Everything is Different

Ever since GBO and FSO everything feels so different. People are treating me very different, from other players to the people I meet in passing. It is such an incredible feeling to know that I actually belong here. I even feel different with how I play, there is a different feeling of confidence in my play. I know what I can and can't do. I know that I can still get better, and I am not going to stop here. I have it very good, I am lucky to be able to see so many different places, but there is a part of it that no one sees that is chewing me up on the inside. That feeling fades almost immediately when I throw a true putt, pure a line, or park an upshot. Disc Golf still gives me that incredible feeling that this is something special and I want to continue to share that with everyone.

Fort Steilacoom Open, what a ride. This is a tournament that I had watched videos and heard about but I didn't know what to expect going in. You can ask anyone who saw me playing leading up to FSO that I didn't look my best at all. I didn't feel good, I had a lot going on personally, but for whatever reason with the poor play, distractions, and it being my birthday weekend, that I was able to completely zone out and find a really good groove. That groove basically was me having zero expectations, having zero worries, and feeling zero pressure, I have found out this is when I play my best. It for whatever reason works for me and I have been using it going forward and has helped me improve a great deal. I was lucky enough to get to play with Chris Waugh in my first round, a incredibly talented local player, I knew if I kept pace with him I would be just fine. I ended up finishing out with the hot round. The entire round I never knew what my score was, I just kept playing and having fun enjoying the fact that I was playing disc golf. So I've been here before, leading the tournament after the first round, I had felt the pressure before and I let it take me, but I still had the zero mentality going. Starting the second round I knew this course was going to play a little bit more difficult because of the OB so the scrambling game was out the window. But I really didn't think much about it and was ready to have some fun playing with some awesome dudes. I threw OB on my very first throw.... I laughed threw my upshot and took my 4 like a champ. I bounced back well and kept cruising through the rest of the round with a good attitude even when I took a bad break. I found a good stretch through the middle but thought nothing of it, I knew I was having fun. Finished with a hiccup but it was all good, I saw the scores and realized I had done just fine and had extended my lead from two to three. My good friend Jared Roan managed to come in hot and was going to add some pressure to the final round, but I couldn't have had someone better to push me. I still had the zero mentality but I was feeling a ton of pressure, because this was a situation I had not been in before. Every single throw I felt pressure, but the one thing I didn't do was think. I let me instincts kick in and allow me to execute shots I could. I blocked my mind from entering the situation. I was also very thankful to have a gallery following, they ended up being the best distraction for me, allowing me to act like a goon and brush off any negative vibes. Hole 8 was the moment that I realized that I had what it took to win the tournament. The hole is a long very wooded tunnel, that isn't birdied often. I missed the tunnel and kicked to the left side and felt there was no real chance of saving a 3. I looked at the lines I had to possibly get to the basket and executed a shot that gave me a putt, I stepped up and and hit the putt. That moment sticks out more than any as I felt like I was going to win. The only time I ever looked at the scorecards all weekend was after my drive on 18. I started doing some math in my head and the only way someone was going to catch me from the other cards on the course was to shoot the course record or break the course record. I laid up my putt and tapped in for the win. That feeling still brings me goosebumps, but that wasn't the part that meant the most, the amount of people who personally reached out to me over the next few weeks was crazy. Those comments and support meant so much, I can't even describe how good it felt to feel so supported. Thank you to anyone who took the time reach out, it really touched me and has helped me incredibly. The funny part about winning and beating Jared in the end is that we had been competing a ton in tournaments before with Jared always coming out on top. Jared told me that if I was going to beat him I would have to win the tournament, and here we are. Without him and all the other people who have pushed me I wouldn't have been able to do what I have done. A huge shout out goes to Dustin Marx, Dustin Marx Jr. and Jr's Mom, you guys made the experience incredible! Thanks to Simon, Eagle, Tina and everyone who helped push me everyday! Enough about this! Thanks again to everyone! If you want to catch some of the round coverage from FSO check out NWDG (https://www.youtube.com/user/EMVLife).

