The 2010 Skylands Classic has been relocated from Warwick, NY to Blue Mountain Resort in Palmerton, PA.

Here is the official announcement:


Skylands Classic to Move PDGA National Tour to Blue Mountain Resort in August
Enhanced Facilities, Players� Purse Drive Change of Venue for Disc Golf Event

There just seems to be something with Dan Doyle, The PDGA National Tour, and ski resorts. Echoes of Doyle�s efforts to introduce and promote disc golf at Vermont�s Sugarbush Resort in 2007 are resounding again in Palmerton, Pennsylvania at a mountain resort called Blue.

The Skylands Classic organizing committee, in cooperation with the Professional Disc Golf Association and Blue Mountain Resort, is pleased to announce the relocation of the Skylands Classic National Tour disc golf event to the Blue Mountain Resort in Palmerton, Pennsylvania from the Brakewell Steel course in Warwick, New York. The event will still be held August 27-29, 2010. Blue Mountain is located 70 miles southwest of Warwick.

�While this is late-breaking news, we are thrilled to be moving our PDGA National Tour event to the Blue Mountain facilities,� explained Skylands Classic tournament director Dan Doyle. �After thoroughly considering the move, it became abundantly clear that the move to Blue Mountain would enhance the National Tour experience for our players, our sport, our staff and spectators. This is a resort setting with two championship courses, and they simply have more resources and support than even our well-run Warwick events could offer,� Doyle concluded.

Some of the benefits afforded to the newly renamed Skylands Classic at Blue Mountain, in addition to the spectacular settings for the competition at the top and bottom of the mountain, will be the abundant amenities, such as restaurants, entertainment, nearby lodging (including camping just 10 minutes away), and a minimum of $10,000 added cash to the already impressive National Tour purse. (For a complete list of local accommodations, go to Blue Mountain�s official website at www.skibluemt.com).

�We discovered disc golf at Sugarbush,� said Barb Green, owner and President of the Blue Mountain Resort. �And now to be hosting a National Tour event in just our second season speaks volumes about everything our venue offers. Our entire staff has been energized by this sport, and we are all preparing to welcome the disc golfers and put on a great show for the best players in the world,� Green smiled.

The 3-day event will feature play on both the Skyline Park (Peak) and Valley (Base) courses. Tournament play on both Friday August 27th and Saturday August 28th will most likely be on a 24-hole hybrid layout using 12 holes from each of the two courses. Tee Times will begin at approximately 9:00 AM. Depending on the number of entrants, play on Sunday August 29th will either be 18 holes or 24 holes. All entrants will play all 3 days.

One important change to note is that a Masters division has been added to the Skylands Classic. Entry fees are $130 for MPO and MPM and $100 for FPO and MPG until July 31st. On August 1st, entry fees increase to $160 and $125 respectively.

For more information and to register on-line, go to www.nynjdiscgolf.com. You may also reach Tournament Director Dan Doyle directly at [email protected] or at 845-551-2800.

Wow! Skylands at Warwick is a really great course to be relocating from. It also seems kinda late to be switching NT sites with folks already making reservations and all.
I know that Dan Doyle is a fine tournament director and knows how to make an event happen with its fullest potential possible. I have had some real memorable experiences with events he was been involved with in the past. I surely appreciate how much effort he puts into making a tournament run so smoothly and professional.
With that in mind i would strongly consider still making the relocated event in Pennsylvania at Blue Mountain. However, personally i am just now recovering from a serious achilles strain and walking a ski resort style mountain course may be too rough.
Also, the course terrain from Skylands to Blue Mountain sounds like a major change in Disc Golf techniques to adapt from. Skylands is a way wickedly fun course but i am sure Dan and the Committee would not make this change if it were not for the better of all involved.
I wonder if the town of Warwick is at all disappointed with this change. An NT event in a small town must bring some revenue and publicity that helps that area in small economic ways. Best of luck to Skylands Disc Golf Club on this event and maybe i can still hobble the slopes somehow.

Teeing Off,
Floyd Henke

if i ever run for public office i'll hire floyd as my campaign manager.

although it wasn't a slam-dunk to move the event to Blue Mountain from Warwick, from many perspectives I had to do it. From the perspective of NT events being showcase events for our sport, it is a HUGE win-win. The "Blue Mountain publicity machine" is unlike anything I have been exposed to before. In conjunction with PDGA Marketing Director John Duesler and the Lehigh Valley Tourism Bureau we have access to the publicity machine involved with the 2005 Pro Worrlds in Allentown just 30 minutes away.

as good as the Warwick course is, and it IS quite amazing as touring and local players will attest, the opportunity for challenging NT golf at Blue Mountain blows away what we have in Warwick. Two ridiculously ill courses will allow us to create the most challenging and FUN layouts golfers will experience anywhere in the US in 2010.

And the Blue Mountain venue offers camping within 10 minutes of the course; all sorts of on-site buildings for regisstration, food, players party, etc. We'll be able to offer a cafeteria for meals right at the start of both courses. We'll have microbrew ales on tap on site for ingestion after rounds are completed each day. We plan to have a ski hill distance competition which should be so sick.

