An outside look

[Kenilworth]

Wow. Despite you attempt to convince me otherwise, I see the above, as nothing more than a selfish, entitled pile of hoey. You indeed are trying to "divide negatively individual people based on gear or habits". You prove this with the alcohol propaganda message. It is an activity. A decision how to spend your free time. Make the decision and stop looking to preach to others how we should spend ours. Good luck with your game and welcome to the site.

I'm not sure how my ramblings could be interpreted as selfish or entitled (never heard of "hoey"). A fairer guess would be condescending (someone beat you to it) and self-righteous, though that wasn't my intention.

There is nothing wrong with playing with forty-seven billion discs if you want to. Or having a drink while you play. I don't recall telling anyone they should change anything. My friend, the one who registered me to play, is a new player obsessed with discs. He owns hundreds and cannot throw any of them particularly well. That's ok. He likes it. I only think that I'll choose to enjoy things in a simpler way, or at least a way less attached to popular culture. And to claim that DG is not influenced by faddish commercialism and peer-pressure is delusional. Several comments in this thread prove that it is, as does any small bit of observation. This is all right with many people, but just not what I'm interested in.

Maybe think about this question... if DG were to revert to its earliest form, how many current players would quit?

I wouldn't quit, because I've taken a liking to contesting against myself and listening to the chains rattle (after one or two too many throws). That's all I meant to say really, and I apologize for the long-windedness and some poorly thought-out comments.

Simply fascinating when special, super intelligent humans, feel the need to educate everyone else on the rights and wrongs of work/play/worship whatever..

Sheesh. I find it fascinating that so many special, intelligent people are willing to believe that right and wrong are obsolete concepts, or that any claim of (or even desire for)understanding or knowledge must come from haughty, self-important persons. But that's another topic entirely, and I didn't tell anyone that they were doing it wrong.

Whoever mentioned the attitude of fellow players in the tournament - You are right that most of them were very kind. I got a lot of funny looks and there were several jokes and comments, but nothing nasty. I felt awkward, not because of a lack of welcome, but because it seemed I must be disrespecting the other players who took their gear so seriously.

Finally, thanks for being so responsive. I will no doubt have legitimate questions and thoughts that aren't so obnoxious, and appreciate having a team of experts at hand.

 

[brickdoctor]

Is it too late to change my name to Shortest Guy at the Parade?

Obviously, I can't not really don't know how whats was is going on.

wow I need to start reading my post before posting, or quit posting while drinking, my own post doesn't even make sense to me. sorry

 

[Lightbringer]

Sorry, Kenilworth, but one doesn't author words and phrases such as "childish obsession" and "little-minded" without heavily implying a dichotomy of superior and inferior states, and exactly which of those states the author presides in. If you think that the way most of us choose to engage in disc golf is inferior to the way you have chosen to do so (and you've made that quite clear) then that's your prerogative. It is, however, an interesting display of one's tact to make an introduction that is so clearly derisive to its intended audience. Especially so when you profess to welcome their advice.

"Hello, I am new to your sport. Imagine how embarrassing it is to me that I am also superior to the lot of you in terms of performance, authenticity and integrity."

You can say that this wasn't your intended meaning, but you can't really argue that that's exactly how it reads.

If I had to guess I'd say you're fairly young, because once you get a little older your start to realize that things like man's preoccupation with drinking, material goods and commerce have long existed apart from your own thoughts and judgments, and will continue to exist long after those thoughts' and judgments' final ebb.

 

[Kenilworth]

You're right. Bad choice of words and a bad decision to post too quickly. You're also right that I'm "fairly" young, and often unsteady in thought, too quick in judgment, and lacking in tact. Still, I don't think it's wrong, or immature, to try to recognize the folly of some of mankind's "preoccupations", no matter how long held. If I saw too much of a bad thing in the way DG is played, I apologize. And I apologize again for the way I introduced myself. There's only so many ways to say I blew it, but you guys feel free to come up with the rest of them.

 

[Johnny_Crunch]

Sorry homie, I like to buy nice sh*t. Enjoy your 3 discs

 

[thirtydirtybirds]

Right, sorry. Carried away again. I guessed that there must be some reason that all those guys were carrying all that stuff...

