Worlds in KC

[Ron Pittman]

Hey folks,
Wow! We started comp today. I've been having a blast. Biggest worlds ever. Over 900 golfers.

Got here Friday evening and have been playing golf ever since. Practiced the courses that I would be playing this week and snuck in a couple of fun rounds, too.

Rain was pretty nasty today. In the Advanced Grand Master division our course today was set rather long -- 13 holes over 350 . SSA for our round was 56. Higher than normal, but we did a lot of slip-sliding in the mud. They postponed our 2nd round because of the mud on our next course and we play 2 tomorrow.

You can't believe how many ThreeOrFourDigit PDGA number people are from KC. No wonder they have 15 something courses.

We have 70 in my division/pool. I'd like to be in the semifinals on Saturday for the top 24. We will take it one day at a time. I blew 2 holes today, but my rating says that I am supposed to, so there.

My roomie from Dallas is also one of those low number dudes from way back. Been fun getting to meet several of the sport icons through his connections. Got to play one course yesterday with 2 Master Pros and got to play Cliff Drive with Open player Justin Kreutzer (former Crockett golfer who now lives in KC)

My goals are simple; loose no discs, break no bones, and don't be DDL.

Live from KC,
Ron Pittman



DDL -- Doo Doo Last

[RD]

glad your having fun fun Ron!! Good luck!!

I want to set a goal to be ready for the 2012 Worlds when they are in charlotte NC.

anyway, I was checking out the live scoring on PDGA, we can keep up with Ron there. its pretty cool knowing one of our own is up there.

[Dave the editer]

Let's see now ... you don't want to be dead last -- that's the last thing you want -- but you would like to be the last one dead. You could shoot 18 under par, but you'd have to be dead first.

Try to have fun anyway.

Dave the editer

[Ron Pittman]

I survived Wednesday. Two rounds from a little short, fluky, pinball course. 12 or 13 pretty nice hole, but a handful of LuckyTreeBounceDudeWins. I went for safe. Threw my putter about 2/3 down the fairway and took a 3. Worked out OK.

The mud the first round is hard to describe. It took lots of effort to find a stance that wasn't sliding. BTW, the tee boxes were also mud. The course should never have been used. Mystery to me as to why. They had others. Of course the Adv Grand Masters had to play it twice in the pool shuffle. We got "bowlinggreened" / and got a couple of lesser courses. GM's get no respect.

The flymart was amazing. Just about every big name player from the past and present was there (smiling and selling stuff for their sponsor). It's pretty cool for a nobody to walk up and some HOFer sticks out his hand and says hi.

I play Cliff Drive today. Hopefully I can hold my place. Maybe play a fun round with some new friends this afternoon.

This is much better than working.

Random thought --- It seems to me that playing Crockett has prepared my game in a way that many other courses haven't/don't/can't. I foresee some awesome young golfers coming from WCDGC in the future.

Ron

[Ron Pittman]

About 5pm now. Played Cliff Drive,set at 7268, 1 over 700, 1 over 600, 1 over 500, 3 over, 400, 5 more over 350. Nothing shorter than 297. Hills, tunnels, ob, ob, ob. Shot a 58. I sorta' moved up a bit. Got a bit of cushion for the top 24 cut off.

Nap now.

Ron

[slowroll]

There' a reason why the pros chose Crockett for their weekly shootout. Keep up the posts Ron, I'm enjoying checking up on you! And buy me one of those new Discraft Stalkers, blue of course with the rainbow, gold, or silver stamp, if you see one and I'll reimburse you. It don't matter how long the courses are, its all about hitting fairways and putts, and you do both well. Good luck!

[RD]

Hey cool, while were putting in world disc orders, get me one of those world stamped monarchs, somewhere in the low 170's.

I'm paying in crockett dollars!! haha

[boneman]

Hey Ron! I'm keeping my eye on the Worlds scores online and it looks like you're doing great. Congrats! Have fun, and play well this weekend!

Wish I was there!

[Ron Pittman]

Two rounds today at Pleasant Hill. I finally mangaged to play at a level more appropriate for my rating.

Fun little course. I had plenty of birds, just some less than stellar golf. I fought grip issues, follow thru issues, weird execution issues, and was even a bit nervous with my spot on the lead card -- but my biggest problem --- my old butt is Capital-T-Tired!!!

Thankfully I am in a pool full of fellow old farts and only slid 4 places. Tied for 8th now. Scores are stacked tight around me, so every stroke counts a good bit. I sadly missed the chance to pull ahead of my pool mates. I feel bad because I turned down the chance to go play a fun round with my roomie (who came to watch me play this afternoon after his ProGM round), but I mostly needed a nap. ;D

The lead card was fun. I had poor hole or two, and outside of that, I only felt intimidated occasionally. (the leader was both fun and deadly accurate) I was pleased that we got to have some fun while we competed. -------- Comma, but ------ playing on the 2nd card this afternoon was not so much fun. Not because of me, but my cardmates. Playing with them seemed like camping ---- it was "in tents".

This experience has been surreal. Doing nothing but playing golf/ turning off the phone/ just worrying about me, etc is an un-real world. It's a great moment in time, but I am starting to feel a bit selfish. Kinda hard to describe.

