A disc golf video game? Is this the first? Certainly it looks pretty simple with three discs, but it could be the start of something good. I would guess Innova and Discraft would want to get some sponsorship action going.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
About That...
So I guess there was this Winter Challenge thing, where some guy on this site was going to disc golf every week during the Winter.
Needless to say, it didn't go so well.
To be honest, it sounded like a good idea. I figured that after my first round out in the snow, I would have a pretty easy go of it. You forget certain things, like you won't have free time every weekend to play, like snow is wet and shiny and hard to find discs in, like I am not good with commitment, like I often find myself in over my head with tasks.
However, the most succinct way to put it is that disc golf did not seem fun when it was a job. I played a round in what would have been week two of the challenge, and it wasn't very successful. I made a trip to Sunrise Park in Bartlett, and it was a particularly windy day. I also have a tendency to keep my discs awful high, which doesn't help on windy days. My very first shot, as two dudes waited to throw, ended up going high, high, high in the air...and then landing about 2 feet behind me.
Needless to say, not a good way to play a round. I was fairly discouraged, and thus, I was left with that to remember disc golf by during the winter. I have been back at it this spring, which has been fairly productive. I've played well at Oswego, which has been quite encouraging, and I've now begun to master the Innova BEAST. The combination of beast and Oswego resulted in a birdie on the very difficult 17th hole. I really like the way I throw it, as I go consistent and long with it every time. So thumbs up to me (and then to the beast).
I will no longer commit myself to ridiculous endeavors and I will just blog as disc golf allows me to. We're hoping to get some rounds in this weekend, though the weather may not cooperate. Only time will tell.
I will include two links, to leave this post. First, I noticed one website absent from the links provided by my cohorts. Disc Golf Course Review is a great website for a quick course locator, along with reviews. I would like to noted that my reviews are regarded quite well, with 50 thumbs up and only five thumbs down. I figure that five people must just be jealous, or ugly, or jealous ugly dudes.
The next is our Facebook page! Just search "Worm Burners" on Facebook and add us, you'll know which ones to add. Just look for the awesome flaming disc. It's pretty bare now, but we'll soon add exclusive pictures and disc golf commentary. More than anything, we will inspire a sense of disc golf community in our readership. We're all about community here at Worm Burners. And by community, we mean racking up the readers until the ad revenue starts to roll in. To that extent, we thrive on community.
Please, readers...be our community.
Needless to say, it didn't go so well.
To be honest, it sounded like a good idea. I figured that after my first round out in the snow, I would have a pretty easy go of it. You forget certain things, like you won't have free time every weekend to play, like snow is wet and shiny and hard to find discs in, like I am not good with commitment, like I often find myself in over my head with tasks.
However, the most succinct way to put it is that disc golf did not seem fun when it was a job. I played a round in what would have been week two of the challenge, and it wasn't very successful. I made a trip to Sunrise Park in Bartlett, and it was a particularly windy day. I also have a tendency to keep my discs awful high, which doesn't help on windy days. My very first shot, as two dudes waited to throw, ended up going high, high, high in the air...and then landing about 2 feet behind me.
Needless to say, not a good way to play a round. I was fairly discouraged, and thus, I was left with that to remember disc golf by during the winter. I have been back at it this spring, which has been fairly productive. I've played well at Oswego, which has been quite encouraging, and I've now begun to master the Innova BEAST. The combination of beast and Oswego resulted in a birdie on the very difficult 17th hole. I really like the way I throw it, as I go consistent and long with it every time. So thumbs up to me (and then to the beast).
I will no longer commit myself to ridiculous endeavors and I will just blog as disc golf allows me to. We're hoping to get some rounds in this weekend, though the weather may not cooperate. Only time will tell.
I will include two links, to leave this post. First, I noticed one website absent from the links provided by my cohorts. Disc Golf Course Review is a great website for a quick course locator, along with reviews. I would like to noted that my reviews are regarded quite well, with 50 thumbs up and only five thumbs down. I figure that five people must just be jealous, or ugly, or jealous ugly dudes.
