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Downriver DGC, Spokane, WA
At Downriver, the weather was near-freezing and I was alone during most of my round (not suprising). (My home course is DeLaveaga in Santa Cruz, and we’re used to playing all year ‘round, but I notice that play is sparse in serious cold-weather areas. Duh!) Finally, when I was on hole 14 of 20, a father and son showed up with freestyle discs. The father had been walking his dog in the area and finally decided to give it a try, after repeated prompting by the disc golf locals at the course. He told me that he and his son had played catch for years, and I could tell they were excited to have another disc sport they could share. They both had plenty of disc questions, and were impressed that I properly identified their dog as a White Sheppard.
The course itself was set next to a brisk river, played mostly flat (except for one grand downhill shot with the river churning menacingly behind the basket), but had enough distance and obstacles to make it quite challenging and fun. The rubber (and even plywood!) teepads worked better than I guessed they would, and I’m looking forward to playing it again, especially in the Summer when my hands aren’t frozen.
Timber Park, Estacada, OR
I rushed from downtown Portland to play Timber Park before dark. At 3:00, it took a little longer than 30 minutes to get there. Even though the parking lot seemed empty, I lucked out in convincing a player from a group just finishing to join me for another round. Dan - a young local with a trademark pronounced anhyzer - made an excellent guide. With him pointing out pin locations in the darkened woods, I managed a 4-under par. The course was mostly flat and fairly wooded, and boasted Oregon’s longest hole, a 600-foot straight shot with one big group of blackberry bushes in the middle of the fairway. I noticed Full Sail Brewery logos painted on most of the teepads, and my guide informed me that Full Sail single-handedly installed the course. Full Sail, this putt’s for you!
Dan seemed to really appreciate the distance and putting tips I gave him, and I appreciated his showing me the course, taking pictures of me, and keeping me company. That type of symbiotic relationship, according to my experiences over 15 years, seems to exist all across the country. The phenomenon of disc golf extends beyond the coolness of controlling different discs with different throws, beyond the versatility of golf courses without limits, and beyond the anyone-can-enjoy-it nature of the sport. To me, a big part of the phenomenon is the bond that exists between people that haven’t ever met. We all seem to acknowledge with the exchange of a quick knowing glance how lucky we are.
Orangevale Community Park, Orangevale (Sacramento), CA
OV, as the locals call it, is the best course in the Sacramento area. I've
played it many times over the years, in tourneys like the St. Patrick's Day
Classic, and casually when I'm in the area. Unfortunately, it's also the
most played course in the area, and like my home course of DeLaveaga in
Santa Cruz you either have to play at off-times, like in the AM hours of a
weekday, or pack plenty of patience in your bag.
I was lucky enough to play the course in the early afternoon on a recent
weekday, so it wasn't too crowded. Since I was on a schedule and had to be
somewhere in a couple hours, I opted to play solo rather than team up with
another group. Plus, I already know this course well, so I didn't need a
guide. The four or five groups I played through were polite, courteous and
friendly, and I finished in less than an hour.
Although the course is configured to play at the easiest level right now
(typical in the winter for most courses), I've noticed steady and subtle
changes over the past couple years to keep OV challenging for us pro-types.
They've even added a couple practice baskets near hole 1, quite an
accomplishment for a course that in the past had trouble with basket theft.
A good example of the course evolution: Old-timers on the NorCal circuit
will remember a hole at OV called "Mary's Legs" because a pair of thin tree
trunks grew just off the tee and looked like, well, long legs. Some jerk cut
them down - to make the shot easier, I guess (his golf Karma is ruined
forever!) - and the hole was completely changed and ruined. They tried to
construct a flimsy, fake "Mary's Legs" replacement, but it didn't work. This
led to a re-working of the group of holes on the backside, and now a couple
new holes exist that make the course even better! Water comes into play, in
a good, fair way, on two of the new(er) back nine holes.
I'm looking forward to playing OV soon again in a competitive round where I
can take my time and really appreciate the work put in by Bruce Knisely, Jim
Oates, and the rest who volunteer their time there. Oh, and, by the way: If
you are planning to head to Sacto to play OV, go a little further north on
Hwy 80 and play Auburn, Grass Valley and Penn Valley while you're at it. All
three are as good as or better than OV. . . but more on them next time.
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