm of the organization’s normal thought process. Unfortunately, I’m not sure that’s the direction the governing body always leans.

I hope this move Steve made makes some waves. It might or it might not. For the good of the sport, hopefully this is the move to make all parties involved realize they need to work together, and work together well. If not, it could come down to high-level players having to choose sides about where they play. At that point, it’s going to likely come down to prize money (and for a pro, it should), and that ultimately could be something that splits the sport in different directions.

Steve Dodge has talked about a tour like this for as long as I’ve known him. His drive and passion is unmatched by nearly any person I’ve ever met in the disc golf world. He’ll make this succeed and make it bigger — of that I have no doubt — and he’s already proven he’ll do it with or without the PDGA.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook!

Golf has ups and downs like other recreational activities

July 27, 2015

Recently, a local newspaper noted a low turnout in two county golf tournaments – the women, and the junior.

The women’s tournament only featured 32 players and the junior tournament only features six. The women’s tournament is by flights, so it’s not as though all golfers competed in the highest group.

Conversely, the men’s county tournament, which was held a few weeks ago has a strong turnout as normal, drawing about 125 people. Still, that number even seems down from the past. I remember when I used to play golf and played in that tournament, there was a larger turnout and often a sellout (which I believe was about 156 or so).

The big number, to me, when it came to the men was the numbers in the two lowest – the D and E – flights, which had a combined 55 players. That means nearly 50 percent of the field were in the two lowest groups.

Like other sports, golf’s participation can sometimes go up and down.

So what’s happening? Why are numbers down all around?

Probably price and time.

When I switched to playing disc golf a few years ago, my two biggest reasons were because of the time aspect (I can play 18 holes of disc golf in about an hour and a half; 18 holes of ball golf, even with a cart, is 3.5 to 4 hours minimum), as well as the price point. In disc golf, the majority of courses don’t cost anything to play. Your biggest cost is the discs. And, if you aren’t competitive, a mid-range disc and a putter (so, about $20-$25 total) will be just fine for you.

Anybody price out decent clubs recently?

It’s also not cheap to play golf. If you want a cart, which I think the majority of golfers choose, it ups the price even more. Heck, there are some courses out there that require you use a cart!

Greens fees aren’t cheap.

Balls aren’t cheap.

You get the picture.

Our economy, while showing some signs of getting better, isn’t what it once was. That cuts into people’s “recreation” budget. More people are finding cheaper alternatives for their recreation, which is understandable.

I stopped playing because it got too expensive and I just didn’t want to sit out and play a round for four-plus hours. I’ve thought about getting back into it. I liked playing (at times). I liked it more when I walked the course and played, especially if I was by myself or just one other person. I got exercise and it was enjoyable for that long amount of time because I could kind of be in my own thoughts. My golf bag is one of those backpack-style ones and I tried not to pack it so much, making it decently comfortable.

But, like many people, I got frustrated. I wanted to do better. I hated shanking a ball or duffing a shot. I wanted to be some top-level player, even though I didn’t have the time, patience or money to put into being that strong. Let’s face reality – if you are going to play at a very high level, you need to put the time into it. I didn’t do that enough.

The same can be said for disc golf. To be good, you need to put the time in. I don’t have any decent courses too close to me, so getting better was tough. I didn’t play enough. And, honestly, one can only throw discs in a field or put on a portable basket so often before it gets amazingly boring.

The reality is times are changing. People are more in tune to expenses and what they do for recreation. This is all way too understandable, that’s for sure.

People still play golf, that’s for sure. Tournaments cost money, though. Sometimes people just don’t want to pay to play in the tournaments anymore.

Maybe it’s becoming more recreational and not so competitive. Maybe some people just want weekends for other things, leaving golf for a few rounds after work during the weeks. Like other things, though, it’s likely cyclical. I’m sure it will go up again at some point.

Hopefully, the reason isn’t just economical, rather family or friends or something along those lines. Diversity in what people do is an important aspect in life, and it’s always good to broaden horizons and see what else is out there.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

2015: Looking ahead

January 4, 2015

Another year is in the books. Now, it’s time to look ahead.

I’m not one who is big on resolutions. Instead, I like to make goals and work toward them. I don’t do the weight loss thing, or exercise, or this or that like many do. I’ve found when I do that, I’ll go to a gym for a while and then fizzle out. I know I need to do all of the above and I’ve been working on that. But that’s because it’s for my health, not some silly resolution.