The next is our Facebook page! Just search "Worm Burners" on Facebook and add us, you'll know which ones to add. Just look for the awesome flaming disc. It's pretty bare now, but we'll soon add exclusive pictures and disc golf commentary. More than anything, we will inspire a sense of disc golf community in our readership. We're all about community here at Worm Burners. And by community, we mean racking up the readers until the ad revenue starts to roll in. To that extent, we thrive on community.
Please, readers...be our community.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Disc Golf Links
So while Rob is busy bragging about his ace and I just had a 115 foot shot blow through every chain on hole 7 today, I'm going to shoot out some quality links for the people, because the people are what disc golf is about, not you Rob, not you.
http://www.discgolfcenter.com/
Disc golf center sets itself apart from other online retailers as it goes through and rates every disc, from every manufacturer, on the same scale (basically the Innova rating system). This is very helpful for figuring out what different companies have for sale. I always try to buy from the mom and pop local stores, but it's awesome to know how stuff is going to work out. So far I've found the ratings to be very accurate (I've thrown over fifteen drivers they have rated from four different companies).
http://chaaaching.blogspot.com/
Want your own course on the cheap? Here's a bunch of different designs that'll get you started. I built one last year out of a candy display stand that a grocery store was throwing out and some cardboard and metal strapping. The options are endless when you think about it.
http://www.qcdiscgolfclub.com/glossary.php
Not up on the disc golf lingo? This list will get you up to speed. It's the best glossary of terms I could find in under 2 1/2 minutes. It also has a number of useful links, pictures, and diagrams. I love a good diagram.
http://www.discgolfcenter.com/
Disc golf center sets itself apart from other online retailers as it goes through and rates every disc, from every manufacturer, on the same scale (basically the Innova rating system). This is very helpful for figuring out what different companies have for sale. I always try to buy from the mom and pop local stores, but it's awesome to know how stuff is going to work out. So far I've found the ratings to be very accurate (I've thrown over fifteen drivers they have rated from four different companies).
http://chaaaching.blogspot.com/
Want your own course on the cheap? Here's a bunch of different designs that'll get you started. I built one last year out of a candy display stand that a grocery store was throwing out and some cardboard and metal strapping. The options are endless when you think about it.
http://www.qcdiscgolfclub.com/glossary.php
Not up on the disc golf lingo? This list will get you up to speed. It's the best glossary of terms I could find in under 2 1/2 minutes. It also has a number of useful links, pictures, and diagrams. I love a good diagram.
Monday, April 13, 2009
The Hold Steady, Bloomington IN
I knew it was going to be a good show. Craig Finn and The Hold Steady have a reputation for a non-stop, high energy rock show. Being a fan of the studio discs made me even more certain it was going to be a good time. I wasn’t disappointed.
Jake’s was a packed club with its inhabitants under the spell of rock music. The band had total control of the crowd and looked like they were having a genuinely good time. Each member of the band was smiling and making an effort to make eye contact with fans in the crowd.
Overall, I was thrilled to have seen The Hold Steady at Jake’s. The atmosphere and enthusiasm in the crowd was everything I could have hoped for. Next time around, I think the band will be playing a bigger venue. See them in a small club if you can.
Oh, I got my first disc golf ace at Karst Farm’s Park in Bloomington.
Jake’s was a packed club with its inhabitants under the spell of rock music. The band had total control of the crowd and looked like they were having a genuinely good time. Each member of the band was smiling and making an effort to make eye contact with fans in the crowd.
Overall, I was thrilled to have seen The Hold Steady at Jake’s. The atmosphere and enthusiasm in the crowd was everything I could have hoped for. Next time around, I think the band will be playing a bigger venue. See them in a small club if you can.
Oh, I got my first disc golf ace at Karst Farm’s Park in Bloomington.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Disc Golf, Rummage Sales
Depending on your latitude, the disc golf season is slowly coming upon us. With the economy taking the fast track down the tubes, you can be guaranteed to see one thing between you and your disc golf courses this summer: rummage sales.
