United States Disc Golf Championship 2022

[txmxer]

Not as long as just a couple months back though. He has actively worked at speeding up a bit in stark contrast to dg's other well known slow guy.

Yeah, I stated that earlier--it's obvious that he knows he is on the clock. And, maybe that's a good thing. It certainly didn't impact his ability to come through in the clutch at USDGC.

The other guy gets in his own head and stays there too long and then misses because of it (IMO).

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Not as long as just a couple months back though. He has actively worked at speeding up a bit in stark contrast to dg's other well known slow guy.

On top of that, I just can't ever picture Buhr, in the process of questioning a call, get right up in an official's face, then tell them to "step away."

Hard not to like what he's doing, how he conducts himself, and the direction he's headed.

 

[nothinbuttree]

On top of that, I just can't ever picture Buhr, in the process of questioning a call, get right up in an official's face, then tell them to "step away."

Hard not to like what he's doing, how he conducts himself, and the direction he's headed.

I imagine he has the rest of the pro ranks squirming quite a little bit. He already has all the tools (well not sure I have seen any rollers from him yet), it looks like he has increased his distance even this season, his C2 putting percentage is better than most of our C1 percentage, and most importantly, he seems very poised and in control, even when not making shots. Talk about ice water in his veins--those final round putts were amazing. What is it with big putts on hole 17 in majors lately...

And it seems like wave after wave of top players coming up behind him too. I think the days of 1050 golf winning tournaments is quite over.

 

[Jolt]

Buhrs C2 putts that last round was insane. . . i really wonder what he is aiming at, his putt fades hard the last few meters so he must aim quite far right of the basket, i think thats SO hard to do, and have changed to a more US putter for outside putts

 

[Flick Maniac]

Whatever he's doing, its working like you wouldnt believe. The super long one on #2 hit the band dead center so it was very close to going in too. The 2nd to last shot on 13 was so obstructed it would have had to be deflected in by the tree trunks. Essentially missed one makeable putt which was from like 100 feet out.

100% C1X Putting
75% C2 Putting
Throw in Distance (notable mentions)
#1 70
#3 49
#14 60
#1760
24ft Avg, 70ft Long

However, I did find it funny that at times, on like a standard 27-foot putt he would walk halfway and puff the chalk bag to read the wind before going back to his lie to putt. Like, yeah, there is a wind bubble RIGHT there. The basket has a flag too you know.

Then again, he could be rubbing the chalk into his eyeball if that makes it work for him like it did.

 

[BuiltTooLong]

Whatever he's doing, its working like you wouldnt believe. The super long one on #2 hit the band dead center so it was very close to going in too. The 2nd to last shot on 13 was so obstructed it would have had to be deflected in by the tree trunks. Essentially missed one makeable putt which was from like 100 feet out.



However, I did find it funny that at times, on like a standard 27-foot putt he would walk halfway and puff the chalk bag to read the wind before going back to his lie to putt. Like, yeah, there is a wind bubble RIGHT there. The basket has a flag too you know.

Then again, he could be rubbing the chalk into his eyeball if that makes it work for him like it did.

I think its just him focusing on his routine, so he doesn't have to focus on the moment. Perhaps one of the reasons why he can bang 50 footers so consistently is because he mentally treats it the same as 30 feet.

 

[robdeforge]

Not as long as just a couple months back though. He has actively worked at speeding up a bit in stark contrast to dg's other well known slow guy.

how much better is he now vs what he was before? have you timed it?

 

[biscoe]

how much better is he now vs what he was before? have you timed it?

The shots I actively paid attention to during the last round were generally in the 20 second range. Obviously this is highly unscientific. He also posts regularly on his social media that it is something he is working on. My hypothesis is that after the nearly unwatchable final round at Harmony Bends this year the players (not just Gannon) were read the riot act about speed of play.

 

[robdeforge]

The shots I actively paid attention to during the last round were generally in the 20 second range. Obviously this is highly unscientific. He also posts regularly on his social media that it is something he is working on. My hypothesis is that after the nearly unwatchable final round at Harmony Bends this year the players (not just Gannon) were read the riot act about speed of play.

Interesting. many of the shots I paid attention to were much longer than 30 seconds, especially on the instances when he walked past his lie, got a wind read, then proceeded to walk back to his lie and take his regular pre-shot routine.

He also posts regularly on his social media that it is something he is working on.

he says it's something he's working on, but saying and doing are two different things. His play at the USDGC was not the slowest he's ever played, but I feel I am yet to see a drastic improvement.

 

[araytx]

No problems - I wasn't sure how big a big win had to be. Still a pretty good field at the EO last year, though. It was tough to watch Evaliina melt down.

