Sad news: no open registration for Vibram Open 2011. My perfect attendance of the MSDGC/VO will sadly come to an end. **bitter tear streams down cheek**

But, on the bright side, at least I won't feel obliged to renew with the PDGA in 2011. **dances a wildly joyous jig**

Talk about mixed emotions.

no more posts in 2011 from Vegan Ray?,... I think not.

Pay your discussion board fee then.

If I practice my butt off & sneak in the Five Spots Standing tourney (fat chance), I guess I'll re-up in September.

No Grange either?

I wouldn't want to have to wait until Hawk Hollow 2011 to see you again. :)

Of course I'll be at the Grange!! I haven't played the actual event for a few years now, but prefer to hang out, be an emergency do-anything volunteer, & play the lucrative ancillary events all week & weekend.

With being in different divisions playing different courses, I never noticed you actually DIDN'T PLAY in the Open - as I always saw you hanging around like I always do - staying involved, playing Tiki, playing video games, etc. :)

That sucks!!!! I really want to play again as well. Hopefully there is a way to get in? What happens to all of the spots from the players that cashed last year and can't make it this year?

Registration opens tonight as the ball drops: http://www.vibramopen.com

Pre-Qualified players: http://www.pdga.com/tournament_results/61919

Even though Steve hates old guys :) - I've already paid for the entry, airfare, car and hotel within 24 hours of the New Year starting - and now comes the hard part - waiting 8 more months to play (Steve's also making us wait 3 more weeks to play his masterpiece course too, just because he can).

I'm also looking forward to a better showing at candlepin bowling now that I've had a chance to see it New England style (no strings) and seeing all my friends from the Northeast area :)

The chick bonus....1st on the wait list and pig tails poised at the ready...... Ray- come hang in buffalo for the beachwood this year. You can pretend to not be a PDGA member and you can still play. july 16 & 17- it is gonna be wicked this year.

HI fIVe spOTs.......HOpe TO see YOU soon :)

Want to play in the Vibram Open?

Come to the Midtown Chiropractic Raleigh Disc Golf Championship in Raleigh, NC for a chance to qualify!

More information here:

www.raleighdiscgolf.com

FYI, changes to this year's course for the 2011 event are detailed here:

http://www.maplehillopen.com/the-course.html

I personally applaud these changes, especially making hole#10 a true pro par four, switching to the old hole#15 (which caused MAJOR congestion from spectators & players around the basket of 15 and those on the tee of hole#16) and fixing hole#17 which I always thought was awkward at best.

Also, the FPO division using the original tees on Holes 1, 8 & 18 which is all about playing their intended par, scoring separation, and making sure these holes aren't tweeners for them.

I personally applaud these changes, especially making hole#10 a true pro par four, switching to the old hole#15 (which caused MAJOR congestion from spectators & players around the basket of 15 and those on the tee of hole#16) and fixing hole#17 which I always thought was awkward at best.
I understand the why behind the change of 15, but it doesn't fit the course all that well flow-wise. The white, now gold 15 is definitely a much better hole. The old gold was the definition of a filler hole, IMO. But the two run in completely opposite directions, so there's a whole lot more walking involved than there used to be.

After 14, you walk more or less the length of 15 to get to the tee, which is practically inside the circle of the old gold basket. Then once you've played 15, you have to walk back the length of it to get to 16's tee. I played it in May, shortly after they made the change, and it was a pain getting to 16's tee without interfering with the group behind us. Hopefully they have or will cut out a walking path that both takes the players out of sight/danger on 15 and doesn't deposit them in the middle of 16 (which is what ended up happening with my group).

The changes on 16 and 17 are very good, IMO. Only iffy thing, IMO, is continuing to keep the left hand side of 16 (using the original fairway) out-of-bounds. It almost feels overly punitive to take the "safe" route and have one small branch turn it into a 5 or worse (especially when the big boomer arms are going to reach the green by throwing 420+ across the water and have some easy deuce chances). I'm sure the flight lines over the OB will be cleaned up much much more by September 1, but it still remains an unneeded obstacle, IMO. It will still take two very good and well placed shots to get the birdie 3 even without the threat of the OB.

The new tee on 17 will really give the big arm players a chance to reach the green if they hit the line right, and certainly makes hitting the landing zone at what was once the turn of the fairway a much easier proposition than it used to be.

