Sap Bucket: Who drinks from the shot glass?

http://sherwinartglass.com/

We're just about 36 hours from the Sap Bucket X in Waterbury, Vermont. Players will be competing for the usual pride, some cash or prizes, and some super nice blown glass sap bucket shot glasses. So, the question is, who gets to throw one down from his trophy Sunday evening? (And yes, I know some ladies are playing, but we're talking Pros here.)

Two days ago, when I should have written this article, the story was totally different. Then, I was going to tell you that two-time defending champion Matt Idol wasn't playing the Sap Bucket. That, in turn, would have left the field wide open. Instead, I'm lazy, I didn't write that article two days ago, and now Matt Idol's playing. Remember that bat signal I sent him after Pinnacle? It worked. Score another one for Circle Three.

My mental rough draft had to be reworked with Idol in the mix. So, let's talk about the Sap Bucket IX and VIII for a minute. Last year Idol won Pro Open by a stroke on Johnny Betts. Idol was 54/49 for a 103 and Betts was 51/53 for 104. Frothy was 53/53 for 105, for the record. Those numbers may not seem stellar, but I'll remind you that last year's Sap Bucket was a sloppy, wet, disgusting mess of a day. It rained the entire time and things got ugly. Some dummy even fell down on hole 7 and was covered in mud for the whole second round.

At the Sap Bucket VIII, two years ago, Idol and Betts tied at a stunning 95 after two rounds. Idol was 44/51 and Betts was 49/46. On the first playoff hole Betts went OB and gave it to Idol.

And now he's back to defend his two-time win streak. The rest of the field should watch out. This guy taught us what a pitch and putt Center Chains can be. Look for some more stunning scores in the 40's from this guy. The rest of the Pro field should have that on their minds all day. Each of them can be a few under par, but few of them can get in the 40's. In this case, 40's win.

What to watch for:

*Idol's not the only Pro who has a chance, obviously. I expect Betts to play some great disc golf in his quest to finally beat Idol in Waterbury. Mike Habets should shoot low. Pete Hess crushes Center Chains. Chris Young hates the fact I've mentioned 5 Pros before I mentioned him, so expect him to play well. Frothy practically lives there. And, Year of the Spring, of course.

*This year I'm going to pick the Pros “Win/Place/Show” style. I'll give you my top 3. Idol, Betts, Spring. The outsider pick is Jon Moorer. He's goes under par both rounds, I suspect.

*Look for some great Pro/Pro match-ups for the round one cards. Idol gets top slot on the 1^st card, as the reigning champ. He plays on the same card as Spring, because I think that's a great head-to-head. Betts gets the top slot on the 2^nd card, because of two straight 2^nd place finishes. Pete Hess plays with him, to pair up some of the Vermont God Fathers of Disc Golf. Young gets the top slot on the 3^rd card as the reigning points series champ. He's paired with the newly shorn Mike Davies, who could either shoot great or walk off the course mid-round. Either way, it'd be fun to see those two play.

*Dang, there are some amateurs playing this tournament too. With 23 Pros, its hard to remember that people are silly enough not to play for cash. So, the Am 1 field. Last year Josh Wedel won it. He was 51/55 for 106. But, he's playing Pro this year. Two other current Pros Moorer and James Sweat were 2^nd and 3^rd. Jim Conroy was 4^th.  He's the highest finisher still playing in the little boy's division.

*I have about a 10% chance of getting this prediction right. Anything could happen. Bedell and Powell could follow up their strong starts. Aaron Bunker and Justin Kaulius could improve on their 3^rd place Pinnacle finishes. Matt Cohen could pull it together to play straight down the fairways all day. Maybe Oliver Redding will shoot another stellar round this year. An out-of-towner like Brad Harris, maybe? An unknown from Canada or Mass? Who knows? While I'm at it, I'll mention that Olatundji Akpo-Sani could be a player. He's Vermont's newest Colorado transplant and beat 21 other players on a round at Waterbury not too long ago.

*Am 1, win/place/show: Tundji, Harris, Powell. Why not? Let's go out on some limbs here. You know how the out-of-towners who sweep into Vermont tend to play. So, my predictions are trending towards the non-locals or new-locals. And Andy Powell, who plays more out of town than in town. Plus, I didn't want to pick myself.

