Discology’s Richard Sampson ran some more disc golf coaching classes this week with over 50 students from Princess Street Primary School in Hobart.
Happy kids, happy teachers!
2013 has been Discology’s best year to date for teaching disc golf into schools. Fingers crossed for more in 2014.
Fantastic news for disc golfers in Victoria. A new 9-basket course was installed this week near Geelong, at Barwon Valley. The Geelong Disc Golf Club have been lobbying the local council for many years and it great to see their efforts have been rewarded. It’s a great course for players of all abilities, it’s free to play and the fun is guaranteed!
Find out more at www.barwonvalleydiscgolf.com
After Steve Brinster dropped in his final putt to secure a one stroke victory during the 15th USDGC finale, he let out an emphatic “Yeah! Yeah!” as if a huge weight was lifted from his shoulders.
Making big plays when he needed to, Brinster, of Warwick, N.Y., submitted a 62 (-5) to end at (-31) for the Championship and at long last shed his drought of major tournament victories.
“To finally get a win after 20 years of playing disc golf feels amazing. I’ve always had the game to do it,” said Brinster, who will no doubt relish his new found title of 2013 US Disc Golf Champion.
Others ending well include: 3-time US Champ Barry Schultz, of Louisburg, N.C., and Steve Rico, of Sylmar, Calif., both shot (-30) for second place. Max Nichols of Ramona, Calif., and 2005 US Champion Dave Feldberg of Scottsdale, Ariz., took 4th place with (-29). Defending US Champ Will Schusterick of Nashville and 2008 US Champion Nate Doss, of Capitola, Calif., tied for 6th at (-27).
Saturday’s path to the title was not an easy one.By the late afternoon the leaderboard was in complete chaos with players further back making eye-opening charges.
On the second card, Feldberg became a momentary leader as he scorched the course. But that came to an end when he met hole 18. A triple bogey ended any hopes of a come from behind victory and Feldberg had to settle with a 57 (-10) for the day.
Grouped with Feldberg, Schultz turned in a 58 (-9) and while he waited for the lead card to finish, Schultz watched as his standing got better. At one point he was tied for the lead and started thinking about a possible playoff.
“It’s a privilege having a chance after taking an 11 on that second day,” said Schultz referring to hole 13.
However, as the lead card neared the end it became clear it was up to Brinster and Schusterick.
Schusterick was on the move and was deadlocked with Brinster at the treacherous island hole 17. Then calamity struck Schusterick when he failed to land inside the island green twice. Schusterick finished with a 62 (-5) and seemed devastated that he’d let what could’ve been his third US Championship slip from his grasp.
Brinster, who made birdie on 17, then carefully traveled across hole 18 for the win.
Doss was looking strong all day until he reached what became his nemesis of the week, hole 13. After taking an 8 and a 6 on the hole during round one and two respectively, he scored a 10 on it Saturday. Doss admitted that it might have been a mistake to stay aggressive on the hole, but in the end he was at peace with his performance.
“I did what I thought was right at the time and so be it,” said Doss.
Overall, Doss felt proud of his USDGC effort and said he’s going to work hard in the offseason to return in good form.
Steve Brinster’s wife, Lesli, and their 14-month-old twin children were in attendance for much of the event. When asked how he’d explain his major achievement to his kids when they’re grown enough to understand, he replied, “Hopefully I can get a couple more (majors) and they will be able to remember it.”
His biggest supporter, Lesli, knew full well the significance of his win. At each of Brinster’s past USDGC’s, she’s hoped it would be his time. It finally happened, it just took several tries.
“I couldn’t be happier for him. He works so hard on and off the course,” said Lesli Brinster.
Though McBeth may not have collected his Grand Slam, he did collect a new course record of 52 (1094-rated), thanks to a new approach to the course that went straight at its jugular. 53 was the previous record held by Schusterick, Josh Anthon, Jussi Meresmaa and Brinster.
“Now that I know how to play this course, it’s kept in the back of my mind to stay aggressive out here,” said McBeth, indicating he was ready for another crack at Winthrop.
Playing in a handful of masters events this year, Schultz proved this week he can still hang with anybody.