Hole 10 I'm going to reserve further review on until I see it again. The version we played in May was still very raw and unpolished. Wasn't a big fan, but I can see the potential of what they're trying to do, and it can work.

Really looking forward to this event.

Regarding the walks, this was considered, but we eventually decided:

1. For the Vibram Open, we want the best possible holes played.
2. During the Vibram Open, there is usually a significant back-up on the tee of 16 and the walks between 14 & 15 won't cause much (if any) added time to the round.

Regarding Hole 10, we are also reserving judgement. Our plan is to not change anything on any of the courses (as of next week) until 2013 except possibly Hole 10 Gold. We'll see how it plays at the VO, get feedback from the players, and make our decision on its long term fate.

This matchplay thing instead of dubs sounds pretty cool.

Are you ready to rumble? The Vibram Open Tee Time Selection Show is this Thursday August 25th at 9:45 PM EST on DiscGolfPlanet.TV (http://DiscGolfPlanet.TV)!

<TABLE style="MARGIN: 0px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" bgColor=#ffffff border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=middle><TABLE style="WIDTH: 600px" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width=600 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left width="100%"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #58768f; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" align=middle></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 1px; PADDING-LEFT: 1px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 1px; PADDING-TOP: 1px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" vAlign=top align=left bgColor=#ffffff><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left width="100%"><TABLE id=content_LETTER.BLOCK2 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: left" align=left>http://www.weebly.com/uploads/6/0/6/9/6069139/2834163_orig.jpg (http://www.maplehillopen.com/)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="WIDTH: 349px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" vAlign=top align=left width=150 bgColor=#ffffff><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 10px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 10px" vAlign=top align=left width="100%"><TABLE id=content_LETTER.BLOCK3 style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=10 width="100%" bgColor=#000000 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #58768f; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left" align=left>Tee Time Selection Show

We will be holding our fourth annual Tee Time Selection show Thursday, 8/25 at 9:45 PM (EST). The show will be aired by Disc Golf Planet.TV and simulcasted onto the Vibram Open website. Watch it live at the link below.

Vibram Tee Time Selection Show (http://www.maplehillopen.com/)


---------------------------------------------

Take your officials exam


All players must pass the officials exam before competing in PDGA National Tour events. You can take the exam at the link below.

PDGA Official's Exam ($10) (http://www.maplehillopen.com/)



---------------------------------------------

Chains Redux at the Vibram


On Wednesday, September 31st around 8:00 PM, we will be holding a preview of the Chains Redux, so if you are in town, stop by the Sap House and watch with us.

Chains was premiered at Pro Worlds a few weeks ago amidst a standing ovation. Derek Hasting, the creator of Chains, felt it could use some tidying up. He is making us - the people at the Vibram Open - a new version and wants to see what we think. There are five or six vignettes in our version of the film.


(http://www.maplehillopen.com/)
(http://www.maplehillopen.com/)
(http://www.maplehillopen.com/)

(http://www.maplehillopen.com/)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 10px; PADDING-LEFT: 10px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px; WIDTH: 251px; PADDING-TOP: 10px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" vAlign=top align=left width=450 bgColor=#ffffff><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=left width="100%"><TABLE id=content_LETTER.BLOCK7 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #587690 2px solid; BORDER-TOP: #587690 2px solid; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10px; BORDER-LEFT: #587690 2px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #587690 2px solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #8dbbe0" borderColor=#587690 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=10 width="100%" bgColor=#8dbbe0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #ffffff; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left" align=left>Quick Links


Registration (http://www.maplehillopen.com/register-here.html)
Schedule & Payout (http://www.maplehillopen.com/schedule-and-payout.html)

Travel
Where to Stay (http://www.maplehillopen.com/where-to-stay.html)
Airports & Trains (http://www.maplehillopen.com/airportstrains.html)
Driving Directions (http://www.maplehillopen.com/driving-directions.html)

Extra Events
Match Play Madness (http://www.maplehillopen.com/match-play-madness.html)
Long Drive Contest (http://www.maplehillopen.com/long-drive-contest.html) - a 700' CTP
Nite Ize Accuracy (http://www.maplehillopen.com/accuracy-contest.html) - 2 person teams
Putting Contest (http://www.maplehillopen.com/putting-contest.html)
Twisted MPH (http://www.maplehillopen.com/mph-contest.html) - Replaced with Darts
Texas Hold Em (http://www.maplehillopen.com/texas-holdem.html)
Tom's Table Tennis Challenge (http://www.maplehillopen.com/table-tennis-tourney.html)
Pie Eating Contest (http://www.maplehillopen.com/pie-eating.html)

