The third annual Stoney Hill Challenge has been scheduled for Sunday, April 19, on Chris and David Sauls' private course near Newberry, SC.

We have been honored to be selected for the competition for the South Carolina state representative to the USDGC.

A lot of details remain to be worked out---including the flyer and registration information, and exact information regarding the USDGC spot. However, we wish to let players know as much in advance as possible, and to pass along a bit of information that we do know:

Due to the nature of the couse, divisions will be limited. We'll certainly offer Open Pro, Pro Master, Advanced, and Advanced Master. Probably Intermediate, possibly Grandmaster as well, perhaps Pro Women if there's interest. With some of the required throws, and the lack of shorter tees (and, in many cases, adequate places to put shorter tees), we feel it best not to offer some of the other divisions. Registration will be limited to 72.

We are coordinating this tournament with Sayde's at Crooked Creek, which will be on the Saturday before the Stoney Hill Challenge. This will give players the options to play either 1 day tournament....or to play 2 1-day tournaments on the same weekend....to play Sayde's and probably still have time for a practice round at Stoney Hill.....or for those not playing Sayde's, to practice Stoney Hill on Saturday before the Sunday tournament.....and in all cases, for those interested, camping will be available at Stoney Hill.

Players who have not been out to Stoney Hill since last year's tournament will find a number of improvements. Holes 4, 6, & 7 have been lengthened with added doglegs. A number of fairways and gaps have been widened, and some off-the-fairway areas cleared of briars (but, alas, not all). And the perpetually-about-to-be-built pond may atually be built, modifying holes 16 & 17 and allowing us to provide who-knows-what thrills with new layouts.

More information about the course can be found at

www.saulsinsurance.com/stoneyhill (http://www.saulsinsurance.com/stoneyhill)

In the next week or two we should nail down the flyer and open for registration.

Thank you for taking the lead on this year's qualifier. I think you guys have a great course. It will be a fine test for our SC spot in the USDGC. I was planning on playing the Challenge anyway, but now I have an even better reason to play and get a practice round in before also. I hope the event fills and everyone has a great time whether qualifying, or just playing for the fun of competing.

See you soon

Thanks, Jonas. Look forward to seeing you, and everyone from Team Chuck. I hope to have the details ironed out, flyer up, and registration open by next week.

For those competing to be the S.C. representative at USDGC, it should work out well that we'll be a Sunday-only tournament, so you can devote Saturday to trying to master the course.

By the way, we have confirmed with State Coordinator Harold Duvall that only South Carolinians are eligible to represent South Carolina at the USDGC. For our friends from North Carolina, Georgia, and beyond, come anyway---it will still be normal event with 100% payouts or more for all divisions, and we'll be working hard to make the course and event a great disc golf experience for everyone.

....and perhaps Team Chuck can take it a little easier on everyone this time. Seems like you've won at least half of the divisions in the sanctioned & non-sanctioned events we've offered. One little city against the rest of the world. And where in the world do you practice playings hills to prepare you for Stoney Hill?

The flyer is finally available at

http://www.saulsinsurance.com/stoneyhill/challenge.htm

and registration open. This will be on a first-come basis and limited to 72 players.

We would be grateful to disc golfers in or near South Carolina if you could print it and post it on your local courses.

Just to confirm that we will pay the USDGC entry fee for the S.C. Representative.

A couple of reminders for those wishing to practice the course in advance of the tournament:

* It is a private course, so prior reservations are required.

* For those familiar with Stoney Hill, just contact us to schedule a time.

* For everyone else---you need a guide around the course the first round or two to help you with navigation, and make sure you understand some of the O.B. We can generally meet you on weekends (except when at other tournaments), or weekdays after 6:15, often earlier with a few days advance notice. As always, call first to schedule.

Once again, I'll miss the opportunity (for a chance) to represent SC at the USDGC...totally bummed!

I'd love to play SH, but keep having conflicts with y'alls schedule! I hear the course is sweet! Good luck to all, and I'll see most of you in earlewood for some matchplay!

Sorry you can't make it, Tradd. Perhaps you can get by for a casual round one day when you're in the area or passing through.

