One of the perks of being a touring professional disc golfer is the travel. Beyond the coast to coast travel in the United States, there are often trips to Europe for major tournaments. Occasionally a new opportunity arrises and for Valarie Jenkins #17495 and Nate Doss #11794, it was a chance they couldn’t pass up.
On a daily basis, DeLaveaga breaks the spirits of many. But even this beast of a course can be conquered. It’s fair to say that luck plays a factor, sure, but luck won’t get you to the top of the leaderboard in an event like the “Steady” Ed Memorial Masters Cup. If that were the case, the list of previous winners wouldn’t be stacked with some of the most talented disc golfers in the world. Luck can only get you so far. Skill always prevails in the long run.
Believe it or not, Valarie Jenkins #17495 didn't take to disc golf from the start.
Despite the fact that the three-time PDGA World Champion grew up immersed in the game, she said didn't really begin to enjoy it until she was a teenager, instead preferring to spend her time on the playground or splashing around creekside while the rest of her family collected birdies.
And although her parents were shepherds of the sport, maintaining their hometown course and spending summer vacations at the World Championships, they never pushed her to pick up a disc if she didn't want to.
It was that spirit of freedom, she said, that moved her to toward the game on her own terms.
Who cares? Don’t answer that. It’s not really a question. It’s a concept that Tournament Director and head of Vibram Disc Golf, Steve Dodge #22042, came up with for the Maple Hill Open. It’s even written on a sign as you drive past all the other signs advertising the event leading up to the Maple Hill entrance. The point of “who cares?” is that disc golf events should be bigger and more important than they are today.
2011 US Women’s Disc Golf Championship concluded under the hot Texas sun with Valerie Jenkins claiming her second national title. Her four under par, 1,011 rated round gave her a four stroke lead over Liz Lopez going into the final nine. Jenkins’s stellar play provided the first separation among the top three Pros throughout the entire tournament. In the final nine Jenkins’s continued her dominate play leaving Sarah Stanhope and Liz Lopez to battle for second. Neither Stanhope nor Lopez backed down and it ended with the two tied for 2nd.
Two of the game’s best. Major titles and World titles. Brother and sister battle each other to claim DGU bragging rights. This season Avery and Valarie Jenkins will compete head-to-head through the use of the DGU Handicapping system to see who can best the other.
After the first round Avery was trailing the world's top ranked disc golfer David Feldberg by two. Dave broke the existing course record by four strokes only to have Avery shatter his course record a day later by three with a blistering 1085 rated 51. Avery's four stroke lead would be difficult to overcome and after Dave's five on hole eight, the result was all but determined. When asked about his lack of aggressive play on the back nine holes Dave explained that Maple Hill could bite you and he saw a greater opportunity to lose second than gain first. Avery would end up winning by seven.