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE id=content_LETTER.BLOCK16 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #587690 2px solid; BORDER-TOP: #587690 2px solid; DISPLAY: block; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 10px; BORDER-LEFT: #587690 2px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #587690 2px solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #8dbbe0" borderColor=#587690 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=10 width="100%" bgColor=#8dbbe0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: rgb(255,255,255); FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left" align=left>What do these people have in common? They have until 8/31 to register (http://www.maplehillopen.com/register-here.html) for the Vibram Open!


Barry Schultz

Cale Leiviska

Jim Myers

Davis Johnson

Rick Williams


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http://r20.rs6.net/on.jsp?llr=mhsylzdab&t=1107276808037.0.1103584053484.$SUBSCRIBER.SEQNO$&ts=S0650&o=http://ui.constantcontact.com/images/p1x1.gif




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Is there a separate womens long drive or are they in it with the guys?

Since no one else that comes here seems to care about PDGA Event info being posted on the PDGA site also - here it is fresh from the live drawing!

http://www.maplehillopen.com/tee-times.html

As players drop out and/or added to the wait list, I am updating the Tee Times on the PDGA player listing: http://www.pdga.com/tournament_results/61919

Steve - Any wind or excessive rain damage at the Maple Hill course from Irene?

Really looking forward to being there in 4 days!

Keith

Steve - Any wind or excessive rain damage at the Maple Hill course from Irene?

Really looking forward to being there in 4 days!

Keith
This was posted last night at nefa.com by one of Maple Hill's maintenance guys:

Just played a round at Maple Hill and it was GREAT!!!

MINIMAL DAMAGE.
Like little sticks and branches everywhere. Lots of stick picking up to do, but no catastrophe. :cheers:
By the time Irene made landfall and made her way up through New England, her wind speeds had diminished significantly. The majority of the major damage has been flooding, and the worst of that was west of Leicester as far as I can tell. The ponds might be a little higher than usual, but I'd think if it was course altering, Dave would have mentioned it.

Thanks for the update - I knew the winds wouldn't be much of an issue from seeing the weather and news reports, but even a couple of trees down on the course could drastically change some holes - it was more the rain as it was prolonged and there are several low lying areas there where standing water would be an issue.
Holes 9 basket area, 12, 16 all have swampy areas when it's dry let alone when 8-10 inches of rain come down in 24 hours.

Glad to see it looks like everything will be fine.

See everyone in a couple of days!

Keith

The ponds are nice and full and the weather is looking gorgeous. There are still hundreds of thousands in Massachusetts without power and flooded, so we were indeed lucky.

Thanks for the update Steve, and I'm glad your family and area was fine.

My wife's entire family and all of her freinds live in Jersey and there were lots of varying damages and floodings to all of them - no one was left without something happening.

It was good to see that it weakened as with it being a CAT 2 or 3 instead of pretty much a Tropical storm when it hit that area - things could have been a hell of alot worse.

Vibram Open Tournament Director Steve Dodge will be interviewed on The UNregular Morning Show [/URL]on Thursday morning 9/1 at 10:45 about the Vibram Open! :cool:

[URL]http://unregularradio.com/ (http://unregularradio.com/)

Dave Wiggins

Never mind about the late for check-in. I saw 9 AM, but did not see that it extends to 8 PM. That should not be a problem


The ponds are nice and full and the weather is looking gorgeous. There are still hundreds of thousands in Massachusetts without power and flooded, so we were indeed lucky.

Just curious how this works. There is nothing I can find by googling it. I was working and missed it live.


