Mail Bag

Well, the commenting on the blog has been fixed and some interesting thoughts have been rolling in. I feel like there are some things I need to respond to, so Circle Three is going to be doing a mail bag post today. The fun part is, most of the comments I'm getting are anonymous, so I won't be able to tell you who posted them, but I'm going to respond none the less.

Just so you know how this is going to work, I'll let you know who made the comment if its possible, I'll write the comment and then respond to it. And there's no way you'll like my responses. So, if you'd like to stop reading now, feel free. I won't be offended.

From Andy Powell: I used to have two solid scores, but now I only have one? What gives? Just for the record, course pars are as follows: Peak Course Blues- 63, Peak Course Whites- 60, and Base Course Blues- 59.

Yes, Andy Powell is correct about most of what he says here. I messed up the course pars in my article. I half assed it, there's no denying that. I'll try my best not to make the same mistake again. I could drop some excuses as to why I messed it up, but those would just be excuses and we've got no time for that here.

The meat of Andy's comment is about his one or two solid scores. He's currently sitting with these scores: 93.75, 17.24, 85.19, 66.67, and 29.17. So, the way it looks to me, Andy's correct again. I can't deny that both 93.75 and 85.19 are both solid scores. Another oversight on my end. However, here's the meat of my comment. Andy's going to need to work a lot harder if he wants to win this division. Bedell has two 100's and an 89.66. Harris has three scores in the 90's. Andy's 85.19 doesn't beat any of those scores I just mentioned. So, Andy's technically right, but I don't think it's going to be enough.

From Spazz Mcgee: No need to every play Bagel Bush again. Smuggs cares and is way better of a course. I feel for Josh and others who try to maintain that course.

Me too. It's a tough and mostly thankless job. I, for one, doubt I'll be playing Sugarbush again this year. I think it's going to become one of those courses like Randolph that I play once a year when tournaments come to town. And, for the record, that's coming from a guy with another month off and a serious disc golf addiction.

Anonymous: Haters gonna hate.

Exactly. Haters gonna hate. I think someone I know wrote this one, but he's right. He learned it from me, but he's right.

Anonymous: Raw chicken is metaphorically the state of those Peak tee boxes, but Shawn at the bar is amazing and deserves a raise!

Bingo. Shawn is good shit. He's a great guy and a great bartender. Whoever wrote this comment not only knows a good bartender when he or she sees one, but also knows how to make a wonderful comparison.  That was a wonderful turn of phrase.  If this commenter would like to talk to me about doing some writing for the website, please do.

Anonymous: Yeah...yeah...clearly the Peak Course tee boxes need some work, but other than that I thought the course looked great. The fairways (ski slopes) weren't overgrown, and the baskets were straight and at the proper heights. What more do you want? I for one, can't wait until next year! Just get them to fix up the tees.

What more do I want? At a tournament and at a pay to play course, I do expect nice boxes. I don't think that's too much to ask. And if that is too much to ask, then I'm going to vote with my dollars. And my dollars won't be going back to Sugarbush disc golf. That's my right as a consumer and the only real feedback you can give a business.

However, this commenter does make a good point that I overlooked. There was some nice mowing and trimming done on the Sugarbush courses. One place that stands out is the corner of hole 18 on the Peak. That's often a place where things get terribly overgrown, but it was very manageable.

As for the baskets, I can't agree. Do you call this straight?

Sugarbush basket

Anonymous: And how exactly were the payouts shady? If you have something to say, say it.

Well, first of all, the tone of this one sounds a little defensive. I'm not sure if the comment is directed towards this website or towards another comment that directly called the payouts shady. Either way, it's my website so I'm going to respond.

My point was not that the payouts are shady. I've done the TD thing and I've had my argument years ago about where all the disc golf money is going. No one's stealing money or getting rich off this stuff. That I know for sure.

However, I really think we need to encourage people to play Pro. I think it's the highest echelon of disc golf. Simply put, if someone has to pay $60 to play Pro against 10 other players and then only wins $190 for his trouble, it's not very enticing.

I'm a betting man. Making a $60 bet against 10 other people to win $190 doesn't seem like that good of a bet to me. And that sort of payout isn't going to convince other people to step up to the big boy division. Finally, there's no fucking way that the Pro Open winner should win $190 in an 11 person division and the Pro Grandmaster winner should win $120 in a 3 person division.

I'm not accusing anyone of skimming from the pot. And, I fully understand that there was only one payout in the Pro Grandmasters division. But, in my mind, it just doesn't make sense. As a betting man, I'd much rather bet my $60* against 2 other old guys to win $120.

My final point is this. If we really want Vermont disc golf to be taken seriously outside of our state, we need more Pro Open players. We need bigger divisions, more players, and more competition. And to get all that, we need to keep encouraging people to take the risk to move up.

How we achieve that is not something I can totally answer for you here and now. My first thought is pushing money up from other divisions to fund Pro payouts. A few years ago I would have been opposed to that idea. Now I'm not. And, I play in an amateur division. So, yes, I'm suggesting we should skim money from my division to pay out the Pros.

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So, there you have it, our first mail bag. I'm sure this angered more people than the original article. But, so be it. If you've got something to say, use the comment section or see me in person. I'm open to discussion.

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*I tried to verify what a Pro Grandmaster had to pay to play at the LPO but couldn't find the information online. I'm assuming the division also cost $60, but it has not yet been verified.  

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