So, as I’ve done here for the past few years, I like to come up with a few goals I can aim for. These goals run a gamut of different things, so it’s always fun to see how far I get with each of them.

Let’s face it — I don’t always succeed, but I’m always pushing to attempt to succeed.

So, here, I present to you my annual list of goals. We’ll see how it all goes and by the end of the year, hopefully I am talking about how I succeeded in doing all of these. Some of these were done last year, so I am tweaking them slightly as they were ones I didn’t think I fully succeeded on in 2014.

1. Photography

This is easily the biggest goal I have this year.

Last year, I got away from taking pictures with my DSLR. I purchased a new one right before Christmas, so I am going to be working on using it a lot more. Further, part of my current Day Zero Project has a lot of photo-based things, so I want to work on those. Add in the monthly photo blogging challenge and other challenges and I want to use it a lot more.

My new camera needs a workout this year.

On top of that, next December will be the 10th year I have done an annual photo book. I have big plans for that and I want to go back to how it was when I first started that yearly tradition, which means stepping away from the iPhone as the main camera.

That being said, I won’t be leaving the iPhone completely. I love Instagram and the social part of it, so I am going to work on finding a good balance.

One part of this will go hand-in-hand with one of my other goals — travel. I want to visit more state parks in New York, which should give me many chances for photos (as well as geocaches), so it should be fun in that regard.

2. Geocaching

I didn’t find many geocaches in 2014.

In fact, it was the lowest total I’ve had since starting in March 2008. In 2014, I finished with 221 finds — an average of 0.6 per day.

I need to get into caching way more again!

Not good!

I say not good because it means I didn’t get out as much. Geocaching, for me, is a game that is fun because it gives me something to do outdoors and it gives me an excuse to go see and do some things. It’s also a nice way to get some exercise with walking and such.

So this part of my goal is several parts. The things I’d like to do include:

Reach 4,000 finds (I need 205)
Place at least 15 or so geocaches
Host 5 or more events
Average at least one find per day for the year
Add another state or country to my totals (hopefully more than one)

Some of this will require some travel. I have other geocaching goals with my Day Zero Project, so if I can do some of each, it will be a good thing. I also want to do more photos with geocaching, but I basically want to do more photos with everything, so that shouldn’t be so surprising!

Honestly one other thing I’d like to make sure I do is geocache with somebody I’ve only known through the internet — such as through blogging or Twitter. I have always wanted to do that for some reason, so 2015 seems like a good time for that.

Travel

My travel in 2014 was a tad limited, mainly because of the Summer of Baseball. An anticipated trip to Montreal (haven’t been there since 2009) never materialized and a few other places I was hoping to go didn’t happen.

So this year seems like a good one to try and take advantage of it.

Outside of Montreal, I’m not sure where else I’d like to go. But it could be a weekend getaway in New York, or a three-day geocaching road trip. It could be for some baseball, or for some brewery tours. It doesn’t have to be a 10-day European getaway (though that would rock), but something different would be nice. Maybe a extended weekend to Vegas? That would give some great photo ops and I am sure geocaching, too.

Part of travel, too, is meeting people. Maybe I’ll figure a way to set up a few geocaching events. Or I’ll look to play some disc golf. Or … anything. I want to expand some things when it comes to travel. It’s all about people.

I know I’ll get to places this year, and hopefully it will be ones where I can see things, do more and meet some people.

Better my blog

A repeat from last year, but I think this year I am ready to actually do this a bit more.

There are several aspects of blogging I am putting here that I feel will better this blog, as well as make it better overall for me. I want to expand blogging-wise, and I don’t necessarily mean by getting thousands of readers per day (though I could dig that).

Blogging to me, still, is about the community and having a place to express myself through writing. Whether it’s a feature, or a journalistic-style post, or something going on in my world, it’s my little place on the web. I don’t get advertising or anything like that, it’s just me.

But I do love visiting other blogs and talking with other bloggers. I learn as I read and peek around at other ones. I get inspiration and I’m always amazed by the talent and ability of other bloggers.

So, with that in mind, here are a few things I’d like to do this year with blogging:

Tweak my design a little (new header, maybe color scheme, maybe some other small changes)
Blog a tad more often and keep up with comments and such
Have, at a minimum, 250 posts for the year
Take part in a few challenges, as well as continue the Photo Blogging Challenge throughout 2015

Blogging is a fantastic community and a great activity. I don’t plan on making money through it, so I need to keep it on a personal level and continue to enjoy writing. Hopefully, it won’t change and I will enjoy tweaking and learning a bit more about the look of the blog.

