Thoughts on the Green Mountain Point Series

Here I sit on a lazy summer day, drinking coffee and listening to some Phish jams from the recent SPAC adventure.  Really, I should be thinking of disc golf, but I’ve been distracted by other summer time things recently.  Luckily for me, nothing’s really changed since the last time we spoke. 

Tim Walsh for the win.

On July 1^st, Base Camp Outfitters hosted the 2^nd, and final, Killington Classic.  The word is that next year the tournament will be renamed.  Some have suggested the Base Camp Open, that way we can have the BCO at BCO.  They could do some sort of Face/Off type logo on their discs- BCO/BCO.  In order to trap him, he must become him.  Anyway, enough about that nonsense for now.

The Killington Classic was dominated by out of state winners, at least in the divisions I’ll be covering today.  Pro Open was won by Mr. Vibram, Tim Walsh.  He’s another of disc golf’s super nice guys and he happens to be incredibly talented when it comes to throwing plastic at chains.  His overall total of 99 won the division by 5 strokes.  Vermonter Sean Bleything makes the biggest point series jump, after earning a second place tie with the legendary Daniel Marcus.  Mike Davies, a Vermonter but also a point series boycotter, took 4^th and our own Young Bucks was 5^th.

Here’s the current top 5 in the Pro Open Division of the Green Mountain Points Series:

1. Chris Young (90/95.83/52.94/87.5/76.47/Total= 402.74)

2. Jeff Spring (70/41.67/94.12/87.5/64.71/Total= 357.99)

3. Jon Moorer (40/79.17/76.47/43.75/29.41/Total= 268.8)

4. Mike Habets (100/41.67/0/56.25/52.94/Total= 250.86)

5. James Beaulieu (90/54.17/0/87.5/17.65/Total= 249.31)

A few things are clear to me at this point.  First, Bleything had a strong finish on Sunday, gained 94.12 point series points, but still hasn’t cracked the top five.  Second, no one even looks to be in the same ball park as Chris Young right now.  He’s separated from Jeff Spring by 45 points and then there’s a huge jump to third place and beyond.  Third, Mike Habets really hasn’t proven to me that he can dominate anywhere but Pinnacle.

Seriously, though, so what?  An astute, unnamed Pro and I were speaking at the Killington Classic.  He had a pretty laid back attitude about the point series and Chris Young’s seemingly insurmountable lead.  I’m paraphrasing here, but the sentiment of this Pro was pretty simple.  We’re still at a point where someone could win out the next 5 events, or even have 5 very strong finishes and take the lead.  Mathematically, he’s totally correct.  Do I personally think it’s possible?  If I were in Vegas, I wouldn’t lay my money on that bet. 

In the spirit of Vermonters getting their asses kicked by out-of-staters, Stephen England came north to win AM 1 at the Classic.  Brad Harris tied two other southerns for second place and BCO regular Tyler Teed took fifth.  These results won’t change the point series race for now, but it does make a foreboding statement going forward.  And it’s one we haven’t really addressed here yet.  Brad Harris is going to win the GMPS AM 1 Division. 

It pains me to say it, but go ahead and try to prove me wrong.  Here are the current standings:

1. Justin Kaulius (87.5/89.66/70.37/33.33/54.17/Total= 335.02)

2. Edwin Bedell (100/89.66/0/66.67/70.83/Total= 327.16)

3. Seth McQuade (56.25/0/92.59/87.5/79.17/Total= 315.51)

4. Andy Powell (93.75/17.24/85.19/66.67/29.17/Total= 292.02)

5. Brad Harris (0/96.55/92.59/0/95.83/Total= 284.98)

If you ask Christian Keidel, he’ll tell you that Justin Kaulius is only at the top of the point series because he’s played in five tournaments.  As a matter of fact, Keidel will probably be able to speak for hours on the subject.  And there’s certainly truth to it.  Edwin Bedell started hot and has fallen off a little since missing a tournament for personal reasons.  However, he’s still banking two solid scores.  Seth McQuade has two hot scores and a mid-range score.  Powell has two solid scores in the bank.

And then there’s Brad Harris.  He’s only played in three tournaments out of five.  In those appearances, he’s managed three very impressive, very bankable scores.  Compare his top three to the top three of anyone else in the division and he’s got a nice lead.  (Hey, Christian, if you compare your three scores he’s also beating your ass pretty handily.)  So, can Harris be stopped?  At this point, I’m going to bet on no.  Harris for the win.  It’s my belief that if he won the division that he’d be the first New Hampshire resident to win a non-age-restricted division. 

Things You May or May Not Care About:

*The amazing Jeff Spring recorded a stellar Circle Three at Twin Falls at the last money game.  He happened to do it on the same hole that spawned the name for this website.  Spring stepped up to hole 18, threw his drive in the water, took his penalty stroke, and on his re-tee put his disc straight in the chains.  Nice work, sir.  You also owe me five bucks for the name usage.

*Sean Bleything has been on a nice roll.  He took down his first money game win after a one hole playoff with Frothy.  He had the strongest Vermont Pro finish at the Classic.  It’ll be fun to see what he can do with all this momentum.

 

*Vermonters, WTF?  How often are we going to continue to get beat by all of these out-of-staters.  I know what you say.  They have more courses then than us.  Their courses have better tee boxes than most of ours.  They have better competition.  They have a longer season.  So what?  It’s time to stop whining and start beating some southerners as they come north for our money and our points.   Keep practicing that putting. 

*BCO.  Wow.  You may have heard me say this before, but I feel like every time I go there, more and more improvements have been made.  It impresses me.  As does the dedication that Mike Miller shows to disc golf.  Can I make one suggestion?  I think it’s time for some championship level baskets.

*Let’s keep ruffling some feathers.  I’ve heard some grumblings about the Peak Course lately.  It seems to be in a little bit of rough shape.  Now, I haven’t seen it myself, so I’m going off second hand information.  Let’s hear it from those of you that have played.  Is it in tournament shape?  Should we just be playing two base rounds for the tournament instead of a peak and a base?  I know playing the peak is a game changer, but is it ready?

*Also, the LPO costs $60 if you’re playing Pro Open.  Ouch.  That’s approaching the price of a day of skiing.  Glad I’m not playing Pro.

*The final word this time goes to Mike Miller.  Keep doing what you’re doing, sir, we all appreciate it greatly. 

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