*Rivalry Watch: I roll into the Sap Bucket with a nice 8-1 cushion. Something tells me this one's going to be tough. All the rivals are there. All can shoot amazing rounds at Center Chains. Weatherholt, Divoll, Powell, Carter, DeVico, McQuade. Those are some strong players to have to be taking on.

*I think we should come up with a nick name for the rival group.  Since the website's called Circle Three, I'm going to suggest the Square Six. What do you think? It might help me remember how many players I have to check on each time.  Any other suggestions?  

The Battle of Twin Falls

The trophy and the falls.

Saturday brought us some great weather and some even better disc golf. Four teams from some of Vermont's finest courses converged on Twin Falls for the second round of the Group Smack Talk Challenge. The original two teams, Twin Falls and BCO, were joined by Team Waterbury and Team North Calais. In the beginning, there was smack talk. In the end, Twin Falls retained the trophy.

This time around the challenge was for stroke play with the top 5 scores of each team counting in each of 2 rounds. The home team, Twin Falls, played with Jon Moorer, James Sweat, Christian Keidel, Sean Bleything, Justin Kaulius, and Matt Cohen. All can be solid players, but there was heated competition. North Calais was represented by Dan Desch, Dave Carter, Aaron Moore, Jeff Spring, Al Rosa, and Josh Rappeport. Waterbury had Dave Frothingham, Anne Lewis, Justin DeVico, Jim Conroy, Steve Viglas, and Pete Hess. BCO brought Tyler Teed, Big B, New Pete, Zach Podhorzer, Matt Marro, and Mike Miller.

After round 1 featuring some very hot scores, Twin Falls and Waterbury were tied. Both teams had 12 strokes on Calais and 15 on BCO. For round 2 the top scores on each team made up the top card, with the second best scores on each team making up the second card, and so on down the line. For the most part, scores on the second round were a little higher for most players. But, I saw Jeff Spring crush a string of birdies to make a 7 stroke improvement on his second go round- from a 61 to a 54.

When all the scores were painstakingly counted, it ended up in a perfect tie. Twin Falls and Waterbury both shot 603 on the day. Calais got really close with a 604 and BCO was a bit off with 620. Like a disc golf tag match, the GST Challenge requires the challenging team to beat the defending team. So, a tie goes to the current trophy holder.

So, instead of an easy day of some outsider team beating Twin Falls, the Saint George-based team stays as the only team to hold the trophy.

Other Things:

*The venerable Pete Hess had the best overall score of the day, with a combined 110 with scores of 54 and 56. Quite respectable for two rounds at the Falls. He was four strokes ahead of Jon Moorer's 114 (54/60). Spring came back to shoot a 115 (61/54) and Dave Frothingham (56/59) shot 115 as well. Justin Kaulius (56/60) shot 116.

*On the day, with 48 rounds of disc golf being shot in all, only 12, or 25% of the total rounds, were in the 50's. Pete Hess and Frothy did it in both rounds. Moorer, Kaulius, Zach, Matt Marro, BCO Pete, DeVico, and Carter each had one round in the 50's.

*Rivalry watch: It's probably too early to call it a trend, but things worked out well. I beat Carter and I beat DeVico. That puts me at 2-0 on the day. I know it's not a GMPS event, but still. That puts me to 8-1 on a very young disc golf season.   

To All the Pros I've Loved Before

That's rich, actually, because I haven't really loved any Pros. Some of them I like, kind of, but I doubt I've loved them. The title just had a “To all the girls I've loved before” kind of ring to it and I liked that. So I went with it.

BCO's Tyler Teed admires Pinnacle.

Anyway, there were really two big stories at Pinnacle in Newport, New Hampshire this weekend. First of all, there are lots of brave new Pro Open players. Second, how about those New Hampshire disc golfers? They really represented their home state and their home course quite well. Just a few days ago I had said that Edwin Bedell hadn't earned a write up yet on this website. After Pinnacle, the President himself, Chris Young, reminded me that Edwin had probably earned his write-up. So let's get too it. Pros first, though, as we always do on Circle Three.  

