Category Archives: disc golf

Patapsco, 3 days of #s

OK, so I played Patapsco yet again last week. 3 times, to be sure. I’m going to list them all in this post as I don’t want to add 3 posts, I’m lazy, and blah blah blah… Anyway, in round A, I broke 80! Not great in the big scheme of things, but in my wee world, it makes me happy.

Round A:

  1. Bogey, 4
  2. Triple bogey, 6
  3. Par, 4
  4. Double bogey, 5
  5. Bogey, 5
  6. Par, 4
  7. Par, 4
  8. Par, 4
  9. Par, 4
  10. Par, 3
  11. Par, 5
  12. Double bogey, 5
  13. Bogey, 5
  14. Par, 3
  15. Double bogey, 5
  16. Par, 4
  17. Par, 4
  18. Birdie, 3

Only one Birdie there, but look at that string of Pars! 40 on the front, and 37 on the back for…. 77! I do believe this be a new low for me on the Blues. Only a few strokes higher than my lowest from the Reds. 72 or less shouldn’t be too far away. I hope.

Round B:

  1. Bogey, 4
  2. Triple bogey, 6
  3. Bogey, 5
  4. Double bogey, 5
  5. Par, 4
  6. Bogey, 5
  7. Bogey, 5
  8. Bogey, 5
  9. Par, 4
  10. Par, 3
  11. Birdie, 4
  12. Bogey, 4
  13. Par, 4
  14. Par, 3
  15. Bogey, 4
  16. Double bogey, 6
  17. Bogey, 5
  18. Par, 4

#2 is really pissing me off. 43 up front and 37 out back for a total of 80.

Round C:

  1. Double bogey, 5
  2. Triple bogey, 6
  3. Double bogey, 6
  4. Double bogey, 5
  5. Bogey, 5
  6. Par, 4
  7. Birdie, 3
  8. Par, 4
  9. Bogey, 5
  10. Bogey, 4
  11. Birdie, 4
  12. Double bogey, 5
  13. Par, 4
  14. Bogey, 4
  15. Par, 3
  16. Bogey, 5
  17. Par, 4
  18. Birdie, 3

43 up front and 36 out back for 79. Broke 80 again, but just didn’t feel like I was playing well. 18 was great tho. Nice long drive and in the short grass for once! Forehanded an approach that landed about 3′ from the pin. Birdie was a “gimme!” ;) I need more of those.

Anyway, I had decided to take a few days off from playing and rest up a bit. Don’t want to overdue it and make things worse. It rained yesterday, so this decision was well met. Today, I received a call from the guy who’s disc I found last week on #18 (Round A). Since I’m off tomorrow and he drives thru my town daily, he’s going to stop by and pick it up. Hopefully we’ll both have time and will go play a round at P.

Patapsco, 3rd time in 3 days

I played Patapsco again on Sunday. Nothing spectacular to report. Much the same as before. The numbers:

  1. Bogey, 4
  2. Triple bogey, 6
  3. Double bogey, 6
  4. Bogey, 4
  5. Bogey, 5
  6. Par, 4
  7. Bogey, 5
  8. Birdie, 3
  9. Double bogey, 6
  10. Par, 3
  11. Par, 5
  12. Bogey, 4
  13. Birdie, 3
  14. Double bogey, 5
  15. Double bogey, 5
  16. Double bogey, 6
  17. Par, 4
  18. Birdie, 3

While I did have a couple decent holes and it was nice to end with a Birdie (really a par, if all are played as 3), the numbers shout that I am not on top of my game.

43 (+10) up front! 38 (+5) out back. 81 (+15) for the course. Certainly not my best effort. I can tell you a lot of this is avoidable, I just need to practice. Hopefully, I’ll be playing again on Thursday with my brother. We were chatting online last night and I think I’ve convinced him to come up for a round, seeing as he’s unemployed and has the time.

Patapsco, more pros!

So today I wasn’t planning on playing a round, although it was a thought in the back of my mind. Around 10:30am, I checked the MD forums and someone had put out the challenge: any course before 3. I tossed out Patapsco @ noon and it was game on!

I arrived a wee bit late, but that was due to an accident on 26. Upon arrival, I met O and G. On our way to the first tee, we meet W. W‘s been playing for 20 years I’m told and I should watch him play. I’m glad to hear this as an opportunity to learn is upon me. We set off and I didn’t embarrass myself too badly. :) W made an awesome shot on 3 and walked away with a deuce. I had never seen such an incredible shot in person.

My numbers:

  1. Bogey, 4
  2. Quad..@#$*^%$, 7
  3. Par, 4
  4. Double bogey, 5
  5. Par, 4
  6. Bogey, 5
  7. Par, 4
  8. Bogey, 5
  9. Bogey, 5
  10. Bogey, 4
  11. Birdie, 4
  12. Bogey, 4
  13. Bogey, 5
  14. Par, 4
  15. Double bogey, 5
  16. Par, 4
  17. Bogey, 5
  18. Par, 4

43 (+10) on the front 9 and 39 (+5) on the back 9 for a total of 82 (+15) shots.
Not my best, but I did the same on the front 9 yesterday. The game will come together. I will break 72 before my birthday. That means I need to shave 10 strokes off my game in one month. Hopefully, I can achieve this goal.

