Who’s Going to the World Disc Golf Championships?

www.GotDiscGolf.com - On Friday February 15th the PDGA announced the list of invited players for this year’s World Championships in Kalamazoo, Michigan. According to the PDGA, this will be only the third time in history that the Am and Pro Worlds has been combined and may be the first event in history to reach 1000 players.

This year’s World Championships is being presented by Bell's Brewery in Kalamazoo and Battle Creek, MI. This significant deal is one of the most beneficial contracts in Disc Golf history. The sponsorship includes a player’s party at the Bell's Eccentric Cafe and Beer Garden. Not only did the PDGA get Michigan's best beer company for Michigan Worlds, they also got them to throw in an enormous amount to the pro purse.

This year’s event will attract players of all ages from every corner of the world. With the sport growing at an expediential rate, there is an opportunity for a new comer to make a name for his or her self!

You can register using PDGA’s online registration system starting on April 1st. All invited players will be given 60 days to confirm their entry into the event and on June 1st registration will open to all PDGA members in good standing. Please note that you must be a current PDGA member in order to register for the event.

The registration deadline for all players is Friday August 1st. If you are not signed up for the event by that deadline you can still come to Kalamazoo but you won’t be able to participate as a player. If you are unsure you can attend this year we strongly encourage you to sign up and request a refund if that becomes necessary. Refunds will be given, minus the $10 processing fee, for all requests received by the registration deadline.

My Four ½ Favorite Disc Golf Courses to Play!

www.GotDiscGolf.com: Enjoying a great round of disc golf with your friends, brother and or kids is what life is all about. I can say I have played allot of great rounds of disc golf with allot of great people, and it’s hard to say which course is better than the other; so I am going to list of my four and 1/2, favorite courses to play; in no particular order:

Seneca Creek State Park - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Keep your throws low – Seneca has lots and lots of tees and several pin placements per hole make to make this one of my favorite courses to play. Arriving at Seneca Creek is a treat in its self. The park is has some of nicest surroundings I have every scene. It's peaceful and relaxing, creating a perfect setting for an enjoyable round. Locals there will treat you right.

Huntington Beach Central Park – Huntington Beach, CA

This is the first course I ever played, and to this day; it is one of my favorites! I have seen some of the greats and not so greats play an exciting round because of the major elevation shifts, tight woods and don’t forget the wide open holes. The pro-shack has any kind disc you want and they serve tasty beverages along with good music.

Maximo Park - ST. Petersburg, FL

I think I could play this course all day and maybe all night. Maximo offers disc golfers great views and lots of challenges. I played this course after not playing for awhile; I remembered what great disc golf was all about. If you are ever in the Tampa / ST. Pete area; stop by and play - you will see what I am talking about!

Ellison Park – Rochester, NY

This is one most exhausting, yet worthwhile courses I have ever played. This is defiantly for those who are shape… it s championship-caliber hillside features open grassy fairways with tall trees. All types of elevation come into play, with uphill, sidehill and downhill fairways, I played it back-to-back and I could barely walk afterwards! Trust me, it was defiantly worth it!

McLean Central Park – McLean, VA

Last but not least, McLean Central Park is the ½ in my four and ½ favorite disc golf courses to play. Mclean is a nine hole tightly wooded course with quaint streams and cute nannies pushing rich kids in strollers. I saw my brother get his first ace, and my kids throw their first discs. It brings back lots of great memories. If you are ever in the DC area, you have to play this classic course.

Going to Kalamazoo… Congratulations Evan (Grasshopper)

Just wanted to congratulate my old friend Evan Uhl on qualifying for the PDGA WORLD AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP August 8-16, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Evan (Grasshopper) was the one the buddy I could call up any time and say lets go throw and he would always say, “I am already there”. It’s good to see that all the hard work has paid off. If you see Evan in Kalamazoo, don’t forget to wish him a Happy Birthday!

Just maybe I will be able to interview him after he crushes Kalamazoo!

www.gotdiscgolf.com

Calling all Disc Golf Manufactures –

www.GotDiscGolf.com has dedicated March and April to evaluating the newest and hottest discs, bags, shoes, baskets and more!

We will reveal our reviews / results on April 30th 2008. All products to be reviewed must be received before March 15th.

GotDiscGolf.com will showcase all manufactures with unbiased testing. The categories are for:

• Disc
  • Drivers
  • Mid Range
  • Putters
• Bags
• Apparel
• Baskets
• Books and video

To include your product, please send to:

GotDiscGolf.com
Attention: 2008 Reviews
2186 Rio de Janeiro Ave.
Punta Gorda, FL 33983

All products to be reviewed must be received before March 15th.

The Evolution of Disc Golf and the Man Making it happen

This is a story about a man with passion for disc golf and a craving to evolve the sport! His name is Reese Swinea, and he is the brain behind Fly18. Fly18 is a team of professional disc golfers that have dedicated themselves to integrate disc golf course design and management into existing golf courses around the country.

I met Reese awhile back when playing a round at the Huntington Beach course in Southern California. From the minute I met him, I knew he was a good guy with a great cause and not to mention; he can also throw a pretty wicked shot.

Reese compares the quandary of disc golfers to that of snowboarders when they first attacked the ski slopes. They were a subculture, which skiers saw as a nuisance. However now, snowboarders are the majority at most slopes, and allot of skiers have abandoned their skis altogether.
Like snowboarding, disc golf is one of the world’s fastest growing sports. Every year more than 100 new courses appear and thousands of new players take up the game. There are now more than 2100 disc golf courses in the U.S.

Sometimes it's the simplest things in life that make for the greatest pleasures. So why would anyone pay for a round of disc golf? I can tell you why; imagine a course where you are riding around in comfortable golf cart that shades you from the sun, sipping on your ice-cold beer. On Saturday I played around of disc golf with my cousin, and on Sunday we played a round of traditional golf. Saturday, we came home covered in mud; sweaty, and thirsty since you cant drink beer on County Park premises. Sunday after playing a round of traditional golf we came home clean, relaxed and fully hydrated with tasty beverages in our system. Don’t get me wrong, I would rather play disc golf over traditional golf any day of the week, but sometimes the leisure of traditional golf calls my name. By combing both sports, you create the perfect course and experience!

"The price weeds out the people we don't want to be there anyway," Reese said. "Some people think I'm exploiting the sport. I'm not. I'm offering another level to the disc golfer. If you're willing to pay $16 for the round of your life, this is where it will be. If you want to birdie every hole and get a warm and fuzzy feeling, go to the park. We want to get the guy who's put up his clubs in the garage and never uses them, When you're starting out, golf can be way too frustrating. If you don't have the right frame of mind, you can wrap a club around a tree pretty quickly. In disc golf, the learning curve is a lot shorter and a little more relaxing." Reese explained.

When Fly18 builds a new course, the existing golf course requires no extra maintenance, employees, or up keep. Fly18 understand that the greens are what truly make a golf course, their number one goal when designing a courses is that the disc golfer does not interfere with play on the greens and in turn this maintains safe play. Most of Fly18’s design team plays both disc golf and traditional golf, so they understand where the golfers slice or hook off the tee and where the ball will likely end up. After taking these factors into consideration they know where to put there tee pads and baskets so everyone can be challenged and be safe. For more information about Fly18, please visit there website at: http://www.fly18.com or give them a call (714) 235-0100.