For anyone interested, I'll be at the Earlewood Classic and can take registrations during lunch or any other times when Classic duties aren't calling.

The pre-reg list, with the first handful of registrations given us this weekend, can be viewed at

http://www.saulsinsurance.com/stoneyhill/challenge.htm

Special note to anyone planning to practice the course in advance of the tournament, and in general to those who've played it before---

Pond construction should begin this week, and we've removed holes 16 & 17. We'll be re-designing them, at least on a temporary basis, in time for the tournament. If you come out to practice, you can walk from 15 to 18 (not too long a walk)....or play the last half of the 17 (the basket's still there, and we'll almost certainly still use that green)....or check with us on how our plans for replacements are coming along.

With March Madness behind us, we turn our attention to the Stoney Hill Challenge.....

Pond construction is nearly finished, and it looks fairly certain it will be done prior to the tournament. Whether there'll be water in the pond is another story.

We're kicking around everything from 2 temporary replacement holes, to installing extra holes and perhaps having 20 for the tournament. Depending greatly on whether we'll have water, and how muddy the construction area might be if it rains.

We will be giving out raffle tickets to everyone that pre-registers for a chance to win $100 + in merch bucks. Of course we will be selling them too.

Longest putt contest on 18. Longest drive contest over the pond?? 3 weeks to go. Big suprises with the pond construction. So big, we don't even know what they are. Tournament may expand to 20 holes.. fun , fun, fun.

Since the question has come up, I'll remind those who want to camp that camping at Stoney Hill is free. (Though we're not beyond accepting donations). We have some beautiful places you can set up---but remind everyone that it's not called "Stoney" Hill for nothing, so bring adequate padding.

Limitations for campers are that there's 1 shower available, and bring your own towel. And provisions, as we're a long way from stores, and even longer way from fast food.

The 2 replacement holes are now in, more or less, and can be practiced, with the routing changed for holes 15-17. They can be practiced, though signs, course maps, & scorecards aren't all updated yet, so anyone wanting to practice them will need a little guidance for us, first.

It's possible that they'll be tweaked a little, of course, but remain basically as we've set them. It's also possible, if we get heavy rains just before or during the Challenge, we may alter the layout to avoid deep mud that may result in the recently excavated ground.

Hole 15 is now a 295' shot over water to a peninsula shaped green. 250' to carry the water with a bail out area to the right for those who can't throw 250 or for the ones that are scared.

Hole 17 is a 432' slightly uphill shot with the basket sitting on top of a large slope. Weather permitting, I plan on making this a super fast green.

Why did hole 15 change? I thought the pond only affected holes 16 & 17... BUT it is a good thing b/c I HATE hole 15!!!!! Great hole, I suck at it. You just improved my score 2 points!

Hole 15 is not gone....only changed in regards to the routing. It is now hole 16.

Actually, that's not true. All the debris and briars that you used to have to throw over is gone. Currently in their place is some chewed up, muddy ground, but we hope to have it smoothed out by tournament time, and grassed by next year. Also, a cluster of trees has been removed to open up the route for those trying to get down the peninsula on the drive, though it's still dicey.

The routing for the Stoney Hill Challenge is to play 14 (the pasture hole), then walk out on dam and play 15 (throwing over the pond), then walk and play 16 (formerly 15), then pick up the new 17, which is 432', uphill, perpendicular to the old 17.

As Chris keeps saying, you better not be hanging your head after #14, because the next 4 holes are full of peril and you could drop a lot of strokes if you lose focus there.

Just a reminder to those who are thinking about pre-registering....or perhaps more importantly, those who are thinking about registering on the morning of the tournament....

* As shown on the flyer, the pre-registration fees include a $5 discount for pre-registering. Or, put another way, it will cost $5 more to register on Sunday morning.

* We will be raffling $100 in merchandise. Each pre-registrant will get one free raffle ticket, in appreciation of signing up early. Of course, you can buy more.

* If we work out the manpower and logistics right, we'll have an "express sign-in" for those who have pre-registered, so they don't have to wait in line with those who have not.

hopefully i will be able to get down there early enough on saturday to get the chance to see the changes to the course
mj

Welcome back.