I worked out the hiccups we experienced at Sugarbush a few years back and that experience will help make the Skylands Classic at Blue Mountain a memorable event.

oh, and did i say quite a bit more added cash?????

dd td

Floyd, for comparison purposes, the terrain at Blue Mountain isn't anywhere near so severe as at Sugarbush. The Valley course has very limited elevation change and the front nine of the Skyline Park lift-served course plays down Paradise, the gentle beginner trail, while the back nine plays all around the bottom of the mountain, again with limited elevation change. Your Achilles is going to be just fine, trust me. :cool:

another note is that we'll probably be playing a hybrid layout (12 Skyline Park holes and 12 valley Course holes) on friday and saturday. (this could change depending on the number of entrants).

the hybrid layout will feature a huge mix of holes, so that despite one of the 2 courses being a ski hill course, the hybrid layouts won't have more than 3 to 5 holes that will feel like typical downhill ski holes. know that we'll have MANY par 4's and 5's, which should allow those with noodle arms like me to be competitive.

get your registrations in before August 1st as the entry fee increases on August 1st.

Event Schedule

Registration, Players Packs, Player Waiver:
Wednesday 8/25 10:00 AM thru 4:00 PM
Thursday 8/26 9:00 AM thru 8:00 PM
Tourney Central at the Base of the Mountain

No players will be allowed on either course for practice without first registering, signing a waiver, and picking up a tournament ID tag.

Practice : Valley Course open Weds 8/25 and Thurs 8/26 10:00 AM thru Sunset. Skyline Park (Peak) course open Weds 8/25 and Thurs 8/26 10:00 to 5:00. NO LIFT SERVICE AVAILABLE. If you park mid-mountain at Blue Mountain�s main headquarters the hike to the top is not difficult.

Players Meeting: Thursday, 8/26 8:00 PM. This meeting is NOT mandatory. Tourney information will be available in handouts you receive during Registration. Players are responsible for knowing all event rules contained in those handouts. Staff will be available at this Players Meeting to answer questions and discuss some specific rules.

Friday, 8/27: Tee Times (4-somes) beginning at 9:00 AM

Format: 24-Hole Hybrid layout consisting of 12 Skyline Park holes and 12 Valley Course holes.

Saturday, 8/28: Same as Friday

Sunday, 8/29: Tee Times, using an 18-hole Hybrid Layout of 9 holes from each of the 2 courses

Note: All players play all 3 days. Format, times, layout and number of holes might be adjusted depending upon the number of entrants we have.

A reminder that entry fees in all divisions increase as of midnite July 31 / Aug 1.

MPO and MPM increase from $130 to $160.

FPO and MPG increase from $100 to $125.

save yourself some $$$ and help the tourney staff finalize layouts by registering now.

Thanks.

dd td

Payback Time.

the top 25 finishers in the recently concluded Pro Worlds played a total of 175 rounds of golf in that event. the WORST score of those 175 rounds was a 63. i obviously didn't attend so i have to be careful with my characterizations. however, me thinks those scores are NOT indicative of the kind of layouts that should be so universally embraced and utilized for an event that claims to be the World Championships.

Ladies and Gentleman, put on your lifevests and protect the youngins.
There's an ill wind a blowin' and its called the Skylands Classic at Blue Mountain.

Here is the tentative format that could change depending upon the number of entrants.

Friday and Saturday will feature play on a 26-hole Par 100 hybrid layout
using 12 Skyline Park (Peak) holes and 14 Valley course holes. At 15,854 feet this equates to 10,975 feet for 18 holes. The layout will have 10 Par 3's; 11 Par 4's; 4 Par 5's; and 1 Par 6 that will measure 1,710 feet. A Par of 100 for 26 holes is equivalent to a Par of 69 for 18 holes. On Sunday we will play a 20-hole Par 80 layout that measures 13,512 feet (equivalent to 12,160 feet for 18 holes). That layout will have 6 Par 3's; 9 Par 4's; 4 Par 5's; and 1 Par 6. So overall all entrants will play 72 holes at a Par of 280, or an average of 70 for 18 holes.

A number of criteria were used to evaluate, rank, and ultimately determine what holes to use. Among those criteria were Scoring Separation; Legitimacy of Par; Uniqueness of design; Risk/Reward; WOW and Fun Factor; and Flow Factor.

Distances are deceiving on a ski hill course. One should also NOT presume that the noodle-armed throwers amongst us will be at a disadvantage. I have incorporated a number of non-controversial "twists" in order to minimize the advantage that power throwers might typically enjoy on such a lengthy course.

But, I also feel that courses that feature multiple holes where the Approach Shot is a critical element more apprpriately identify the player with the best all-around game. Otherwise it's just Drive and Putt.

More details as we continue to generate ill momentum.

dd

Giddy Up

Payback Time.

the top 25 finishers in the recently concluded Pro Worlds played a total of 175 rounds of golf in that event. the WORST score of those 175 rounds was a 63. i obviously didn't attend so i have to be careful with my characterizations. however, me thinks those scores are NOT indicative of the kind of layouts that should be so universally embraced and utilized for an event that claims to be the World Championships.



Sounds like you are prepping a bid for Pro Worlds sometime soon?

i've always harbored the fantasy of some day submitting a bid to host worlds. given our location relative to NYC it would make tons of sense from the standpoint of generating substantial publicity for our sport.

i'll make a deal with anyone reading this: buy my steel fabrication business at the "right price" and then i'll have time to make disc golf my full-time business. that WILL happen sometime in the next few years, i hope.

until then hosting worlds is a fantasy.

hey folks.

evidently a number of folks have expressed concerns thru various channels about the layouts that i announced y'day.

some folks aren't participating because of the change in venue. i respect the decision of anyone that is bummed because warwick is not part of the tour. it is my "baby" and i am bummed too. but it was a decision i felt had to be made.

some folks are concerned about playing a Par 100 26-hole round. they are concerned that this is too harsh; requires too much focus for too long a time without a break; that it is too "marathonish". i hear you.

