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.

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!

The Winter Challenge

This just in: the winter might not be the best time for disc golf.

Yeah, no kidding. It also doesn't help when you start a disc golf blog in the late fall. However, there are certain ways around issues like this. And thus, the winter challenge is born.

For 13 weeks, beginning with this week, I strive to play one round of disc golf every week. I have done extensive research, determining which courses are open for the winter in northern Illinois. Thankfully, most courses seem to be open at this time of the year. One nice, yet, uninformed lady with the Buffalo Grove Park District informed me that the baskets are removed from their two courses, however, the courses are still open for rounds of disc golf. Somebody needs to get Kristy Vik, Director of Facilities and Programs, out on a disc golf course so she can figure out how this works.

It will certainly be difficult to play more wooded courses, however, I certainly have a few in mind that would be good for winter disc golf. Randall Oaks in West Dundee, Prairie Park in DeKalb, and Sunny Hill in Streamwood are three good examples of this. The main goals will be don't lose a disc and don't die, and those are definitely listed in order of importance. I think that I have hedged my bets against death, as I've aquired the finest in moderately/cheaply priced winter gear. There should be no way an ounce of water touches my skin (save for some kind of incident involving thin ice). Losing a disc, however, might be more problematic.

Many questions remain unanswered: what kind of awesome guests will join me? How will these discs act in the cold air? Will brining a shovel to clear tee-pads make me a point of ridicule? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop? These next 13 weeks will be arduous and likely death-defying, but there's one thing I can be almost certain of...

It will be cold: very, very cold.