The Majors and The Minors

Like any hack of a blogger worth his salt, I’ll open by talking about how long it’s been since there was a Circle Three post.  Man, it’s been a while since there was a Circle Three post!  And now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I’ll launch into an all out barrage of information.  Although, information is probably a strong word.  So, an all out barrage of opinion.  Starting now.

*The Green Mountain Point Series.  I, for one, am burned out on slow tournament play, rainy disc golf, and long travel days.  So, I’m shooting for, maybe, two or three tournaments this year.  But that’s not true for everyone, especially for you, my loyal reader.  But, my second and third hand information tells me that tournament turnout has been low.  (Not for the BRO, of course, but that’s a whole other story for another day.)  I think I know why.  And I might even know what to do about it. 

*Eleven events with 6 scores counting for the totals is too much.  I don’t think it’s a sustainable season for many disc golfers.  I mean, if Sean Bleything isn’t playing, does it really even count as a real tournament?  Of course, for some people, like my favorite AMs, Jon Moorer and James Sweat, 11 tournaments is just right.  But they’re real, avid disc golfers.  For the rest of the field, I think committing to 6 scoring events is too much.

*Well, you might ask, am I just going to complain, or do I have a solution?  It’s just like me to complain away with no solution in sight.  But, for once, I actually have a solution to propose, instead of just sitting here complaining.  So here it goes.  Like everything else, this certainly isn’t my original idea.  So, if you’ve contributed to this, then please let me know.  And if you’d like to keep quiet and let me take the blame, then keep on doing what you’re doing.

*The Majors and Minors Plan.  I propose the GMDGC changes the approach of tournament scheduling to major and minor tournaments.  I’m suggesting that we have 6 majors each year and only 10 total events.  Five of your top scores count.  Why 10 events, you ask?  Well, 10 is my favorite number, it sounds good, and it’s less than 11.  Plus, it’s not 12 or 13.

*The Majors.  So, here’s how it works and here’s how it gets interesting.  Each season, 6 events get to be counted as Majors.  The other four events are filled up by other courses and tournaments that fit into a rotation.  Those are the Minors.  

So, Major #1 is New Hampshire.  That’s right, New Hampshire, the state.  Those friendly fellows get one Major tournament per year.  Spencer, James, and Nicky Blue Eyes can have some sort of pissing contest to see who gets to host the yearly Major, but one way or the other, the state of New Hampshire is guaranteed one Major per year. 

Calais obviously gets a Major.  Obviously?  Yes, obviously.  I didn’t stutter and my words were pretty clear.  When you have the oldest, biggest, baddest course in the land, you get a Major.  Johnny Betts also gets a Major.  He can host it at Black Falls, Cherry Hill, or whatever concoction his far Northern mind can come up with, but Johnny Betts is guaranteed a Major.

And that accounts for 3 Majors so far.  And now we’re getting down to it, so we’ll see what happens next.  Because Jeff Spring gets a Major.  Sure, sure, it’s really Brewster Ridge who gets the Major, but I’m awarding this one to Jeff Spring by name.  If you can pull off a course that costs more than my student loan debt, then you too can get a Major.  Otherwise, just keep reading.  That was Major Number 4, and only 2 remain. 

Waterbury gets a Major.  It’s home to most of Vermont’s disc golfers, the most played course in the state, and generally a pretty nice place.  Waterbury gets to host a Major for as long as the course exists.  Which, if you ask me, might not be that long.  But, for the time being, Waterbury gets a Major.  And now we’re down to one. 

Don’t worry, Mike Miller, I won’t forget about you.  In the business, we call this building suspense.  Base Camp Outfitters gets the 6^th and final Major.  They’re the heart of Southern Vermont disc golf, they have a great course, and they’re dedicated to the sport.  So they get a Major.

*The Minors.  Oh, boy.  This is the point where people get pissed.  What, Wrightsville doesn’t get a Major?  What, you didn’t even mention White River?  How can Cow Hampshire only get one Major?  Those questions are all valid.  But I had to choose and some feelings were bound to get hurt.  Plus, I’m pretty sure Colin at Wrightsville doesn’t like me as it is, so I’m not really doing a disservice. 