There was lots of off-season talk about players moving up to the Pro division or players who were too scared to do so. James Sweat backed up his pre-season announcement by stepping up. Mike Habets wrote in our comments section that he'd also step up and step up he did. Matt Marro said he was up for the challenge and Jon Moorer and Dave Carter both made morning decisions to join the big boys. Sweat, Marro, Moorer, and Carter all had very rough days, but they should be commended for what they did. Advancing to the Pro division should be something that all tournament players strive to achieve. So kudos to those guys. And you know that means a lot coming from me.

Photo: Gretchen Kruesi

The story of round 1 was Andy Powell. There's no doubt about that. He shot a very stellar, very impressive, nearly unbeatable 56. The only score better was by (sorry for the spoiler alert) Pro Open winner Mike Habets, who shot a 55. That gave Powell a first round lead of 4 strokes in his Am 1. Unfortunately, he shot a 68 on the second round, giving Edwin Bedell his first Advanced Amateur win. You'd have to check the records, but he may be the youngest player to ever record a GMDGC Advanced Amateur win. (News flash, I don't know who the youngest Am 1 winner is. Also, I don't know how old Edwin is. I'm just jumping to conclusions here. That's what we do).

So, there you go, Mr. Bedell. You've cracked into the Circle Three world. Nice shooting. I'd have to imagine Edwin's learned a lot from playing with Mike Habets. (Nice transition, right?) Habets took an early lead on the Pro Open points race (100's win) and may have players like Jeff Spring and Chris Young wondering what this year may hold. If Habets commits to the Point Series, you heard it here first, it may be hard to take him down at all this year.

On that note.

Matt Idol, can you hear me? This may be the time for you to make a commitment. There may be only one Vermonter who can take down this out-of-stater. So how about slapping on some Bachnein gear (it'd be free for you) and crushing some Pro Open players in some tournaments? Wouldn't that be fun? Wouldn't you like to keep the title in Vermont?

Penalty Strokes:

*James Beaulieu does some impressive course work. I know its not all him. Guys like Spencer Weatherholt, the other NHers I've mentioned, Thurstonian, and Nick Jennings all put in some time there. But James does the majority of things. And he does them well. So, from all of us to you, James, thank you.

*No aces in NH means there should be a big ace pot for the Sap Bucket X. Don't forget to register for it. Lots of aces could be had on that pitch and putt course. Mr. Wedel, I'm especially talking to you.

*There are so many players I was supposed to beat, that its getting hard to keep track of. I'll try my best to recap. First off, Andy beat me. Hot first round, Andy. Well played. I beat Ira, Seth, and DeVico. Was there anyone else I've started a rivalry with? I can't remember. Its getting hard to keep up. Oh, my own team mate Chris Young picked Spencer to win and I beat him too, so we'll count that. Right, and Dave Carter commented on my own site that I wouldn't beat him in 2012. And I did. By my count I'm 6-1 for my first tournament of the year.

*The Final Word goes to Rang Duce. Nice job organizing another Rang Duce Doubles. Be there or be square.   

Pinnacle Draws Closer

The start of the 2012 Green Mountain Points Series is now just two days away.  As we get closer and closer, things are really starting to heat up.  A few responses to my last post have come in.  Its only fair to keep you in the loop.

• Ira wrote in to further clarify the Powell Park mention I made.  He says, The Powell Park?  Is that when you win the CTP and miss the putt?  Ouch.  So much for my "Ira is the nicest guy you'll ever meet" bull shit I've been feeding you.  Its obvious he means business.  And for Ira, business is always good.
• An Anonymous poster on the blog writes, I like Spencer on his home course!  Interesting.  Now, I know your first thought is that Spencer probably wrote that. I don't think that's the case.  I think James Beaulieu wrote it.  But let's forget about that side of it for a minute.  Do you think that Spencer's got what it takes to win Am 1 at Pinnacle.  It's going to take two very good rounds and lots and lots of good putting to take down the division.  We'll have to see if Spencer's ready for it and ready to take the early lead in the points series.  It sure would make for a good story, I'll tell you that much.
• When you read my rundown on DeVico, I'm sure it reminded you of what a jerk I can be on this website.  And off of this website.  I reached out to DeVico to tell him it was probably a little to harsh.  DeVico, of course, was laid-back and unbothered by it.  He doesn't care because he's going to beat me on Saturday.  (At least, that's what I think he's thinking.)  Either way, I encouraged him to write a response.  Look for it on the website soon.  

