2023 PDGA Masters Disc Golf World Championships

[ru4por]

Thought I would start a Masters Worlds thread. I am planning to attend and some of the important dates are coming up quickly. Here are some quick links to important information.

PDGA General Info
https://www.pdga.com/2023mastersworlds

Registration Schedule
https://www.pdga.com/files/amateur_divisions_at_2023_pdga_masters_worlds_-_registration_schedule_v4.pdf

Invite Criteria
https://www.pdga.com/files/2023_masters_worlds_pro_amateur_-_invitation_to_register_criteria_v4.pdf

Worlds Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/PDGAMastersWorlds

 

[ru4por]

Any local input on activities, food, drink or tourism would be great.

 

[Discette]

The South Rim of The Grand Canyon is a one and a half hour drive from Flagstaff. The Petrified Forest National Park is an hour and a half the other direction. Meteor Crater is only 45 minutes away.

 

[pmay5]

We took a family vacation to Vegas several years ago and took a couple of days to drive to Flagstaff (with a stop at the Hoover Dam, of course) and used that as a base for our Grand Canyon tour. Unfortunately, I only got to play NAU (walking distance from our hotel) and not any of the others.

My wife thought Flag was a pretty cool town and possible retirement spot for us, I was thinking, great DG town, all for it! Then I discovered they get an average of 100" of snow every year... uhhh no. :doh:

 

[coupe]

We took a family vacation to Vegas several years ago and took a couple of days to drive to Flagstaff (with a stop at the Hoover Dam, of course) and used that as a base for our Grand Canyon tour. Unfortunately, I only got to play NAU (walking distance from our hotel) and not any of the others.

My wife thought Flag was a pretty cool town and possible retirement spot for us, I was thinking, great DG town, all for it! Then I discovered they get an average of 100" of snow every year... uhhh no. :doh:

But it's dry snow. :|

 

[Countchunkula]

We took a family vacation to Vegas several years ago and took a couple of days to drive to Flagstaff (with a stop at the Hoover Dam, of course) and used that as a base for our Grand Canyon tour. Unfortunately, I only got to play NAU (walking distance from our hotel) and not any of the others.

My wife thought Flag was a pretty cool town and possible retirement spot for us, I was thinking, great DG town, all for it! Then I discovered they get an average of 100" of snow every year... uhhh no. :doh:

All you would have to do to escape winter would be drive a couple hours south to Phoenix.

 

[BillFleming]

But it's dry snow. :|

That is hilarious.....I've never heard that one before and may have to steal it.

 

[2naphish]

when i saw where it was to be held i was thinking "who in their right mind would send a bunch of middle aged and older to Arizona in the summer for an outside sporting event". after reading that an average summer day is 80 for a high and mid 40's for the low it makes a lot more sense.

7000 ft elevation is gonna be interesting for turn over shots. i'd bring all my most beat in discs. best of luck to everyone attending.

 

[ray1970]

when i saw where it was to be held i was thinking "who in their right mind would send a bunch of middle aged and older to Arizona in the summer for an outside sporting event". after reading that an average summer day is 80 for a high and mid 40's for the low it makes a lot more sense.

7000 ft elevation is gonna be interesting for turn over shots. i'd bring all my most beat in discs. best of luck to everyone attending.

Altitude isn't a big deal unless you really never play at it.

It does bring a smile to my face watching people throw at altitude for the first time. I remember watching a guy throw a big hyzer that faded out of bounds left. The puzzled look on his face was priceless. Apparently wherever he was from that was his go-to hyzer flip disc and he was baffled by why it just held hyzer.

 

[BillFleming]

Altitude......it's not just about disc flight. If you are playing in the Masters at Flagstaff or just visiting...be aware that the altitude can affect your breathing. Take things a bit slower. If you are playing disc golf or hiking, be aware that your shortness of breath and tiredness isn't just from going up and down hills. If at all possible, show up a few days early to get acclimated to the altitude. There are some products that are supposed to help combat altitude sickness....I suggest looking into them if you believe you might have an issue (or even just to be on the safe side).

My wife and I enjoy going to Flagstaff, but my wife does have issues with the higher altitude and uses a non-prescription item that really helps her breathing. I'm not sponsored by them, but I do know it works for us....so I'll link to the product we use going from Phoenix to Flagstaff. But, as always, do your own research and find what will work for you if you are traveling to Flagstaff from a lower altitude city.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004IJHHL...e&sr=1-1-9e67e56a-6f64-441f-a281-df67fc737124

 

[ray1970]

when i saw where it was to be held i was thinking "who in their right mind would send a bunch of middle aged and older to Arizona in the summer for an outside sporting event". after reading that an average summer day is 80 for a high and mid 40's for the low it makes a lot more sense.

I visited Flagstaff in mid June one year. Actually ran into a little snowfall up near the ski area. I think the hottest day was maybe 82 degrees. On that same day it was 109 in Phoenix. Needless to say I opted to just stay in the Flagstaff area.

Also, I had no idea they had a "monsoon season" in Arizona. They were having torrential downpours and flash floods in some areas. There were even missing campers who were presumed dead that were washed away in a flood while we were there. It was crazy.

 

[Nova P]

I intend to do seriously vigorous cardio in the months leading up to this tourney.

 

[gwsmallwood]

We played in Show Low over Labor Day, a similar altitude to Flagstaff (~6400'). I'm RHFH dominant and had some interesting observations compared to my buddy who is RHBH.

He definitely noticed that discs were more stable and seemed to have quite a bit less glide than down here in the valley (~1000').

For me, on forehand, I didn't notice much difference with my lower-speed discs. With my fairways and higher, I didn't notice my stable or overstable stuff getting any more stable, but my understable fairways and drivers were more stable. It was odd.