let me address those concerns a bit. first, altho this is at a ski resort, it is not a typical ski hill course in that every hole is open, long, and downhill. of the 12 Peak holes being used in the 26-hole hybrid layout, only only 3 of the holes are open, long, and downhill. the Peak course is not nearly as severe or as punishing as sugarbush is. Please ignore the footages. discount them by about 1/3.

second, the format for the 26-hole hybrid layout is 12 Peak holes and 14 Valley holes. foursomes go off starting at about 9:00 AM on the 1st tee of both courses. after playing 14 Valley holes or 12 Peak holes you will then have to pass by tournament central to get to the start of the other "half" of your round. at that break point, depending upon the number of entrants, you will then have a break of between 45 and 90 minutes before proceeding to either your 15th hole or your 13th hole, depending upon which course your round started on. food and drink and rest rooms will be available right there. this helps re-fuel your body and allows for you to take a mental break.

i see this as LESS DEMANDING and less time-consuming than if we were playing 2 18-hole rounds in 5-somes on Warwick's Blue-Blue layout, which would require about 9 hours of actual playing time.

as for a layout that is LESS than a Par 72 layout i am not sure what the concerns are. The Skylands Classic has NEVER been about Par 3 holes one after the other, unless it was the Warwick Silver - Silver layout that Yeti "destroyed" so badly that we decided it wasn't of an NT calibre. anyone that knows me, has played in events i have been associated with directing, or on courses i have designed (usually in conjunction with steve brinster, who has to take all the heat for my screwiness and steve had NOTHING to do with the creation of this hybrid layout so stop beating him up) knows that i am a huge proponent of pushing the limits in terms of longer and higher Par courses and layouts.

i also feel that the National Tour events should not all be the same. i think it is vital that every venue offer something different (within the boundaries of fair play) so that at the end of the tour every facet of a player's game has been tested. as the last NT event of 2010 i think it is even more fitting that the Skylands Classic layouts are different from any other 2010 tour venue.

bottom line is that i believe i have most of all created a RIDICULOUSLY REFRESHINGLY UNIQUE & FUN layout at Blue Mountain for the Skylands Classic, with the focus on FUN.
the layouts are challenging but fair. the courses are INCREDIBLY MANICURED. keep in mind i have a noodle arm and i do not feel that the layouts i have come up with would put me at a disadvantage if i were to be able to play in my own event. if anything i think these layouts with the Par 4's and Par 5's allow for a weaker-armed player to narrow the gap from the power throwers if you have a strong approach shot game.

the layout will be posted within the next 24 hours.

please don't skip this event because of pre-conceived negative notions.

Play well with Others.

dd

A few information nuggets:

- PRACTICE ROUNDS : Because Blue Mountain wants players to experience their amazing venue, they will be allowing practice play on BOTH courses during the month of August during the week when they normally aren't open to the public. However, in order to do this, you MUST stop at the Summit Lodge (higher up the mountain from the valley) and register, pay $5, sign a waiver., and get a wristband. Playing the Peak Course alone is not a good option, as you'll need to park at the Summit Lodge for a moderate climb to the top and when you finish in the valley you won't want to hike back up to the Summit Lodge to your car. If there are two of you with two vehicles one can park at the bottom. If you want to play the Valley Course you still need to register at the Summit Loddge but then park in the Valley.

- FOOD : During the tourney breakfasts and lunches will be available for purchase at reasonable prices all 3 days of the event. All players will have a lunch break approx halfway thru their 26-hole rounds on Saturday and Sunday to break up the 26-hole Par 100 layout into basically two halves.

coolio:cool:

Played the Valley Course on Monday. Enjoyed the wooded holes as well as #18. Which holes will we not play on the Valley Course?

FYI When you get to the Summit Lodge, go in the left doors and make a left to the Group Sales Office to sign in and pay. There is construction going on at the Lodge, please be careful.

Layouts and specific holes are posted on the tourney site. However, it is quite likely that a few of the holes will change by the end of this weekend. I'll be on-site all day Sunday with a maintenance crew and I have a few ideas to check out.

Also, Just a reminder that midnight tonite (Thurs Aug 12th) will be the last day to be able to pick the size and color of your players pack dri-fit shirt. Registration will still be available, but it will be first come first served for shirts the day of the event if you didn't get your size in.

The FINAL specific hole layouts will be posted by Monday morning, August 16th.

Refunds and cancellations are a TD's main nitemare.

My policy has always been to grant refunds to the degree that a refund doesn't cause major last-minute issues.

Refunds will be granted to anyone that withdraws prior to 11:59 PM on Sunday August 22nd. Refunds MAY be granted at the TD's discretion for anyone withdrawing after that time and date.

What do I need to know for coming out to spectate the final round?
Will there be much as far as a flymart or other vendor booths at this event?

In about 7 to 10 days players will start arriving at Blue Mountain for the 2010 Skylands Classic. Although there was a lot of concern about relocating the event from Warwick to Blue Mountain, those concerns will disappear once players see what awaits them at Blue Mountain.

The 2 courses will be in supreme condition. You will not believe how manicured a ski resort course can be until you see what the folks at Blue Mountain have done. The ski trails, woods, and prairies on the Valley course will have you feeling like you are at a country club.

Tournament Central will be state-of-the sport, with food, registration, and scoring all under one cool roof in "The Sprung" structure at the base of Blue Mountain.

Players will play 72 holes over 3 rounds in 3 days. The layouts are NOT Par 3 / Par 54 layouts. Par for 72 holes will be 280, which works out to Par 70 for 18 holes. If you enjoy and value the Approach Shot as an integral part of your skillset and the sport you will enjoy Blue Mountain.