Let me start over.

Hi! I've played a wee bit and enjoy it. I've noticed that other players carry a lot of stuff. Why is this? Should I be carrying a lot of stuff?

There you go. That's a constructive comment and question right there.

I like playing one disc rounds, 3 disc rounds, and 12 disc rounds. On longer courses I carry lots of water. If it's cold I take layers. If it's 80 degrees and sunny, I don't carry much at all.

I think most people carry what they feel will give them the most enjoyment. I admittedly kinda suck at this game, but I do find use for my 12-13 discs I carry on most rounds, and enjoy throwing them all as much as I enjoy carrying and throwing just one.

My point is do whatever makes a round most fun for YOU. Don't worry about what other people do, that's their fun. Also, not trying to be a dick here, but you may want to be more conscious of the condescending tone that comes across with your OP. It might prevent you from finding people to play with, which I think makes the game more fun. But hey, do whatever floats your boat.

 

[Vorpaljesus]

Yo this dude's hipster edge is honed as ****

 

[Lightbringer]

Maybe you could start a "retro league" where no modern drivers are allowed. Or even one where players use actual frisbees. I feel like a lot of people would find that novel and fun.

Try to keep an open mind though because there really is a disc out there for every arm and situation on the course. Different people will have vastly different success with different discs at various stages of development. Your beat up old driver might do well for you now because it's not as stable as it was new, and as you get better personally you may find yourself overpowering it.

There is definitely a "cool factor" to discs, and yes, they can be objects of covetous desire just like everything else in this world. I'm as guilty as anyone of being addicted to plastic. But on the other hand, all of that frivolous expenditure goes to fuel the sport itself. Courses often get built with the funds generated from disc sales. If there were no money in it then there would be no incentive for society to take notice, which is both sad and the reason that there are courses and players cropping up in every corner of the country.

If you ever get a chance to talk to a course designer, you might find another version of that "pure game" you were talking about. These are people who put up their own time and money along with fund-raising and organising, who practically live at their courses selling discs out of their cars to help new players and pay for real tee pads, and who live and breath "the game". They're like disc golf ascetics or gurus. I think of your stock around you'll find you actually have a lot in common with your fellow discers, and that in spite of a gaudy exterior, disc golf has a beating heart.

 

[grotto]

You're right. Bad choice of words and a bad decision to post too quickly. You're also right that I'm "fairly" young, and often unsteady in thought, too quick in judgment, and lacking in tact.

Fine, probably not accepted by many but water over the dam. Move on, play disc golf, talk disc golf and move on.

Still, I don't think it's wrong, or immature, to try to recognize the folly of some of mankind's "preoccupations", no matter how long held.

And there you go again! This isn't the philosophy/psychology forum. The biggest folly of mankind is to try to show others their folly (especially in an arrogant tone). Do and think what ever you want when you play by yourself, well, with your judgmental attitude you'll probably end up playing mostly by your self anyway.

 

[Lightbringer]

Does anyone here live in Colorado and know Ronnie from Badlands, Paulie from Phantom Falls, Brian from Ghost Town or the people who run Beaver Ranch? Maybe even if you don't, you know someone like them. Those guys are the "pure" disc golf people. It's what they do pretty much every day and a huge part of their lives is being custodians of the sport; constantly thinking about how they can help new players have the best time and how they can improve their courses. If you play Phantom Falls or Ghost Town especially, which are both on private land so no pesky park authorities get in the way, you can see just how much these guys care about disc golf and how much of their own resources they're willing to put in to it. Any of those people would probably be equally as comfortable playing with three discs or a bag full. Maybe they even prefer to play with just a few of their old favorites.

I feel like that is what disc golf is really "about" and why it's been so successful. And if I can support those diehards by buying another shiny disc that I probably don't need from them, I have no problem doing so because I know it comes back around to me in the end.

The OP should consider trying to track down his local disc golf guru because I think he would find a lot to admire and maybe even a kindred spirit in them. Maybe even a mentor. If you want the "pure game", they'll be able to help you find it for sure.