I've heard some differing opinions on altitude's impact on forehands. There are some people who swear that you need more stability for forehand throws at higher elevations.

There are tons of great restaurants in Flag. The breweries both have great food and beer. It's a great place for a tourney.

 

[ru4por]

Altitude......it's not just about disc flight. If you are playing in the Masters at Flagstaff or just visiting...be aware that the altitude can affect your breathing. Take things a bit slower. If you are playing disc golf or hiking, be aware that your shortness of breath and tiredness isn't just from going up and down hills. If at all possible, show up a few days early to get acclimated to the altitude. There are some products that are supposed to help combat altitude sickness....I suggest looking into them if you believe you might have an issue (or even just to be on the safe side).

My wife and I enjoy going to Flagstaff, but my wife does have issues with the higher altitude and uses a non-prescription item that really helps her breathing. I'm not sponsored by them, but I do know it works for us....so I'll link to the product we use going from Phoenix to Flagstaff. But, as always, do your own research and find what will work for you if you are traveling to Flagstaff from a lower altitude city.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004IJHHL...e&sr=1-1-9e67e56a-6f64-441f-a281-df67fc737124

I am going to remind all our friends that they should talk to their physician before taking, over the counter supplements. Many can have SERIOUS interactions with current prescription medication. This is a public service announcement only, not a condemning the product or suggestion.

 

[BillFleming]

I am going to remind all our friends that they should talk to their physician before taking, over the counter supplements. Many can have SERIOUS interactions with current prescription medication. This is a public service announcement only, not a condemning the product or suggestion.

Thanks for adding that. I did say that everyone should do their own research and decide if it was for them......but you made it clearer than I did. Over the counter stuff can cause issues with current medicines and even other non-prescription stuff.

 

[puttlikeablowfly]

Best advice I ever got for preventing / mitigating altitude sickness is to greatly increase your water intake starting about a week in advance. If you're not getting up to piss a couple of times in the middle of the night (or more for those of us who usually have to anyway), then you're not drinking enough. Saturate your body. Obviously, keep drinking a lot of water when you're out there as well.

 

[nothinbuttree]

I have hiked at high altitudes (including Mt Whitney in CA and Elbert in CO). While 7K feet is not that high, if you are coming in from flat lands like most of the east or midwest, it can hit you. Some people can feel the effects even at 6500'.

The hydration recommendation is very sound. And if at all possible, get there a couple days ahead of time to acclimatize your body. O2 concentration at sea level is 21%, at 7K feet it is 16%. That is a 25% reduction. So especially if hills are involved, it will seem like quite a bit of extra exertion. This is a separate issue from possible AMS onset, which can happen to totally healthy and in shape people.

If you actually like hiking, the high point of AZ--Humphreys Peak--is next to Flagstaff, around 12,500' if memory serves. Definitely acclimatize first if doing that little walk. Stay extremely well hydrated if going that high.

 

[ru4por]

Best advice I ever got for preventing / mitigating altitude sickness is to greatly increase your water intake starting about a week in advance. If you're not getting up to piss a couple of times in the middle of the night (or more for those of us who usually have to anyway), then you're not drinking enough. Saturate your body. Obviously, keep drinking a lot of water when you're out there as well.

Good advice. Sent me looking for reasons why this is true. :clap:

There are several factors for which you may need to drink more water at higher altitude.

• The humidity at high altitude is very low. As a result you may not be able to know how much moisture has evaporated from your skin. Besides exertion at high altitude may cause more sweating. But you may not know how much you have perspired.
  
• You may lose moisture from your body as a result of rapid and deep breathing. Reduced oxygen level at high altitude makes you breathe more and at faster rate. This causes increase in loss of water from your body. In order to replenish the loss, you have to consume more water.
  
• At high altitude there is increased urge to urinate. This may lead to excess loss of water from the body.
  
• At elevated altitude many people feel less thirsty.

When you are unaccustomed to stay at high altitude, increase the intake of water by 1 to 1.5 liters of the normal intake. You may need to drink 3 to 4 liters of water in a day when you stay at high altitude. If you are at very high altitude, you may need to increase the intake of carbohydrate also.

While it is essential to drink more water at high altitude than when you are at sea level, drinking too much may also be harmful. It may dilute the electrolyte balance, especially sodium level in the body leading to symptoms such as confusion, fatigue, dizziness etc. The best way to find whether you are well hydrated is to check your urine color and output. If your urine is dark yellow and you urinate less, than you are likely to be dehydrated. In such situation you may have to drink more water.

 

[BillFleming]

Good advice. Sent me looking for reasons why this is true. :clap:

In a one round day, I will drink 40 oz of water and one GatorAde (for the electrolytes). That usually enough for me during the round.

Sometimes I will sip on the GatorAde during the round, but usually I drink the entire thing after hole 9.

I also use the Liquid Oxygen, mentioned in a previous post, starting 2 days prior to heading up north and then during the time I'm up there. **Reminder, before using something like Liquid Oxygen, realize it might have side effects with other medication/over-the counter stuff. Do your research, please.

 

[Countchunkula]

I am going to remind all our friends that they should talk to their physician before taking, over the counter supplements. Many can have SERIOUS interactions with current prescription medication. This is a public service announcement only, not a condemning the product or suggestion.

Thanks for adding that. I did say that everyone should do their own research and decide if it was for them......but you made it clearer than I did. Over the counter stuff can cause issues with current medicines and even other non-prescription stuff.

Big difference between do your own research and ask your physician. Most of us aren't really qualified to do our own research on most medical topics. There's so much bs on the internet and it's usually easier to find than quality info.

Not saying you shouldn't be informed, but that's no substitute for getting professional advice.