For Mike, and anyone else coming on the Saturday before to practice the course, we recommend you let us know when you have a rough idea of your arrival, so we can look out for you and give you some guidance. If we're out on the property we can be hard to find.

If that doesn't work, well, holes 1-14 are in their same places (though the baskets have retreated 100-150 feet on holes 4, 6, & 7). If you start at hole 1 you're likely to run into one of us before you get to hole 15, at which point you'll need some direction.

6 days out, we're looking at a near-perfect weather forecast. Heavy rains today & tonight to hopefully fill the new pond, then sunny the rest of the week to dry everything out.

Travis & Coral have helped with a tremendous amount of work recently, so the course is looking its best ever, and our testers who visited this weekend seem to have liked the new holes.

Hole 15 is not gone....only changed in regards to the routing. It is now hole 16.

Actually, that's not true. All the debris and briars that you used to have to throw over is gone. Currently in their place is some chewed up, muddy ground, but we hope to have it smoothed out by tournament time, and grassed by next year. Also, a cluster of trees has been removed to open up the route for those trying to get down the peninsula on the drive, though it's still dicey.

The routing for the Stoney Hill Challenge is to play 14 (the pasture hole), then walk out on dam and play 15 (throwing over the pond), then walk and play 16 (formerly 15), then pick up the new 17, which is 432', uphill, perpendicular to the old 17.

As Chris keeps saying, you better not be hanging your head after #14, because the next 4 holes are full of peril and you could drop a lot of strokes if you lose focus there.



Are you kidding me? You better not have your head up either!!! I was 4 under going into those holes, birdied one of them and only finished with a 53!!!! 1-14, i'm golden...The rest can kiss my @$$?!?!?!?!?! :D:eek:

The no-head-hanging advice is, of course, for everyone. The last four holes should be memorable, at the very least. It may not quite be a "championship course" yet, but it has that aspect that you can never let up. Enhanced by the fact that, if you start on hole 1, you may be a little weary by the time you hit the final stretch.

Oh, by the way, you're far from the only person to have been soaring through the first 12 or 14 holes before going down in flames. Lots of stories like that going 'round.

Hole 18 is the kicker...Make is past new #16 and 18 and you're golden!

OK, I might be nuts, but I'm RIDING MY BIKE to this one. It's only 75 miles. I'm going green this weekend. Hope it doesn't completely wipe me out energy-wise. Sounds like the course is a bear... Maybe all that hill climbing will do me righteous.

See you there, and just be thankful that I am bringing a change of clothes.

Getting home may be the problem. Just make sure you go to David's house and not mine. I don't think you can make it up my driveway, especially after 75 miles.

davids driveway isn't much better. I 2nd the ride home...After each round you DREAD the walk back to the house and the hill you must conquer...If you finish on any hole other than 17 it sucks to walk back

OK, I might be nuts, but I'm RIDING MY BIKE to this one. It's only 75 miles. I'm going green this weekend. Hope it doesn't completely wipe me out energy-wise. Sounds like the course is a bear... Maybe all that hill climbing will do me righteous.

See you there, and just be thankful that I am bringing a change of clothes.



Compared to the commute, the course might not seem like such a big deal.

Looks like a beautiful time to bike across backrounds SC. Although, if you take photos while biking, you might need to add a few extra hours to your plans.

....and as for the course being a bear, it's not in the sense of being an endurance test. It's about 6500 feet, with about twice the hills of Earlewood. It's not Renny Gold or W.R. Jackson. On the other hand, nobody every seems up for 2 rounds in casual play.

It is, hopefully, "challenging" in the sense of lots of variety, lots of OB, lots of risk/reward, and lots of punishment for bad shots. Very few places you can let up or get careless without your score taking a beating.

If anyone is coming out Saturday to practice the course, I strongly recommend you call me in advance at home 803-364-3999 or cell 803-917-8316. If you've played before you'll need a little guidance on the revised holes. If you haven't, you really need a guide; I'll try to pair you up with someone who knows their way around. In a pinch, I'll give you a map and wish you the best of luck.

Getting close, I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!! Hopefully More people will start showing up or get some registrations today. Sayde's already prefilled so if we can just get 1/2 of those players who aren't already signed up we'll have a full field!