The Fairly Slighted Am 1 Players

We've talked and talked and talked about those highly paid, explosive, bag kicking Pro Open Vermont disc golfers. But, we haven't spoken much about the Am 1 division. It seems like its high time to do so.

The Pinnacle Spring Run-off will be the first tournament of the 2012 Green Mountain Disc Golf Club Points Series. Since its right around the corner, I'll do a quick break down of players who are currently registered to play in Am 1.

Josh Wedel: Played well last year in Am 1 and finished the year ranked 6^th. Won the Sap Bucket, even though it was invaded by Southern NEFA players (and despite the rainy, slippery, gross weather we had). Wedel is also an up-and-coming Tournament Director. Last year he helped TD the Sap Bucket, so we know extra responsibilities won't slow him down. He can putt, has hit a bunch of important aces, and can be a very steady golfer.

If Wedel doesn't place well this year, I'll contribute it to a lack of focus. He's newly married, will be taking on more disc golf responsibilities, and can be distracted by the social element of tournament disc golf.

Justin DeVico: When he started playing disc golf, DeVico was nothing more than an Am 2 chump that wasn't a concern to his opponents. He's quickly become a force in Vermont disc golf. He's seriously committed to perfecting his craft, which definitely isn't the case for many of his opponents. DeVico can putt, again, because he practices a lot. Some jerk sold him a basket last year and its been downhill for the rest of us ever since. He's also an apprentice of Young Bucks, so you know he's had the winning mentality drilled into his head.

If DeVico doesn't place well this year, I'll contribute it to being easily distracted. This dude can talk more than anyone else you might play with. And I mean before, during, and after your shots. Plus, he's taking on home ownership and course building. So, that may severely cut into his practice time. We'll have to wait and see.

Spencer Weatherholt: He's a good dude. I've played as his partner in doubles and as his opponent in last year's division. When playing against him (and with him being a newcomer to Vermont/New Hampshire) I tried to give him the old New England Ice Out, but he's just too nice of a guy for it. All of my work being mean to him and ignoring him was for naught. He's a good player and a genuine nice guy. He's got an arsenal of shots in his bag and has a pretty laid back disc golfing style.

If Spencer doesn't place well this year, I'll contribute it to getting down on himself. He's laid back but he can definitely get in his own way. Staying calm and playing good tournament disc golf will be the secret to his success.

Ira Divoll: I got this guy into disc golf and now he thinks he's earned the right to beat me. I don't think I'm going to let it happen, but Ira's going to try his best to prove me wrong. I mentioned how nice of a guy Spencer is, but he pales in comparison to Ira. And I don't mean that as a knock to Spencer, its just that Ira is the nicest guy you might ever meet.

He's got a solid mental game, can throw farther every day, and uses disc golf as an escape from a very hectic work life. Ira takes everything in his life seriously, including his disc golf play and practice. Plus, he plays super challenging Mass courses every time he plays. I predicted him to have a breakout Am 2 season last year, but maybe I should have been thinking about his breakout Am 1 season this year.

If Ira doesn't place well this year, I'll contribute it to a hectic schedule. He drives north from Mass for every GMDGC tournament. Its got to take a toll on his tournament play. Then again, I think he sees that as a challenge, which just adds to the sweetness of it when he plays well.

Edwin Bedell: Pass. Edwin hasn't earned the right for a write-up yet, but he's getting there.

Andy Powell: Lots of people take pride in beating me, but no one takes more pride in it than Andy Powell. Andy's been at the center of a lot of controversy in the Circle Three world, but he's no worse for wear. When he's on, he's on and he can play some solid disc. He's a stocky guy who can really throw it far. The Powell Park is named after him, after all.

If Andy doesn't place well this year, I'll contribute it to... well, you guessed it, his mental game. Andy will tell you there's no such thing as a mental game. I'd counter that there's nothing but a mental game, especially for Andy. One day he aspires to be a Bag Kicking Pro. He's got the bag kicking down, but I'm not sure about the Pro part yet.

Justin Kaulius: The King of the Circle Three empire. A roller coaster of disc golf performances. Went from a championship Am 2 season to a terribly disappointing Am 1 season. Last year it looked like he couldn't hang with the top ams at all. When he putts well he can play well, so look for that to be the secret to success. Also throws forehand and backhand, which can be adventageous.