Anyway, the Minors plan.  Each year, 4 different courses or tournaments get to vie for the Minor tournaments.  Now, Minors would score the same as Majors, they’re just not guaranteed a spot in the rotation each season.  So, yes, Wrightsville, one of the other New Hampshire courses, Storrs Pond (whatever the fuck that place is), Sugarbush, The Timbers of Fennario or whatever new course pops up, can get in the rotation. 

Think about it, on the PGA tour, not every fancy course gets to host a tournament on the schedule every season.  And as Vermont (ahem, and New Hampshire) disc golf continues to grow, then we’re going to need a plan for making the schedule work.  And this is a plan.  Now, I doubt you’ll like my plan, but I do.  And if nothing else we’ve again opened up the debate.  So, make some comments and let the world know what you think.

*The final word goes to the whispered-about stroke shaving comments.  Seriously, how pathetic can people be?  Is counting to 5 (or in my case, 9) really that hard?  Or do you want to “win” a tournament so badly that you’ll cheat?  Man.  That really makes me mad.  Imagine how the people who actually played in the tournament feel.  And some ridiculous technology that someone mentioned on the forum isn’t the solution.  Old fashioned accountability is.  So, disc golfers, make it known now and forever.  Cheating won’t be tolerated.  For once, I’ll agree with the federal government… if you see something, say something. 

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The Sap Bucket X

Sap Bucket X kick-off

On Sunday, May 20, 2012 the Center Chains Disc Golf Course in Waterbury, Vermont hosted the Sap Bucket X. Here are the stats you need to know about. 88 players, 80 degrees, a Green Mountain Points Series record 24 Pro Open players, 18 CTP's, 1 ace, and a keg. Pretty impressive, that's for sure.

Going into the second GMPS event of the year, I thought for sure that the story would be Matt Idol. He was the two-time defending champ and a very late addition to the field. He plays pretty stellar disc golf and features a devastating flick shot. Combine his huge distances and lazer putting and I thought a third straight win was a done deal.

However, Johnny Betts would simply have none of that. I thought Matt Idol had answered the bat signal, but really Johnny Betts took my other piece of advice. 40's win. And he did it. His first round score of 48 put him on a top card of players who all shot in the 40's. Pat Hout's 48 and three scores of 49 by Todd Holmes, Chris Young, and Jeff Spring completed the lead card.

Center Chains, Waterbury, VT

But only Betts could hang in the 40's for round 2. He shot a second stellar score of 49 to finish the day at 97. On the 2^nd round, Pro Chris Young shot a 50, as did AM1 winner Travis Keller, but only Betts managed to shoot in the 40's. Betts held strong both rounds for his first ever Sap Bucket win. And to answer my previous question, it was Mr. Betts who drank from the shot glass.

Pat Hout made his trip south from Canada worthwhile, tying for 2^nd in Pro Open with Reigning Champ Chris Young. Hout shot a 48/51/99 and Young was 49/50/99. It's no surprise Young shot well. I slighted him a little in the Sap Bucket Prediction article, so he had to show me up. Speaking of which, all I heard before the first round was about how I didn't have any love for Todd Holmes and about how great he plays at Waterbury. And, sure enough, he played well right in front of my stupid face and set me straight. Holmes finished the day at 49/53/102, good enough for a 4^th place tie with Mike Davies. This is starting to sound a little like 6 degrees of separation, but Mike Davies also hated the fact that I suggested he might not finish both rounds, and he also played well just to spite me.

Now that we lay it all out like that, I wonder if Johhny Betts was motivated to prove me wrong too. Maybe so, maybe not.

Either way, congratulations to those guys. Six total rounds in the 40's is pretty solid.

 Also, the next time I go to Montgomery, I hope Mr. Betts pours me a nice bourbon on the rocks in that fancy ass glass trophy I helped him get.

