What happened to the big names?

[DriveCrusher2]

I like Nikko and all, he just needs to tone it down a little. I love his enthusiasm, he just goes about it the wrong way with throwing stuff, yelling and cussing loudly enough for it to be picked up on camera etc.

Just because it is picked up on camera, how close are the camera's and mics for disc golf? Like in their back pocket? Ok, so these cameras post videos on YouTube, they are not televised or anything. How many Major League Baseball Pitchers do you see cuss when they give up a home run or when a batter strikes out in a must need hit situation? You don't hear them? You don't see it often? You know why? Because the camera feed is delayed between TV and what is really happening so they can "cut" it out. These other people who follow these guys around can't do that yet. His language could use some work but, he is playing with emotion, some people need that to drive them to play better.

 

[tbird888]

Nikko internalizes his faults, and it usually leads to it interfering with his game. I've seen him throw in person, and he was causing such a disturbance that it was a problem for people several holes away. It was so bad that he almost got pummeled by a competitor between rounds. It was so bad the cops were called. This was several years ago, and, judging by the videos he's in, he's not any better today. Coincidentally, he lost that tourney by one throw. I can't help but think that if he'd put as much time into letting some of his bad shots go and focusing on his next shot as he did screaming at the top of his lungs and kicking his bag all over the place, he would've won the event instead of needing to have a marshall follow his card the second round to make sure he didn't start up again.

It's one thing to be tough on yourself, but it's a whole other when you're interfering with others' games.

 

[blackcatsmith]

maybe he needed that emotional outburst just to finish second, and it was that Marshall cramping his style that kept him from winning.... joking, joking.
I hate it when I lose my temper, much less when a card mate does. Definitely puts a damper on the experience.

 

[tbird888]

maybe he needed that emotional outburst just to finish second, and it was that Marshall cramping his style that kept him from winning.... joking, joking.
I hate it when I lose my temper, much less when a card mate does. Definitely puts a damper on the experience.

I know you were kidding, but I'm going to be serious. He knocked probably six or seven throws off his first round, including draining a 125'+ putt for deuce on one, at Idlewild. I think he finished with a 52 from the longs.

Agreed on the temper. Nothing's worse than a cardmate putting on a show. I always tried to think to myself that he's another person who I'll finish higher than, but after a couple holes it just gets old and starts getting to me.

 

[biscoe]

One of the funniest dg stories I have heard recently was of a certain Maryland golfer threatening to hang Nikko up in a tree when he was pitching one of his fits. Apparently it shut him right up.

 

[Mocheez]

One of the funniest dg stories I have heard recently was of a certain Maryland golfer threatening to hang Nikko up in a tree when he was pitching one of his fits. Apparently it shut him right up.

The thing that bothers me about Nikko and others with similar personalities is that when things are going well, they are great guys and fun to be around. When things turn for the worse, they are a**holes and make the game miserable for everyone around them.

It would be a lot easier if they were a**holes all the time. Then I could dislike them and not feel bad about it.

 

[AndyJB]

I've never seen him live and in person, but from the video coverage I've seen, Nikko seems to be getting a lot better. Part of maturing, I guess.

 

[tbird888]

What coverage Andy? I know we're divided on this, and I'm interested to see what you're talking about.

I think about the GCC where he was pretending to hit trees on bad shots. He pulled it together in the end for the win. Then you have Worlds? (USDGC?) where he's out of contention and gets caught, on the live feed even, slamming his chair into the ground and spilling the discs out of his bag.

 

[AndyJB]

Well, I didn't say he had become a paragon of good sportsmanship, just that he is getting better, LOL.

Of course, he seems to be on his best behavior when he's winning (i.e. that last tournament where he was also doing commentary,) which others have commented on at length. It's easy to be nice when you're on top.

 

[Cgkdisc]

Ad copy for Nikko acting as "The Most Interesting Disc Golfer in the World":
"I don't get mad that often, but when I do, I only throw the Rage."

 

[mark996]

Just because it is picked up on camera, how close are the camera's and mics for disc golf? Like in their back pocket? Ok, so these cameras post videos on YouTube, they are not televised or anything. How many Major League Baseball Pitchers do you see cuss when they give up a home run or when a batter strikes out in a must need hit situation? You don't hear them? You don't see it often? You know why? Because the camera feed is delayed between TV and what is really happening so they can "cut" it out. These other people who follow these guys around can't do that yet. His language could use some work but, he is playing with emotion, some people need that to drive them to play better.

My statement was purely on a sportsmanship and pdga rules stance, I don't give two ****s what he or anyone else says. But when he's yelling "get in the f**king basket" loud enough for people to hear him as they tee off on the previous hole, that's a problem. He's got a ****ty attitude when he's losing. I follow him, I've thrown in front of and behind him, he can be a real chill and awesome guy, or he can be the biggest douchebag to be around. I would never call his immature hissy fits emotion for the game.

 

[JTacoma03]

Wait a minute! You mean to tell me that you knew that Spock was going to go into the dilithium chamber and die, only to be recreated (in the next movie) on the Genesis planet?

More of a Star Wars guy myself

 

[grodney]

Phikounthong Phommavong Scoggins is playing the Memorial.

 

[Cgkdisc]

Definitely Ohn to the biggest name.

 

[garublador]

Keep in mind that there isn't a lot of money in disc golf and it takes a lot of time to travel to all those different places. Right now it seems like pro disc golf is geared towards guys in their 20's who don't have a lot of responsibilities other than themselves. You just can't juggle the time it takes to be a pro with a full time job and a family, or even just a significant other. Realistically most can only really have two of those things at a time. So until disc golf becomes a viable full time job for more than just a couple people, we'll probably see a changing of the guard every few years. You may get one or two that stick around for longer than that, but it won't be the norm.

 

[grodney]

Definitely Ohn to the biggest name.

I'm glad I can count on you, Chuck.