 

[UCC Wizard]

Sheesh. I find it fascinating that so many special, intelligent people are willing to believe that right and wrong are obsolete concepts, or that any claim of (or even desire for)understanding or knowledge must come from haughty, self-important persons. But that's another topic entirely, and I didn't tell anyone that they were doing it wrong.

"disc golf is really two games. There is the game of throwing discs at a goal, adhering to a few basic rules. This game is very enjoyable, and can support high levels of skill and success with very few discs. Then there is the game of accumulating stuff, of chasing distance unusable on the course, of exuding an "image", of little-minded adherence to rules with no competitive or meaningful application."

Did someone assert that the understanding of right and wrong were obsolete?

You are quite missing the point. To spell it out, the assertion is that your opinion of the right and wrong way to enjoy disc golf is yours and yours alone. You are entitled to your point of view like the rest of us. But it is your maniacal sense of self righteousness that empowers you to believe that whats good for you is good for others. The 2nd quote of yours above is clearly judgmental and condescending to most of this community. And most definitely implies that most people are now doing something wrong. Except you of course. The teacher as you you called yourself.

Quite hilarious actually

 

[dysmike]

And there you go again! This isn't the philosophy/psychology forum. The biggest folly of mankind is to try to show others their folly (especially in an arrogant tone). Do and think what ever you want when you play by yourself, well, with your judgmental attitude you'll probably end up playing mostly by your self anyway.

Even if it was, the tone is too combatitive, the sentences too wordy, and the argument isn't fully formed, simply accusational.

 

[grotto]

Even if it was, the tone is too combatitive, the sentences too wordy, and the argument isn't fully formed, simply accusational.

Sorry, it was early and I hadn't had my first cup of coffee yet.

 

[Agricolae]

...I'm not quite the idiot I sound

Keep typing, I'm sure you'll get there. :\

 

[corin_brown]

Jedidiah Purdy? Is this Jedidiah Purdy?

 

[dysmike]

Sorry, it was early and I hadn't had my first cup of coffee yet.

Oh, sorry. I meant the OP. You were spot on.

 

[simpletwist]

Kenilworth I strongly suggest a different pastime for you. Your smug selfrighteousness in someone so "young" and also so new to disc golf is almost offensive, certainly off putting. Your lenghty diatribes only serve to point out an education without much wisdom. And even when you try to ingratiate yourself you eventually find a way to sound dissmissive and/or condesending.

Why is there folly in carrying or purchasing more discs than YOU deem proper? Never mind, your answer would serve to further alienate you.

Grow up and in the meantime shut up.

 

[Lightbringer]

I know this thread is a few days old now and the OP had stopped responding, so there really isn't much more to be said. However, after those few days of separation from it I really tend to agree with the above post. Disc golf is many things to many people, but one of the most positive common threads I see in it is a general sense of acceptance and community. It doesn't matter why you play, or how you play, or how well you perform; there is a place in disc golf for everyone from children and weekend amateurs to the most obsessed diehards. If you go to a local course on any given day you'll see the players with one disc and the players with a two hundred dollar bag, and as long as you're not being a jerk no one really cares which one you are.

There is no place in disc golf, or any other activity for that matter, for the attitude that the entire sport is made better by your presence and that everyone else on the field is beholden to you. Kenilworth acts like he invented disc golf, or like he's some kind of disc golf Messiah here to liberate the faithful from their own base profanity. The "counter-culture" nature of disc golf is much more about avoiding that kind of self-important mentality than it is at odds with run of the mill consumerism.

I think the most offensive thing to me about his attitude is that it totally disregards the work that people have put into growing the sport. If people weren't out there selling discs and building courses then this wouldn't even BE something he could go out and enjoy, much less criticise. Kenilworth, disc golf was working fine without you, mostly due to the efforts of people you are so quick to disparage. If you don't agree with those efforts then disc golf will get along just fine without you when you leave it for something else you can jump into and criticise without any investment or accomplishment of your own.

Seriously, at the end of the day, most of us are grown men and women playing with frisbees. There are few ways to take that too seriously without missing the point, and Kenilworth has demonstrated one of the least appealing ways I've ever seen.

That being said, I wish him luck, I'm glad I don't have to play with him, and this thread has pretty much run its course.

 

[thrembo]