That said ----- I got one more round. I play the semifinals in the am at Cliff Drive. The course I played yesterday that I made my big move on. I have no idea what to expect, but have already done better than I had ever hoped and am going to do my dang best to have some fun tomorrow. I get to play with some guys I know and think we are going to go out with a blast.

I'll make notes on the disc request stuff. I will be at the host hotel later on. Thanks for the support. WCDGC rocks.

Ron

[slowroll]

Advanced Grandmasters Show Round Ratings
Place Pool Name PDGA# Rating Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 Rd 4 Rd 5 Rd 6 Semis Finals To Par Total Prize
1 R Paul Wright 32290 951 63 52 47 57 49 50 57 36 -9 411 $175
2 R Nick Repar 17273 939 60 56 51 60 52 50 60 35 +4 424 $200
3 R Mark McCrimmon 9467 935 60 59 52 64 53 52 56 31 +7 427 $185
3 R Mark Hauser 13459 947 62 53 53 63 53 51 59 33 +7 427 $185
5 R Benjamin Cole 28136 923 65 49 56 62 51 55 59 +9 397 $165
5 R Gregg LaComb 27911 917 60 54 60 56 55 50 62 +9 397 $165
7 R David Hadder 10207 925 62 54 54 60 53 53 63 +11 399 $150
8 R Larry McCourt 4658 933 64 57 53 63 53 53 60 +15 403 $135
8 R Mark Swenson 32387 918 63 51 55 64 54 53 63 +15 403 $135
10 R Phillip Bryan 24375 913 65 52 51 65 55 57 59 +16 404 $110
10 R Jeff Shattuck 23454 932 65 57 54 65 48 55 60 +16 404 $110
10 R Chris Kinsella 21342 929 62 58 53 60 55 52 64 +16 404 $110
13 R Don Altmyer 5606 930 63 56 54 64 53 54 61 +17 405 $95
14 R David Slater 24628 918 66 55 55 57 55 52 66 +18 406 $90
15 R Everett Lyons 30278 914 62 58 53 63 54 54 63 +19 407 $85
16 R Rick Williams 2767 906 63 55 49 63 57 56 65 +20 408 $80
17 R David Frazer 21771 908 65 54 53 65 53 55 64 +21 409 $73
17 R Ron Pittman 15886 912 64 55 52 58 55 56 69 +21 409 $73
19 R Larry Entz 14785 916 70 55 52 61 54 54 64 +22 410 $65
20 R Ernie Small 2306 922 67 57 57 62 55 52 61 +23 411 $60


How bout that top 20 finish!!! Nice job Ron, can't wait to read your tournament report ;-)

[Ron Pittman]

Yep. The NTSB sent a team of investigators to the Cliff Drive Disc Golf Course on Saturday morning. They heard about a stinking TRAIN WRECK!!

Cliff Drive got me back for the whooping I put on it on Thursday. I started the am out in a 5way tie for 7th place. Plenty of room to move back up to the top card. Insert -- coulda, shoulda, woulda.

I fell off about 2-3 strokes in the first half of the course. Not horrible, just not awesome. Then at hole 7 (started on 15) I shanked a drive in the edge of the woods. It turned out to be a nasty steep hill. Went down to get my disc and fell. Hard. Banged my head. Mud from head to toe. Make this note -- old men should not fall.

It gets better. Went around a big tree to get my disc and got ran into a yellow jacket nest. Got popped a couple of times. Right arm of course. Witnesses will report that I ran around like an idgit and screamed like a girl. Sad, but true. I'm allergic to the things. They make me sick and woozy -- passed out the last time I got stung. Hole 7, I salvaged an ugly 5.

Let's just say the next few holes were a blur. I didn't want to quit. And I really, really didn't want to pass out. I was taking these weird short steps and kept shaking my head to move the cobwebs around. I'm sure I looked like some mud-covered zombie. Card mates were great, tho.

I started feeling better by the time we got to hole 11, and did most nice on my finish holes. All said, I only slipped 10 places, which was WAY better than I had hoped for going in.

No whinning about the fall. Part of life. I actually feel fortunate and blessed. It could have been much, much worse.

Went to Blue Valley to watch the finals. (BTW, our CrockettLong12 looks like a weenie hole at this course). Walked with the Advanced Grand Masters and caddied for Nick Repar. I was pulling for all of them. Great guys.

Got to see most of the Pro Masters. Phil Aurthur is most amazing. Triple wow.

And then the OPEN. They all had a chance at a 3 on a twisty, hilly 800 footer. Wow. Same for hole 2. Josh caught up with Avery and I watched the sudden death. Good stuff.

Bottom line. You gotta' go to the Worlds. Whether combined or separate (pros and cons for each). You gotta' go. It has nothing to do with your quality of golf. You gotta' go. Bring the family or leave them behind. You gotta' go. Luxury host hotel or cheeep sweeeet way out of town. You gotta' go.

I'm sure thinking about next year already. At 54, I'm still on the happy side of my age division. If I wait too many years to go back, them young 50 year olds will whoop up on me.

Ron

[slowroll]

Ran screaming like a little girl.... I would pay well for that camera phone footage. Well good job either way Ron, sounds like you had a blast. Let me know the new tournament schedule is for the WCDGC and I'll get it added to the site again.