Day Zero Project

This is a simple goal.

My current Day Zero Project goes through April 28, 2017. But I still need to be working to actually get 101 things done by then. The goal this year is to complete, at a minimum, 25 of those items. I’d also like to have several of them be in the “working on” stages.

I truly don’t know if I’ll get through the full list of 101 by the deadline. Some of the goals aren’t easy and might not be able to be done in time. But it keeps me reaching for something. As much as I would love to finish the whole list, if I can get through 75 percent of the items, I would easily consider it a victory.

Home brewing

I’m adding a sixth this year. And, much like the last one, this one is going to be somewhat simple.

I need to brew more!

I just want to brew more.

In 2013, the only beers I brewed were in December. I am hoping to do it much more often this year. I have ideas and thoughts for beers, so I need to see them through. I have some kits I still want to put together, and a few I want to order. Eventually, I want to work into three-gallon batches, and maybe the bigger, 5-gallon batches. Though, honestly, I like the smaller ones because it’s much easier to get through them if they are ones you don’t like!

The whole process is a lot of fun, so I look forward to doing several brews. For the purposes of a goal on here, I’ll say I’d like to brew a minimum of five beers, though I’d be shocked if I didn’t do at least double that.

There you have my 2015 goals. There are other things I hope to accomplish (such as playing disc golf more, learning more about the board game world that I’ve been getting into etc.), but these are the goals I hope to focus on. Come next January, we’ll see how I did. Until then, I hope you all have a great new year and follow any goals you are hoping to accomplish throughout 2015!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

2014: Looking ahead

January 10, 2014

With 2014 so new, it’s probably a good time to look ahead.

One thing I’ve always said is I don’t make resolutions. I don’t buy them. Why is it everyone makes all of these resolutions? The odds are they won’t finish them.

Such as losing 50 pounds or something like that.

It’s one thing to make those long-term goals or something more reachable. I always wondered how big of a boost gyms get in memberships in early January. And I also wonder how many of those memberships last? I’m sure I’ve done it before.

So this post is my annual goals list. There are certain things I’d like to do over the course of this year. Last year, I made five goals, which I thought were doable. This year, I’ll do the same.

Will I succeed in all of them? Only time will tell. But this helps give me something to aim for as the year goes on.

1. Better my blog

I’m putting all of these items together, because in the end, it will make this blog a much better place for those who visit. In the end, I do this blog because I enjoy the aspect of it, but I also really love the blogging community. I love interacting and finding new blogs to visit. In the end, it all works together. Some of the things I’d like to do with the blog includes:

A slight re-design (not full, but a new header and a few other things to make it more me)
More photos, or photo-related things
A few giveaways
Work on my current “features” and either tweak, keep or send packing — then add as needed
Have at least 275 posts this year

I do realize, too, that I might work on some other things when it comes to the blog. I really have enjoyed growing this blog and look forward to trying to make it better than ever.

2. Photography

One thing that seemed to have taken a backseat last year was my photography. I missed going out with my camera (not just my phone) and exploring. Now that I’m settled into a job and have a paycheck, too, I can start thinking about renting lenses on occasion for doing different things. That’s something that is exciting, too.

State parks give you great spots for photos.

With this in mind, I plan on purchasing an Empire State Pass (for state parks) this year and actually utilizing it. I received one for Christmas last year and never used it. Call it a lack of funds, call it a lack of time — call it whatever you want — but I didn’t use it. Part of the problem is I worked pretty much every weekend. This year, that won’t be the case. So I’ll be able to explore.

That part of the goal goes hand-in-hand with a couple of other goals — such as geocaching and travel. New York State parks are really a group of amazing gems and I look forward to seeing many of them. Hopefully, this will help my photography as it should give me many chances for great images.

The biggest part of this goal would be to get back into using Flickr more. The past year, I kind of got away from it. I look forward to checking it out more, becoming part of that community again and seeing what’s out there!

3. Geocaching

The ultimate goal this year is to find No. 4,000. I’m 416 finds away, which would put me in line to find it this year because in the six years I’ve caches, I’ve only found fewer than 400 finds one time.

Ohio would be the goal — but Kentucky would be awesome to add.

That being said, I’d like to push myself to get it during the warmer months so I can hopefully find a good one for that milestone. I don’t get into the milestone caches much, outside of every 1,000. I like to try and make those a little more special.

I’d also like to do more in my area, which includes more events (I have some ideas), as well as placing more caches. My actual caches placed (events included) is at 77. Of course, they aren’t all active, but that’s what I’ve personally placed. I’d like to reach 100 placed caches at some point this year. I have a lot of ideas to work on and get out there. Hopefully I can do that and get more cachers to visit the area!

One other goal is I’d like to add another state or two to my total. I’d really like to land Ohio as it would connect some states. In a perfect world, I’d get Ohio and Kentucky because it would square things off a bit. And heck, if I could do it … Tennessee and North Carolina would make it look cool, too. But I’d be happy to start with Ohio!

There are a few side goals I’ve been working on, which include finishing a few challenges and such. I’m hoping this is a good year for geocaching as I’d like to get back into it a bit more, at least to the point where I truly look forward to going!

4. Travel

With a job in hand, I’d like to actually do a little traveling. I realize I won’t be able to do anything major, but I’d like to do some.

Travel could be hitting a state park or two during a weekend. Or visiting some friends in the city. Or going on a geocaching weekend. But I also want to do something memorable.

Hopefully, that means Montreal.

Many of you may know how much I love that city. A few of us were supposed to go last summer to celebrate my milestone birthday. Alas, it fell through because of funds.

I’m planning on going this year.

I’ve been to Montreal 10 or 12 times. I love the city, but I haven’t been since 2009. It’s time for me to revisit my love of that city. I’ve already started to save and I look forward to spending a (hopeful) long weekend up there and remembering why it’s my favorite city.

I also hope, obviously, to hit the Jersey Shore in the fall again.

And baseball games. I have plans for baseball. There are so many good minor league stadiums within two or so hours of me. I’d love to hit a bunch of them.

In the end, I just really would love to see a few places. It just makes me feel like I’m living again — which is something I need.

5. Disc golf

I need to get back into disc golf.

Hopefully, there will be more disc golf in 2014.

This goal isn’t going to go deep, I can assure you of that.

I think last year, if I remember right, I played 4-5 rounds of disc golf. All year.

That needs to change. One way would be to find a course a little closer. Though there’s one in Binghamton now, it’s still a haul for me. I’d still love to see one go in locally. Maybe this could be the year? I’m not holding my breath, but it would be wonderful to see it happen, that’s for sure.

Maybe, however, I can mix it in with my travel goal. I’ll start looking for courses a bit more when I travel and maybe that will help me get a few more rounds in this year.

I’ll likely only play in one tournament, though, as I’ve truly found it’s way more fun to just go out and throw some plastic. The one tournament I will play in is one I’ve tremendously enjoyed since I’ve played in it.

And there you have it. I have some personal goals, too, such as chopping away at my debt, working at becoming better professionally etc., but the five above are ones I’d like to work on and see where they can go as well. For the first time in a few years, I’ll be looking forward to seeing my results at the end of the year … but I’d rather this year was a little slower and more enjoyable than the past few.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Fall is arriving quickly

September 13, 2013

Fall brings awesome colors!

I think it’s safe to say the fall is arriving.

Despite the hot-as-hell days we’ve had this week, it looks like cooler weather is returning. And I like that. Fall is one of my favorite seasons. It’s ripe with photographic possibilities. The days and nights get cooler, but usually not too bad, and it is a time when the air truly smells fresh as can be.

Of course with the onset of fall, that means winter is eventually coming, too.

But, for now, it’s fall.

Football fills up Friday nights and Saturday afternoons at local high schools. The days get shorter, which is one of the things I don’t like about fall. There’s a smell in the air unlike any other season.

Soon enough, the colors will be glorious!

Apple orchards are busy with people picking some great varieties of the fruit.

And the fall beers — there are so many good ones. I have some planned that I want to brew soon, though by the time they are ready, the fall will be almost over. I should plan better for them next year, eh?

There also seem to be some great festivals and events, whether related to fall or just because the weather is nicer.

The cooler weather also makes it better for geocaching and hiking, or a couple of rounds of disc golf. Though, to be fair, it can be slightly harder to find your discs when the leaves have fallen, especially if you have discs with autumn colors!

As I mentioned above, I really like the fall for photography. I’m hoping to get to a few state parks this year to try and capture some great images!

Maybe it’s a glass of cider you enjoy in the fall? Or the last few barbecues?

Whatever it is, fall really is quite a wonderful season.

What do you enjoy best in the fall? Let me know in the comments below!