I am not sure what else to say honestly. I am so happy with how well this season has gone. I see my hard work paying off, and I am not ready to stop yet. If you want something bad enough and you are willing to work hard for it, you can make it happen. There will be plenty of moments where you feel like you should give up or change, don't! You can make it happen. My dad said this to me and it is something that will stay with me forever, 'Hard work works' this will stay with me along with 'fino alla fine' which means 'to the end' in Italian. These phrases have always stuck out when things just don't seem to be working but the small reminders motivate me to making it work and pursuing through the harder times.

Thanks to all of my sponsors. Discmania, Booom, Whale Sacs, Deuce Squad, and Launchpad.

The FSO win was for everyone I have met playing disc golf, I feel like this was not only a win for me but a win for anyone who wants to make it in this sport. Thanks again for reading and remember to keep those PutterPants on and have the Most Fun!

PS: More PutterPants discs are on the way stay tuned!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02Fl1sT2r4g
Enjoy!

Totally Cashews...

So I haven't been able to write anything down since some of the craziness happened this year, but WOW how crazy it has been. I constantly find myself thinking back to where I was a year ago and if I had any idea that I would be doing what I am doing or have done what I have done. I am so incredibly thankful for the opportunities I have been given by Discmania. This has lead to me meeting some incredible people and I have been lucky to make some incredible memories.

GBO.... Huh... What a crazy ride that was. I wasn't even playing all too well leading up the tournament. I lowered my expectations and remembered that disc golf is fun. I shot my hottest round to date and ended up leading the tournament. The next round had a lot of craziness and seemed to fly by even with a rain delay and a super long backup. Considering the conditions I felt I handled it well but fell off quite a ways. But I turned it around on the final day to have a very solid finish. This experience was incredible. I had no idea what to think or how to handle any of it. I was just happy to get the chance to prove that I can be there and if I keep the right mindset I know it can happen again.

What GBO did for me was give me confidence into playing the next few tournaments and I have shown that I can keep performing at a high level, though I have also showed myself that there is still so much to learn and I am not 100% there yet, but I am close. The biggest thing I learned was how I need to approach tournaments if I want to succeed. Having zero expectations and just thinking that I am going to go play is enough motivation for me to do well. If I ever think about how low I want to score or who I want to finish above, it seems to cloud my judgement and forces me to over think and over work. When my expectation is at zero I just play and take everything shot by shot. I have recently found myself expecting more again and I am battling my subconscious to stop thinking and let things just work out, but it is never hard, we all have slumps, we all have highs, but how we manage them to keep ourselves on top is key.

I have lost sight of a lot of things lately and I am excited to get back to giving everything back to where it needs to be. I always talk about consistency, this is something I am struggling with the most, not just in disc golf, but in every walk of life. When it comes to my disc golf consistency, I feel like my game is so altered by the courses we play for tournaments and I lose sight of what I used to be doing well before and now it seems so foreign to me. The one thing I have to keep doing is throwing, always looking to get better, always looking to get more consistent.

I want to thank anyone who has supported me lately, you guys are the reason I am working harder everyday to make it. I had so much support around GBO and ever since, hopefully I can keep building on that and make a run at another tournament, but really I am just going to go enjoy this incredible game we all feel so deeply about.

There is more I want to say but am not sure how to word it all, I will hopefully be able to formulate it all for my next installment. As always thanks for taking the time for reading my blog. Keep those Putter Pants on and have the Most Fun!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLhEjllbU3E
Enjoy!

DDx Expectation and Touring

There has been a lot of posts about the DDx lately and I want to hopefully clear the air on what the disc can and should be used for. First off if you are expecting this to be a Destroyer out of the box then you are mistaken. This is going to fly like a seasoned distance driver, something that you don't have to throw as hard as you possibly can to get the result you are looking for. The way you should be looking at the DDx is a 12 speed fairway driver.

The S-Line DDx is very similar to the FD in stability, now this is not a flippy disc, it is a disc that you need to throw smooth and with the right angle. These have the potential to fly the farthest with the lowest amount of effort, making the S-Line great for players with lower arm speeds. They come in handy as a flip up sidearm disc as well, I have been using the S-Line DDx mainly for the flip up sidearm and big turnover shots. This disc still is on the bubble for making my bag, I am going to keep it in for a few more weeks to find out if it earns a permanent spot. Expect the S-Line to be great in the woods when you need to focus on your line and not on power. 