The field will fill when we reach 104 players. We have about 40 spots left.

Don't miss a supremely challenging, fair, and FUN event.

TD dd

Although there will be event-specific merchandise for sale, and some vendors have indicated an interest in appearing, I would not suggest that there will be a premium on this type of activity.

Our efforts have gone into Par 70 layouts on two immaculately maintained ski resort courses.

looking forward to coming to watch the final day of action on Sunday!

On-line registration closes at Midnite Tuesday Aug 24th.

On-Site registration closes at Noon Thursday Aug 26th.

Deadline for switching divisions is Noon Thursday Aug 26th.

I just got an advance look at the 26-hole tournament layout and it is going to be SO AWESOME!!! It's a combination of 13 holes from each of the Skyline Park and Valley courses. The Peak 13 plays as 9 regular holes and 4 "safari" holes. Total length is 8890 feet (although almost all of which is downhill) and par is 51 with five gold level par 3 holes, five pro par 4 holes, two pro par 5 holes, and a 1320' pro par 6! This hole plays from regular hole#9's blue tee to the white basket on hole#13. With shorter controlled accuracy shots, I think most players won't have any problems scoring a birdie 5 on this hole...skilled players should be able to throw down to the typical landing area of hole#13 in two throws and then get up and down for an eagle 4...and if someone is willing to really go for it off the tee with a massive righty hyzer over the trees on the right side of the fairway, I could envision a double eagle (albatross) 3 here!!!

After a break, you'll tackle the Base 13 which plays as 11 regular holes and 2 safari holes. Total length is only 7110 feet and par is 49 with five gold level par 3 holes, six pro par 4 holes, and two pro par 5 holes.

Total length for the combined 26 hole layout - 16000 feet, and a par of 100, wow! :eek:

The Hybrid 20 layout which will be used on Sunday is essentially the same with 3 holes removed from each course...I am hoping that each division race is tight coming down the wire because you'll finish on the normal Valley course 18th hole which throws down the tubing hill at the base and should make for some incredible gallery golf and awesome photos and video!

thanks Jeff.

it is very important to note that throwing numbers around like 26 hole layouts, 16,000 feet, par 6's, Par 100 etc might scare some folks.

another set of numbers that adds some perspective:

players play 24 holes average per day for 3 days for 72 total holes. nothing scary there.

Par for 72 holes is 280, or an average of 70 for an 18-hole round. although higher than most courses, nothing scary here either.

some of the footage is meaningless due to the holes being downhill.

when players play a 26-hole Par 100 round on friday and saturday, they have a one-hour lunch break halfway thru their round. (they have a break halfway thru their Par 80, 20-hole round on sunday too). this means that they play 13 holes with a Par of 50 and then get a break. food and drink will be available right at tourney central. this eliminates the notion of these rounds being grueling or marathonish.

the 26-hole rounds will be less grueling than if we had been playing 2 18-hole rounds at warwick in 5-somes, which we have done in the past.

if you enjoy approach shots, incredible variety, scoring separation, meaningful pars, risk vs reward holes, jaw-dropping scenery, and lots of WOW and FUN factor you'll enjoy this experience.

the weather forecast for Blue Mtn for friday thru sunday is EXCELLENT : temps in the upper 70'd to mid 80's....low humidity....little chance of rain.......lots of sun....early morning temps on the Peak in the low 50's.

the views from the top of the mountain will be ridiculous.

the course is immaculately groomed....hard to believe we'll be on a ski hill.

the layouts will be the most fun one can possibly have with a flying disc.

don't miss this event if Par 70 golf with Par 4's and Par 5's is the kind of golf you enjoy.

call in sick. sell your soul to feed your soul. tell your significant other you have important business to tend to.

get your self to Blue Mountain for a crazy FUN NT event the end of this week.

Weather Forecast - PERFECT "10" Days all 3 Days !!!!! The best weather weekend of the entire summer.

http://weather.yahoo.com/united-states/pennsylvania/danielsville-2389254/

80 degrees.....Brilliant Sun.....NO rain.....Cool mornings.....Stunning scenery.......

Large Purse. Great Food and Brew.

Any idea was SSA will be on the par 100 layout?

Played the Peak 13 today....WOW. That is some fun golf. I'm going to sleep good this week if I play out there every day. Didn't play the bottom 13, but did see hole 18/26. Great looking finishing hole.

I'll toss in a guess of 92.5 which would be 64 on an 18-hole basis. My estimated splits for the 13-hole routes are 48.5 and 44. That's assuming the weather remains as great as forecast.

I'll toss in a guess of 92.5 which would be 64 on an 18-hole basis. My estimated splits for the 13-hole routes are 48.5 and 44. That's assuming the weather remains as great as forecast.

What's going to be interesting is how the safari holes play; while being well versed in the regular holes, I could not even begin to project how players are going to fare on hole#4 to basket#5W, hole#9 to basket#13W, hole#16 to basket #17A, etc. on the Peak course. The safari holes on the Valley course will be fairly tame when comparing elevation change, but some USDGC-style OB rope will toughen them up considerably. Also, a lot will depend on whether players play conservatively and use spotters, or just decide to grip it and rip it. There will be a few holes on the Skyline Park course where if players don't spot for others in their group and they throw highly aggressive shots, they could be throwing from the drop zones with penalty strokes. When there is even the slightest doubt, they'll certainly want to throw a provisional so that they aren't hiking back up the hill after the fact.

Hopefully, Dan has gotten a waiver to use drop zones farther down the hill for potential lost discs. Hopefully, the lost disc drop zone will get incorporated as a standard option in the revised rulebook for 2011.