“This course doesn’t really know how old you are when the disc is in the air or when it’s hitting the chains,” said Schultz.
Soon after completing the final hole Brinster thanked all of his supporters for rooting for him all of these years. Many of the tour players gathered around seemed to really appreciate the significance of the moment for Brinster.
“It was great to see Steve Brinster win. He’s a true competitor,” said Doss.
Article via ‘All Things Disc Golf’
Brinster Gets 1st Major | United States Disc Golf Championship.
Review by All Things Disc Golf
Earlier this year Prodigy Disc released two of their four distance drivers: the D1 and D4. Now they have completed their distance driver lineup with the release of the D2 and D3. We first took the Prodigy Disc D2 out to the course to see just how it stacks up against the rest of their lineup.
Prodigy says this about the D2:
D2 is a very fast, over stable driver that is designed for strong throwers. Just slightly less stable than D1 this driver is good in all conditions and flies just as well into the wind as it does with the wind. It is an extremely reliable driver with the least amount of side-to-side movement of any driver on the market. It is equally as long, twice as forgiving and has a much gentler finish.
The D2′s wing, along with all of Prodigy’s distance drivers, measures in at 2.3cm. As we stated with our reviews of the D1 and D4, even with the large rim, these discs feel very comfortable in the hand and come out nice and clean. The D2 is no exception. We’d put the D2 in the Speed 12 category, but don’t let that intimidate you.
The D2′s flight is very unique. The D2 is an understable flier at high speeds and doesn’t have a lot of fade at the end. You could almost call the D2 a much faster Innova Leopard. Let us explain.
We first gave the D2 a nice flat release and noticed the turn kick in immediately. This surprised us at first and took us a little getting used to since we were expecting a little more stability. We then decided to give it just a touch of hyzer and saw a very nice flight. The D2 quickly, but smoothly, rolled from a slight hyzer angle to flat and then to a slight anhyzer angle as it glided down the fairway.
At the end of these throws, the D2 showed very little fade. If the throw was really heading on a right to left path, the D2 would finish on that line. If on a straight throw, the D2 would settle down nicely and finish with a very forward penetrating fade.
Prodigy D2While a comparison to a faster Leopard is close, it isn’t exact. The D2 is unique. So very often disc golfers are looking for a high speed disc to carry smilier flight paths to a fairway driver, but bring more distance. The D2 in our tests produced this exact thing. Don’t expect a strong fade, don’t expect a very high amount of high speed stability, but do expect a very straight and unique flight.
Overall we’d rate the Prodigy D2 at: 12, 5, -2, 1.5. The inbounds Disc Golf flight chart shows a slightly more stable flight than what we we experienced. In our tests, the D2 would does not like a headwind.
The Prodigy Disc D2 is one of the most unique high speed drivers we’ve thrown. It is a hyzerflip machine and it will produce straight flights time after time. Disc golfers from monster arms to weaker arms will see great results with the Prodigy Disc D2.
In a few weeks, Discology’s Richard Sampson will be running six disc golf clinics with Year 11 students from Guildford Young College in Hobart. This is the second year the College has added disc golf to its P.E. curriculum. The students have their first clinic on the College oval, and their final session takes place at Poimena Disc Golf Course in Austins Ferry.
If you find there’s not enough hours in the day to feed your disc habit, embrace the darkness! There’s some great illuminated discs and LED accessories to make night disc the real deal.
Discology’s been trialling a new disc light attachment for golf discs and the verdict is a comprehensive 10/10. Check out the NiteIze Hole-in-One disc light attachment and our range of illuminated discs.
Excitement is building at the Perth Disc Golf Club as they prepare to unveil a new course for the Perth Disc Golf Open, 14-16 June.
The tournament is one of the major events on the Australian National Tour. The new course is Pine Lines and is located on a private property, Rancho Relaxo at Gidgegannup, a township 40 kilometres northeast of Perth.
Over the last month the Perth Disc Golf Club’s Facebook group has been slowly releasing new photos from the Pine Lines course and it’s easy to see why the tournament team are so pumped. The course offers tight wooded fairways, long open holes and elevation change.