The C-Line to me is the version that has the least amount of glide, now when I say least I mean it still has a tremendous amount of glide and the disc is very useful. These became my least favorite because of the lack of glide and how they were similar to my beat up PD2s. With them having overlap with my beat up PD2s they didn't offer anything substantial to make the bag. They fly very true to the numbers but just do not work out for me. If I run out of super seasoned PD2s then I will be able to use the C-Line DDx as a great substitute. I am still greatly anticipating another batch to see if it was just the first batch that felt this way, but time will tell.

Now my favorite version is the C-Line Metal Flake. These absolutely crush! They are very smooth and easy to throw. They have similar stability to the C-Line but with about the same glide as the S-Line version. These do not turn as hard as the S-Line but are very controllable and are, in my opinion, the most versatile version of the DDx. These are great on the sidearm, and bomb on the backhand, and you can get them a little beat up and have them for max distance rollers. The biggest reason I like these as much as I do is they resemble the CD2s flight characteristics almost identically just with a lot more speed. The disc still provides gentle turn with a solid fade for a super straight flight. The one thing I have to figure out when throwing a max distance shot is when to use my PD2s and when to use the DDx. Often I find myself thinking I should've thrown the other, so with more throws and rounds under my belt, I know I will find the correct balance.

Please remember what I said about how to throw this disc. I have seen Simon and Eagle both throw this disc with good control shots and get incredible distance out of them, so if they can keep them from flipping over and getting max distance, so can you! Don't blame the disc if you throw it wrong! The DDx is going to make your game better, but only if you let it. 

Touring has been an absolute blast and we are only trying to get better at what we do. The Flying Circuses have been very positive and the Combine was an eyeopening experience to see how many dedicated players there are out there. The one part about touring that I need to dial in is how and when to fit in practice time. I miss doing field work and putting every night. Sometimes it is just not that easy after you drive a long way, or run an event to be diligent to get out and do some work myself. I have to realize that if I want to get better that I need to buckle down and push forward and make the work happen. Eagle has the same mindset so hopefully we can make practice permanent on the road. I have been super close to shooting consistent rounds, I am averaging over my rating but to me it is not enough. I want to climb higher just like every other player. Finding consistency is key and I will find that through preparation and practice. 

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=OGE7n-aexSw
Enjoy

The Tour Begins

I had been greatly anticipating the start of this tour. For way too long actually. Southern California had been treating me wonderfully, with beautiful weather and my growing love to throw at Ralph Lewis Park. I could get up early and throw, I could throw after work or I could just putt in the back yard. It was like a dream place to hone in on my skills and improve myself. I finally was able to see the full benefits of all those hours spent in the field this past weekend in Orangevale,CA, but we can get to that in a bit. I learned a ton about the intricacies of my work environment and how hard everyone works to make our company so great. I was ready to be back out on the road very quickly, I missed being in peoples faces and promoting the discs in person. I love being able to show how much I enjoy throwing a disc and how easy it is for people to want to try it after they see that passion. This gives me such great enjoyment and I know being on the road is going to be my strongest attribute, now we have to find a way to keep that a reality.

Leading up to the St Patrick Classic I had not been able to play as much golf as I would have liked but helping with the World Tour event was a necessity and I was very happy to be involved in making the event as special as it was. Without being able to play as much I lowered my expectations for the tournament and was just excited to be playing disc golf. I was happy to be in a competitive atmosphere with good people. This helped me battle to a solid first round, where I figured out that all the time I spent working in the field with understable discs for sidearm shots paid off. I scrambled my way to a respectable round, and I scrambled a ton. I was having problems getting off the box but was making up for it with great upshots and solid putts. The following day I had more of the same but was less fortunate when it came to some of the kicks and my scrambling couldn't always save me. But I was left still in the hunt and with one round to play that is all you can really ask for. I set 3 goals for myself in the final round and those were to go bogey free, shoot in the 40s and to take a 3 on hole 15 (I had taken 5s on it both rounds before that). I was able to get 2 of the 3 goals. I picked up 2 bogeys, one from OB and the other from an early tree hit, but I was able to get the other two. I shot a 49 in my final round and had a 40ft birdie putt on hole 15 that came up short but I tackled the hole that had caused me problems and that was a satisfying feeling for me. One of the biggest moments was when Tina wrapped up her round and came and finished the last 6 holes with me. She helped me not think about the game and I just was throwing and having fun. I would finish birdie birdie birdie to work myself to a 49. It is always a great feeling when things come together and you play well, I still want to be better about how I handle the bad breaks, I don't think I was bad but I know I can always improve in that department. This weekend showed me that there are a lot of areas I can still improve on but most importantly that I am heading in the right direction and have a lot more in me that I can't wait to show.

I am really looking forward to the DDx to be released, so in my next blog I will be doing an in depth review of the disc to show you guys why you should too. Stay tuned!

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Keep those Putter Pants on and to have the Most Fun!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6PoF97A_FA
Enjoy!

New Perspective... And More CD2 Love

Last weekend I had the incredible opportunity of being at an event and not participating. This was very new to me, considering I want to play every single event and have the opportunity to challenge myself. Being able to caddy for an amazing disc golfer, Tina Stanaitis, was a great way to gain a new perspective on the game. I was assessing situations differently; I was seeing things I had not seen before. I did not always give my advice, this was incredibly hard to stick to because Tina knows her game best and in reality she knows exactly what she can and can't do. After watching her crush her rounds on a bad back, and put up an incredible round and put her self in second place, I couldn't contain myself, so I went out and played as many of the holes as I could. Seeing the holes from a different perspective helped me make better decisions and control my game. This got me thinking about how I have prepared and practiced off the field or course, so I began watching more rounds of golf. Watching many different players and how they look to play. I used to watch hours of soccer and focus on smaller points in the game to assess how I would handle them the next time I was on the field. This translates very well to disc golf; you see the decisions someone makes and the outcome, and in the back of your mind you think and analyze what you may have done. I am greatly anticipating how this will impact my game in the long run but I have a new found desire to put more time into the little things with my practice and finding consistency that will hopefully carry my game to the next level.

That wasn't the only thing I was able to take out of the weekend. Watching Tina compose herself on the course, through pain, through pressure, and even a couple of missed putts, she always had a smile and kept pushing forward and enjoying the game. This is something I feel very strongly about, being able to compose yourself on the course and truly enjoy the game for what it really is, something special. I want every disc golfer to make note of these small things and help us all grow together.

Everyone knows how much I rave about the CD2, and today is no different. I have recently found a new use for the CD2... Sidearm! I took something I heard Big Jerm say to heart about how using an overstable disc on a sidearm is only going to hurt your arm and lessen your ability to throw over long periods of time. After putting a ton of time in the field, I can now control my sidearm more and save my arm a great deal of energy by working with angles and letting the disc do what it will naturally do. I have even been working with the MD3 and FD to work in even different sidearm shots to give me more shots in my arsenal. The characteristics of the CD2 make it a perfect candidate for sidearms because it is a disc that doesn't mind a lot of power and snap, as long as you get your angles right the disc will carry an incredibly long way with very little effort. Having this versatility with one disc gives me an incredible amount of confidence that if I ever find myself in a situation where I have no idea what to throw I can trust that a CD2 is generally going to be my best bet. When in doubt pull the CD2 out!

As always, thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Keep those Putter Pants on and remember to always have the Most Fun!

Thanks Eagle for the tune.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mTRvJ9fugM
Enjoy!