Of course, for our fancy-pants East Coast readers, those would be called tag sales, but the fact remains the same: there's going to be lots of good, cheap stuff for sale everywhere you look. Disc golfers tend to be a thrifty bunch, enjoying a sport with no fees and very small start-up costs, so this is going to be a summer from heaven (as long as gas prices don't spike again, because that would never happen, right? Right?). Let's take a look at how to capitalize on the misfortune of others, shall we?
The first thing to figure out is the age of the neighborhoods and the age of the people living in them. Once you know what type of sale you go for, you'll be able to surf Craigslist and the local advertising newspaper like a pro. The following are generalizations, and you never know where you're going to find a gold mine, but you still want to focus on high percentage/density areas.
Brand new vinyl villages are going to be filled with 20 somethings and young professionals, so count on lots of children's clothing and toys. The occasional bonus is something from a hobby that one spouse or the other hasn't been into since college. Cycling trainers and old skis may pop up, but if you want a huge discount on a treadmill or something big, look for folks in their early 40's in a more established vinyl village. If you need to get the age on a development, check out any deciduous street trees. Chances are they were popped in with a giant tree spade with about a four inch trunk diameter when the area was turned from farmland to a living hell, so that can help you figure out how long the neighborhood has existed. They'll also be unloading their "first new home" furniture. If there were such a thing as vintage Ikea, it'd be here. Also look for kitchen items.
Older expanses of lifeless suburbia can provide wonderful benefits. After the nest is empty, a lot of couples finally give up on their former selves and come to grips with the fact that they are never going to go back-country hiking, kayaking, golfing, or some hobby ever again. Of course, the children have most likely already absconded with some of the goods, but if you want to live the life of a looter, you have to realize sometimes you're going to get beaten to it. Better furniture will pop up here. If you're not sure what somethings worth, ask if they'd be so kind as to hold a piece for 25 minutes while you "measure your dining room" which means pick up a friend who knows white oak from plastic laminate.
While many rummagers could live a lifetime working the cul du sac beat, but for me it's the 50's ranch home retiree neighborhoods for tools and fishing lures. I've gotten boxes of both for the price of one particular object in the box. My best score ever was a retired pro-fisherman who had thousands and thousands of lures and was more than happy to hand them away cheap. Here you may also have a better chance at undercutting posted prices, as the person running the sale may be selling items from another family member and have no idea their value. If it's a great price, don't try to con them, it could backfire and they'll decide they want to "hold onto it" (translation: not sell it to a sleaze like you). However, a carefully executed "well, there's a little rust on the handle here, I'm not sure if I shouldn't just buy a new one" can sometimes help shave dollars off.
A few warnings: beware any old computer components. You never know how little they will work, and a printer that's selling for a dollar is still going to need $20 of ink, and then you have to hope it will work. Also, beware of both so-called antiques and new-in-box items by brands you don't recognize for the same reason: unless you are very well versed in the field, it's could be something they're actually hoping to swindle somebody on. An example of this was an angle grinder I once saw for $15. For $15 how bad could a grinder be? DeWalt and Milwaukee grinders go for over $70. What a steal, right? Wrong. This store brand grinder (most major hardware stores have low-quality power tools made in the same Chinese factory) regularly went on sale for $10-12, and came with a long warranty if it was new and you had the all powerful cash register receipt.
Keep your eyes open and give yourself time for a few stops and this summer you'll be counting "rummage aces", the best thing you got for a buck!
Of course, for our fancy-pants East Coast readers, those would be called tag sales, but the fact remains the same: there's going to be lots of good, cheap stuff for sale everywhere you look. Disc golfers tend to be a thrifty bunch, enjoying a sport with no fees and very small start-up costs, so this is going to be a summer from heaven (as long as gas prices don't spike again, because that would never happen, right? Right?). Let's take a look at how to capitalize on the misfortune of others, shall we?