We currently have 40 pre-registered, a half-dozen who say registration is on the way, and expect the unexpected on Saturday and Sunday morning. We should have a good turnout.

Weather forecast is 75 degrees, 20% chance of rain, with the course pretty well dried out since Tuesday's rains.

We've been working furiously and the course looks great. We've also been breaking equipment furiously and it's a race between the remaining coursework and the equipment as to which will last the longest. Travis & Coral have been a big help in preparations.

Note that after 5:00 today I will not be online. Hey, it's still 1952 at Stoney Hill. So....

----registrations that arrive today or tomorrow, will not be posted.

---I won't be on this message board to answer questions.

----I won't be available by e-mail.

After this afternoon, best contact is my home phone, which is also Tournament Central: 803-364-3999

well, i should be rolling in around 2.30 on sat. looking forward to seeing the improvements at the course

Look forward to seeing you again. If you can, call me when you have a firm idea when you'll arrive so I can look for you. Otherwise, you can start out on the course; you'll figure out the lengthened holes and are sure to run into me before you get to hole 15, where the routing is changed.

Bad news is that I blew the tire out on the trailcutter cutting grass yesterday. I was also the last one to use the bushhog on the tractor before it went.

Good news is that I was able to get every hole cut but hole 1. If it looks a little shaggy, you can blame me. I'm hell on outdoor equipment, just ask David.

looking forward to finally getting to play Stoney Hill!!! Thanks in advance for all the hard work and for hosting a tournament at your home course!

We're looking forward to finally getting you here....along with a number of other first-timers from Innova, Rock Hill, & Charlotte.

A big thanks to everyone for coming, to Mother Nature for cooperating, and to John & Christene for the great catering job. We hope the first-timers found the course more or less as advertising---not a bear, or at least not a ferocious one, but interesting and lots of fun.

It will take me a few days to post results. I know some are eager of see what the SSA is and whether they shot 1000, or whether their 69s weren't as bad as they thought. It'll take me a few days to restore the wreckage of my house (caused, not by our guests, but by one frenzied TD) and get organized enough to get everything posted.

Contratulations to the winners:
Matt Skelton (Intermediate---in his first tournament ever---and in a playoff)
Robert Ellisor (Advanced Master)
Andrew Swistak (Advanced---by 13 strokes)
Sarah Stanhope (Pro Women)
Ant Gale (Pro Masters)

and---most impressively---

Zack Rogers, who (1) won the Open division going away, (2) set the course record and won $50 with a "49", then (3) did it again, and (4) will represent South Carolina at the USDGC.

Finally....we're thankful to everyone for not getting hurt and making us use those waivers.

i've said this on the CDGC discussion board but wanted to make sure I mentioned it here... AWESOME COURSE and TOURNEY!!! Have heard you're thinking of 2 days next year with an on-site players party (and camping) and potentially 24-27 holes?! You might have a hard time getting people to leave!

Thanks again and the only sad thing of the weekend was that it took me so long to discover this course!

Thanks for your kind words. It's our privilege to be able to invite disc golfers to share our place for a weekend, and our hope to build a course worth giving up a weekend for. If you liked the design, Chris deserves the accolades for about 70% of the best ideas out there. The course has made great strides over the past year, and should be further improved by next year.

We are contemplating a 2-day tournament, especially after the reception the idea received at the awards ceremony. We love the idea of everyone mellowing out with a quiet evening on the hill overlooking the (by-then-completed) pond. Trying to follow in the footsteps of Still Waters Farm in Govan, for those who remember.

I'll probably get the results posted Thursday or Friday, and hold off on the TD report a little while so we can check out the unofficial ratings.

Oh, and great shooting, Stack. Though I must say you and a few others, most notably Zack, hurt our egos a bit; those low scores make us think the "Challenge" wasn't quite challenging enough.

Scores (http://www.pdga.com/tournament-results?TournID=8568) have now been posted. Possibly correctly.

You can now check out the unofficial ratings to see that (1) Zack set an impossible standard, shooting around 1050-rated golf, (2) some Am, who has asked that we not use the "B" word, not only got his first 1000-rated round, but his second as well!, and (3) looks like the SSA is about 55.