Yes, Dan has the waiver and drop zones on some of the holes on the Skyline Park course which are more troublesome. I believe that the only hole on the Valley course with a drop zone is NT hole#13 (normal hole#18, the tubing hill shot) and if you lose a disc on this one then you should probably not be playing in an NT event. :D

I'm just trying to stress that I hope players use spotters and choose to throw provisionals from the drop zone on their way down when in doubt. There is no worse feeling than having to declare 3 minutes, look for a disc, declare it lost, then trudge halfway back up the hill to the drop zone.

Don't forget the last NT Clinic of the year with FREE instruction from some of today's best pro players. We are starting extra late to accommodate players that want to come out here from Allentown and surrounding area.

6:30 at the Blue Mountain Ski Lodge

8:00 Players Meeting

2009 World Champion Avery Jenkins
2X World Champion Nate Doss
3X World Champion Val Jenkins
4X Doubles World Champion Jay Reading

Bring some friends out on Sunday as well for the finals. Everyone showing up to spectate will be given a FREE raffle ticket to win some great disc golf gear from Innova Champion Discs including a Traveler basket, starter bag with discs and some of the new hot golf discs!

5:30 wednesady update...

courses looking FANTASTIC !! yellow rope on 5 holes making for lots of fun.

weather will be GORGEOUS.

Trophies SICK : www.zacmax.com

drop zone waiver in place. feldberg is finishing his first practice round on the Peak course. should be here momentarily. looking forward to his commentary.

Dave Feldberg is seeking a caddy for all 3 days. Top-ranked player in the world i believe. he says he "pays well". contact him on his cell phone at 734-972-5286 if you are seriously interested.

tourney central is SICK. 610-826-7700, Extension 1514 is our direct line.

Will tee times be posted on the Event Schedule link or somewhere else on the web for Friday? We are not sure if we can make the players meeting in time.
I am also looking for a caddy for all 3 days. I don't pay well because i never cash but i will pour tasty beers down your neck all weekend. You can find me at the course if your interested. ;)

Tee times will be posted both at tournament central at Blue Mountain as well as online later today.

Tee Times have been uploaded here: http://www.pdga.com/tournament-results?TournID=9650

Please note that the players will be teeing off from hole#1 of the Skyland Park course on the Peak as well as hole#1 of the Valley course. Only tee times are listed - the course you are playing is not indicated online. You MUST check the scoreport at tournament central to verify which course you are playing.

2010 Skylands Preview (http://www.pdga.com/videos/2010-skylands-preview)

So far, the SSA looks like it's coming in close to the Par 100 Dan set for the 26-hole layout.

Dana Vicich threw a thumber in from about 250' to score an eagle 2 on the 835' pro par four 5th hole on the Peak course! :eek:

DID the B pool play a different Layout?

Yes. A Pool played the Peak 13 first and everyone else played the Valley 13 first.

Paul Ulibarri throws the hot round on the Skyland Park Peak course with a 44, which is -7 under par 51 and unofficially rated 1052, with several other competitors nipping at his heels. Playing in the B pool, Geoff Bennett's 43 on the Valley course, -6 under par 49, was unofficially rated nearly the same at 1051.

In the Open Women division, Des Reading shoots a 50 on the Valley course, which is one over par, and unofficially rated at 991. Val trails her by only two throws.

In the Masters division, there's a gaggle of golfers all shooting -3 under par scores of 46, while Don Thoms leads Grandmasters by 3 over Leroy Jenkins.

The irony that Dan Doyle posts about SSA's being too low for NT's and then seeing these scores makes me laugh a bit. :)

The irony that Dan Doyle posts about SSA's being too low for NT's and then seeing these scores makes me laugh a bit. :)
Isn't each "round" on the results only 13 holes? SSAs of ~47 and ~50 for 13 holes extrapolates out to roughly 65 and 69 for full 18-hole rounds, wouldn't it?

I don't see irony, I see Dan Doyle putting his courses where his mouth is.

My apologies - didn't realize the course was only 13 holes.

Tee Times for the Saturday morning round of the ongoing Skylands Classic National Tour Event at Ski Blue Mountain in Palmerton, PA on Saturday August 28th have been announced and are available here (http://www.pdga.com/discussion/../tournament-results?TournID=9650).

Please note that because of the amount of time taken to play the Peak course (some groups took FIVE HOURS to play a 13 hole layout :confused:) the following changes have been implemented for Saturday's round:

NT Hole#7: This hole will no longer play as a pro par 6 hole to the 13W basket. It will play to the normal hole#12 basket and play as a pro par four hole of about 850 feet in length.

NT Hole#11: This hole will play to a shorter basket location as a pro par four hole of about 650 feet in length.

NT Hole#13: This hole will play from the white tee, and is a 609' pro par four.

Total par for the 13 holes will now be 47, and a new ratings layout entered into the system will give players an appropriate round rating based on players' scores today.

So far this morning, groups are only taking 3:00 - 3:15 to play the Peak course today...thank goodness!

Edit: Leroy Jenkins just turned in a round of 46 on the Valley course, unofficially rated at 1016, to take a whopping 10 throw lead in Grandmasters...way to go Papa Jenkins!!!

Jay Reading throws a smoking 43 on the Valley course, the best round by a Master in the tournament thus far, and unofficially rated at 1043. He now leads Hammock by 3 before heading up to the Peak. Way to go, Yeti! :cool:

Paul Ulibarri fires a round of 37, which is -10 under par on today's Peak Course's par 47 for 13 holes, and unofficially rated at 1081! :eek:

He is now tied with Nikko for the lead!