I might play a round tomorrow and another Monday. We shall see what awaits me.

And thanks go out to the other guys (they shot 65, 51, and 63!!) for showing me what can be done at Patapsco and for letting me play with them. It was a pleasure to meet them and I hope to see them again.

Patapsco: A New Achievement

Achievement? Yes, indeed! On yesterday’s round, I got my first eagle! I got a par 5 in 3. It felt nice. This was on #11 at Patapsco. The numbers:

  1. Double bogey, 5
  2. Triple!! bogey, 6
  3. Double bogey, 6
  4. Bogey, 4
  5. Par, 4
  6. Bogey, 5
  7. Bogey, 5
  8. Par, 4
  9. Par, 4
  10. Par, 3
  11. Eagle!!!!!, 3
  12. Bogey, 4
  13. Birdie, 3
  14. Par, 3
  15. Double Bogey, 5
  16. Bogey, 5
  17. Bogey, 5
  18. Bogey, 5

43 (+10) for the front and 36 (+2) on the back for a total of 79 (+12) strokes. Actually, another first: my lowest from the blues so far.

I don’t even want to think about playing all holes as 3s yet!

Patapsco: 8th hole

This is the short tee for 8 at Patapsco. The basket is there, one just need look hard and follow these clues: Find the road going across the image towards the top. It’s just before the green stuff in the far background. Follow the path from the tee straight out and one can see a fuzzy gray thing just before the road. That’s the tee. I birdied this once from the blues. The pin is also 50′ below the tees. A great hole and one of the reasons I love this course.

This shot was with a cell phone. I hope to bring the digi-cam out one day, maybe even with a tripod, and get some nice shots.

Patapsco, back with the blues…

Well, I hit Patapsco from the blues today. Another stellar round.

Not.

While I had some very nice drives, it seems I really need to continue working on the rest of my game. You don’t think so? Check out the stats:

  1. Kid picked up my second shot, but put it back where it was for me. Bogey, 4
  2. Ouch. OUCH! (*$#@@ Triple Bogey, 6
  3. Bogey, 5
  4. Bogey, 4
  5. Double Bogey, 6
  6. This is definitely the first time parred from the blues, if not ever. Par! 4
  7. Birdie, 3
  8. Par, 4
  9. Bogey, 5
  10. Par, 3
  11. Should have Birdied this one. Par, 5
  12. This shouldn’t be here either: Double Bogey, 5
  13. Par, 4
  14. Par, 4
  15. Bogey, 4
  16. Bogey, 5
  17. Bogey, 5
  18. Bogey, 5

The totals: +8, +6 for +14 (ouch) in 41, 40 for 81 strokes. I need to shave 10 strokes off my game before my birthday (Oct 2). And that’s from the blues!

I have a knack it seems for coming up way short on approaches. I think there’s a reason for that. At least, one that I can name: today, I used 2 discs: the XS I found, and the Roc that was given to me by P. Neither was suitable for me to use for approaches. Too long. I need to bring a shorter disc for that stuff.

Today, I also started throwing the extra disc on drives and approaches. I played through a group of 4 (2 were noobs) on 4 (great drive there, btw) and saw no one else. Since I was pretty much alone and not holding anyone up, I took practice throws. Tried some sidearms. That’s going to require a lot of work. Keep throwing them too high.

Finally, I need to work on uphill drives because mine are killing me. On 2 and 16, I keep hitting ground near the red tees. I can’t tell you how much that bites my nads!

Burke: with Katie

I’ve been slacking a bit. I played Burke last Thursday with my sister, Kate, but haven’t gotten around to posting the results. Not that anyone cares. I don’t think anyone’s reading this but me. But anyway…

My sister turned 22 on Wednesday and we played 18 at Burke on Thursday. Here’s the results:

  1. I don’t know how I managed to do this: Double Bogey, 5
  2. I think one of my best drives on this hole. Birdie, 2
  3. Bogey, 4
  4. Par, 3
  5. Par, 3
  6. Par, 3
  7. Par, 4
  8. Birdie, 3
  9. Birdie, 3
  10. Par, 3
  11. Birdie, 3
  12. Par, 3
  13. Bogey, 4
  14. Birdie, 3
  15. Double Bogey, 5
  16. Par, 4
  17. Par, 4
  18. Birdie, 3

Basically, I shot par on the front and back 9s: 30, 32 for a total of 62 strokes. I would be so happy to have that from the blues at Patapsco. My sister ended with 5 over, which is pretty good considering she hasn’t played but a few times, and most of those with object holes instead of baskets.

I hope to play more with Kate, and my brother, and it’s nice to see them both develop an initial interest in the game without my involvement.

Burke Lake: An old friend…

On Sat, I had a chance to go see a Redskins pre-season game against the Steelers. A friend of mine in NoVA was able to get tickets, so I headed his way. Since he lives just a hop, skip, and a jump from Burke Lake, I headed down a wee bit early and we played a round with his GF.

Before we get to the numbers, I just want to talk a bit about BL. I really enjoy this course. It was my first and will always have a place in my heart even though it’s no longer my home course. It’s a short 18 in the woods and on the weekends can be a very crowded place. Being short, it lends itself to the newb player and allowed for me to learn the game without massively bad scores in the beginning. It also taught me about pinball. And hating trees. And made it so that when I now play courses that are out in the open and sculpted like ball golf courses, I feel out of place. “Where are the trees?” I jokingly told the guys at Druid Hill last week that one of the reasons I was throwing poorly was that the “wide open spaces confuse and frighten me.” (Think “Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer”) Of course, it wasn’t true, I was just looking for excuses.

The Burke numbers:

  1. I should have parred this one but… Bogey, 4
  2. Par, 3
  3. Par, 3
  4. Par, 3
  5. Bogey, 4
  6. Birdie, 2
  7. Par, 4
  8. Par, 4
  9. Birdie, 3
  10. Par, 3
  11. Birdie, 3
  12. I don’t even remember how I did this, but I think it was from missing a simple putt. Double Bogey, 5
  13. Par, 3
  14. Birdie, 3
  15. Double Bogey, 5
  16. Par, 4
  17. Birdie, 3
  18. Par, 4

Par: 62
Me: 63

+1 for the round. Not bad, but should have been better. I shouldn’t have any double bogeys up there, but I do and I’m not proud. But, I’m not unhappy with the round. Which brings up another thing I love about this course, it’s not hard to beat and always leaves me feeling happy.

Ah well… I think I’ll be hitting it again later this week. My sister and I have scheduled to play a round on Thursday. Hopefully it will happen. “You play?” I ask her when she shows an interest in joining me. “I’ll kick yer ass!” she responds. Game on, sis, game on.

Druid Hill: A new title begining!

Yes. It’s true. I’ve finally met another MD course: Druid Hill in Scenic Baltimore. Right by the zoo.

Via a various virtual message board, I found someone intent on playing today @ 3. When going to a new course, I prefer a guided tour. ;) I showed up and met P, G, and R; three very nice guys who were kind enough to let me schlep along with them. One was a pro! er…. Pro! They all played like pros compared to me. But I had fun and didn’t do too poorly.

We played 21 holes. I know we started with #1, but after 4, we cut into the woods for 3 “X” holes, then went back to the main course. I didn’t pay attention to actual #s on the holes, just what I shot, so the #s below might not correspond to the proper hole #.

  1. Bogey, 4
  2. Double Bogey, 5
  3. Double Bogey, 5
  4. Bogey, 4
  5. Bogey, 4
  6. Double Bogey, 5
  7. Bogey, 4
  8. Par, 3!
  9. Bogey, 4
  10. Par, 3!
  11. Bogey, 4
  12. Par, 3!
  13. Bogey, 4
  14. Bogey, 4
  15. Bogey, 4
  16. Bogey, 4
  17. Double Bogey, 5
  18. Double Bogey, 5

For some reason, I stopped keeping track at that point. I think there were a couple par 4s in the end, but I don’t recall where or if I even marked them correctly. ;) I was mostly there to play a round, meet some MD players, and as ever: practice. Need more of it, btw. ;P I’m happy I made 3 pars.

Oh, and I’m not adding them today. You can do that. I’m beat! But I will add a link to an older map I know of online. I don’t think it includes the 9 X holes. One last thing about Druid Hill, it’s the home of Thursday Night Triples, 2 hours before sunset.

Patapsco, The Glutton Returns

Getting tired of the “Patapsco,…” titles? I am a little bit and thought about stopping today, but I like being able to just scan and know what a given article is about from the first word of the title. How does this title relate to today’s tale of woe?

Well, I played another round today. That makes 5 in 9 days. Still feeling tired but in the long run I’m sure this will be good for me, two-fold: my game and my overall health. Probably about 2 miles of walking per round. I need better shoes!

The results (from the blues, natch!):

  1. Bogey, 4
  2. Bogey, 4
  3. Bogey, 5
  4. Bogey, 4
  5. Par, 4
  6. Double Bogey, 6
  7. Bogey, 5
  8. Birdie!!!!, 3
  9. Bogey, 5
  10. Bogey, 4
  11. Birdie!!!, 4
  12. Double Bogey, 5
  13. Par, 4
  14. Bogey, 4
  15. Double Bogey, 5
  16. Bogey, 5
  17. Double Bogey, 6
  18. Bogey, 5

Not the best round by far, but I wasn’t necessarily trying my hardest. Today was more about getting out, getting exercise, and still working on my drive. Most of the crap above was my own fault and could have been avoided had I brought my A game and gave it 110%.

The totals: 40, 42 (82) Baaaad! Hopefully that will be my worst and I’ll never be there again.

Something else to be noted: I took some practice drives with a sidearm throw. Trying some techniques I learned online that are completely different from the way I’m used to throwing sidearm. Had some very promising results and I’m hoping that I can incorporate that throw into my game soon. I actually did use it twice today for approaches that needed it and did them fairly well.