Those two will only get better. They are only 23 (I think).

22

Henna is 22 -- Jan 13, 2000 (will be 23 next season)
Evaliina is 23 -- Aug 15, 1999 (turned 23 during Worlds)

 

[Rastnav]

Hard not to like what he's doing, how he conducts himself, and the direction he's headed.

Agreed. You can look back at where he was even just at the beginning of the year at Las Vegas Challenge and just see that a ton of overall emotional maturity has occurred.

This moment during the playoff struck me at the time:
https://youtu.be/vu5jNDTca7U?t=2413

There is just generally something about his demeanor there that strikes me as not really mature. Sure, he is just generally grousing that a break didn't go his way, but something about his tone of voice and body language seems more like the vestiges of a 12 year old griping about something not going his way. (Also, hey look, it's Alden Harris!)

Same thing with him standing in the sand trap on the last playoff hole lost in his feels while Drew makes his putt:
https://youtu.be/vu5jNDTca7U?t=2721

 

[Rastnav]

I thought that the addition of the rocks and longer grass was going to make a difference in how the course came across on camera. I was actually surprised at just how much of a difference it made. It was stunning how clear it became what the players were trying to do when throwing.

That and the trenched string lines also made a huge difference in being able to see what was going on in terms of the disc flight and whether a disc was in or out. Honestly changed my perception of the course. I also think it actually changed how the course played. You had to actually not hit the various OB position, rather trying to skip through them. I'm not sure how much that actually came into play, but I have to think any hole where you were trying to carry the OB/Hazard section the long grass really made a difference.

I'd honestly love to see more rocks being added to the outlines, so that it was a little less arbitrary whether they would affect a shot that was just short. If a random billionaire wanted to make those into stacked stone walls that could be even cooler.

The one thing that struck me about there being other events on campus was that some of them were actually impacting play and a negative way. I believe Sexton said in post-production that batting practice was sending home run balls onto hole 8 while his card was playing it and it was a little unnerving. But, it's certainly the case that having crowds that are visible, and have good sightlines to the action, is highly valuable to any sporting event, especially major ones.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Agreed. You can look back at where he was even just at the beginning of the year at Las Vegas Challenge and just see that a ton of overall emotional maturity has occurred.

This moment during the playoff struck me at the time:
https://youtu.be/vu5jNDTca7U?t=2413

There is just generally something about his demeanor there that strikes me as not really mature. Sure, he is just generally grousing that a break didn't go his way, but something about his tone of voice and body language seems more like the vestiges of a 12 year old griping about something not going his way. (Also, hey look, it's Alden Harris!)

Same thing with him standing in the sand trap on the last playoff hole lost in his feels while Drew makes his putt:
https://youtu.be/vu5jNDTca7U?t=2721

I recall during a post round interview, Gibson had nothing but praise for Buhr, and was rather impressed with how well the kid handled and composed himself.

 

[Rastnav]

I recall during a post round interview, Gibson had nothing but praise for Buhr, and was rather impressed with how well the kid handled and composed himself.

Oh, for sure. Gibson also called Buhr "the future of disc golf". Don't disagree with either of those two things.

At one point I had the phrase "this is a small thing" in there (about what I noticed in Buhr at LVC). It wasn't anything major, it's just another measure of how quickly he is getting better.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

I was one obnoxious SOB when was 17, so he's way ahead of me.

 

[Brychanus]

Had some weird thoughts and wonder if they strike a chord with any of you lovely mugs out there.

McBeth has mentioned that he had that killer instinct or mamba mentality since early on. But I wonder how much of that was really there at a ripe age of 17.

Gannon is sitting in the top 3 for C2 percentage on the year and otherwise it's frankly hard for me to imagine his ceiling. He's just over half the age of McBeth and beat him outright on his home turf (one of the 6x's two most coveted majors). His body looks like it was designed in a laboratory for disc golf. Right now, the scientists are looking at each other wringing their hands saying "Good... good! Now we just must wait for his height to stabilize, and then we can add the muscle!"

Gannon apparently has full support from his parents to do this, and he has the obsessiveness to never tire in his quest to improve. He throws a mile, and I bet he has at least another quarter mile to show us. At the beginning of the year he was also already surprising the commentators at his creative use of placement shot shapes even in wide open fields. There is something different happening with this young man.

The only thing I can't quite read about Gannon is if he has that deep, raw, insatiable bloodlust of McBeast. It is what distinguishes Paul from someone with incredible tools like Eagle, who for all his focus and drive and talents writes goals that don't include "be the world champion this year." I don't know if McBeast was always in there, but it isn't just that Paul was up at 1am running on the treadmill when he had house guests shooting the **** in the other room. Early on, he seemed to have a chip on his shoulder & the scorned emotions of a guy overlooked for his height in baseball. He channeled all of that energy into disc golf and the results speak for themselves.

