More Meh Disc Golf

My disc golf playing continues to be just…ok. It’s still always boiling down to making putts from 20ft in. I definitely feel better mentally on the course. The wife’s suggestion to lower my expectations a bit has greatly helped. It still doesn’t feel good to miss short putts, flub a drive, etc, but at least it’s not sticking around in my head like it was.

Quick recap… I played in the Pro Veterans Park Open and missed DFL (dead fking last) by 1 stroke. Yah, this was just a shit show tournament from the start. I’m usually not one to blame the disc golf gods on anything, but if there was a tree or a brush, my disc would find it and I would be forced to just throw the disc out, time and time again. In round 2 I shout my lowest rated round of the year. Total waste of time tournament, never really could get anything working. Shot 28 points below my rating for the tournament. meh…

Next up was the Cedar Hill Open. I LOVE the 2 courses out here. I felt pretty good about this tournament as I had a good win here earlier in the year. I decided to play the 1 round flex start tournament the day before. I was playing ok, then about half way through I was throwing from inside a brush and when I released my disc I slammed into a thick long thorn that went into my index finger, which happens to be the main control/release point when I throw a disc. I tried to pull it out and it wasn’t budging. Pretty sure it was in the bone. I gripped it with my teeth and yanked a long…thick.. thorn. wow… yah.. it hurt pretty bad. lol.. I ended up finishing out the tournament, winning the old man division but still shooting a few points below my rating. My finger swelled up pretty bad that night, so I decided to bow out of the Cedar Hill Open.

2 days later I’m feeling better, the finger is still sore but there is no pain when I grip a disc so I decide to play in a 1 round flex start at North Park in Haltom City. This is my 2nd time playing here since they did the remodel. I had the pleasure of playing with one the best MP40 players in the state of Texas. Alan Morrison. He is so good and his mental game is on point! (Where mine needs to be at! lol..) So chilled and laid back.

This course now features one of the most intimidating first holes on any course in the DFW area. A 463ft par 3 with a fairly narrow fairway with ob on the left and right. The goal is to just throw it straight about 250-300, take an easy 3 and move on. I end up putting a little more juice on it and it glides just a bit further than Alan’s throw. Old man is tickled pink and has a big grin on his face. I lay up for the easy 3, my disc is about 8ft from the basket. I get the giddy yips and just throw it to the left and air ball the basket completely! lol.. wth!?!?! Here we go…. right? I end up again.. missing a bunch of putts from 20ft in. I still manage a win in my division (only 2 players…ugh) and shoot only a few points over my rating.

It was nice to hold it together and finish out over my rating. Mentally I felt fine, I never was upset or feeling defeated. It’s just insane that I can’t get my putting together during tournaments. I’m working on my routine that should help with the yips, I just need to spend more time practicing putting. It’s turning to be hard to commit to putting practice so much. It’s a bit boring, but if I’m going to stop these putting yips I’m going to have to put in the time.

So out of the 3 bigger tournaments I want to play before the end of the year, the first one was a total wash, the 2nd one I couldn’t play, and the 3rd one so far hardly no one is signing up. So I may just play a bunch of 1 round flex starts to close out the year. hmm…

As I write this… here are a few relevant disc golf stats for the year (2025):

Tournaments Played: 50
Tournaments Won: 21
Tournaments Top 3: 36
Global Masters Series 2025 Rank: 37 (best ever!)
Texas AM60 Ranking Rating: 12
Texas AM60 Points Ranking: 5

So crazy to look at those stats and realize… old man isn’t having a bad year at all! 🙂