And Then:

*There's so much still to talk about. We haven't even touched on the Points Series, AM1, the ladies and those other...cough...cough... Pro divisions. Plus, the Rivalries. And Black Falls is only a few days away. So, where do you want to start?

*Points Series. Chris Young is a little sneaky. He (kind of quietly) tied for 2^nd at Pinnacle and tied for 2^nd at the Sap Bucket. Right now he's in 1^st place in the Points Series. That's right folks, he's officially at it again. He got off to a quick start last year and he's off to another one this year. I'm happy to see James Beaulieau currently in 2^nd, but right now he's about 41 points behind Young. Mike Habets, Jon Moorer and Jeff Spring round out the top 5.

*You have to wonder if Johnny Betts is ready to capitalize on the quick turnaround between the Sap Bucket and his own tournament, Black Falls VI. He's already working with a 100 and maybe winning Black Falls (which would be another first for him) would make for the perfect story.

*Pro Prediction Follow-Up: I picked Idol/Betts/Spring. Betts exceeded my expectations and Idol and Spring both failed me. Circle Three really did start with predictions, but its a hard business. I should just stick to the commentary.

*Am1 had some excitement. The top card after the 1^st round featured Edwin Bedell (52), Matt Cohen (53), Brad Harris (53), Justin Kaulius (53), and Vinnie Samolis (54). I saw Harris shoot a 2^nd roud 52 and figured he had the win in the bag. Instead, one of George Boone's posse, Travis Keller shot an impressive 2^nd round 50 to tie things up. After a two-round play-off, Keller prevailed to keep the trophy in Vermont.

*Am1 Prediction Follow-Up: I picked Tundji/Harris/Powell. Harris hung tough but couldn't quite make it work, so I nailed the prediction on his 2^nd place finish. I think it was too early to predict Tundji, but it happens. Andy... maybe next time?

*I was psyched to see that Chris Sherwin won Pro Masters. If not for any other reason, he got to keep one of his own trophies. That's got to make it extra sweet. John Sudarsky's starting to run away with Pro Grandmasters. Do any of you guys think you're going to give him some competition anytime soon?

*Rivalry Watch: During the Sap Bucket, Jim Conroy approached me and asked me to include him in a rivalry. In my mind, he took out a glove and slapped me in the face when he said it, but in real life it probably wasn't that dramatic. None the less, you know I accepted the challenge. Plus, Seth McQuade wasn't there so I figured that'd keep us at six rivals for this one.

So, how'd it go?, you're probably wondering. It seems that we should only keep track of rivalries during GMPS Events. So, that means I was 6-1 going into the Sap Bucket. I was 53/57/110 on the day. Dave Carter was 55/56/111, so I got him by a stroke. Newcomer Jim Conroy was 59/54/113, so I got him by 3. DeVico was 57/55/112, so I also got him by 3 and Spencer Weatherholt was 60/52/112, so I got him by 2. Andy Powell, the only rival to beat me at Pinnacle, was 61/59/120, so I got a little redemption there. That makes me 12-1 against the rivals, and its safe to say none of you would have predicted that.

*The Final Word this time goes to your Favorite TD. It doesn't have to be Wedel or I, just your favorite TD. They deserve it.

(Thanks to Gretchen Kruesi for the fantastic pictures.)

Waterbury Looks Amazing

There are certain times of the year where Waterbury's Center Chains Disc Golf Course looks amazing and you realize what a gem the course really is. Right now is one of those times. I feel like I'm kind of blowing up the spot, like giving up one of your secret stashes at a ski resort, but I'm going to tell you that Center Chains looks amazing right now.

A big round of thanks should go out to those involved in the grass cutting, trimming, weed wacking, and tree removal done on the course. I can only imagine that Matt Alberghini, Anne Lewis, and Dave Frothingham were responsible for most of the work. Thank you. If I've missed any other golfers who spent the day working, feel free to leave a comment so we can give them the thanks they deserve.

So, quit reading this nerdy blog and go play.

UPDATED: From Josh Rappeport: "Mr. Al Rosa is deserving of a mention... his efforts were were apparently verging on legendary!"