Dave Wiggins

Never mind about the late for check-in. I saw 9 AM, but did not see that it extends to 8 PM. That should not be a problem

<TABLE style="WIDTH: 600px" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=600 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" width="100%" bgColor=#ffffff><TABLE id=content_LETTER.BLOCK1 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=middle>http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs028/1102844303826/img/4.jpg (http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=sogjkddab&et=1107371409036&s=7598&e=001wBXDRqHHeeMPNSW1SbXfsLyJXGo4ohqdvsQbUDlMYR5Qs o1SaZigZpowuuRV0pgsSYQuCxx1sjwMWk1jeflPg2eM1WulcU9 OavmjM-066fCbgdu1-dqB3w==)

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=right>http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101093164665/newshightech-06.jpg</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE id=content_LETTER.BLOCK3 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #8c9951" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" bgColor=#8c9951 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left; TEXT-DECORATION: none" vAlign=center align=left>2011 Vibram Open Preview
PDGA National Tour Finale This Labor Day Weekend
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" width="100%" bgColor=#ffffff height=5></TD><TR><TD><TABLE style="WIDTH: 600px" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=600 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="WIDTH: 200px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ebebeb" vAlign=top width=200 bgColor=#ebebeb><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" align=middle>http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101093164665/joml.gif (http://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/email.jsp?m=1102844303826)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE id=content_LETTER.BLOCK6 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt" target="_blank" hitechbar7.gif);? 1101093164665 images letters img.constantcontact.com http:>FOUNDING PARTNERS



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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE id=content_LETTER.BLOCK18 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt" target="_blank" hitechbar7.gif);? 1101093164665 images letters img.constantcontact.com http:>VENDOR PARTNERS



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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" width=15 bgColor=#ffffff><TD style="WIDTH: 400px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" vAlign=top width=400 bgColor=#ffffff><TABLE id=content_LETTER.BLOCK7 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt" target="_blank" hitechbar7.gif);? 1101093164665 images letters img.constantcontact.com http:></TD></TR><TR><TD style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left" vAlign=top align=left width="100%">http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs028/1102844303826/img/46.jpg (http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=sogjkddab&et=1107371409036&s=7598&e=001wBXDRqHHeeMPNSW1SbXfsLyJXGo4ohqdvsQbUDlMYR5Qs o1SaZigZpowuuRV0pgsSYQuCxx1sjwMWk1jeflPg2eM1WulcU9 OavmjM-066fCbgdu1-dqB3w==)
DiscGolfPlanet.tv continues its coverage from around the globe. We truly are "Broadcasting the Best in Disc Golf," as we plan on streaming this week's 2011 Vibram Open from Leicester, Massachusetts' Maple Hill course.



</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE id=content_LETTER.BLOCK8 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt" target="_blank" hitechbar7.gif);? 1101093164665 images letters img.constantcontact.com http:>2011 Vibram Open Broadcast Schedule </TD></TR><TR><TD style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left" vAlign=top align=left width="100%"><TABLE class=imgCaptionTable style="MARGIN-TOP: 5px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 5px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" width=159 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD class=imgCaptionImg style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" width=159>http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs028/1102844303826/img/201.jpg (http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=sogjkddab&et=1107371409036&s=7598&e=001wBXDRqHHeeOHWphglCL4rnGRBabjxHem0XIBtu0i0BRsS QVRqhVfv4oi-kZGcYGGuZ11gs5BG4DZ_AVtTJE6wjv6rSNaEoQN07NTjcHOLmc blTJhAM8m9g==)</TD></TR><TR><TD class=imgCaptionText style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: Candara,Trebuchet MS,Arial,sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: center; TEXT-DECORATION: none">DiscGolfPlanet.tv will once again be "Broadcasting the Best in Disc Golf" with its Exclusive LIVE Internet Broadcasting of the 2011 Vibram Open beginning Thursday and extemding throughout the entire Labor Day Weekend!



</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The following is our tentative Broadcast Schedule for the 2011 Vibram Open (All Times Eastern)

Thursday, September 1st
5:30 pm--- Final Holes of Vibram Match Play
6:30 pm--- NT Players' Interactive Disc Golf Teaching Clinic
10:15 pm--- DGP Weekly Magazine Show

Friday, September 2nd
11:30 am--- Super Group #1
2:40 pm--- Super Group #2

Saturday, September 3rd
Women's Lead Card... and bonus coverage
Time To Be Determined

Sunday, September 4th
Final Rounds of the Men's and Women's Lead Groups
Time To Be Determined


Our Vibram Broadcast Made Possible In Part Due


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Greeting fellow disc golfers,

This is just a public service announcement that the Vibram Open, the PDGA, DiscGolfPlanet.TV, and many gracious sponsors are teaming up and combining resources to present the 2011 PDGA National Tour closing event starting tomorrow. Given the vast resources and capacity we have available both in Massachusetts and through our DiscGolfPlanet.TV satellite sponsors and mirror sites, and considering the continuing issues we are experiencing with the PDGA website, we will be utilizing the PDGA website very little this weekend.

Some of you may remember the Vibram Open Live Coverage microsite from last year. We will again utilize this microsite with live video/chat from DiscGolfPlanet.TV, live scoring featuring at least the top 2 FPO cards and top 4 MPO cards each day, blog posts written by John Borelli, news links, and a social media tab featuring Facebook and Twitter posts. An enormous amount of work went into the programming and creation of this microsite, most of it by Vibram Open programmer Dave McHale, and you should thank Dave whenever you see him this weekend!

Scores will be updated continually on the Vibram Open website throughout the day as they come in. A final version of the scores and tee times will be uploaded to the Vibram Open website at the end of the day so that players can instantly access their standings and tee times for the following day. Only at the very end of the day will scores and tee times be uploaded to the PDGA website, and unofficial round ratings generated.

We look forward to once again providing a "media blitz" so that everyone around the world can remotely follow the action this weekend. This Vibram Open Live Coverage microsite will be housed at the Vibram Open website (http://www.maplehillopen.com/): http://www.maplehillopen.com/ When the satellite sponsor mirror sites are available, we'll publicize those and it is encouraged that you utilize these to get the fastest connection. For now, you can get a sneak preview at the above link of what the Vibram Open Live Coverage microsite looks like.

Remember, your best source of information this weekend is going to be at http://www.maplehillopen.com/ (http://www.maplehillopen.com/) We will not use PDGA live scoring this weekend and I'll personally be making very few (if any) posts here on the PDGA DISCussion board and will instead utilize social media outlets, or the New England Flying Disc Association message board (http://forums.nefa.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7573). There will still be a daily story and photo gallery published at PDGA.com as we do all for all NT events but that is likely going to be the extent of the content this weekend.

Best regards,
-Vibram Open Director of Scoring

Just curious how this works. There is nothing I can find by googling it. I was working and missed it live.

Looks like no one knows how it works - either that or it is classified information ;-)

I will post here with a nightly wrapup of my views durring the daily Events and side Events I'll be participating in during the Vibram Open. It won't be up to the minute, but will give those not here in Mass. or not following anywhere else the ability to find out about the days happenings. I'm here without the family, so I will be spending most of my waking hours at the Maple Hill complex.

Tonights players meeting was attended by most of the participants and Steve and his mom went over all of the rules of parking and course play.

The only things that brought up multiple questions were Steve's call that you could opt out of throwing your disc on the 5 holes with drop zones and go straight to the drop zone throwing 3, and the call that swampy but not casual water areas could be played the same way, giving players the ability to decide for themselves with no penalty whether they wished to throw from their lie.

In my opinion these rule "decisions" will cause some of the field to be playing under different rules depending on their cardmates and who heard what and how it gets interpreted on the course.
The main one to create unfairness in my opinion is the lack of having to make a throw on the holes over water---because part of the mental part of the risk/reward scenario is the fact that you will possibly NOT have that disc for the rest of the round and possibly the entire Event if you don't execute the shot which could be a huge mental advantage in taking the 2 strokes but keeping your disc to use for the rest of the course / Event.

I don't ever think a competition based on who makes the least amount of throws, should also have the factor of someone possibly making no first throws on a 1/3 of the course.

More tomorrow,

Keith

<snip>

The only things that brought up multiple questions were Steve's call that you could opt out of throwing your disc on the 5 holes with drop zones and go straight to the drop zone throwing 3, and the call that swampy but not casual water areas could be played the same way, giving players the ability to decide for themselves with no penalty whether they wished to throw from their lie.

<snip>

I don't ever think a competition based on who makes the least amount of throws, should also have the factor of someone possibly making no first throws on a 1/3 of the course.

More tomorrow,

Keith
I'm less concerned about the skipping the throw into the water and going to the drop zone throwing 3 thing mainly because the few who will "take advantage" aren't likely to be anywhere near competitive. If they'd rather not lose 3-6 discs this weekend (3 holes in particular...8, 14, 16...I can see this coming into play X 2 rounds), fine.

My only concern about allowing this is it kinda takes a bit away from the event's prestige. Maple Hill Golds is a big, bad, sometimes mean course designed to challenge the elite players of the world. If you're not up to the challenge (and I don't mean afraid of the challenge, I mean not physically able to carry 250-300 feet of water when you have to), perhaps you shouldn't be playing the event rather than asking for rule exemptions.