If Justin doesn't place well this year, I'll contribute it to his mental game, or quitting disc golf for good. I think that's enough said about that.

Matt Zabawa: Another up and coming Am 2 player who's making the move to Am 1. Zabawa had a rough year last year on a personal level, but he's ready to make a strong comeback. Just don't ask him to do any yard work for you. Zabawa's driven by beating his friends in the division, so it seems like most tournaments can be personal for him. He'd love nothing more than to beat the pants off of Justin DeVico.

If Matt doesn't place well this year, I'll contribute it to not quite being ready for Am 1. He finished 6^th in Am 2 last year and is making a bit of a bold move to Am 1. I think its a solid choice and I commend him for it, but I can tell you that the move up ain't easy. Zabawa may experience that first hand this year.   

As more slackers sign up for Pinnacle and other tournaments in the Am 1 division, we'll get some more profiles up.  For now, keep putting.

Showdown in the South (of Vermont)

BCO vs. Twin Falls

The month of April 2012 has brought another first to the incredibly up and coming disc golf state of Vermont.  The gentlemen disc golfers of Base Camp Outfitters, kindly known as BCO, in Killington, Vermont hosted the first ever team challenge.  They built a trophy, established a team, and started the Group Smack Talk Challenge.  Twin Falls put together a challenging team and drove south last weekend for two rounds of match play disc golf.  

Matty O.

Twin Falls was rumored to have picked up free agent and Twin Falls regular Chris Young to play their number one position.  However, before things started off he came down with the flu and left his team scrambling at the last minute.  Instead of having the currently ranked Best Player in Vermont Chris Young, they were forced to replace him with the talented amateur Brandon Fenner.  James Sweat, Jon Moorer, Matty Cohen, Christian Keidel and Justin Kaulius rounded out the Twin Falls squad.

Zach gleaming the cube.

BCO's captain and store owner Mike Miller put together a solid team.  Southpaw Zach Podhozer, new Pro Matt Marro, local legend Tyler Teed, tour regular Dan Webb, and Brandon “B-Money” Chalk
showed up looking to keep the homemade trophy in their possession.  

Jon taking down his first round win.

The first round had some good drama for sure.  BCO's Zach Podhozer crushed Justin Kaulius, finishing him off early into the back nine.  Twin Falls' Brandon Fenner pulled off a last minute win over Matt Marro when Marro missed a putt on hole 18.  Jon Moorer picked up a win for TF by beating up on Dan Webb.  James Sweat was bested by BCO's Tyler Teed.  Christian Keidel's long, straight drives couldn't be stopped by B-Money.  Matty O. kept Twin Falls ahead by tying Mike Miller.  At the end of the first round Twin Falls was up 3 ½ to 2 ½ . 

JK with some follow through.

There were some shake-ups on the cards for round 2.  Twin Falls decided to see if Jon Moorer could beat Zach Podhozer.  A good idea, but it didn't work as Podhozer again knocked off his opponent early into the back nine, this time with a few holes remaining.  Christian Keidel again used his relentless and errorless play to crush Mike Miller.  Justin Kaulius got hot late in the back nine and finished off B-Money with a couple of holes left.      

Tyler ripping it.

A couple of match-ups got rematched on the second round.  Fenner wanted another shot at Marro and instead of pulling off a last-minute win, he settled for a well-fought tie.  James Sweat got redemption on Tyler Teed, finishing the match with a few holes left.  

Overall, Twin Falls won the day and the trophy.  It's residing at a secret location in the Williston area and is currently available for challenge...  

Thanks to Brandon Fenner for the fantastic pictures.

2012 Pro Open Predictions

Starting my own disc golf website was a way for me to buck convention, write what I wanted to write, and not worry about what some forum moderator thought was appropriate for the internet. You get it. My rules, my content. I wanted to be my own man.

But now Chris Young goes and sets me up for failure. I mean, our own club president promised us his Pro Open predictions. He was supposed to rate the players in his own division. That would have been classic. We would have had smack talk fodder all season long. But, instead, he made a last minute caddy call and handed the Pro Open predictions to me.

