Flick Maniac
* Ace Member *
I think its more the rampant OB than the tight wooded lines alone. I mean, whatever the hole is where the creek snakes through the entire hole, and basket has OB front and back, theres not really a place to land.
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DGPT - Idlewild Open driven by Innova Discs & The Nati
- Thread starter brutalbrutus
- Start date
I think its more the rampant OB than the tight wooded lines alone. I mean, whatever the hole is where the creek snakes through the entire hole, and basket has OB front and back, theres not really a place to land.
Sure there is, if you're not seeking to get as close to the basket as possible off the tee. It's a risk-reward hole where nearly all the players who are featured on video are the type that take the risk 100% of the time. It's not that difficult to disc down, land a drive safely, land an upshot safely and take a birdie 3 (I've been there, I've done it). But these guys want the two, so they go for broke. Is that the fault of the hole's design or the players' mentality/approach?
I've played Idlewild a few times. IIRC fh down the middle ( not going for the green) or bh down the right gap ( not going for the green) both work well.
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Idlewild Open #17's (old 16, normally 22 now) safe play for me is to go for the short pin's green. From there it's a pretty tame approach to the long.
That said, if you have to gain a late stroke, there's the opportunity to run it. If it goes ob near the green you're putting for 3. If it goes ob before that, you're kind of screwed. Is the risk of early ob worth the reward of having a look at a 2 or 3?
That said, if you have to gain a late stroke, there's the opportunity to run it. If it goes ob near the green you're putting for 3. If it goes ob before that, you're kind of screwed. Is the risk of early ob worth the reward of having a look at a 2 or 3?
This. THIS. Idlewild is a fantastic course in an area that has some really great courses and players, but you're going to be in the woods, you're going to have to pipe lines, you're going to hit trees, and you're going to have to think outside the "which disc do I pick for the XXXft hyzer line" box.
Watching the pros throw righty hyzers all day, while impressive in distance an accuracy, is INCREDIBLY boring.
Watching them think of which shot to take, watching a card full of top players each make a different decision on how to attack the hole, seeing how the top players scramble -- a HUGE part of what separates them from ordinary players -- is so much more entertaining than yet-another-400+ft-spike-hyzer.
Also, playing on more difficult and wooded courses often(depending on the design) leads to seeing more lefties on film, and I'm 100% on board with that. Getting to watch Zach Melton this weekend was particularly rewarding, and if it wasn't for that McBeth character, Z is in a playoff with JC and competing for a lefty win, which is exactly what this sport needs
Also, this.
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It's not. I played it for the first time in a tournament earlier this year, and honestly it wasn't even fun. It's really bad for backups (30 minutes on a couple of holes) and the grass is kinda long in the fairways, which is a big no-no for me. Footing is treacherous in places too. Fun to watch the pros play it, but I'm in no hurry to go back.
brutalbrutus
* Ace Member *
Yea, playing Idlewild for your first time under tourney conditions is probly not gonna be a fun time for most people. All the blind shots under pressure make for a punishing and stressful day, for people that know the course let alone a first timer. Also, I think they leave the grass a little long on purpose. Most of the fairways are under canopy, so if the grass is cut too short, trampling it can cause it to die fairly easily because the grass doesn't get enough sun. That's why they have the turf greens. Its nearly impossible to keep grass growing around those baskets in the shade along the creek. Also, on a normal day, you wont come across too many other groups.
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Zanguini
Birdie Member
Uli/AJ > Jerm/AJ.
The jomez coverage built great tension coming down on the final hole with Jones, Melton, and Conrad. With Melton and Conrad ending up tied. Only to end it with McBeth winning by four.... Kind of anticlimatic
The jomez coverage built great tension coming down on the final hole with Jones, Melton, and Conrad. With Melton and Conrad ending up tied. Only to end it with McBeth winning by four.... Kind of anticlimatic
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Earlier this year also might not be a great indicator of typical mowing. The county had 3 of 5 mowing contractors quit in something like a 2 week period and it took a month or two to get caught back up.
tbird888
Salient Disc Test Team
I'll preface this statement saying that I never broke beyond an Intermediate rating (912) and would probably be Rec level today, but if you play position golf and execute your shots (which most of the FPO can do better than I can), I think you can throw par at Idle pretty easily. Maybe it's because I have more than 500 rounds in there (most from when half the lines that exist hadn't been cut yet), but if I can do it, they should be able to also.