I'm a bit more concerned about the relief issue, as while what "swampy" is generally understood to be is universal, the way it was stated in the players' meeting (player's call, not group decision) could be interpreted to be a waiving of the penalty for taking optional relief in situations where casual relief would not be allowed. That could get sketchy. Hopefully, the integrity of the players will prevail and no one will take advantage by declaring their lie behind/under the christmas tree on Hole 1 or 11 as "swampy" (their call, no one can argue) and take free relief to give themselves a clear shot.

So looking forward to getting out on the course. Heading out the door now. Yahoo.

Keith, "take 2 and go to the drop zone" (Red tee) has been the rule on Steady Ed when playing from the Blue tees since the course went in. And that's been the rule in other events with significant water carries since the 90s, San Fancisco Safari being one example I played. It's not that players in a skill level can't clear the hazards most of the time, but occassionally winds will significantly change that probability. And, because we also allow players to play up, some divisions will have players in it that can't consistently make the carries or at all.

NICE isn't this an NT / PDGA event? or is this a C X-tier?

The vibram website runs flash for the scoring and some chat software or something (actually it says socialnetworking facebook.com/plugins) both of which are blocked at my work. Blog is also blocked (blogs and personal sites) If anyone still reads this message board and can post some results throughout the day, I'd greatly appreciate it.

suppose to go live at 1030 will try and keep you updated on how the kid is doing

the results are coming up on pdga results. The PDGA site stinks but it is better than the vibram site, at least if you have to acceess it from work which i would guess is a large percentage of people.

Keith, "take 2 and go to the drop zone" (Red tee) has been the rule on Steady Ed when playing from the Blue tees since the course went in. And that's been the rule in other events with significant water carries since the 90s, San Fancisco Safari being one example I played. It's not that players in a skill level can't clear the hazards most of the time, but occassionally winds will significantly change that probability. And, because we also allow players to play up, some divisions will have players in it that can't consistently make the carries or at all.

Today's blog:

I played like crap! The ice cream social was great (Thanks Steve!) I got within 100 feet on the distance CTP contest throwing flippy hyzer :) I didn't qualify for the finals in that, putting, or 2 man team accuracy contest (think larger version of KanJam), so unless the stars line up and I shoot a mid 50's score tomorrow, I will be out for the final day against the young guys whereas I would still be in the top 5 and within 5-7 strokes if there was a GM division even as crappy as I played. :(

Teeing at 7:40 AM tomorrow - 8 hours from now - going to sleep soon.

Now to address the other things -

I don't care what anyone does for events that I'm not in - I care that it's not right - especially an NT Event.
By the way I saw no one use the option when I could see them on the holes.

I should have lost my morals because I could have used the muddy "stand where you want shot" several times today as on 11 of the 18 holes I had at least 1 and up to 3 times where I had a standstill shot because of muddy slippery, swampy areas or up against tree that was in a muddy area. :)

More tomorrow,

Keith

Blog day 2 and 3....

Day 2 played better, scored worse - Event was over for me. Player buffet was excellent - THANKS Steve!!

Day 3 - I was the Offficial Hole 1 teepad cleaner for the Vibram Open for all the groups until the top 5 Open where I was switched to the official Hole 18 spotter at the Vibram Open.
I saw some amazing shots, some silly shots and some heartbreaking shots (especiallly Stanhope's "safe upshot" from a bad lie that slid throught the only place where there was no rock wall to be OB by 4 feet) when it looked like there would possibly be a Sarah playoff for the title only moments earlier.
Pie eating finals was epic again as Jeremy Koling and a local named John literally inhaled their Table Talk pies with Jeremy edging John out by 2 seconds with a time just under 10 seconds according to my stopwatch. Avery had the cleanest crumb free and most effiecent pie eating with a time just under 2 minutes. Jeremy had finished his award winning victory speech and self water cooler drenching before Avery finished his pie. :)

After helping Big Dog load up the PDGA trailer it was off to the candlepin bowling alley where about 40-50 players, Event staff and the Dodge family celebrated another OUTSTANDING conclusion to a successful Vibram Open!

Hopefully next year Steve will run a concurrent A-tier with the older (GM division :) )guys and gals so that those of us not blessed with youth and a 600 foot average throw :) will have a chance to experience the beauty and greatness of the Vibram Open for all 3 days.

That's it for now and with only 3 more (2 local I'm running and Halloween Vegas Event) left in 2011 - my disc golf career may be coming to and end unless I'm fortunate enough to find new employment that allows me the ability to travel.

Hope to see everyone somewhere in the future, but if not - I enjoyed the 16 years of travelling the country playing the best Events and I'll see you if you every get to the Atlanta area.

Signing out,
Keith

Great tournament Steve. Thanks for
setting the example of excellence and atmosphere.
I will be back if I can get lucky again and qualify.

Thanks again from the Kentucky crew.

Great weekend.

Too bad Bradley Williams, Nikko Locastro and Dave Feldberg didn't have the decency to show up for the awards ceremony. Pretty sad that all of these people worked their butts off to make this event happen, and a few of the top players (who were still at Maple Hill) didn't have enough class to show up for the awards ceremony. I bet that these players sponsors are real proud of you guys right now. And that's a really nice way to thank the staff who put all their hard work into this event so that these disc golfers can make a living playing. I know if I was a potential sponsor for the event and saw people not even coming up to accept their winnings, that I would look towards other sports. Show some class and respect guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I completely agree, these players need to show some support to the volunteers and tournament directors. Now that major events are broadcast live we all get to see the awards. For a pdga board member and top pro to not be at the awards is just wrong. Show some class, no other major sport would allow this.

Thanks for all the kudos, it was a great weekend and after a 12 hour sleep last night, I am starting to feel human again. To address some thoughts above:

1. I allowed players who could not (or did not want to attempt to) clear a water hazard to take their third shot from the drop zone. We have always been inclusive and appreciate the fact that players want to play up and compete with the sports best. I can understand the thought that allowing this is "not right for an NT", but as a compassionate pragmatist, I could see no reason why these players (who in all likelihood would not even make the cut) should have to throw multiple discs in the water with the only potential gain being that our pro shop would get some extra disc sales. Feel free to disagree and know that in the long run, this question will become moot.

2. Regarding the swampy lie, Hurricane Irene had just passed through and the course had some wet remnants. I told everyone that if they did not have a safe lie, they could take up to five meters relief (straight back). This was presented entirely as a safety issue and if anyone interpreted this to mean that they could haphazardly call a "swampy area" and move back than they misconstrued what was said.

3. Regarding players missing the awards, David Feldberg called me and apologized. He did not miss the Vibram Open awards (we only call up the top 10 and he got 30th), he missed the National Tour awards and did not realize that they planned on calling up the top 5 (he got fourth). I don't know if Bradley did not show up, it is all a bit of a blur to me now.

Regarding Nikko, he went out to practice the course after the final round. I apologized to him for holding the awards ceremony so soon after the event. He was gracious enough to tell me that he tried to play the course as quick as he could, but just did not quite make it back in time to accept his second place prize money. He also missed out on accepting his National Tour Championship trophy.

Sadly, on Thursday, he also was unable to stick around for the player's meeting and our annual Meet the Champs signature time (Nikko won last year). I think he would have really liked to have been a part of this as I've seen him spend lots of time talking to and encouraging people, especially kids and there were at least 30 kids and 50 adults that were very excited to meet Sarah Stanhope and Avery Jenkins (the 2008 Champ who graciously sat in). Looking back, it seems odd that Nikko went out to practice the course after the final round since he stayed in town well into Monday and could have practiced then. I concur that his sponsor lost a significant opportunity to get their name out there.

Well said Steve. You are right about Feldberg only missing the NT awards.

I guess it's better to have people not show up for awards that happen to quickly than them being mad and not showing up when they happen to slowly.

I don't know how many of you got to meet P.J. Harmer this weekend...he's an award winning writer who has written professionally for almost 20 years and did our press releases this year. He's covered minor league baseball, and both college & high school wrestling, ice hockey, soccer, baseball, lacrosse, and football. He's also a disc golfer, and wrote a really nice piece about disc golf on his blog. Check it out (http://hoohaablog.com/?p=2181): http://hoohaablog.com/?p=2181

Great weekend.