How can I ever live up to that sort of pressure? This is not what I had in mind when I started Circle Three. But, I'm a pro (writer, that is) and I'll give it my best. So here we go.

The Young Bucks Predictions Part III

Before we start, I'll let you in on a little secret of writing.  It's called the rule of three.  The theory goes that things are inherently funnier, more interesting, and much more effective when they're done in threes.  You know, a good beginning, middle, and end.  For some reason your brain just loves that kind of thing.  And a guy like Chris Young, he knows it too.  So here we go, Part III in the Young Bucks Predictions. 


Think you're good enough to compete against the best? Are you winning tournaments at the Advanced level? Up for a challenge? Need some extra cash? Well, maybe its time to turn Pro?


This guy's starting to sound like me.  Crazy.  


Here are the YoungBuks 2012 GMPSeries predictions for the Big boys and girls....


He spells Young Bucks differently than I do to.  But, its my website, so the title gets my spelling in it.  

The Pro Masters Divsion: has never really been consistent at any point over the years in the GMPS. Well, 2012 looks to set a trend for years to come, which is competitive DG at the Masters level in Vermont!

I'm not sold, but I'll hear him out.  He's the president.  And he did all this work.  And who knows what he might have to say.  

I have 4 players to look at for 2012 and lets just go ahead and start with a fellow Brattleboro native...

Anne Lewis - Anne's brother, Dave Lewis, is one of my closest friends from WAY back and I am going to give a little edge to her just because of that. No, just kidding. I am giving Anne an edge in the Pro Masters division for several reasons. First, I am a firm believer in the fact that if you play more events you have a huge advantage over your competition. Anne typically competes in most of the GMPS events and that will be a big advantage for her in 2012. Anne is a very smart golfer and knows what it takes to score well. She is one of the best female golfers in the country that has played many,many tournaments on many,many courses and that experience will help her in the Pro Masters division this year. I look for Anne to settle in nicely to the Pro Masters division and I have her in contention for the Title in 2012.

Al Rosa (AlPRO) - The man, the myth, the legend. After many successful years at the Advanced level, Al is up for the challenge. Or is he? It appears to me that all Al needs is a little confidence. Al has hit the road vigorously the past few years competing in the GMPS and the NEFA Points Series. In his Pro rookie season I have Al winning at least 2 Pro Masters events. Al is very mentally strong, plays great golf and will, along with Lewis, make a nice transition into the Pro Masters division. I look for Al,Anne and JRapp to battle until the very end in 2012. 

Josh Rappeport -The third Pro Masters Rookie is JRapp. My Doubles partner since 2009. He gets a little edge because of that. No, just kidding. JRapp, knows the game of golf. He has one of the better mid range games I know. JRapp knows how to keep the disc straight and knows what it takes to win at the Pro Masters level. I have JRapp in a battle this year with Anne Lewis and Al Rosa. All 3 of them know the courses in the Series and I give the edge to the player that plays the most. That one extra win or point could be all the difference. Look for JRapp to settle in nicely with the other new Masters!

Which brings me to my last favorite in the Pro Masters division and a player that has several Pro Masters wins under his belt.....

James Beaulieu - If James plays 7 GMPS events in Pro Masters he wins. He is the 2011 GMPSeries Champ and is without a doubt the more experienced player and competitor. But, if James plays 5 or 6 events it could get interesting. Beaulieu is a Pro golfer. A great guy, a great lefty, powerful,experienced. He brings it all. James  is able to compete at the Pro Open level and is an early season favorite in the 2012 Pro Masters division. I am just not sure how many events he will play and in which Pro division he will select to compete. A bit of a wild card and always a threat is Mr.B!

Pro Grandmasters

This would be the first ever Pro Grand Masters field! Early season rumblings have Todd Sternbach and John Sudarsky playing Pro Grandmaster's. Whether this is true or not remains to be seen. The edge will without a doubt go to the player that plays the most events. Seeing a Pro GM field could encourage others to come out of hiding, this is a very difficult division to pick because I have nothing to go on. I would have to give the early season edge to Todd Sternbach, who knows the Vermont courses and plays a very good golf game. If he can make 6 or more events, I believe he is the favorite Pro GM this season.

Chris Mayone could play a wild card if he decided to show up to compete. Chris can play Grandmasters,Masters or Open. He could be a serious spoiler if he played more events in 2012.  I see the Pro Grand Masters division growing in the next few years!

Mayone!  How come he's not mentioned on this site more often?  That's a damn shame.  Mayone, you come out and kick some ass this year and I guarantee I'll give you some good publicity.  

Pro Open

I originally thought I would give some predictions for the Pro Open division. I have decided to leave this division to Circle 3....


Uh oh.


Well, kids, now you're really in for it.  The president of our club came out of no where, dropped his predictions and passed me the baton just as it was getting interesting.  I guess Chris Young knows more about writing than just the rule of threes.  He also knows about leaving a good cliffhanger.




See ya on the course soon!

Chris Young Won't Quit

Well, he's at it again.  Chris Young won't quit with the preseason predictions.  You know how it works.  I'll take this color and Young Bucks will take this.

Pro Grandmaster's,Pro Master's and Pro Open to come this week....

Whoa, whoa, Chris, hold on a minute.  Let's not make promises like that.  Here at Circle Three we like to take things pretty slowly.  We'll get that blog posted, but let's not say we'll have it up this week.  

I also wanted to note that in Am2....Justin DeVico and Matt Zabawa are looking to move up to AM1 in 2012, which is something I forgot to note. I also failed to mention that Scott Moulton is out of the picture because he has moved to Colorado. I would have to give the early edge to Justin Foster to take the AM2 title in 2012. I think a couple of new player's will give him a run though.  I know Circle3 wanted a little more in Am2, there you have it, thats all I have for AM2 this year.

And then Young Bucks goes all Justin Foster.  I love it.  His first Circle Three mention.  Justin, feel free to let your mom know you were mentioned online.  And that's all we'll say about Am 2.  

Move up.  We'll say that too.  
Also....

In AM1... I think many people are probably asking why I didn't have Christian Keidel in my predictions. Based on last year's numbers he is without a doubt a favorite for 2012. He played extremely well in the 2011 GMPS and I look for an even better performance in the new year. I look for Christian to grab his first AM1 win this year and for him to be in the Top 3 at the end of the season. A calm,cool and smooth delivery that should prove to be an asset in 2012. 
Christian Keidel (Mr. Carter, do you like that link?  Also, Christian, I really don't feel that way about you.  It was just too hard to resist.)  But, just remember, Chris didn't have enough faith to mention you the first time...

And lastly to answer the Jon Moorer question. Well, I have Jon Moorer playing Pro Open in 2012, that's my prediction....whether I am correct or not is questionable. Jon came up just short in 2011 and I have him joining Ian Thurston and James Sweat in the Pro ranks as young Pros who will make their presence known in the coming years. If Jon decides to stay in the AM1 division for 2012, he would easily be my favorite for the upcoming season.

Chris Young, thanks for some amazing #discgolf commentary.  I speak for everyone when I say we look forward to the next edition of your predictions, whether it comes later this week or sometime next week.    

This blog really has come a long way.  Not too long ago it was one man's rantings.  With a little word-of-mouth its grown by leaps and bounds.  Circle Three is proud to announce another historic first.  Our current Disc-Golfer-In-Chief, President Chris Young himself, has agreed to make his own predictions for GMDGC's 2012 Season.   

Its hard to believe we were able to pull this off, Loyal Readers.  Pat yourselves on the back.  We've come a long way together.  Getting this kind of disc golf talent to contribute to the website is pretty amazing.  

So, here we go with Mr. Young's predictions.  Of course, I can't let him have all the fun, so I'm going to add my own commentary to his predictions.  Mine will be in blue and Young Bucks will be in black.  Its still my blog after all.

2012 YoungBuks GMPS predictions~

We are gearing up for another fun and competitive DG season here in Vermont. With an extremely mild winter almost in the books, the season seems to be just around the corner. 

My predictions for the 2012 GMPSeries are as follows....

Am2:  This division is wide open. With Andy Powell and Murray Junod moving up to AM1, the AM2 title is up for grabs in 2012. Early season outlooks would have Ira Divoll and Kevin Mize in the the driver seat, but they may be moving up as well. I give an edge to the player that attends the most events. My prediction is that 2-3 players will be in the hunt for the Am2 title in 2012. Who those players will be is yet to be decided.

Alright, not a bad start, he may know what he's doing.  It's a little general at the end for my liking, but not bad.  

Women:  Whether the women will be playing Intermediate or Advanced this year is still to be determined. Either way there looks to be some good competition. It appears as though Gretchen,Margaret and Sara will continue to battle in the Womens division. They played some very competitive golf to finish 2011 and I see them continuing that in 2012. Again, I give the edge to the player that attends the most events. Gretchen Kruesi is the defending Champ and I look for her to be the early season favorite. 

Advanced Masters:  With Al Rosa leaving for the Pro ranks, this division looks even more wide open then AM2. Rumors have stirred about John Sudarsky and Todd Sternbach playing Pro Grandmaster's and that leaves this division open for the taking. Yet again, I think the player that competes in the most events has a huge edge. 

Those two were pretty easy predictions as well, I think, but he's about to heat things up.  

AM1: Ok, here we go. This division is looking to be huge this year. Most of the player's that attend the GMPS events will be playing in this division. I expect fierce competition within a deep field which will result in a tough win at any given event. I would like to look at my Top 4 picks for 2012...

1~ Dave Carter. Dave played great in 2011. He missed a bunch of GMPS tournaments, but played well in the events he did compete in. Carter competed very well with the top player's at  the 2011 Money Games and I look for Dave to be an early season favorite for 2012. He posses a very accurate forehand combined with a smooth backhand and can putt very well. His mental game is sound and I have him in position to make a run for the title this year. He needs to play at least 7 events to have a chance. If he can do this, look for him to give the field a run for the Championship.

Boom.  That's a solid prediction.  Here's mine.  Dave pretty much kicked my ass all last year.  To be fair, I kicked his the year before.  I think Young's prediction is pretty spot on, but if someone offers you a bet of DC vs. me for this year, I'd bet on me.  (I wonder how that did for Dave's mental game?)

2~ Josh Wedel. Josh started the 2011 season off hot. With a win at the Sap Bucket Open he grabbed the early season lead. Wedel slipped a bit in the second half of the season and failed to make a run at the title as a result. I look for Josh to bounce back in 2012. A very accurate golfer, with several weapons in the bag, I have Josh atop many leader boards this year. If he can play more consistent and shows up to more then 7 events, he is a strong early season favorite for the AM1 Title.

Oh, Chris Young just dropped "weapons in the bag."  That's how you know he's serious.  

3~ Matty O. Mr.Fiddlehead himself played very,very well last year. Winning at the Gnomes Challenge and playing very well in the other GMPS events, I have Matty as a very strong 2012 top pick. A fairway golfer and a deadly accurate putter, Cohen will make a strong bid this year for the title. I really like his consistency and if he can make it to 7 or more events I think he will again be in the top 3 for the AM1 field this year. Having a year under his belt will be an edge, but having a new business will not make it easy. 

A few things here.  First off, Matt's going to be pissed about being called a fairway golfer.  However, Young did his research on Matty O., which I like.  Points for Young Bucks.  Here's the thing though, the difference between an Amateur Blogger and a Pro Blogger is the link text.  As in, Mr. Fiddlehead.  

4~ Seth McQuade. After moving up to AM1 after 3 events last season, Seth played very well against the competition. He immediately found himself on the lead card in several events and finished the year in the top 5. I look for McQuade to improve upon that this year and give a strong bid for the AM1 title. An athlete by nature and a very strong mental game will give him an edge in the Series. I have McQuade joining Wedel,Carter and Cohen on many top cards in 2012. Watch out for McQuade to get a win this year and to make a run for the GMPS champ.

Chris Young does love Seth, we all know that.  And I'm not knocking it, I'm just saying.  Chris thinks of him as a protege, I think.  But, I digress.  Seth made a huge jump last year and he will be a force in AM 1.  I just think I'm going to beat him too.  

I'm just saying.

On a more serious note, thanks to Chris Young for some great predictions.  I, for one, think they were fantastic.  One question though.  Do you think Jon Moorer is out of contention for next year or are you planning to call him out for a move up to Pro Open?

Keep your eyes peeled for Part Two of The Young Bucks Predictions.  Featuring the Big Boys and Big Girls Divisions.