The Community of Disc Golfers and About All Things Disc Golf

Getting started

I guess that Geezers says it all. 2 dozen members, and not even one posting until now. It takes me a while longer to get warmed up than it used to, but let's get this thing rolling. Our opportunity to band together to conquer the kids will prove to be motivation enough to... oh, to hell with it, I'm going to take a nap.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by John McMullen on January 13, 2008 at 4:32pm

After many, many years as a professional climber, snowboarder and mtn. biker, I had to throw in the towel to those sports in favor of doing something that is challenging, competitive, and that I could do without getting hit by something or hitting the ground.
Now here I am, laid up with a broken leg ... From disc golf! LOL! So much for safety. I took a fall teeing off on a slippery tee pad. Had this happened ten years ago, I probably wouldn't have broken anything.

I played my first round of disc golf in the late '70's, and played occasionally in the following years, but pretty much lost touch with the sport. While working as the Art Director for Climbing Magazine, several of my co-workers talked me into going to our local disc golf course and playing a round. I was pretty burnt out on climbing, and had suffered several injuries snowboarding and biking a year or two before that. I found the game again, and have been playing several times a week since then. I met TJ Laurence after finding one of his discs on the course, and we have become very good friends. TJ introduced me to tournament golf, the PDGA, and the disc golf family. I would say there are a lot of similarities between the climbing community and disc golf community. Both are sports that are "out of the ordinary" and have their own sub-culture. I feel right at home in the DG world.

I played my first tournament in 2004, Rec division, and had a blast. Quickly moved up to Intermediate. Got tired of playing with all the Baggers in that division. Moved up to AM Masters and have played there for a couple of years. I've played pretty well in Am Masters, but haven't managed to pull off a win yet. Hasn't discouraged me a bit though, because I love the game so much, and always have fun. This year I'm moving up to Pro Grandmasters (I'll be 50, July 4th) and really looking forward to playing with pros like Peter Shive (who plays Grandmaster a lot in CO tournaments), Don Labor, John Bird, Sk8, Michael Hendler, and others. I will probably loose a lot more now, but what the heck ... I plan to learn a lot and with some determination, who knows? One thing for sure, I will have a lot of FUN! What a great group of guys to look forward to playing disc golf with!

Hopefully will see some of you guys around the country as I plan to do a little more out of state play in the future.

Permalink Reply by Rod Angel on January 13, 2008 at 4:46pm

A busted leg. I cold see coming down and splitting a arm or wrist. Probably a fluke.

Good luck with the leg.

Permalink Reply by John McMullen on January 13, 2008 at 5:01pm

Yes, I would agree it was a fluke. I just slipped on my back (right) foot in the middle of my x-step and all my weight went on the site of the ankle as a fell. Got to watch those natural tee pads! I had just thrown a beautiful Roc shot on the hole and parked it next to the basket ... wanted to see if I could repeat the shot, and probably went into my run up with a little too much excitement, lol.

Permalink Reply by Rod Angel on January 14, 2008 at 8:13am

Reminds me of the first broken ankle I saw. My kids started skateboarding six years ago maybe. We're at an indoor park. This kid, probably 10 or so. Missed the edge of his skateboard doing a simple trick. Probably happened to him hundreds of times before. Just barely missed the board, so his foot is turned in (on its side) when it hits the ground. He only "fell" 2 or 3 inches, but the ankle/lower leg fractured anyway.

I've seen kids jump 8, 10, 12 feet or more in-line and this kid busts his leg falling off a skateboard. You gotta love it.

Permalink Reply by Bogeyman on January 31, 2008 at 8:26pm

LOL, geez all you guys sound like "Old Pro's" coming down from your glory days, meanwhile I ain't gona get any glory days as a 50+ year old DG NOVICE, Arrrrrugh! ;) No way I could compete against the local area or Club Grand Master's, I'll have to wait till I'm "Ledgends" age to come down! :O I'm hoping for "bagger" in status in Recreational Class play someday! :) I do have a question, how many times have you all gone to a tournament planning to play in the Grand Masters class and not had enough show up for the class?

That's my fear, in playing in the GM class, not have enough in the class, then I'd be stuck with Advanced AM young'ins and be hold'in up my group and the group behind me, bummer! :(

Permalink Reply by Rod Angel on February 1, 2008 at 7:31am

Sometimes. It happens the other way 'round.

Last year. I'm playing AM2 at a C-tier (mid pack). Second round. Three of us in our 40's+. The fourth guy was young enough to be a son. Barely in college as I remember.