Apparently Matt Orum scored an eagle two on the 609' pro par four 13th hole (regular hole#18W) in today's morning round. Geoff Bennett and Paul Ulibarri said that Orum threw a hyzer flip shot that crashed through the bushes and ended up 5 feet from the basket. SICK!!! :eek:

I'm planning a spectating trip....

What time should the final round (Mens Open) start tomorrow and approximately how long should it last?

I'm planning a spectating trip....

What time should the final round (Mens Open) start tomorrow and approximately how long should it last?

The lead Open card will tee off on hole#1 of the Skyline Park course around 11:00 AM. They will play 10 Peak course holes and then immediately head to hole#1 of the Valley course to play 10 holes. I expect them to hole their last putts on NT hole#20 (regular Valley hole#18B) at about 5 PM.

Tee Times for the Sunday morning round of the ongoing Skylands Classic National Tour Event at Ski Blue Mountain in Palmerton, PA on Sunday August 29th have been announced and are available here (http://www.pdga.com/tournament-results?TournID=9650).

Looks like Nikko's 26-hole combined round today of 77 will rate about 1073. This would place it about 8th in the top 10 rounds of all time for courses in the 60-66 SSA 18-hole equivalent range.

Looks like 20 holes of this tomorrow, is gonna test these guys, and we will see who can grind it out. I so wish right now this was in my back yard. I so would be playing this....


Peace

Nice shooting Nikko Keep on Truckin Represent STL well

Next Geoff/Sara keep doing well, WALSTIB and we will see you all soon.

Peace

While a few players probably would have liked to "get revenge" on them, or may have been thrown off by playing a hole they had not previously practiced, there's no denying that shortening the three Peak holes today resulted in a much more enjoyable day of golf. It was extremely refreshing to have the entire tournament field finish between 4 o'clock and 6:15 pm, when the last card of the day rolled in. This gave a chance for everyone to enjoy the bar at tournament central before Blue Mountain rolled out the red carpet at 7:30 pm with a Player's Party - chicken legs, fish stuffed with crabmeat, gourmet 'smashed' potatoes, sauteed vegetables, artisan breads and salad, along with free Woodchuck cider to wash it all down, made for a feast fit for a king!

Blue Mountain has been a wonderful host for this event and I sure hope we see mountain golf on the National Tour Schedule again in the near future. But before then, the players will have to tackle 20 holes of golf tomorrow with no break as the Skylands Classic draws to a dramatic conclusion.

Thanks for all the updates Jeff.

Here's some photos from our local newspaper, the Morning Call in Allentown, PA.

http://www.mcall.com/sports/mc-discgolf-pictures-082810,0,4008111.photogallery

Some good shots of Nikko, Brinster and Jason Dore but I especially like the one of Feldberg driving hole#3...it's 645 feet but even a mullet like me can put one down on the green. These guys should be deucing it no problem. :cool:

Jeff lagrassa and john dueesler and blue mtn staff and the weather gods doing a fantastic job as surrogate
TD's during my unfortunately ill-timed medical urgency that has kept me hostage in a local hospital since friday nite.
I'm smart enough to know i'm not capable of running a quality event on my own. This event could have very
Easily turned into a historical disaster if it weren't for the expertise and commitment from these amazing
Folks. I'm seriously bummed I won't be returning to the venue before the event concludes but just as
Excited that because of jeff and john the players seemingly are pleased with the event. My vote for
PDGA TD of the year goes to LaGrassa and Duesler for their efforts under unusual circumstances.

Dan doyle
Room 201

Get well soon, Dan. I know it must be almost as much pain missing your specially revamped event as whatever pulled you away. Nice job getting close to your 100 SSA on Friday as planned.

Since Dan has spilled the beans, fyi he came down with a case of pneumonia on Friday night and was admitted to the local hospital and won't be released until Monday at the earliest. Thank god we had Pro Worlds 2005 Tournament Director and PDGA Marketing Director John Duesler on site to step in and take over the reigns as TD so that I can continue to concentrate on scoring duties. John has been doing an awesome job and we are all greatly indebted to him for stepping up in our time of need! :cool:

FYI, today's 20 hole layout plays to a par of 76 - par 36 for the ten holes on the Peak course and par 40 for the ten holes on the Valley course. :cool:

CONGRATS TO OUR 2010 SKYLANDS CLASSIC GRANDMASTER CHAMPION LEROY JENKINS! :cool:

CONGRATS TO OUR 2010 SKYLANDS CLASSIC OPEN WOMEN CHAMPION VAL JENKINS! :cool:

It's a playoff!

Dave Feldberg and Matt Orum are apparently all tied up and headed to a sudden death playoff! :eek:

Those final unofficial 1078 rounds by Feldberg and Orum should break into the top 10 best of all time for courses in the 60-66 SSA range on an 18-hole equivalent once they go official, added to the 1073 combined round Nikko shot yesterday.

how did the play-off finish? Who won?

congrats to our 2010 skylands classic open champion dave feldberg!

Feldberg, the consummate closer.

Well done Dan (and crew). Get well, this sport needs you! Someone asked me this past weekend how I pull off the Vibram every year, I smiled and thought to myself, on tourney weekend, I could disappear and things would keep on keeping on. Quality staff and good prep makes all the difference in the world. You da dan!

Well done Dan (and crew). Get well, this sport needs you! Someone asked me this past weekend how I pull off the Vibram every year, I smiled and thought to myself, on tourney weekend, I could disappear and things would keep on keeping on. Quality staff and good prep makes all the difference in the world. You da dan!