Next year has unfathomable appeal.

Which Gannon will we see, and is he a mamba? Is McBeth going to surprise us and dominate an ever deepening field, or are those days truly, firmly over? Can the McBeast muster 7x? Will we get the real Eagle back even without a FH, if necessary? Does Ricky actually not care about losing majors, and who believes that, anyway? Is Robot Chicken just getting started? Will Cheimborg actualize his obvious potential? Will Simon take down a major for the sake of his family? Who is the next breakout star, and why is it Isaac Robinson?

Does KT continue to show FPO there is a next level? Is PP's edge blunted? Can Catrina dig deep to kick some ass and take names? Will Holyn and Ella eventually show us 500' as a new high water mark for golf distance? Are Eveliina and Henna's putting woes yips, or bad mechanics that Ohn can fix? Will Shallows ever come out of Kona's closet?

I thought I was excited for this season, and I already can't wait for the next. DGPT championship will have to do for now.

 

[txmxer]

Killer instinct, will to win, hates to lose, etc. are intangible traits that dominant champions are imbued with by the fans/commentators.

But I wonder if they are truly unique. There are countless people working their butts off to be there best. They just aren't good enough. There are countless cocky teens trying to be great at their chosen sport. They just don't succeed.

My concern for Gavin would be staying healthy. Caring for his body, in particular his joints and spine are a top priority for his longevity (imo)

 

[txmxer]

Another analogy comes to mind. All of these players are thrilled to be the rabbit and runaway from the competition. Win by 10 or maybe just outlast the competition for the win.

All champions have that in their bag. Domination. Being the best at that event.

There's another aspect that McBeth displays and that rather than being the rabbit and running away with the event, he likes to be the predator--very cat like. Chase down the rabbit and toy with him. It's not something you can really pick out until after the fact. Until a player has a legacy to look back upon and you see when they did this on multiple occasions.

And for the most part, it comes out in attitude. For McBeth, it seems to me that Ricky and Shusterick are the two guys he most displays this attitude about from what I've seen.

I think it gives McBeth and Climo before him that something extra to repeat the wins.

In BBall Jordan had it, so did Bird. Obviously Brady in the NFL. I'm sure there are examples in every sport.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

All the best competitors have some kind of fire in their belly, but it can manifest itself in different ways. Some like Jordan/Kobe/Brady/McBeth exhibit that killer instinct.

Others, like Joe Montana, seem to get it done with a somewhat "looser," more relaxed attitude.

There seem to be more examples of the former than the latter, but surely somebody knows of other champions who did their best while exhibiting a more laid back personna.

 

[nothinbuttree]

The other thought is what drives him more--financial gain (nothing to condemn for sure), or being the best and winning the most? While they are related, I would suggest that in 2022 at least, having a big social media presence will lead to greater financial reward, because of the question, "how many of our discs can you sell?"

Certainly winning moves discs as well, but personality/social media is a big factor too.

There are a couple players on tour that even if they were to win 2-3 Worlds, I just don't see their discs moving that much because of their personalities. Others, like Simon, (up until this year of course) did very well without being a major factor on the tour other than a few podium finishes here and there. But being a fan fave, he moved some plastic, and likely got some good revenue from youtube. He has always been a great ambassador to his disc company.

Disc companies still really run this show. Take away the contract money they provide, and I suggest there are still (in 2022) only about 10-12 MPO players who could make a living from tour prize money alone. Look at the payouts of these tournaments once you get past the top 10 or so. Only a few are in the 4 digit range. Without contract $, the rest of the players would still be sharing the living room floor at night with buds while traveling around in their 20 year old vans like in the 90s, and scraping food money together. And with all the competition right now, one has to practice full time, year round, to even sniff the top 10 anymore. That is what made KC's dominance so impressive, is he did it all while working a regular full time job as well. We cannot even fathom someone doing that today.

Fast food in many areas is paying in the $30K-$40K range for full time employees, with benefits. With minimal expenses for getting to work, gas, entry fees, lodging, food on the road, etc. I think a tour player would need to make $60K a year just to equal the net income that fast food is providing. So from that perspective, we are probably down to 4-5 players able to do that, and only just the last year or two even for that.

It helps that Gannon is still supported financially, and doesn't have to make some of those tough decisions-like practice an extra 20 hours this week, or work so I can eat next week? That is a decision so many tour players have to make every week still, because their disc contracts are probably not coming close to supporting them.