The effort and enthusiasm going into this event from the Perth Disc Golf Club promises to deliver a memorable Perth Open and players should be in for a treat. Discology recognises the extra effort the Club is going to for this event and is delighted to be able to support the tournament and be one of the major sponsors.
To find out more about the Perth Disc Golf Open, go to Perthdiscgolf.com.
In the meantime, take a few minutes to enjoy what’s coming for players at this year’s Perth Open.
Perth Open 2013 Teaser from Keenan Vellios on Vimeo.
Pine Lines Disc Golf Course, Rancho Relaxo, Gidgegannup, Western Australia
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Photos: Perth Disc Golf Club
Mackillop Catholic College invited Discology’s Richard Sampson to run two disc golf sessions with its Year 11/12 students. This is the first time the college has introduced disc golf to its physical education curriculum.
The first session took place on the college oval, with 25 students. 90 minutes later the students left with some understanding of the history of the frisbee and disc golf, the basic rules and ethics of the game, equipment, throwing techniques, putting, driving and scoring. All topped off with a round on a short 4 hole course round the oval.
Richard said, “I love these opportunities to introduce disc golf to students and the teachers. 99% of the students are engaged and have a good time and I get such good feedback from the teachers. I’ve heard one set of teachers in Hobart describe disc golf as ‘the great leveller’, testament to its accessibility and and inclusivity. Two highlights for me, one of the cheekier students hit chains from 50m and dropped to his knees with a gasp, the other was the participation of a student with a mental disability.”
For the follow up session, the same students will be visit Poimena Reserve Disc Golf Course in Austins Ferry and put their newly acquired skills into practice on a proper course.
Poimena Reserve is a public disc golf course operated by Glenorchy City Council. It is open every day of the year and it’s free to use the course. All you need is a golf disc or quality frisbee to play, and these are available from Discology. They can also be purchased from the Austins Ferry Store, 400m from the entrance to the Reserve.
If you are involved in a school or college and are interested to introduce your students and teachers to disc golf, please contact Discology owner Richard Sampson.
Victoria’s premier tournament of the season, the VIC Open, takes place 26-28 April at Ruffey Lake Park, Doncaster.
Discology is proud to be a sponsor, supporting the great efforts of the tournament team from the Melbourne Disc Golf Club and Geelong Disc Golf Club.
The tournament course at Ruffey Lake Park is a great disc golf experience, there’s lots of variation in length and elevation, good mix of par 3s, 4s and 5s.
It’s a huge park and attracts lots of visitors for a myriad of recreational activities. This event is great visibility and exposure for disc golf in West Melbourne.
The Ruffey Lake Park tournament course is a temporary 18 basket course. Outside of the tournament the park has a permanent 6 basket course, which was installed in November 2012. This is Melbourne’s first public disc golf course and will hopefully be the first of many in Victoria.
So many things to love about the VIC Open, which is why Discology is so keen to support the event.
If you’re in Melbourne and you’re into flying discs, check out the tournament and also Ruffey Lake Park disc golf course. There are still spots available in the tournament and players of all skill levels are welcomed.
Go to the website for more information and registration – www.VICopen.com
Discology is throwing its support behind this year’s New Zealand Disc Golf National Championships. The premier tournament in New Zealand is taking place February 8 – 10 at Woodhill Forest, Auckland. This is the first time Discology has supported an event in New Zealand and also the first time Discology owner, Richard Sampson, has visited the land of the long white cloud.
“I’m extremely excited to be heading over the Tasman, I’ve heard so many good things about NZ and have met so many Kiwis over the last 20 years, it’s going to be a great experience”, said Richard.
“It’s always fun to play a new course and meet new players. The course is very new and is at the Woodhill Mountain Bike Park. This in itself is exciting news, I’m sure there must be plenty of mountain bike park operators who would be interested to follow the development of this ground breaking course.”
All the scores from this record breaking tournament. Also, read a tournament review from the Mens Open Division winner, Simon Feasey from New Zealand.
Smiles all round at the finale to the Australian Tour.
