Course Guide: Municipal Golf Course
I’ve had the pleasure of walking the Municipal Golf Course’s temporary disc golf course three times this year, although I have not yet had the chance to get out there without the purpose of caddying! Municipal, located just outside of Emporia, KS, uses only half of the ball golf course, and plays a total distance of 8,608 ft for the long tees and 7,987 ft for the short tees. Course par is 65.
Throughout the week, this course will be used for the PDGA Amateur World Championships. The A and B pools of Advanced Men played it today, with a hot round of 55. Tomorrow the C pool of Advanced Men and Advanced Grandmasters will play the course. The Advanced Men will play it once more on Thursday or Friday.
Because I have not personally played this course and because I’m trying to spend as much time out experiencing Worlds while I’m here, I’m going to let the pictures speak for themselves (they are worth a thousand words, right?). For an overall course map and hole-by-hole distance and OB information, head over to the Dynamic Discs website: http://www.dynamicdiscs.com/2013amworlds/courses/. Dynamic Discs has been very supportive of my efforts to keep you all updated on the Amateur and Junior World Championships by allowing me to use bits and pieces of their course map here on Dogleg. Thanks for being so great!
And now, to the course!
A New Year’s Revolution
As we’ve all heard by now, a big change for the world of disc golf will be announced on New Year’s Day. Many of the most well known pros have dropped major sponsors and have dropped hints of a revolution happening at the start of 2013. Players including two-time U.S. Champion Will Schusterick, 2011 World Champion Paige Pierce, 2006 Amateur World Champion Paul Ulibarri, and 2011 Junior World Champion Ricky Wysocki have all made announcements via social media this month. The online disc golf community has been asking for more than a week: what’s the hype about?
The answer? No one seems to know. The signs from the pros seem to point in different directions, which has caused a handful of theories to emerge.
The most conspiracy-like idea is that a new super company is about to emerge. Most references call it Prodigy Disc Golf. A person or group with a large base of financial support supposedly backs the new company. The sponsored players would have a larger salary than they get with currently existing sponsors, like Dynamic Discs. Prodigy is assumed to be a disc manufacturer, because the majority of the pros have dropped Innova, Discraft, and/or Dynamic Discs (who recently released a line of discs manufactured through Latitude 64). That’s why 2010 World Champion Eric McCabe announced yesterday that he would no longer be sponsored by Discraft, so he could join Team Dynamic Discs. This would also explain why some of the pros have picked up new retailor sponsors—like Will Schusterick and Paige Pierce joining the Journey Post team, based out of Branson, Mo.
Another line of theories all point in the direction of existing corporations breaking into the disc golf market. As can be expected, Nike has been mentioned by many because of its large financial base and role as a sponsor in most major sports in the United States. Keen’s name has also been thrown in the hat; they already sponsor a few players, like Avery Jenkins, and have produced footwear with Vibram, who has also manufactured discs.
Regardless of whether a new company is forming, or an existing company is growing, the guys at Furthering the Disc are definitely stirring the social media . Will Schusterick, who dropped Innova and Discmania on December 16, is a key player in their social media movement to revitalize disc golf. Both Will and FTD have been promoting the hashtag #discopalypse13 on Twitter.
Until Tuesday, when the pros are set to make their big announcement, all we can do is try to put the pieces together and hope that they add up to something that will advance the sport we all love. Share your thoughts on what’s going on by commenting, or tweeting @DoglegDiscGolf. Do you think that everyone is moving in the same direction? Is a new company forming, or is disc golf just getting more commercialized? Is this ordeal going to help the sport grow in 2013? What do you want to see the pros doing next year?
Night Rounds – Reviews on glow sticks, LED Lights, and Glow plastic
With the impending time change, night golf will be our only option if you work traditional hours. I have used mini glow sticks, flashing led lights, and glow discs as my test subjects for when day light savings goes into effect. The mini glow sticks work fairly well if disc is almost clear. Any slight tinting of the plastic will drastically reduce the visibility of the low powered mini glow sticks. I’ll give it a 2 on a scale of 5.
The flashing LED lights have been my staple for the past year. They are roughly $2.50 ea and give roughly 12 hours of use. These are the best option of the 3 test subjects. They are the heaviest of the addon options but they work well in all lighting scenarios (ie low sunlight, dusk, and completely dark). The newly redesign 2 alternating color lights that emit a combination of Blue/Red, Blue/Green, Red/Green colors for very easy identification from a far. Dynamic Discs seem to be the main supplier of this particular light setup. I barely notice the LED taped to my discs, but I don’t try any crazy hyzer flip shots at night, much. I highly recommend these particular models and give them an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5. I’ve dinged the 5.0 rating for the weight weenies out there. =)
Lastly I have tested the Innova CFR glow discs, Innova Pro Glow, and the GatewaySuper Glow plastics. one of the problems with glow plastic is that not all the names are available in glow. Innova probably has the largest selection of glow plastic but its still limited compared with their full product offering. The less translucent discs seem to hold a glow longer than the more translucent. That being said the Innova Pro and Gateway Super Glow outlasted the Innova CFR’s. All glow plastic seems best suited for near zero visibility. Any close street lamps will drastically reduce your night vision and the perceived glow from the discs. LED Blacklight flashlights tend to be the best option for charging this plastics in between rounds. I picked one up off ebay for around $13 shipped. My rating for the glow plastics is 3.5 out of 5 mainly due to the limited disc option in glow plastic and the fact most of my dg gets played around dusk and street lamps. All the above plastics are perfectly suited normal daytime use, as the Innova CFR plastic has excellent durability. Hope this helps someone!
Below is picture of a fresh charge on the 3 plastics in a completely dark room. They are visible for 10-15 minutes in a zero light area.
Jeremiah
Grip-and-Rip.com
Dogleg Disc Golf 