+1


if every tournament could say the same, then the tour would be years ahead of where we are now.


gonna use this as something to think about when judging if I have enough (good) staff for my next tournament- if everything would be a mess without me, then I don't have enough.

Chuck- the 13 hole rounds will be combined to make them 1 round? Or will they stay as separate 13 hole rounds.

That 26 hole layout/course is one of my all time favorites, every hole was great with the exception of 7. I would have liked some revenge on the par 6...

Thanks to Blue Mt., Dan, Jeff, JD and the rest of the staff for a fun week of disc golf.

The Crab stuffed Flounder was great.

Yes. Official ratings will be produced for each 26-hole combo layout plus the 20-hole layout on Sunday for three rated rounds for the event. Dan just thought it would be more exciting for those following online with the 13-hole scores being posted during the day, knowing that unofficial ratings would be produced for fun.

Yes. Official ratings will be produced for each 26-hole combo layout plus the 20-hole layout on Sunday for three rated rounds for the event. Dan just thought it would be more exciting for those following online with the 13-hole scores being posted during the day, knowing that unofficial ratings would be produced for fun.

Probably the biggest hit of this tournament from a scoring standpoint was a laptop hooked up to Blue Mountain's 55" high def monitors in tournament central, the PDGA scroll application (http://www.pdga.com/scroll), and the hourlong break between rounds. Players gave me their 13-hole scores and I entered them into the system and while they were eating lunch on Friday and Saturday they could instantly see their round rating displayed. At the end of the day, players could see their second round rating and their standings within their division. I got more complements for this feature than for anything I've ever done from a Scoring standpoint. Players and spectators were huddled around and glued to the screen waiting for new scores to come in. This is certainly a best practice that I hope all tournaments adopt in the feature.

I would like to take a moment and thank Jim "Rocco" Davis for his efforts on Sunday...Jim stepped up big time to help John Duesler and I with merchandise sales, managing payouts, (which included driving over to the hospital to get the checks from Dan Doyle) assisting with the awards ceremony, and with cleanup of tournament central after the awards ceremony was completed. Jim was the Competition Director and Co-TD with John Duesler for Pro Worlds 2005 in Allentown, so working together with him and JD on Sunday was like "getting the band back together." We definitely could not have pulled it all together with the awards ceremony wrapping up as timely as it did without the efforts of Jim, and he deserves these kudos!

Yes. Official ratings will be produced for each 26-hole combo layout plus the 20-hole layout on Sunday for three rated rounds for the event. Dan just thought it would be more exciting for those following online with the 13-hole scores being posted during the day, knowing that unofficial ratings would be produced for fun.

I disagree with combining of the 13 holes as these were different rounds just like a regular tournament. They involved lunch, re-warm up and slightly different conditions for am and pm groups. Thirteen holes are the minimum needed to produce official ratings so there is no reason that I see that they shouldn't be rated that way. I know of a couple other tournaments that have produced official ratings of just 13 hole rounds. Friday and Saturday played very much like totally separate courses and rounds. :confused:

The twenty hole last day was a different scenario and should be the twenty holes combined. We can start to see some of the issues with this round as Borg's and Orum's sixties were completely off the chains and near perfect. The 1078's don't really do them justice as it stands. Their 30's on the ten valley course holes are perfect barring an ace or an extremely unlikely eagle on hole 15 (1st hole of final twenty).

Leave it to Dan Doyle to throw himself "all in" for the event. A tremendous amount of work went into this event. Thanks to Dan, his volunteers, the PDGA staff and Blue Mountain. The venue was pretty sweet and the disc golf hole aesthetics other worldly.

Healing powers to you.

We are avoiding rating rounds below 18 when possible, especially for higher tier events, because they cannot be considered for "best ever" record rounds. It looks like Nikko has a record round with the combo 26 that would disappear if left at 13. This plan to do 13-hole rounds for display and unofficial ratings and later combine them for official ratings was agreed upon as the best way to go with Gentry, Doyle, LaGrassa and myself before the event. Looks like that plan worked out well based on Jeff's comments regarding the live scoring display at the chalet.

The twenty hole last day was a different scenario and should be the twenty holes combined. We can start to see some of the issues with this round as Borg's and Orum's sixties were completely off the chains and near perfect. The 1078's don't really do them justice as it stands. Their 30's on the ten valley course holes are perfect barring an ace or an extremely unlikely eagle on hole 15 (1st hole of final twenty).

As to Yeti's second point, I was thinking about that very thing on my way to work today. I hope people realize just how extraordinary the score of 60 shot by Feldberg and Orum in the final round was...this was -16 under the par of 76 set for 1000-rated players for this 20 hole round and is equivalent to about -14/-15 under par on an 18-hole course!

-16 under the par of 76
-16 under 76. Hmmm… 76-(-16)=76+16=92. Not too impressive, IMHO.

about -14/-15 under par on an 18-hole course!
-14/-15 under 54. Hmmm… 54-(-14/-15)=54-(14/15)=54-.9333…=53.0666…. A lot better, but still not too impressive, IMHO.

After birdieing that first hole, overheard was, "O, it's all downhill from here."

(couldn't resist)

"I hope people realize just how extraordinary the score of 60 shot by Feldberg and Orum in the final round was...this was -16 under the par of 76 set for 1000-rated players for this 20 hole round and is equivalent to about -14/-15 under par on an 18-hole course!"

Maybe someone could recap it for us on PDGA.com. I saw the scores, and how low they were compared to everyone else's, but the recap on the website only spoke of the last hole drama and the playoff. I'm sure Orum and Feldberg threw some amazing holes before the last two.