Oddly enough, the ratings seem to show the course about a stroke harder in the first round, even though it was windier in the second. I'd guess that's due to the number of players playing blind the first round.

Do these round ratings seem a bit high to anyone? Or is that about how you felt you shot?

Any errors will be corrected as they're brought to my attention, and I won't submit the TD report for a week or so to keep the unofficial ratings showing.

Stay tuned here---in a few days, I should have the hole-by-hole scoring spreads. We should learn a bit about some of the holes, especially the new holes, then.

thanks for the updates and hope those ratings hold... feels nice to finally get a 1000+ rated round... not to mention my first win!

on the question of if they seem high... i thought it felt like SSA was around 53... so maybe a little high?... haven't looked close enough to see if someone wasn't entered right or anything though so maybe it'll stay around this?

noticed Darrell Lambrecht's # is prob wrong since it links to someone else ... this may change the ratings slightly?

Thanks. I'd mistyped Darrell's #. But I've corrected it, and ratings didn't change.

I understand before the ratings are official they sometimes make some behind-the-scenes adjustments....not positive this is true, or how much difference it makes.

I will say that when I take my rating, and look at rounds that rated the same as my rating, the scores were about what I shoot out there. Mostly.

I do wish the score reporting would pick up the names from the PDGA numbers. Don't they know there are clumsy people like me entering the data?

I see the scores show the course as a par 58. Are the par 4's (holes 5, 6, 17, and 18)? I guess holes 1 and 16 could be par 3's, but they are long and very difficult 3's. Did anyone 3 either of them this weekend? - Thanks for a great weekend. I had a blast, even though the course won the battle of wills this time. Congrats to Cuban for killing the course.

Thanks for coming.

Par 4s are 5, 6, 16, & 18.

We'll know more about hole 17 when I do the score spreads. Keep in mind that we just installed it the week before the tournament, so don't have much experience in how it plays. But I suspect it produced a ton of 3s in the MPO, MPM, & MA1. As you may have heard, this is temporary and we have tentative plans to stretch it along the pond shore, when the pond has filled, possibly jumping part of the pond at the end.

Hole 16 ("the peninsula") has played as a par 4 because you generally need 2 excellent shots to get a 3, and there's lots of opportunity to gets 4s, 5s, and worse. And, more subjectively, a 3 feels pretty good there.

We previously listed Hole 13 (the hanging basket) as a Par-4, but decided to downgrade it for the same subjective reason. Although in past tournaments the Pros averages almost "4" there, when you get a 4 it pretty much feels like a bogey. It, and to a greater degree Hole 1, are "par 3.3"---you should get a 3, but it's work to do so, and 2s are rare.

REGARDING THE RATINGS

I wonder if the ratings seem high because there's OB on about 13 holes? Many of the holes seem easy, and in fact are if you control your shot, but misplays quickly add strokes.

I see the scores show the course as a par 58. Are the par 4's (holes 5, 6, 17, and 18)? I guess holes 1 and 16 could be par 3's, but they are long and very difficult 3's. Did anyone 3 either of them this weekend? - Thanks for a great weekend. I had a blast, even though the course won the battle of wills this time. Congrats to Cuban for killing the course.



did you mean did anyone 2 them? I 3'd hole 1 in the 2nd round and got 16 both rounds. Peckham and I both had jump putts at 16 from ~50-60'? out.

here's my hole break down
hole <feet> - round 1/ round 2 (and speed round first time playing/seeing the holes)
1 <580'>- 4/3 (3) <-- was basket deep but ~70' out
2 <285>- 3/3 (3)
3 <325>- 4/2 (2) <-- my 4 was from starting on this hole and 3 putting it to start the day)
4 <242>- OB 3/2 (2)
5 <500>- 3/4 (4)
6 <629>- 5/5 (4) <-- this hole obviously had my number ... was past basket in 2 in 1st round and hit basket for 3 but obv. couldnt close out.
7 <281>- 3/3 (2)
8 <295>- 2/2 (3)
9 <316>- 2/3 (3)
10 <236>- 2/2 (3)
11 <167>- 3/3 (2)
12 <281>- 2/2 (2)
13 <325>- 3/3 (3) <-- agreed this is def. only a par 3... i had decent looks at the putt every time (some of the smaller trees in the landing zone got in the way at times)
14 <330>- 2/2 (OB 4)
15 <295>- 2/2 (OB 4)
16 <476>- 3/3 (4)<--had jump putt at it but didnt want to chance the OB long so I layed up
17 <432>- 3/3 (3) (was almost basket even and ~30' out on the drive first round but hit chastity belt)
18 <492>- 4/4 (4)