A New Year

A crazy ending to 2015. I didn't keep up with my blog and that was a disappointing piece of 2015. I really wanted to keep putting my thoughts down so I could look back and keep myself from taking any steps back, which is basically what happened... I have been finding myself again holding myself to a high standard and not having as much fun when I play and I couldn't understand why. I know I am playing my best when I am happy and joking around, but I lost sight of that and expected perfection from myself. It was a fundamental downfall to my recent play. I have done some incredible things and some atrocious things on the course . I have never missed more 20 footers in my life, all because of lack of focus and concentration, but most importantly lack of FUN.  I can't tell you how crazy a difference it makes when you just change the wording of your self talk. I went from using the words 'don't', 'bad' and 'worst' to using words like 'do', 'good' and 'better.' These really helped translate my overall mood. I would look to motivate myself more rather than bring myself down. The best times I have had are when I look at a shot and throw a shot that normally nobody ever takes, I commonly say before I throw 'Most fun wins, right?' and that just eases my mind and helps me enjoy what I am doing. I realize I am jumping around a ton but the moral of the story is just have FUN. Enjoy this beautiful game, each and every throw. I lost it for a moment but I now realize that I won't let it go again. Thank you Tina for helping me find this again, you're the best.

Wrapping up the end of 2015, I played a handful of tournaments and did some great things and some not so great things. I had an absolute blast just getting out and enjoying my days. I have now settled into a job in California working for Discmania and I couldn't be happier. The opportunities are endless and I can't wait to see what comes next. I plan on hitting plenty of tournaments and putting in more time and effort to practice and overall health.

Look forward to more posts and videos.

Let me know what you guys want to hear about next.

Vlagh!

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Remember to have the Most Fun and keep those PutterPants on. Hope you enjoyed it. Cheers!

Sidenote: Thanks to my new sponsor Deuce Squad! So pumped for the Squadmania collaboration!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hcm7VFDSU_0
Enjoy

The Humbling

With the most recent events I have been very weighed down with a lot of extra work. Some of you may know I am going on tour for Discmania. This is a tour that will help us promote the brand and hopefully get the best discs into many different players hands. This is going to be a long stretch as it will see me out until the end of October. I will have the opportunity to meet many new people and play many new courses. I couldn't be more thankful to Discmania for the opportunity and I hope it stretches into bigger things next year.

My play has been so up and down. I have confidence but lack execution. I feel comfortable but lack the result. Maybe I am holding myself to a standard that is too high. Maybe I need to look at many of the players who are better than me and take notice of where my play has been lacking and put forth the effort to make a change. Finding out the little problems I have in my competitive rounds has been a big step in getting better but I tend to have short term memory loss and continue to make similar mistakes. My biggest problems comes from over throwing when I am looking to maximize distance. I realize how much I lose when I go into a shot jerky and out of control. I need more control/distance field work, working on maximizing distance but not sacrificing control. I think something that needs to happen is a look back at my form, and come the off season this will be my main focus. Gaining more distance and fixing some flaws in my form. One of the next things I have to put forth some quality time into is my short game, both on the approach and putting. I have missed countless putts inside the circle over the past two weekends and they really are starting to drag. I missed a handful of putts because I had to straddle. This is something I thought I had down and didn't need much practice with but everything has been coming up short. When it comes to being on the approach my judgement of distance has seemed off I am either blowing by the basket or leaving it way short. This I feel is where I can cut down a handful of strokes a round if I simply fix these minor mistakes.

Coming into the last two tournaments I felt like I was going to have a good showing and came up short... WAY SHORT! Being a sponsored player doesn't mean I am going to finish in the cash every time I play, it only means I am representing a brand every time I play. I have to remember how hard I have worked in the past and I have to continue that trend if I want to cash at every tournament. I have to be humble and understand that if I want to continue to climb in the world of Disc Golf, I have to work every day at it. When I am tired and having to drive all day, when I have played a bad round, when I have played a good round, when I just don't feel up for it, I have to continue to work no matter what is going on.

Seeing the caliber of players on my team if I really want to continue on with them I have to push my game farther and higher. They have made me humble and I will not stop until I am on their level and we can all be looking for top finishes at every tournament we play.

Make sure to follow me as I drive the "Maniac" around. http://www.discmania.net/2015/08/12/discmania-us-tour-fall-2015/

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. I hope you enjoyed it. Have the #mostfun and make sure those #putterpants are fitting nicely. Cheers!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a2nXwXLXZo
Enjoy