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.  

  

Finale at Twin Falls

The season finale of Twin Fall's Money Game series proved to be an epic battle. The weather was pretty amazing, considering it was mid-November. The talent and competition was second-to-none and the hospitality of the house was simply amazing.

Holmes sinks the tournament winner

Todd Holmes won the day, posting a first round score of 54 and a second round score of 55. He was the uncontested winner of the day's Overall Best Score prize, but had to go to a playoff for the Lowest Single Round of the Day prize. The playoff only took one hole, with Holmes besting Dave Frothingham when Frothy failed to convert the elusive Circle Three on hole 17.

The Host and the Doctor

The real story of the day, though, belongs to Amy and Matt Cohen. My words here can't describe the hospitality and generosity they show to the Vermont disc golf community. From course maintenance, to cooking, to cleaning up, and generally taking care of us all, they deserve amazing thanks and praise. They truly are the First Family of Vermont Disc Golf. Thank you.

Leftovers:

*CTP prizes made for an exciting and lucrative day for some local disc golfers. Seth McQuade parked hole 2 and Matt Idol grabbed the prize on hole 5 for some nice prizes. Sean Bleything stole a very impressive CTP on hole 13 for a slightly larger prize and Jon Moorer simply parked hole 18 to take down the big prize.  (If you take a look at the picture of Holmes' winning putt, you'll see how close Moorer's CTP was...it's marked with the American flag.)

*Speaking of Jon Moorer, he also took down a prize for the Most Birdies in One Round. He and Frothy both had 5 birdies in a round and had to playoff for the prize, the day's second playoff. Moorer's soon-to-be legendary approach from the crowd on the deck knocked out Frothy after one playoff hole, for the second time it happened to Frothy on the day.      

*Speaking of hole 18, did you see that chump who set the single hole score record on hole 18? For those of you scoring at home, that was a Seven Circle 18. If you're interested in starting your own website, I might recommend that for your name.

The beauty of Twin Falls and the cool hand of Dr. Holmes

*Chris Young didn't win, for once. Very surprising. The reason I bring it up is that I thought Young Bucks was the most blogged about disc golfer. I think the Dr. may be giving him a run for his money. Evidence here and here.

*Brock. I didn't know you were leaving town. Not that I can blame you, but you're now the second real deal player to blow in and out of our lives here in Vermont. Anyway, don't forget, aloha means hello and goodbye. So, aloha.

*The final word this time goes to the Cohens. Matt, Amy, Noah, thank you, thank you, thank you.   

These guys are thankful for yesterday's hospitality

Also, thanks to Christian Keidel for the first winning putt photo and Matt Cohen for the second.

    

Your Next Pro?

We've talked about it before. The year 2011 was a pretty epic one for the Vermont disc golf scene. Chris Young stole the show. However, the Am group may provide us with the most drama in the off-season. Who's going to move up? Who's going to stay in the Am category and bag it next year? Is anyone going to make the huge leap from Am 2 to Pro?

Well, keep asking the questions and I'll keep finding the answers. Circle Three is proud to announce our very first Am to Pro jump of 2011.

He looks unassuming, but don't be fooled.

Bachnein's own Rang Duce is going Pro for 2012. He'll officially become the first GMDGC Am to move to Pro this year. He'll be the first Twin Falls player to go Pro. And he'll become Bachnein's first ever sponsored Pro. Wow. Pretty heady stuff.

Bachnein partner Taylor Johnson and Rang Duce

Rang told me that he was worried about playing poorly in Pro next year and getting beat up by the veterans. But then he just decided he wouldn't. Not that he wouldn't play Pro. Just that he wouldn't play poorly and get beat up. I love it. That's the kind of confidence he'll need in next year's top division. Admit it, the man knows how to handle stress. He battled last year and he battled this year.

His career highlight tells a little about Rang Duce's overall mindset. This past year he ended up on the second card at Black Falls V. A stellar score of 51 on Gold to Gold in the final round not only catapulted him off the second card but actually gave him the win with an 8 stroke lead over the next closest finisher. He's not one to give up and can't ever be counted out of a tournament.

Rang Duce (center) and a few of his loyal supporters

Of course, in Pro, it won't be so easy. But I think Rang Duce is ready for the next challenge. He got his Am win and in a very noble fashion he's going to make the Pro jump. I'll miss him in the Am division, but its nice to see him move up. Good luck, Rang Duce.  

Chris Young Can't Stop Winning

When I was thinking about this blog post, the hardest thing to come up with was the title. Here are some options that didn't quite make the cut.

*Young and McQuade Come Up Huge

*Andy Powell Has Something to Prove

*Global Warming? Sure Seems Like It

*Andy Powell Thinks My Writing is Shallow and Pedantic

*Its Always Sunny at Trapp Lodge

*42 Holes of Disc Golf Up and Down Hill is A Lot

*Fall Platter Helps Trapp Take the Next Step Towards Disc Golf Greatness

*Discs Lost in Killer Pond!

*Three Pros and a Powell

November seems like a time to prepare for winter. Living in Vermont, there's no question that the long, dark season is around the corner. Usually this time of year we're thinking snow tires, wood chopping, and packing on the winter pounds.  Instead, this past Sunday was 50 degrees, sunny, and amazing. That's my idea of disc golf in Vermont in November and it made for a great, if unseasonable, Fall Platter.

Our usual tournament events are pretty tense, with lots of people vying for a chance to move up in divisions and win big prize money. The Fall Platter brings a welcome change of pace. Without the pressure of the Green Mountain Points Series, disc golfers seemed to be laid back and more able to enjoy a great day. The field was small, but we made up for it with copious amounts of disc golf. And Chris Young can't stop winning. Seriously. He can't. He finished yesterday with a 5 stroke lead over the next closest Red Division finisher. He continues to be lights out.

The Red Division, though, was as hot as the blaring sun in the extreme elevation of Trapp Family Lodge. Lots of AM 1 and AM 2 players stepped up to play in the Big Boy Division. Props to them. But even with a large group, the Pros still managed to separate themselves from the field. The three Pros in the group finished 1-2-3. Mr. Andy Powell had the top AM finish, ending up 4^th in Red.

Al Rosa, who's also done his fair share of winning this year, took down the Orange Division. He edged out Justin Foster by just 3 strokes. Matt Zabawa, making a great comeback after recent difficulties, was 3^rd.

In the Yellow Division, Andrew Rowan took the win, finishing with a 3 stroke lead over John Sudarsky and a 6 stroke lead over Dave Rooke. The Green Division was won by Jayce Slesar in the day's tighest battle. He beat out Gretchen Kruesi by just one stroke.

Remainders:

Upgrades like this go a long way.

*The Trapp Family Lodge really is doing a great job with their course. Sure Seth and Chris gave them some help this week, but the Lodge is working steadily to improve their course. They have an amazing piece of property and its great to see disc golf being taken seriously by them.

*Yesterday's temporary Hole 3 was amazing. I hope Trapp realizes its greatness and incorporates it into their current layout. It might not be easy to add it in and it would probably mean that temporary Hole 4 gets added in with it, but that hole is pretty spectacular.

*Andy doesn't think my writing is shallow and pedantic. Well, he might, actually, but he hasn't told me so. He does think its a little on the negative side. That's probably hard to argue with. If anyone has suggestions for story ideas or spins on topics that aren't negative, feel free to use the comments section.

*How many discs got lost in the pond hole yesterday? I saw quite a few go in and there were more that I heard about. Maybe we should do a Maple Hill-like dive for discs sometime soon. Any volunteers?

*Ace Pot Throw-off from the deck?  Brilliant.  Hopefully that will become a tradition at Trapp.  

*Seth McQuade and Chris Young get the final word this time. They stepped up and organized the Fall Platter, which included the usual tournament work plus setting up new holes at Trapp. Thanks, guys.

   

2011 Biggest Story

Years from now, when you look back over your long, storied disc golf career and tell your grandchildren tales of your dominance (which you’ve mostly made up and exaggerated over the decades), the year 2011 will stand out as one of the best, most exciting, compelling, entertaining, and monumental years in the history of the GMDGC.  Money Game Emmett dropped stellar performance after stellar performance, winning 4 out of 9 weeks and racking up quite a prize purse.  Young Bucks proved me wrong, right in my face, and won the Pro Open Division.  Rang Duce became a legend by winning an AM 1 Title and making some big contributions.  Bachnein started on a path to greatness.

My friends, I’m proud to announce our final 2011 Award, the Biggest Story.  This Year’s Biggest Story, by overwhelming numbers (56% of the votes) is THE RISE OF BACHNEIN. 

Congratulations, Bachnein.  Here's to many more years of greatness.  Yeah, discgolf!   

2012 Pro Favorite

Making bold predictions and looking to the future is what gave Circle Three its start.  Here we are again, trying to figure out what's going to happen next year. I'm sticking with my original, first blog prediction that 2012 will be the Year of the Spring.  Will the viewing audience take my side?  Unlikely.  But read on to find out for sure.  

This was quite an interesting category to watch as the votes rolled in.  It was a write in category, so the votes were varied and the answers pretty interesting.  First, let me show you the graph explaining the breakdown of votes.  For now I’m going to show it to you without the legend so you can see what a big variance there is.  Ten total players got votes in this category.

Now that you see the spread, I’ll share with you some more details.  Jon Moorer, Dave Frothingham, Jeff Spring, and Chris Young all received multiple votes.  Charles Chamberlin, Ian Thurston, Todd Holmes, Emmett Cosgrove, Jeremy Becker, and Brock Pitzer all received one vote each.  Some of those guys, like Ian Thurston, didn’t even vote for themselves.    

Some of the entries were quite entertaining as well.  One of Frothy’s votes had some explanation with it, “No injuries, no kids.”  One of Spring’s votes was entered as “The Messiah- Jeff Spring.”  A few of Young’s votes were listed as “Young Bucks,” one said, “Young Bucks is the man to beat,” and another was listed as, “Young Bucks if Idol doesn’t join again.” 

You probably want to know who won, though, right?  He did it this year and the Green Mountain community thinks he can do it again next year.  Without further ado, your 2012 Pro Open Favorite is CHRIS YOUNG.

2011 Most Improved Award

There were lots of improved disc golfers this season.  Ira Divoll established himself as a legitimate player in the Green Mountain Disc Golf Club.  Seth McQuade made the scary mid-season jump from AM 2 to AM 1 and would up 4^th in the big boy division.  Matty O. bulked up and packed on 30 extra feet to his drives, which earned him a 3^rd place finish.  Jon Moorer used a dominating flick to finish in 2^nd and made a serious last minute run at 1^st place.  

But, there can be only one winner.  This one actually wasn't very close at all when the results came in.  

This year’s Most Improved Golfer Award goes to JON MOORER.

I think Jon sees this award as a backhanded compliment.  Which, I guess, is ironic, because he is a flicker.  But I think the Most Improved Birdie is quite a compliment.  If those folks brave enough to make the move to AM 1 this year all had mediocre seasons, no one would have been surprised.  Moving divisions is tough and sometimes it takes time to get settled in.  But Jon Moorer didn't let that get in the way for a minute.  He won tournaments and flicked that Nuke in ways that either pissed you off or made you jealous.  When it came down to it, he was the only one with a chance to beat James Sweat.  

Being Most Improved is nothing to scoff at.