Yea. He heard about it :-)

Permalink Reply by spencer on February 8, 2008 at 5:47pm

i am a 47 year old am master
could be better if i tried harder
no wait that takes hard work lol

Permalink Reply by Mark Jackson on March 16, 2008 at 4:38pm

Hey Bogeyman,
The lack of GM Class players can be overcome by a good TD. Use whatever means available to contacy the TD as soon as you decide to enter an event and give them time to find out what they can do. The PDGA has some rules that seem ( to me) to allow the TD to have an excuse to be less than accomodating to persons in the less popular classes of play. These rules were put in for the purpose of growing tourneyments, not the sport in general. All TDs want to have a great tourney. Very nearly all TDs want to grow the sport as well. The more time that you can give them to make calls to other players that are in your class, but may be on the fence about whether to come out for a particular event, or to check with the PDGA to see what can be done within the rules to make the rounds as enjoyable for everyone, should solve most issues. I have seen some TDs even stretch the rules to accomodate common sense. I am in an area that has enough players so that I can almost always find someone to skip a tourney with. Three or five rounds with a good player at an empty course (since everybody is at the tourney ) can do more for your game that two crowded, slow competitive rounds almost always. Good Luck, and let me know if you ever need to skip a tourney near DC.

Permalink Reply by Boom Boom Dino on March 20, 2008 at 5:01am

Hey u young bucs ............ wheres all the does??? .......... just signed on with u old geezers ......... cuz i is one ..... my buddy and i are doing a roadie to Frisco mid June, then working our way back up north to Canada .... anyone down that way? I can call for a show around for Stafford Lake, Napa, G.G., Redding, Grant's Pass, Dexter, etc. etc. etc? ......... thanks

Permalink Reply by discgnome on November 17, 2008 at 3:39pm

Hey fellow old farts. What can you tell me about knee injury and the Big A (Arthritis) Lat year literally threw my knee out on the last hole at Swinging DB's (private course). Thank goodness 18 plays across a road. My bros were able to bring my car to me and help me in. Went to the ER next morning and they told me that the inflammation in my knee had pushed the knee out. Of course they recommended seeing a knee specialist which would mean surgery. I'm kinda believe in the old medicine of living with our pains and using natural remedies. I've been doing this stuff called Cetyl-pure and tart cherry concentrate which seems to help some. But I still haven't been able to get back to playing 2 rounds in tourney play. Has anybody got any suggestions?

Permalink Reply by Bogeyman on November 17, 2008 at 4:00pm

discgnome said:

Hey fellow old farts. What can you tell me about knee injury and the Big A (Arthritis) Lat year literally threw my knee out on the last hole at Swinging DB's (private course). Thank goodness 18 plays across a road. My bros were able to bring my car to me and help me in. Went to the ER next morning and they told me that the inflammation in my knee had pushed the knee out. Of course they recommended seeing a knee specialist which would mean surgery. I'm kinda believe in the old medicine of living with our pains and using natural remedies. I've been doing this stuff called Cetyl-pure and tart cherry concentrate which seems to help some. But I still haven't been able to get back to playing 2 rounds in tourney play. Has anybody got any suggestions?

That's a tough one, I have Reiter's Syndrome part of the spondilitis family of arthritis which effect the tendons and ligaments of all the major joints. I don't have med. insurance so I too use home remedies a lot. 1000mg of ibuprofan when I play, use the "vanishing smell icy-hot" on all my joints, do some minor streach exersizes, etc. Still there are times when my knees and ankles really LET ME KNOW, their not happy campers after just 1 round of DG. You may have to find a "soft" knee brace for little while to get the knee back up to the old level of strength? I worry about trying to play in a tournament, they seem to be "multi-rounds" and if the "pace from hole to hole" is too fast, I doubt I could do 36 holes in a day!!

I've played 2 rounds, even 2.5 rounds in "causal" play in a row but that's why I've thought of entering the tournament in the "AM-Grandmaster class", even though I'm only playing at "Rec. level at best", just because I wouldn't have to keep up with a bunch of "20 somethings", run/walking thru the course! I've only played 1 round in the local clubs, Handicap League and I was "dead" tried after 18 holes, I felt like I was having to "run" thru the whole course, trying to stay up with the young'ins. LOL, yep it's hell getting old but the alturnitive REALLLLLLLLY sucks! Hope you find a way to play!!

B.J. (bogeyman) Ondo
Colorado Springs, CO.
PDGA Offical "Doormat" in the AM-GrandMasters Class! ;)

Permalink Reply by mr ed on November 23, 2008 at 6:22pm

hey now,early Wham-o frisbee,World Class disc frisbee,IFA member (know what you mean Rod) target player from the mid 60's.We played ultimate before it had an "official" name/label.Looking at 57 years young this Tuesday(11-25-08).Knees are shot from various youth games and hs track,throw in the fact of working retail meat depts for the past 39 yrs and its taken it's toll on body parts also.Mr Arthritis,Gout have claimed my throwing wrist,but that's not stopping me just yet.Pop the doc's advice of Ibuprofen for aches and pain,life is grand.Hit cahins as long as we can."they'll have to pry the disc from my grip when I die"Peace and hit chains you old geezers.