The Slippery Rock Experience

[Qikly]

I got to attend the Moraine rounds on Tuesday and Slippery Rock on Wednesday, and definitely felt a distinction between the two atmospheres. The extra isolation of Moraine helped the play feel heightened, urgent, and "special," while the elements of SRU that you reference lent it the feeling of local club round, albeit one with some famous faces. I also felt like having two rounds at SRU in one day contributed to this feeling; I say this largely based on comments by and discussions I had with the players.

Even at Moraine, though, you had elements (the beach goers, the kids field trip) that were jarring up against an international disc golf championship. The sport's reliance on public land and public facilities is going to continue to create this kind of friction.

Off the OP's topic, I also felt that SRU was an inferior course for the tournament. There are practical reasons for this that couldn't be helped by the designers, but it's still frustrating. Many of the players I talked to about the course really disliked it, and not only for the openness: the blind shots, for example, were another raised issue. At the same time, I think you can make an argument that SRU offered a different kind of golf than Deer Lakes and Moraine, and that that variety itself is a positive thing to have in the tournament. It's an open course that the best in the game are capable of dominating, but it's not what I'd call an easy course, even for top pros: there is still room for disaster and scoring separation given the length, elevation, and occasional hazards. Tangentially, I also think it has some great holes: the final few are a great interplay between openness and the woods. So while I ultimately think you can knock it, I think the course also served its function within the tournament.

 

[Qikly]

Missed the edit window, but I wanted to add that I too wished that Linbrook could have been a part of the tournement; it was my first thought when I heard the announcement of the course line up. Fantastic course, that hopefully will some day get the attention it deserves, both in terms of players and in terms of grooming...

 

[vslaugh]

For anyone who was there, what was the general sentiment on the teepads? From what I understand, the SRU teepads were squares (1 sq ft?) that were somehow pieced together. I only played on them once in nice weather, and they seemed surprisingly grippy.

 

[ru4por]

I know that but public parks dont have a 100 plus member Marching Band practicing 30 feet from a tee pad :doh:

Oh, I don't really know about that. I have played tournaments in some crazy environments. Once has about a hundred prom couples from the local high school drive up and start using the bridge on the 18th hole for pictures. Add a few dozen zealous parents to that mix and it was a bit distracting. How about families invading fairways during a tournament to throw sticks into tree to knock down nuts to collect. I could go on, but disc golf is currently not a use exclusive sport in most venues. I like to see it as part of the allure. It usually affords me the opportunity to introduce the game to those who have never really seen or understood it. In the infancy of my career (lol), playing the game where ever we could, was how it went. I realize many like to think of the game as a big time sport, but the complaints like these only serve to demonstrate we are a very small niche game......and I am OK with that. The varied backdrops and surroundings are part of the charm to me.

 

[Pbmercil]

I could go on, but disc golf is currently not a use exclusive sport in most venues..

BINGO. It's more then a little embarrassing that this is the case, even for worlds. But that is where we're at in the sport at the moment. Doesn't mean we can't strive to do better, but a lot of people are missing the forest from the trees with all the grow the sport crap.

 

[Qikly]

For anyone who was there, what was the general sentiment on the teepads? From what I understand, the SRU teepads were squares (1 sq ft?) that were somehow pieced together. I only played on them once in nice weather, and they seemed surprisingly grippy.

The group I followed at SRU seemed a bit conflicted on them. Some complemented their grippiness, and felt like they were a really good solution that wasn't as permanent as concrete. Others were saying that because the gravel wasn't flush with the holes in the rubber, the small holes in the tees could catch your tread. Some also felt like they were tough on your joints, for reasons I didn't fully understand.

Personally, I like you felt they performed very well. Grippy with lots of room, essential on that course given the abundance of longer hole distances.

 

[discNDav]

Its just that throwing over a building to a green defended by a handrail isnt what I was expecting from a Worlds Course

Agreed...SR hole #5 was simply a terrible designed hole. I didn't play it but saw both the women and men play it in the final 9. Throwing over or around a building with a baseball field and its fence OB on the right and a rail in the putting area was a bad hole indeed.:thmbdown:

I skipped SR on Sunday morning and played Moraine Sunday morning even though I had played it 4 others times in the past.

 

[Garrett76zt]

I played in the Open division at Worlds this year and competed on this course and enjoyed it. I'll make a couple of points that I think are relevant.

SRU was very different from the other 2 courses used. I can't understand how that isn't a good thing. It highlights different skills and abilities from the other two and thats a positive thing in my book.

Teepads were perfectly fine.

In general I believe campus DG courses have inherent benefit for the sport and some typical handicaps. Its positively genius to put courses on campuses if you are trying to increase exposure to the sport and the number of people playing the game. The downside is that most campus courses are playing second fiddle to every other thing land is used for on a college campus. Often more distractions, often hard to navigate, etc. So it is what it is.

As a competitor I believe SRU was the course where you could earn the most glory and also the most fair of the 3 courses. I'm all for wooded courses and enjoy the skill required to play them well but the only things that were going to cost you strokes out at SRU were bad throws, often resulting in OB. Distance and accuracy were highly necessary as was shot placement. Ensuring you had room for a run up on your second or third throw was crucial. Several holes out there were able to be eagled even by "pedestrian" 450-500ft throwers like myself. You just had to have the balls to go for it. Now 2 rounds on a 10,000 ft course in one day was possibly a bonehead call, haha.

 

[vslaugh]

Agreed...SR hole #5 was simply a terrible designed hole. I didn't play it but saw both the women and men play it in the final 9. Throwing over or around a building with a baseball field and its fence OB on the right and a rail in the putting area was a bad hole indeed.:thmbdown:

Just think of it as disc golf's answer to Hole 17 at St. Andrews

 

[chris deitzel]

It was the only course that had enough parking and could handle a large gallery.

And apparently it was good enough that Paul McBeth went out the day after worlds to play a round for fun on the course.

 

[vindog321]

The final 9 could never have been played at Deer Lakes Or Moraine. Is simply no room on just about every hole for a decent sized gallery. If you look at the coverage of round 5 at Moraine, the gallery is cramped and on some shots nobody can see a thing. Slippery Rock is without a doubt a very nicely designed course. As a local to all these courses, it is so nice finally having a break from the trees and letting some rip. I wouldn't think it would be a fair worlds if only the typical PA courses (Moraine and Deer Lakes) were played, as it would play to certain players skills sets.
I will say though that Moraine is probably the best course ive ever played with Deer Lakes a very close second.
I personally think the PDGA nailed this worlds right on the head with the course selection.

 

[coupe]

And apparently it was good enough that Paul McBeth went out the day after worlds to play a round for fun on the course.

Nah. He was looking to wash the bad taste of his third round 59 (seriously? Only 8 under?) out of his mouth.