The first thing to figure out is the age of the neighborhoods and the age of the people living in them. Once you know what type of sale you go for, you'll be able to surf Craigslist and the local advertising newspaper like a pro. The following are generalizations, and you never know where you're going to find a gold mine, but you still want to focus on high percentage/density areas.
Brand new vinyl villages are going to be filled with 20 somethings and young professionals, so count on lots of children's clothing and toys. The occasional bonus is something from a hobby that one spouse or the other hasn't been into since college. Cycling trainers and old skis may pop up, but if you want a huge discount on a treadmill or something big, look for folks in their early 40's in a more established vinyl village. If you need to get the age on a development, check out any deciduous street trees. Chances are they were popped in with a giant tree spade with about a four inch trunk diameter when the area was turned from farmland to a living hell, so that can help you figure out how long the neighborhood has existed. They'll also be unloading their "first new home" furniture. If there were such a thing as vintage Ikea, it'd be here. Also look for kitchen items.
Older expanses of lifeless suburbia can provide wonderful benefits. After the nest is empty, a lot of couples finally give up on their former selves and come to grips with the fact that they are never going to go back-country hiking, kayaking, golfing, or some hobby ever again. Of course, the children have most likely already absconded with some of the goods, but if you want to live the life of a looter, you have to realize sometimes you're going to get beaten to it. Better furniture will pop up here. If you're not sure what somethings worth, ask if they'd be so kind as to hold a piece for 25 minutes while you "measure your dining room" which means pick up a friend who knows white oak from plastic laminate.
While many rummagers could live a lifetime working the cul du sac beat, but for me it's the 50's ranch home retiree neighborhoods for tools and fishing lures. I've gotten boxes of both for the price of one particular object in the box. My best score ever was a retired pro-fisherman who had thousands and thousands of lures and was more than happy to hand them away cheap. Here you may also have a better chance at undercutting posted prices, as the person running the sale may be selling items from another family member and have no idea their value. If it's a great price, don't try to con them, it could backfire and they'll decide they want to "hold onto it" (translation: not sell it to a sleaze like you). However, a carefully executed "well, there's a little rust on the handle here, I'm not sure if I shouldn't just buy a new one" can sometimes help shave dollars off.
A few warnings: beware any old computer components. You never know how little they will work, and a printer that's selling for a dollar is still going to need $20 of ink, and then you have to hope it will work. Also, beware of both so-called antiques and new-in-box items by brands you don't recognize for the same reason: unless you are very well versed in the field, it's could be something they're actually hoping to swindle somebody on. An example of this was an angle grinder I once saw for $15. For $15 how bad could a grinder be? DeWalt and Milwaukee grinders go for over $70. What a steal, right? Wrong. This store brand grinder (most major hardware stores have low-quality power tools made in the same Chinese factory) regularly went on sale for $10-12, and came with a long warranty if it was new and you had the all powerful cash register receipt.
Keep your eyes open and give yourself time for a few stops and this summer you'll be counting "rummage aces", the best thing you got for a buck!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Cold Weather Discing on the Cheap
So, you might say to yourself, gee, I'd love to go play disc golf in winter just like Chad, but I don't have the sisu or the clothing to pull it off.
I can't help you with an indomitable spirit, but I can clue you in to a few ways to keep the cost down. First off, realize that brands don't matter on a lot of key, layering products. I have both premium and knock-off things like thermal underwear, and let me tell you, if you know what you're looking for, sometimes you can do great with department store brands. Let me give you an example.
Say you want a comfortable, stylish jacket for cool days. Since you'll probably wear it over a t-shirt, you'll want the jacket to breath nicely and wick away some moisture. A polyester track jacket would work pretty well for that. Let's take a look at the Marla Singer jacket from Moosejaw. It fits the bill, looks slick, relaxed, and good for around town. Additionally, Moosejaw is a pretty awesome company which often runs amazing sales. However, let's see what we can get down the street at Target. Check out the Mossimo Track Jacket. Look familiar? Oh yes, except for the part where the price tag is $13 bucks less. Let me repeat: same exact jacket (save the logo on the back of Moosejaw's) for 35% off. Note that these are everyday prices, and both places often run sales!
Instead of digging up discs in the snow, I like to downhill ski in winter. My go-to mid layer is a Champion c9 (again, a Target brand) poly long sleeve mock turtleneck. It was probably on sale between $10-15, and works like a total champ. Even has a convenient chest pocket. I compare this to my friends who buy anything and everything made by Burton and shelling out $40 for a similar chunk of synthetic cloth. That means I have a minimum of $25 extra bucks for beer at the end of the day.
That said, what should you look for in lightweight winter clothes? Polyester, polypropylene, and wool handle a lot of that ticket. Equally important, cotton should not be in your wardrobe. Both poly's wick well. Wool, though scratchy on the skin, is very warm for its weight and more importantly will still insulate quite well when wet. Cotton barely insulates, holds onto water like a sponge, and is going to pull heat out of you faster than my local river takes stray discs downstream. Old army sweaters are a great way to get some bargain wool. Check out friends that have served or your local surplus store.
Your baselayer (whatever is touching your skin) should be something soft and comfy, but capable of wicking away moisture. Polyester/wool combo long johns are readily available at chain sporting goods stores, often for $30 a set or better. Compare this to premium brands, like Patagonia, where you can't even get a shirt for that price, and you're saving some scratch that could buy you another distance driver. The one thing you aren't getting, of course, is the warrantee. If you pull the seems out of a Patagonia garment somewhere in 2026, they'll get you a new one. Pull the seems out of something you bought at Dunham's and you get to tell your kids how back in your day there was a store called Dunham's that sold discount sporting goods. Choose wisely.
For your midlayer(s) pile up accordingly depending on temperature. Put an appropriate shell layer (which could be anything from a fleece to a rain jacket) and you're set to go.
Remember: friends don't let friends buy cotton long underwear.
I can't help you with an indomitable spirit, but I can clue you in to a few ways to keep the cost down. First off, realize that brands don't matter on a lot of key, layering products. I have both premium and knock-off things like thermal underwear, and let me tell you, if you know what you're looking for, sometimes you can do great with department store brands. Let me give you an example.
Say you want a comfortable, stylish jacket for cool days. Since you'll probably wear it over a t-shirt, you'll want the jacket to breath nicely and wick away some moisture. A polyester track jacket would work pretty well for that. Let's take a look at the Marla Singer jacket from Moosejaw. It fits the bill, looks slick, relaxed, and good for around town. Additionally, Moosejaw is a pretty awesome company which often runs amazing sales. However, let's see what we can get down the street at Target. Check out the Mossimo Track Jacket. Look familiar? Oh yes, except for the part where the price tag is $13 bucks less. Let me repeat: same exact jacket (save the logo on the back of Moosejaw's) for 35% off. Note that these are everyday prices, and both places often run sales!
Instead of digging up discs in the snow, I like to downhill ski in winter. My go-to mid layer is a Champion c9 (again, a Target brand) poly long sleeve mock turtleneck. It was probably on sale between $10-15, and works like a total champ. Even has a convenient chest pocket. I compare this to my friends who buy anything and everything made by Burton and shelling out $40 for a similar chunk of synthetic cloth. That means I have a minimum of $25 extra bucks for beer at the end of the day.
That said, what should you look for in lightweight winter clothes? Polyester, polypropylene, and wool handle a lot of that ticket. Equally important, cotton should not be in your wardrobe. Both poly's wick well. Wool, though scratchy on the skin, is very warm for its weight and more importantly will still insulate quite well when wet. Cotton barely insulates, holds onto water like a sponge, and is going to pull heat out of you faster than my local river takes stray discs downstream. Old army sweaters are a great way to get some bargain wool. Check out friends that have served or your local surplus store.
Your baselayer (whatever is touching your skin) should be something soft and comfy, but capable of wicking away moisture. Polyester/wool combo long johns are readily available at chain sporting goods stores, often for $30 a set or better. Compare this to premium brands, like Patagonia, where you can't even get a shirt for that price, and you're saving some scratch that could buy you another distance driver. The one thing you aren't getting, of course, is the warrantee. If you pull the seems out of a Patagonia garment somewhere in 2026, they'll get you a new one. Pull the seems out of something you bought at Dunham's and you get to tell your kids how back in your day there was a store called Dunham's that sold discount sporting goods. Choose wisely.
For your midlayer(s) pile up accordingly depending on temperature. Put an appropriate shell layer (which could be anything from a fleece to a rain jacket) and you're set to go.
Remember: friends don't let friends buy cotton long underwear.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Winter Challenge - Week 1
On Sunday, my ForecastFox plug-in said it was 3 degrees outside. I thought to myself 'wow, this would be a great morning for disc golf.' That might be because I'm determined, or because I'm an idiot...but this determined idiot managed to make it out to Sunny Hill Disc Golf Course in Streamwood. Once there, I accomplished the following:
1. Did not lose any discs.
2. Did not die.
Therefore, I must label the initial leg of the 2008 Winter Challenge a success! I really set myself up for success, as I knew it would be difficult to lose a disc in a course as open as this. The course, however, was just as busy as it was when I played it in the fall.
Okay, so that's not very busy. Really, I'm glad it wasn't. While I didn't lose a disc, I certainly came close three times. The worst was on the second hole. I thought I got a good look at where the disc went, but I totally lost it. I walked around for maybe ten minutes while some dumb, fenced-in dog barked at me. When I finally gave up, I found the disc walking toward the next hole. The third was not so kind, either - the disc was buried in the snow behind someone's house, but I found it with greater ease.
The terrain wasn't too bad - some areas were easy to walk on, but there were also some places where the snow was unnecessarily deep. Like, maybe where I fell face-first on the second. There was maybe two feet of snow on top of these large rocks - now why in the hell are there rocks at some park? That could seriously injure someone, or more specifically, some moron playing disc golf in the winter.
But actually, it was not all that bad playing in the cold. I am stocked up with all of my winter gear: thermals, waterproof boots, wool socks, Hot Hands hand-warmers, hoodie, the Chicago Bears windbreaker that I got with my new Sports Illustrated subscription, and some awesomely weird scarf/mask/hood hybrid my wife got me for my birthday. With all of that great stuff, I was able to stay properly warm. I also kept a single glove on my left hand, and between throws, I would keep my right hand in my pocket with the hand-warmer. I could not have been much better protected from the elements.
The terrain wasn't too bad - some areas were easy to walk on, but there were also some places where the snow was unnecessarily deep. Like, maybe where I fell face-first on the second. There was maybe two feet of snow on top of these large rocks - now why in the hell are there rocks at some park? That could seriously injure someone, or more specifically, some moron playing disc golf in the winter.
But actually, it was not all that bad playing in the cold. I am stocked up with all of my winter gear: thermals, waterproof boots, wool socks, Hot Hands hand-warmers, hoodie, the Chicago Bears windbreaker that I got with my new Sports Illustrated subscription, and some awesomely weird scarf/mask/hood hybrid my wife got me for my birthday. With all of that great stuff, I was able to stay properly warm. I also kept a single glove on my left hand, and between throws, I would keep my right hand in my pocket with the hand-warmer. I could not have been much better protected from the elements.
In all, I enjoyed the first day of the Winter Challenge. Maybe the next course will have tee markers that aren't totally covered by Vince Palumbo's constant lying about his aces. Give it up, Vince - there's no way you aced all nine holes at least three or four times. You should spend more time practicing and spend less time being a big fat liar.
For winter disc golf, Sunny Hill in Streamwood, Illinois is...recommended!
For winter disc golf, Sunny Hill in Streamwood, Illinois is...recommended!
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