If the pros want to throw 500 down, they should move the event to Lincoln Ridge next year.
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Oh I understand why they keep it long. That doesn't make it fun though when it takes 10 minutes to find the drive you pured around a blind corner (that's actually hiding right in the middle in the fairway; looking at you, hole 8). It's the same reason I don't play Handyman Ace Hardware in Fairborn more than once a year or so. In that case they can't get mowers back to where the wooded holes are. However, that means the grass is often a foot long in the fairways. It's not cool having to send a spotter for a straight fairway. Also not enjoyable to spend 2 hours throwing and another hour looking for discs.
I have zero problem with the turf greens at Idlewild, though. I like them a lot, actually. That's a great way to keep the footing reasonable there.
@iDiscGolf
* Ace Member *
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Looked to be so. Was cool watching MJ position the course and stay right up in there. But, Paige winning was +8 and 3rd place was +28 over. And fpo 9th place was +48. :|
brutalbrutus
* Ace Member *
They were also dealing less than ideal conditions and tournament pressure.
There is a pretty big argument going on the local FB page about the Ad wall they putt on no5. I can see both sides' point. On one hand, it did help players out of position have an easier upshot by just rolling a FH into it. Negating some of the purpose behind the design of that hole. That being, having to either play to the green or make a layup as close as you can without going in the creek. On the other, advertising is needed to keep these things going, and that was a great use of those walls for that purpose. They were definitely given lots of airtime.
I think the had the right idea but the wrong location. They should have put some of those along the creek on 17...
There is a pretty big argument going on the local FB page about the Ad wall they putt on no5. I can see both sides' point. On one hand, it did help players out of position have an easier upshot by just rolling a FH into it. Negating some of the purpose behind the design of that hole. That being, having to either play to the green or make a layup as close as you can without going in the creek. On the other, advertising is needed to keep these things going, and that was a great use of those walls for that purpose. They were definitely given lots of airtime.
I think the had the right idea but the wrong location. They should have put some of those along the creek on 17...
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tbird888
Salient Disc Test Team
Must be all those rounds I have in there then. I never realized that being over par really mattered. Guess I better give up the game then!
brutalbrutus
* Ace Member *
If I shoot anything less than 80 for 18 holes I am pretty happy... and that's usually playing IdleMILD rules. Only surrounded by water and roads/paths.
tbird888
Salient Disc Test Team
I feel like you should be throwing under 80 unless you're talking about all 24.
brutalbrutus
* Ace Member *
80 for the 18 holes played in the tournament? That's a 925-930ish rated round. A good goal if your rating is in the Rec/Intermediate range (850-920ish), which is where the bulk of the FPO field was this weekend. Three 80s (+39) would have secured last cash (beating Cat at +42).
brutalbrutus
* Ace Member *
Usually, we do the original 18 for local events if we aren't playing 24. original holes 12 and 17 are both pretty gettable birdies for AMs but if you don't throw a good shot can be bogeyed or worse.
Looks like 80 got 890s at the Big3 event in june for the AM side, I think they used the OG 18 for that. The open guys played 24 longs the next day so the ratings weren't tabulated together.
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Don't want to derail the thread but TOTALLY agree. I don't watch much DG (I'd rather play for fun), but my first viewing was of a wide open 450' hole being thrown by Greg Barsby (I'd just seen his Iron Leaf video
). He put it inside 'circle 1', and I noticed there were already three discs laying there. I realized that all of the tour guys can do that in calm conditions. Much rather see how they conquer (or struggle with) courses like Idlewild. :thmbup:
