Perspective

Tina recently put some really profound thoughts into my head, earlier this year I had tournaments where my performance was a success when I averaged out to a 4 digit rating. I would be happy with being above my rating no matter what, so why would I be so upset when did average these things but unfortunately missed cash? It doesn't make sense to beat yourself up when you are doing things that are above where you are. Now I understand that the potential of what could be is higher, but our ratings are what they are because that is what we have done over the past year. I need to not think about any of this and just let the game happen, trust that no matter what I can handle any situation because of the hard work I have been putting into this game.

I have had some conversations with players that have a better grasp on the mental side of the game and they also have helped me think about what needs to change. Paul Oman reminded me that I have all the necessary skills to do anything in this game, I just have to let the game happen no matter what. Nate Perkins told me that I need to worry less about the adverse situations I may end up in. Jonathan Ray told me that I need to not worry about what other players think of me, and to keep working hard and to be me. I believe that these things all have incredible ways to help me push forward in my game. It's not about being a 4 digit player or anything like that it's about working hard to become the best player I can be. Stop allowing the wrong thoughts in and pushing forward with my game. I am thankful that these guys have helped me realize that there is more I can be doing.

I am very lucky to have such a great support system through friends, family and sponsors. I feel like I have more to say but I just needed to put this to writing so I can have something to look back on. I am constantly looking to improve in every way I can. I feel like this step will be the biggest step of my career if I can figure it out. Thanks to everyone for their continued support!

More fun times are ahead, we will be up in my favorite place soon for the Green Mountain Championships. I am excited to just soak it all in and do my absolute best. Plus Tina and I will begin planning our wedding so it will be nearly impossible to not have the best time!

Tina and I are always looking for ideas for new videos, what would you like to see? Is there a topic that you would like us to cover?

Keep those Putter Pants on and keep having the Most Fun!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPFOsy1nGP0
Enjoy!

I Love Disc Golf!

There are so many reasons why I love this sport and the community of disc golfers. The many different people I get to meet remind me just how lucky I am, I get to travel this beautiful country and meet so many different people each and every day. This sport is already something that brings me continued pleasure, even when disc golf seems hard, I seem to embrace the adversity and feel a sense of accomplishment whenever I come out on the other side. My entire GBO experience was one of so many different emotions that all were amazing. I had frustration at Olpe, satisfaction at Jones East, relief at Radius, happiness at the Dynamic Discs Store and DC, and just an overall sense of awesome being in Emporia. I feel at home when I have conversations with anyone at DD, the simple fact that I am considered part of this incredible family is incredible. It's something I didn't know was truly there until I became a part of it and all I want to do is help it grow and continue to be the best brand in disc golf.

Many people have reached out to me to show support, give praise, and seek advice. If you have done this please know that you are such a big part of my happiness. You all have given me something to strive for. You make it all worth it. So thank you so much for all that you have done for me and I will not stop here.

I may not be one of the worlds top players, yet, but I will be working each and every day to find the right ways to get better and give back to this incredible community. If my play sometimes suffers because I get to impact maybe a single person then I am completely for it. Giving back and helping this sport grow will always come first. We are getting to travel to so many new/old places this year and it seems like they only get better and more beautiful. Tina and I are truly lucky.

I love how this sport makes me feel. I love what this community does for each other, especially when we put aside all of the unwanted drama. I love the places I get to see. I love the courses I get to play, sometimes... HAHA. I love the people. I LOVE DISC GOLF!

If you have the opportunity to give back or spread disc golf, DO IT! Don't wait until tomorrow or another day, do it today and give back every chance you get. As always, thanks for reading and keep those PutterPants on and keep having the Most Fun!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SmoWEgOAzk
Enjoy

Getting Through a Slump

After a very positive start to my season I found myself getting complacent and expecting only good golf. In reality that is just not how golf works. You have to continue to stay on top of each and every throw, round, and tournament. I was making simple errors and not connecting on my putts. I was still doing some very good things in my rounds but my mistakes outweighed the good. It became more of a mental battle to keep myself going and trusting that I could still play golf and keep pushing forward searching for the right game. I decided to change up my practice routine for a tournament to be a bit more vigorous, I planned on playing more than just 1 or 2 rounds on the courses. I wanted to get some more solid practice golf in an attempt to better myself. I still kept the philosophy of having no expectations, but with this added preparation I felt as if I was getting to such a good place in my game. I was playing from shots in practice that would better me in my tournament rounds. Sometimes you need a change of pace to reconnect yourself with your golf game.

The biggest things about understanding slumps is why they are happening in the first place. What are you doing different and how do you regain the focus?  More often than not they are from lack of focus, you may feel the same but your focus isn't completely on the details when they need to be. For instance in Temple I continually put my upshots long of the basket, making it very difficult to score, for Nick Hyde, Texas States and Jonesboro I took extra time on my approaches to correct from those mistakes and get my approaches in the circle to give me more opportunities to score. Another focus issue I had was psyching myself out of putts on Chainstar's, now these baskets are not the best but it shouldn't effect my putting like it has, I need to step up and do my part and if something bad happens just take that in stride. A little bit of time on the practice green and getting my timing back in line helped incredibly and I found myself putting very well. I have a been having a few short misses lately but I might be attributing that to a bit of fatigue and I am excited to have a little bit more of a relaxing leading up to the GBO. What I hope someone takes out of this, is to trust your skill set, even when it feels so off and you are finding frustration, just stick to the basics and do the easy things great to build your confidence back up.  Up your focus when you are in the moment and let things be easy.

I am very fortunate to have a great support system, I always feel as if I have people in my court and that makes it easier to keep pushing forward. I can't thank Tina, Dynamic Discs, Handeye Supply Co, BOOOM, The Nati, and Launchpad enough.

I know I still have a long way to go, but it was great having a handful of humbling moments to help me reset my focus and get me back to where I need to be. Thanks everyone for reading. Keep those PutterPants on and keep having the Most Fun!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4cUFgggQIE
Enjoy

GCC and The Memorial

After a very eventful start to the year hanging with Jonathan Ray and helping with the Chasin the Chains winter series in Las Vegas, Phoenix, Tucson, and San Diego, I was very eager for the tournament season to get underway, but I didn't think these past two weeks would be as exhausting as they were. Side note, I did pick up my second PDGA win at the Chasin the Chains Flex Start at Conocido shooting a 1064 rated round, I was super pumped and it gives me confidence that I can continue to have a great year if I play my game!

GCC! After missing last years GCC due to work it was nice to get out to this event and take in everything it had to offer. There will always be complaints about each and every tournament, but in Vegas we ran into a lot of weird things that I felt could've been avoided with more foresight from experienced players. Either way the courses each had unique challenges, some a little more gimmicky than others, but they were challenges none the less. I held together after my first round to have a very strong finish to put myself in a solid place. The second round was mixed with just a handful of mistakes but other than that it was very solid golf. The third round was where I realized that I wasn't much of a fan of the courses because it kept feeling like we were playing the same holes. You throw far and avoid a hazard and pitch up over more hazards to a basket on a mound. Lots of "tweener" holes that couldn't necessarily be reached but the majority of the field would take the same score on the hole. I would shoot my lowest rated round of the weekend, which lit a fire under me a little and allowed me to gather myself going into the final round. I was motivated and I knew what I was capable of. I had one hiccup that cost me a stroke or two early, but the real bummer was on the final hole. I played what I felt was the right shot and got a reverse skip and roll into the water. I collected myself got a good read on the wind and threw the shot exactly how I wanted but it wasn't good enough and I found myself OB again. I still had an opportunity to make a putt for a 5, but I didn't realize that there was a random patch of OB 18ft from the basket out of my vision from where I was putting, I didn't even know that there was OB there because you rarely ever ended up behind the basket. So I end up throwing OB for the third time on the hole and made my putt for a 7, not the way I planned on finishing my round that was going so well. That was one of the gimmicky things that I noticed and it was a total bummer to have ended the tournament the way I did. I complained plenty about it, but in the end it is what it is and I had to live with how it all played out. Please understand that the things I am saying here do not take away from all of the people involved at the GCC who worked tirelessly to run a successful event and kicked off the year with style.  There can always be ways to improve and I hope they listen to the feedback and make next year even better. In the end I was able to average over 1000 for the weekend and finish in 26th place. Of course we expect more but I am very pleased with how I handled myself on the course and even when I didn't shoot my best I was able to play some really solid golf. Finding the positives isn't always easy but it can really help you shape yourself to be successful in the future.

With only two days of rest we headed down to Phoenix and tried to practice some of the courses to just refresh ourselves but with some inclement weather we never really got any solid practice in. Still feeling fatigued from GCC I could tell that The Memorial was going to be a tough uphill battle. The first round was very boring out at Fountain Hills with not many birdies and not many bogies. I wasn't upset but I just found myself not being able to score, it was feeling reminiscent of GCC, playing holes where it felt tough to score except these were all holes that you can score on, I just didn't. Then we were off to Fiesta Lakes, this is not a caliber of course that I think we should be playing at a DGPT event, but it shouldn't determine how I played. I went out and did not play very well and I let my thoughts on the course influence my play. This was my biggest mistake on the weekend, I allowed myself to be influenced in a direction that would ultimately hurt me for an entire round. I found lots of OB and had a couple of bad breaks on putts, but I could've turned it all around had I gone in a little more hungry to play and compete. This was another moment where I found myself getting motivated by my lowest round of the event. I went into round three at Vista Del Camino a lot more hungry. I started slow missing the first three but the one thing I managed to do was focus on each shot and trust that if I kept to my game that I could still score very well. I managed to play incredibly clean golf and put up a very solid round to climb 30 places moving from 71st to 41st. Going into the final day back at Fountain Hills, I was fortunate to have an incredible card with Jake Palmer, Jacob Mott and one of my very close friends AJ Risley. We had such a good vibe going and it all propelled us to play some incredible golf. We all climbed up some in the standings which was great to see, but I lost the card so it stung a bit more. All three of those guys came out ready to play and I hope to have more cards like that in the future. Plus we four way chest bumped every time we got a star frame... we did it four times that round, one hole where nobody was even inside of the circle, it was great! After everything is said and done, I was constantly checking the scores to see where I ended up, I finished 39th which is very respectable considering my play in the early rounds. I managed to again shoot just over 1000 on the weekend and that is something that became a goal for the weekend. I battled and I climbed back from the dead. It was great just being able to play a tournament after coming short two years ago.

Now we are off to Texas, with a ton of events coming up real soon. So be on the lookout for some WhalePants clinics! I am looking forward to having the opportunity to compete more and continue to prove myself in this sport. I have incredible support from my sponsors, Dynamic Discs, Whale Sacs, Booom, Team Nati, Handeye Supply and Launchpad. I want to thank everyone who has supported Tina and I in all of our endeavors, you guys make this all possible and we are hoping to give back. I want to thank Tina for putting up with me and working with me everyday to be a better person, I definitely wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her.

Thanks everyone for reading! Keep those PutterPants on and keep having the Most Fun!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylA2OehiOfU
Enjoy!

Battling the Offseason

With the offseason finally upon us, I have been putting a lot of time into trying to better my game. I have constantly been missing the point to my practice, I am not listening to what I preach about having 'No Expectations', this is leaving me frustrated within my practice because my expectations of what I should be doing are too high. I am comfortable that this will only be a challenge that will only make me better. I am still in limbo between being at the top to being just another player in the field, when I am at the top I am having fun not thinking about much and just playing disc golf, when I am playing average golf it is usually because I am over thinking and expecting to have a certain outcome. I have been doing very well in the field which is a great sing, but once I hit the course and my score becomes a thing I start finding odd feelings and the frustration sets in. Granted the courses I am playing are not top quality courses but they offer plenty for me to get better and make my game more consistent. I plan to play only a handful of scored rounds from now on, I will not keep score unless it is at league or a tournament. If I am playing casually I am no longer going to keep score, I am going to throw to learn from every shot, good or bad, they all have something to offer. 

My putting has been in a funk, I think some of that is from using some new Wardens, but most of it is from over thinking. I am getting back to how it used to feel and I will put it to permanent with more practice. The reason I am using new Wardens is during the last season I had been using the same putters for over a year and whenever I tried to make the switch to something new there was such a big difference it was basically putting with a new disc. This time I am using my offseason to build up my backups, so if something happens during the season I am prepared. Plus having more practice putters that feel like my bagged putters will only help my practice to be more consistent. 

I am planning on running clinics and private lessons this off season which will be an awesome opportunity to continue to meet new people and spread disc golf as much as I can. So if you are in the Tucson or Phoenix area please let me know and let's make something happen. Also stay tuned for some more videos, Tina and I will be putting out more and more each month!

I am so incredibly thankful again for my sponsors. Over the year I have found some incredible people to work with and feel honored to support Dynamic Discs, Whale Sacs, Booom, Nati Disc Golf, Handeye Supply, and Launchpad. I am super excited for 2017 and everything it will hold.

Thanks to everyone for reading and the support! Keep those PutterPants and keep having the Most Fun!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJvJOsSfVcg
Enjoy!

Finish Strong

I feel bad because I haven't posted in awhile and so much has been happening. I feel like the way this year is closing out has been a total positive. I have played some of the better golf, even with moments where I know I am better than what I am showing, but everything is trending in a positive direction. Touring with Tina and making WhalePants happen is incredibly awesome and I love what we get to do, the people we get to meet, and the places we get to see. The way I am feeling right now is that I am still incredibly hungry for more, I want to get even better, I want to finish stronger!

I have rounded out the year with playing some pretty incredible events. I was fortunate enough to travel back to Twin Falls, Idaho for the Disc Dash For Cash. This remains one of my favorite events of the year. All of the beautiful scenery and amazing people in Twin Falls makes me want to come back each and every year. I was able to take 4th place again at this event, falling behind Eagle, Nikko and Ulibarri. Being able to play multiple rounds with these guys was such an incredible learning experience and I love that I can continue to learn with every round. One of the biggest things to take out of this event, was the usage of the Marksman Basket. This to me will be the best thing for our sport. In short, it rewards better drives, approaches and putts, rather than a player being able to jam everything from 60ft and in.  The value of every shot goes up, forcing players to play golf rather than throw relatively close and make a putt. All in all I can't wait to be back and I greatly encourage any player to go to this event, you will not be disappointed!

Tina and I spent some time in Salt Lake City with Chris Tellesbo. I love getting back and enjoying some of the simple things. We then played a one round unsanctioned tournament on a ball golf course. I took 2nd place after a long grueling day with some of my favorite people in Utah. I couldn't have asked for a better group to spend the day golfing with, it just happened to be a day where I would win some extra cash to support us while we are on the road. So thank you Justin, Amy, Chris, Nick and Tina for a memorable day of Disc Golf.

We then ventured down to Texas for back to back A-Tiers. VPO and Piney Woods Open, these each have a special place in my heart. VPO was the first course where I felt that I could actually play Disc Golf at a high level, and Piney Woods is easily one of my favorite disc golf facilities that helped spark Tina and I being together. Leading up to these events I wasn't necessarily playing my best golf, but I had this confidence that I knew I could elevate my game to perform where I needed to. First round of VPO I was fortunate enough to play with some of my great friends, Weston, Chase and Tyler. I would have a pretty rough start to my round but battled and managed to land myself on the lead card. The rest of the tournament went very well, I remained positive and took home 5th place, I had a blast battling and am very happy with my finish. Yes it can always be better but I am still going to appreciate the good when it is right there in front of me. I was only beat by the four 1000 rated players at the event. I see positives in that I shot above my rating and I learned a great deal about how every shot counts from round 1 to the final round, stay focused throughout the entirety and alleviate yourself from having the "well if this would have gone in" moments. On a side note, Disc Dash was the first time Eagle and I have ever played competitive rounds together, and we got to have two more at VPO, I am so happy to see how far he has come and how much he has helped me get my game, I can't wait for many more in the future. Big thanks to Skip and everyone who helped at VPO I can't wait to be back.

I could feel my excitement build as I knew that we were heading to Tyler. The courses at Linsdey Park offer a plethora of different shots and all three courses have some of my favorite disc golf holes. Going into PWO I just felt awesome to be in a place where I knew I was going to have fun, or so I thought... The first round went well, I had a couple of hiccups but still played solid golf and put myself in a solid position to place well. And then Dogwood happened.... This course is incredibly challenging and can rattle your mental game to its core. This is exactly what happened. I let every kick, every shot, and every missed putt dig at me. I let each and every moment rip at my emotions and I found myself very distraught and struggling to compete at my best. The best thing I can take from this round is that I did not give up and I kept battling to a seemingly okay finish. I didn't completely fall off but I made it very difficult to make a move. Bobby Brown, Jeremy Rusco, and Brian Lamoreaux all showed me incredible support and gave me a much needed confidence boost going into the final round. Brian said one of the best things I needed to hear 'Look Forward' it was super simple and it sparked me to get after my final round. I started out on fire being -5 through 6, I would unfortunately take a 4 on the 7th hole but hitting a putt after going OB on my second shot was big. Bobby Brown was there and I turned to him and knew he had my back for this round and I could still finish strong. Following up with back to back birdies after the 4 gave me confidence to finish strong. I would add two more OB strokes this round but they would only cost me taking par. So the confidence was still strong and I knew I could manage this round to shoot well. I would come in with the hot round and move up 8 places to finish in 8th place. It was a great feeling and I knew I had it in me. This was such a similar feeling to when I shot hot at GBO, I was positive, even when something bad happened it didn't stop me from what I was going to do, it felt as if I was there to play disc golf and enjoy every moment of it. I feel like this feeling is being in the zone and I want to tap into this feeling more. How do I get that feeling when it seems like nothing is going my way? How do I recover like nothing ever happened? These are things that I am going to keep battling and looking to improve so I can be better. I am disappointed with how I acted and how I managed myself during the second round, but I am very happy that I could bounce back the next day and make everything right. This will be something I can learn from and only get better from here. I can't wait to be back in Tyler! Big thanks to Steven Storrie and the whole Dynamic crew for putting on one of the best tournaments of the year, you guys are awesome and I am very lucky to be in the same family. 

I am excited for this off season. I learned and grew so much and I can't wait to see what I can do with another dedicated off season to improving every aspect of my game. Tina and I both have the same drive and I know that both of us will elevate our games to new levels.

I can't explain how great all of my sponsors have been this year. I am so lucky to be apart of so many incredible companies that want to push the sport to new levels. Thank you to all of my sponsors and the fact that you are truly making my dreams a reality! Thanks Dynamic Discs, Whale Sacs, BOOOM, Nati Disc Golf, Handeye Supply Co., and Launchpad. Be sure to go check out all of these truly incredible companies!

Thanks to all of the support you guys give me as fans or fellow disc golfers! Thanks for reading and keep those PutterPants on and keep having the Most Fun!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYyfnrtLA_I
Enjoy!

Disc Golf Can Be So Cruel And Yet So Awesome!

It has been a minute since I last wrote and for that I apologize. Either way I am happy to be on the road living the dream with Tina Stanaitis. With all of the chaos of traveling I have not only played but have witnessed some of the ups and downs that disc golf has to offer. I have shot 120 points difference in two rounds, I was 0.7 points from qualifying for the DGPT Quarterfinals, I got 888'd at USDGC qualifying, I watched my good friend get 888'd just after I watched him play some of the most stellar golf I have seen, I have seen the true nature of some of the players in this sport both good and bad. Even with all of these ups and downs this sport is still so awesome and the best thing to be a part of.

I have been trying to sit back as most of the drama unfolds in the disc golf world. I still have the understanding of "EVERYBODY LOVE EVERYBODY" concept and I will stick to that. Having seen and talked with a lot of the people involved in the many different organizations it has opened my eyes to the deeper conflicts that we face. The one thing remains even with all this chaos, and that is that we all stay together as a collective to make this sport the best thing that it possibly can be. We have to push for the right changes and advocate in the correct way. We need to make ourselves heard and remain respectful to everything that has gone on before that paved the way for our sport to be where it is. I think we will soon find that happy medium and we will all love everybody very soon.

My own game has been pretty solid lately. I am doing things that I haven't been able to do before. I learned so much from USDGC qualifying, I tried to qualify last year and compared to this year I was executing shots that allowed me to be way more comfortable throughout my rounds. I love to see progress and seeing the 12 month change is awesome. I feel like I am comfortable throwing each and every shot, before I used to have a shot in mind and hope that I would execute the shot, but now I have this confidence when I play that I am going to execute the shot. That feeling is going to keep driving me forward. One thing I will say is that with the change to Dynamic Discs and opening the doors to Latitude 64 and Westside Discs, this has opened the doors to having more confidence in each and every disc I bag. The molds are consistent and I have been able to find the exact discs I need to tackle each and every course. I couldn't be happier, so another big thanks to Dynamic Discs for this incredible opportunity.

Tina and I are deep into our WhalePants tour and want to continue this tour into next year so please let us know some awesome places for us to come do a clinic or run some other kind of event. We want to keep growing the sport each and every stop. We have had a great time and seen how incredible the disc golf community can be with the support at our smaller events. We can't wait to see what the next few years will hold. Thanks again to all the support we have received so far.

My final message in this scattered brained blog is that lets keep making this sport incredible and keep being awesome. Even when this game chews us up and spits us out, lets have the most fun and make the best of it. As always thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Keep those Putter Pants on and keep having the Most Fun!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBOWreo5Uyk
Enjoy!