Someone who was there...please share.

"I hope people realize just how extraordinary the score of 60 shot by Feldberg and Orum in the final round was...this was -16 under the par of 76 set for 1000-rated players for this 20 hole round and is equivalent to about -14/-15 under par on an 18-hole course!"

Maybe someone could recap it for us on PDGA.com. I saw the scores, and how low they were compared to everyone else's, but the recap on the website only spoke of the last hole drama and the playoff. I'm sure Orum and Feldberg threw some amazing holes before the last two.

Someone who was there...please share.

they were both flawless - not much else to say - perfect everything, drives, upshots, putts - it was quite a display from start to finish by both of them!

...this was -16 under the par of 76 set for 1000-rated players for this 20 hole round and is equivalent to about -14/-15 under par on an 18-hole course!

But extremely better due to the terrain, elevation, gusty winds and slightly thinner air. Even more impressive was the potential nightmare hazards that lurked on nearly every hole. One bad bounce or roll potentially turned into several bonus strokes. That Matt and Dave either were deadly pin point accurate, able to make up strokes or even got lucky enough to avoid misfortune makes these rounds even more impressive.

-16 out of those 20 holes for a 60 is Killer!

The "realistic" perfect round would be aceless, getting all of the reasonably gettable 2's and not throwing in shots or putts over 80 feet would be a 57. So I guess their 60's are 3 strokes off a masterfully close as it gets to perfect. At six strokes per rating point a truly perfect 57 would only be rated in at 1096:( wha, wha no 1100 rated round for you.

I know these are unofficial ratings, but we are seeing more and more close to perfect or above 1100 rated rounds.

What is a perfect course rating? Just because two courses have Par 65's can they really be compared when one's Par is just based on shear length and maybe OB, but the other course has length, OB, elevation, gnarly terrain and treachery abound?

I still don't understand how in this sport anything is over 1000 rated. How players and rounds are rated over 1000 is nuts to me. 1000 should be tops. Sounds like an awesome course though.

So it's Sunday about 10:30 AM and a spectator comes into tournament central with a wallet found in the parking lot. He gives it to the banquet manager and the food & beverage manager and the two of them start rifling through it. They find an Alabama driver's license in it, and immediately hand it over to me to give back to Matt Orum. I go and find him warming up putting and ask him if I can borrow $5. He starts patting his pockets, then digging through his bag, until a mighty look of panic comes over his face...I start to feel bad and hand it over to him and the rest of the guys in his foursome who are also there putting have a good chuckle over it. I guess Matty O wasn't too rattled by it because he goes on to shoot -16 under par that round! :cool:

Not even an hour later, another spectator brings in a found wallet and gives it to the banquet manager and the food & beverage manager. This one has $250 in cash in it and they think it belongs to a mountain biker. But then they find a PDGA membership card with an Alabama home address on it - turns out, it's Matty O's caddy and best friend's wallet.

At the awards ceremony, I ask Matt how both he and his boy could lose their wallets on the same day (and within an hour of each other) and he just smilies at me and shrugs his shoulders and says "Hey man, we're Bammers."

:o :rolleyes: ;) :D

I'm pretty sure that Nikko's putt on the last hole was less than 15 ft.... As he walked up to his lie he said something about it being a little 10 footer.

Also, Feldberg's upshot on the last hole was unreal good. He had an awful drive and a barn in his way for his upshot. The putt he hit was all of 30 ft and dead center. Orum's upshot was great as well, leaving him with a short putt for the bird 3. His upshot was much more routine than either Dave or Nikkos.

PS- Dave got spit nasty for birdie 2 on hole 18 and Orum doinked a 20 footer on the same hole.

i'd love feedback of any kind with regard to the event, particularly your thoughts about the layouts. i'm a glutton for feedback as a means to learn and grow, as i have a ways to go before feeling as though i've perfected the art of establishing suitable layouts for various levels of tourney play.

one thing i certainly learned from this tourney experience is that if i'm going to "trick up" existing courses by changing layouts, creating safari holes, and utilizing yellow-rope OB areas i'd better be **** sure that i consider all "what-ifs". i frankly think i did a rather mediocre job of considering all the what-ifs, especially in terms of my wording in the player guide where i addressed Casual Relief Options.

i'll think real hard the next time around when i attempt to create tourney layouts. sometimes less is more.

thanks in advance for your feedback. i hope attendees felt that overall it was a good tourney experience.

play well with others.

TD dan doyle

i think my thought process was that for an NT event i needed to make the layouts challenging for the best players on the planet. despite those intentions, dave feldberg and matt orum made a mockery of the final 20-hole layout, shooting 16 under par 60's on what i thought was a legitimate par 76 layout.

it's so hard to create "one-size-fits-all" tourney layouts. because i wanted every NT entrant to have a shot at qualifying for the USDGC i was forced to have all 4 divisions play the same difficult layout. for ANY tier other than an NT event i would have featured different layouts appropriate for various skill levels.

when i design a course, even with various tees and baskets, i typically can't design a course that is suitable for everyday play and NT play, unless i had a ridiculous number of tees and baskets. the feeling i had gotten from some of the feedback i sought out prior to the event was that even in its most difficult layout the Blue mtn courses wouldn't challenge NT players to the degree i felt was warranted.

my biggest error was "tricking up" some holes (extending them; safari; artificial O/B) without properly considering all "What-Ifs".

my biggest error was "tricking up" some holes (extending them; safari; artificial O/B) without properly considering all "What-Ifs".

There is no such thing as "artificial O/B". Everything is considered in-bounds unless a course designer or TD designates otherwise. :)