Too bad Bradley Williams, Nikko Locastro and Dave Feldberg didn't have the decency to show up for the awards ceremony. Pretty sad that all of these people worked their butts off to make this event happen, and a few of the top players (who were still at Maple Hill) didn't have enough class to show up for the awards ceremony. I bet that these players sponsors are real proud of you guys right now. And that's a really nice way to thank the staff who put all their hard work into this event so that these disc golfers can make a living playing. I know if I was a potential sponsor for the event and saw people not even coming up to accept their winnings, that I would look towards other sports. Show some class and respect guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There's an easy way to handle that. All winnings will be distributed to players either at or immediately following the awards ceremony. Players who fail to attend the awards ceremony forfiet their winnings. I am planning on doing that for my upcoming event.

Lots of players like to get on the road right after the event.
Tons of speculation going on about why people did not attend
an event that is not mandatory.

These touring players work hard at what they do. Try cutting them
some slack and give them the benefit of the doubt. I saw Nikko
working with lots of young kids at Maple Hill. I also saw him personally thank
spotters and staff volunteers. David Feldberg has always been professional
in my opinion.

I was very impressed with the new up and coming players. They all seemed very
positive and thankful to be playing disc golf for a living at this point in their short lives.

Keep up the good work Steve. Great tournament.

The reason I have heard for Nikko skipping the ceremony is that it happened earlier than originally scheduled. The player program said it was to start at 5pm, but it wound up starting at 4pm, so he thought he had time to do whatever it was that he was doing during the awards before the awards began. Still doesn't explain why he felt compelled to head back out on the course right away like he did, but it doesn't appear it was an intentional slight on his part.

I've read a lot of disappointed folks on the local forum regarding player behavior witnessed over the weekend. I'm not all that surprised by it (seen it before), but maybe at some point these players (and I'm not talking just the ones mentioned here, there's a good 20 more that fit the bill just amongst the VO participants) will get the message and grow up a bit. They might make a show of thanking the volunteers (always a good thing) and thanking the staff and signing some autographs, but that doesn't excuse the cursing, the bag kicking, the hat throwing, the disc/tree/mini punching, and generally angry attitude that often gets displayed when things aren't 100% going their way. Nothing more annoying than watching a player come off the 18th green, slam his bag down and cry that it was the "worst round ever" and then finding out he'd just shot a 59 and was well in the hunt for a top-10 finish. Oh boo freaking hoo.

I call this passion J. Every sport has passionate players.
Golf, tennis, baseball, basketball. All the players give their all
and they aren't satisfied unless it's their personal best. No NBA ball
player is happy they missed free throws even if the team wins.

It's ok for these players to show frustration. This is just my opinion. I admire
their passion for our sport.

I call this passion J. Every sport has passionate players.
Golf, tennis, baseball, basketball. All the players give their all
and they aren't satisfied unless it's their personal best. No NBA ball
player is happy they missed free throws even if the team wins.

It's ok for these players to show frustration. This is just my opinion. I admire
their passion for our sport.
Sammy, there's a world of difference between passion and displaying frustration once in a while and making an arse of yourself, and for the most part, the instances I'm referring to are players making arses of themselves. I'm not talking about getting a bad carom off a tree or griplocking a drive or doinking a putt and letting an expletive fly in frustration. I doubt there's a player in the game who hasn't done that. I'm talking about kicking one's bag for throwing a drive that lands 20 feet from the basket instead of 15, or just tickling the chains on a 70 footer and making a show of stomping away and huffing and puffing like it should have gone in. And don't get me started on the players that can't ever take credit for a bad shot...it's always a poorly placed OB line or a faulty basket or a tree that should have been cut down or a butterfly farting two counties over that is to blame.

An outburst every once in a while, fine, easy to overlook. An angry outburst after every shot, or a constant stream of muttering and gesturing to oneself because you are three strokes worse than you think you should be gets pretty freaking annoying to deal with as a groupmate.

Passion is fine. But there are certainly ways to be passionate and intense without being a jerk on the course. Some players have a long way to go to figure that out.

awards ceremony - should be for the winner, not second place - brief and congratulatory, epic wins mean heartbreak for the other 171 competitors - they are not really wanting to celebrate their accomplishments on a stage - you make the cut you get paid now or later is fine, just let them get home already, just the fact that the nearest tee pad and green are home for so many players, does not give any td the right to withold their hard earned pay, or demand they take a stage and say, hey i got 5th place. let's celebrate the one winner, and practice, practice, practice, cuz lord willing it'll be you up on that stage one day. great tournament and thanks to vibram - luv my ridge putter! and dgtv - you all did a great job and service to our community.

Did anyone see Nikko call Josh Anthon on a foot fault for stepping on his mini? Nobody seconded it.