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!

Thanks

There has been a ton of stuff going around on Facebook about whether or not I am with Discmania anymore. The truth is we have decided to go our separate ways. We did not see eye to eye in a lot of different areas and that lead us to having some differences. I am bummed that things could not have been worked out, I could have taken different steps to make it work and they could have as well. But here we are and I wish them nothing but the best in the future. They did a great deal for me and I am lucky to have had a lot of great opportunities because of Discmania. I have been fortunate enough to meet a ton of great people throughout my time with them, which can hopefully lead to many more great experiences in the future.

Luckily enough I am going to continue to travel with Whale Sacs CEO and total babe Tina Stanaitis! We plan on hitting a great deal of awesome tournaments and staying on the road. We plan on running some clinics and selling some Whale Sacs, Discs and Gear to help support our tour. Please check out www.ohwhales.com to find some of my #putterpants tour fundraisers and be sure to check out some Whale Sacs to get the grip you are looking for when crushing on the course. Enough with the plugs. Right now I don't have a real future set up when it comes to a sponsor but am hopeful that something great will come soon, until then I am excited to do some more promotion for disc golf and give back to this incredible community that has made me feel so welcome. The amount of positive support I have been receiving is crazy to me. A lot of people have my back and really want what is best for me. This is such a great feeling and I couldn't be happier. So a big thanks to anyone and everyone who has been supporting me. I realize that I can continue to promote and play because of all of this great support.

I played the Twin Falls Classic for the second year running, and needless to say I came up short for the second year in a row. I am such a fan of Twin Falls and I don't know why, but the classic has my number. This will not stop me from coming back and supporting the great community, just makes me more hungry for next time. The biggest thing that came out of the tournament was I cashed an ace on camera in my first round. It was a pretty great feeling and being able to relive that moment is super cool. We were very close to getting on ESPN but they ended up bumping us at the last minute. We still have a long way to go to make it there more often, but I know as a community we will get there! If you want to check out the ace go here -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7tjMIl7Jnw . Big thanks to Central Coast Disc Golf for filming, I'll always be a big CCDG fan!

With my lack of performance in Idaho and other small things happening, I have found myself very motivated for what the future holds. I am focusing in on a lot of outside factors that I am hoping will improve my game. These include a healthy diet and more time put towards field work and preparation. This can be counter-intuitive to my no expectations, most fun, lets go mentality, but I think I can still keep those while still being the same player I have been while at my best. Either way I am excited to be learning some new discs and expanding my game every single day.

Again I want to say thanks to everyone for all of the great support. You guys are the reason I am trying to get better everyday and continue to grow the sport every single day! 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=0pVABElms84
Enjoy

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