DGPT: 2022 Texas State Championship Mar 24-27

[R-Ogre]

Agreed. I started watching some of the practice rounds at the new layout, quickly lost interest, and never made it to the end. Not sure I'll watch much of the coverage, either.

For me it is so much more interesting to see coverage of top pros playing wooded courses like Idlewild, Maple Hill, Iron Hill, Milo, Smuggler's Notch - Brewster Ridge, Dela, etc. Seeing those courses played well inspires me to play there, too (just not nearly as well).

In contrast, I find myself watching less and less pro coverage as big events have shifted towards big dumb hyzer-friendly bolf course style layouts. If that is your thing, enjoy! But I find those type of courses kinda boring. :\

There was one hole with a weird narrow window you had to hit with like a forehand or a backhand turnover, another one where most players went for a landing zone between a couple creek beds, and multiple holes with trees within the circle. All of which people complained about. To me, that's real disc golf.

 

[Ryan P.]

It's not just Dogwood though, it's another example of the larger trend:

Texas States has eliminated wooded holes
Portland Open has swapped out some rounds for its ball golf course
Worlds will be at big boring Emporia
Former elite series wooded courses at Dela and Iron Hill are now a Silver Series or eliminated.

The financial motivations for this are clear, and imo they are clearly backward choices to reduce the quality of the golf in order to generate more money. As someone who doesn't profit from the sport but is just a consumer, that sucks!

I don't like the trend either, but life comes with ebbs and flows.

 

[txmxer]

There was one hole with a weird narrow window you had to hit with like a forehand or a backhand turnover, another one where most players went for a landing zone between a couple creek beds, and multiple holes with trees within the circle. All of which people complained about. To me, that's real disc golf.

the first one you mention is one I was hoping they would keep. Of course, I believe that is the one that Nicco and Ricky went over the top on last year. If that became a successful trend, it might have taken the teeth out of the hole for the big arms and left the average throwers at a disadvantage.

 

[R-Ogre]

the first one you mention is one I was hoping they would keep. Of course, I believe that is the one that Nicco and Ricky went over the top on last year. If that became a successful trend, it might have taken the teeth out of the hole for the big arms and left the average throwers at a disadvantage.

I thought I watched those dudes and I don't remember them going over the top on the one I'm thinking of. It's been a year tho so I could be misremembering.

 

[araytx]

It's not just Dogwood though, it's another example of the larger trend:

Texas States has eliminated wooded holes
Portland Open has swapped out some rounds for its ball golf course
Worlds will be at big boring Emporia
Former elite series wooded courses at Dela and Iron Hill are now a Silver Series or eliminated.

The financial motivations for this are clear, and imo they are clearly backward choices to reduce the quality of the golf in order to generate more money. As someone who doesn't profit from the sport but is just a consumer, that sucks!

And I thought Isounded like old "get-off-my-lawn-things-were-better-in-the-old-days" guy.

 

[ThrowBot]

Disc golf viewing is going downhill.

Sometimes, yes. Sometimes it's going uphill. Sometimes level. I enjoy courses with a variety of elevation features in play.

 

[txmxer]

I thought I watched those dudes and I don't remember them going over the top on the one I'm thinking of. It's been a year tho so I could be misremembering.

there are a few like that, so maybe not the same hole. I was thinking about #14. You see Nikko go over the top at 4:02.

 

[R-Ogre]

there are a few like that, so maybe not the same hole. I was thinking about #14. You see Nikko go over the top at 4:02.

Scratch that, that might be it. I do remember that shot but I didn't remember it was that hole.

 

[Al Dente]

Just checked the weather... sunny with calm winds all weekend.

I hope they get calm winds. The last two windy tournaments made for some miserable viewing.

 

[ray1970]

I hope they get calm winds. The last two windy tournaments made for some miserable viewing.

I actually enjoy watching the pros look human. Kind of nice to know my struggles in the wind are kind of a universal thing.

 

[nothinbuttree]

I actually enjoy watching the pros look human. Kind of nice to know my struggles in the wind are kind of a universal thing.

It is entertaining to watch push putters try to run 40 footers in heavy wind. Seeing the strategies that work for different wind directions is instructional as well. So many finer arts of throwing are on full display--angle control, matching slope of landing area with the disc, forced skip shots, etc. Its not that I like seeing pros struggle, but...OK I confess, I do.

 

[txmxer]

Scratch that, that might be it. I do remember that shot but I didn't remember it was that hole.

Go to 2 minutes and check #5. Similar left to right through gap in trees.

 

[Steve West]

It's not just Dogwood though, it's another example of the larger trend:

Texas States has eliminated wooded holes
Portland Open has swapped out some rounds for its ball golf course
Worlds will be at big boring Emporia
Former elite series wooded courses at Dela and Iron Hill are now a Silver Series or eliminated.

The financial motivations for this are clear, and imo they are clearly backward choices to reduce the quality of the golf in order to generate more money. As someone who doesn't profit from the sport but is just a consumer, that sucks!

It's temporary, until they figure out to put all the spectators and cameras on the ball golf fairways, and make the players play between them in the trees. Or until they build spectator/camera friendly courses in the woods. It's not too hard, there was just never a need to consider spectators before.

 

[R-Ogre]

Go to 2 minutes and check #5. Similar left to right through gap in trees.

Yeah! That's the one I was thinking of! Can't see the gap off the tee but it's there.

 

[txmxer]

Yeah! That's the one I was thinking of! Can't see the gap off the tee but it's there.

Yeah, that was the one I thought of as well on the gap. But 14 is similar shape, but apparently has an over the top line if you are brave.

 

[Spectacledbear]

It's cool to see so many alternatives to Jomez and their typical practice round antics.. GK, Stokely, even Brodies is better.

 

[flatflip]

Or until they build spectator/camera friendly courses in the woods. It's not too hard, there was just never a need to consider spectators before.

Some already have -- I think of Smuggs and Maple Hill and all the Euro courses that have been able to make it work. Most of these are in more mature forests that have been managed well for a long time, not some pine forest 40 years after a clear cut, filled with privet and catbrier.

 

[biscoe]

It's temporary, until they figure out to put all the spectators and cameras on the ball golf fairways, and make the players play between them in the trees. Or until they build spectator/camera friendly courses in the woods. It's not too hard, there was just never a need to consider spectators before.

I agree that it is likely temporary. The new pro courses are on the way at places like Eagle's Crossing and Lake Marshall.

 

[Ryan P.]

According to Golf Course Architecture, pages 10-12, golf courses weren't build for spectators attending until 1980. TPC Sawgrass was the first. Some of them happened to work well before then, but it wasn't until then that courses were designed with bleachers and hills for viewing in mind.

I say that to echo what Steve and biscoe have said; courses will be built to accommodate spectators, and they'll start appearing on the tour in the future. Life has its ebbs and flows.

Also, Joel Freeman said on the Upshot podcast that he heard the course was going to be more open this year, and was bummed about it. But, after playing the course, he said "I have no complaints about a single hole." I'm not saying the course is perfect, but that the changes aren't as bad as most people are making them. Will every pro and everyone on this forum like the changes? No, but they're doing a fairly good job meeting as many expectations as is reasonable with the resources they have.

 

[Jolt]

OO. . a 5xputt from Eveliina on hole one. that hurts, not a fun start to the round