of the par 4s I would say 16 def. didn't play like a 4 but with the punishing OB i'm sure the scoring average will show it to be a 4 or close.

Regarding hole 16, the margin of error is pretty small on that hole. If you try to drive up the peninsula toward the basket, you've got to hit a mighty small window. If you just go for the landing zone and miss, you face a treacherous upshot for a 3.

I've got the numbers from the Open division and will try to post them today. I'll have more numbers later.

Those ratings are silly Stack, great shootin'!

Here are a few numbers from the Open division. I'll have more thorough numbers from All Pro & Advanced divisions as soon as possible. This is 16 players, 2 rounds, 32 throws per hole:

http://www.saulsinsurance.com/stoneyhill/2009%20Stoney%20Hill%20Challenge%20-%20Holes%20-%20Pros.jpg

Hole 6 was easily the hardest hole on the course.

Hole 13 (the hanging bsket ) was birdied only once (Coral).

Holes 8 & 11 were the easiest. Hole 11 suprised us a little as the hole birdied most often.

Surprising that Hole 9, open & downhill, was only birdied 9 times in 32 throws. More suprising that Hole 4, 242', was only birded 5 times in 32 throws.

Hole 18 was the most unpredictable, in that 12 3s was the smallest number for a most common score. Hole 15 was second in that regard, which suprised us a bit.

As we figured, hole 17 was the most predictable hole, with 22 out of 32 Pros getting 3s. As almost everyone heard, this was a temporary location and we have better things in store for this hole when the pond fills.

Thats my 6 on hole 4. 2nd round, 2nd hole. It's tough when you know you have 5 and 6 to play next.

Also had a 15' putt on hole 4 in the 1st round for birdie that went straight through the chains and came out the back. I guess that hole had my number.

Long overdue, the hole averages for all Pro & Advanced divisions. This is everyone, including the Open Pros previously posted, but excluding the Intermediates. It is pretty much the divisions the course was targeted for.

18

Hole 17 was far less predictable for the broader group than it was for the Open division. Oddly, holes 4 & 10 had the same average scores. Hole 18 had the biggest gap between the Open and everyone else.

Overall, holes 2 & 10 produced the most predictable results (more people getting the same score), holes 15 & 18 the least predictable. Hole 15 a suprise there. Hole 8 was the easiest hole, hole 6 the hardest.

.....and with the player ratings updated and the round ratings official, we see that---

Mr. Rogers tore it up to the tune of "1052" in both rounds.

Stack got his 1000-rated rounds with plenty to spare.

SSA was about 55, in near-ideal conditions.

It's late enough to perhaps be considered nostalgic, but photos from the event can be viewed at

http://www.saulsinsurance.com/stoneyhill/2009%20challenge%20photo%20gallery.htm

Is there another tournament this year in the works? I had an Idea of adding this course to the "Iron Man" tournament next year. Probably wouldn't work though due to additional travel and the woman and intermediates if stacked like this year would take FOREVER! We were finishing 30+ minutes before them in the "Iron Man"

Nothing specifically planned, but the last 2 winters we've had non-sanctioned doubles events, so that could happen again. Maintenance is too iffy in the summer, and the fall schedule is full.

This would be a grueling finish for Ironman, but I understand it ended under the lights. They'd never have finished at Stoney Hill.

Efforts right now are in the re-design around the pond, which will involve expanding the course beyond 18 holes. That would make Ironman even less feasible.

We did have discussions with Mitch & Brent about a joint event with Crooked Creek, probably team play, to have been back in June. It fell through as we couldn't be sure we could get course ready with our schedules; this turned out to be true, as anyone who played Stoney Hill in May or June could attest.