WHITE RIVER DGC

I played at White River Disc Golf Course this morning. It was a morning of MANY tree shots, balanced out with THREE pole hits on the second throw (holes 10, 12, and 13).

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My two champion discs of the day...

Gateway Apache Driver (purple disc). It allowed me to make some nice straight drives in tight spaces. It also stands out against green vegetation better than translucent yellow! Plus, it was owned by my friend Derek prior to his death; so he's out on the course with me, too.

Latitude 64° Mirus Midrange. This is my go to disc for forehand throws and bending around obstacles. (I'm primarily a backhand thrower.) I also used it as a "hammer" to go over a few trees.

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The weather was beautiful! Sunny and sunny and sunny in the woods.

PLU MEADOWS DGC

It's been a hot minute since I've played, but I made it out to PLU Meadows this morning. I was going to play this nine-hole course twice, but on hole nine I had my best drive of the day and scored a birdie on this par 4 hole, so I called it quits.

Hole 1 / par 3 - 2
Hole 2 / par 3 - 4
Hole 3 / par 4 - 4
Hole 4 / par 3 - 4
Hole 5 / par 3 - 4
Hole 6 / par 4 - 4
Hole 7 / par 3 - 3
Hole 8 / par 4 - 4
Hole 9 / par 4 - 3
Front nine / par 31 - 32 (+1)

I played my favorite yellow discs. They're some of my favorite discs and just happen to be yellow: Innova Champion Valkyrie driver, Discraft Buzzz midrange, and Latitude 64º Sinus putter.

 

WHITE RIVER DISC GOLF COURSE

It's been a while since I've played at White River.

I headed out this morning in 31ºF chill and was on the course before 8:00 a.m. I had the park to myself, except for a couple of walkers. When I left, just before 9:00 a.m., it had warmed to a balmy 35ºF but the sun was shining so it somewhat countered the cold.

If there was a tree, I hit it. And this course has a LOT of trees. To my credit, though, I had a lot of chain skims and basket hits. But those don't count as in, so those extra easy shots added up.

I had an excellent time, so the cold and trees and misses were all worth it!

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Hole 1 - 3
Hole 2 - 3
Hole 3 - 3
Hole 4 - 5
Hole 5 - 6
Hole 6 - 5
Hole 7 - 4
Hole 8 - 4
Hole 9 - 3
Front nine - 36 (+9)

Hole 10 - 5
Hole 11 - 4
Hole 12 - 4
Hole 13 - 3
Hole 14 - 4
Hole 15 - 3
Hole 16 - 3
Hole 17 - 4
Hole 18 - 4
Back nine - 34 (+7)

Total - 70 (+16)

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Since the last time I played, they put up new signage for the "short" course (red course), which was helpful. Plus there are red arrows hanging in the trees near baskets, pointing you to the next hole. Thanks to whomever took the time, energy, and effort to make the course very navigable.

PLU MEADOWS

My best 9-hole round of disc golf at PLU Meadows today! Two under par!

Hole 1 / par 3 - 3
Hole 2 / par 3 - 3
Hole 3 / par 4 - 3
Hole 4 / par 3 - 3
Hole 5 / par 3 - 3
Hole 6 / par 4 - 4
Hole 7 / par 3 - 3
Hole 8 / par 4 - 4
Hole 9 / par 4 - 3
Front nine / par 31 - 29 (-2)

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My body felt loose. My mind felt empty. The discs went where they needed to go.

I didn't overthink what I was playing. I just followed the discs down the fairway and into the basket.

PLU MEADOWS

TWT, The Wife, and The Child played a couple of nine-hole rounds of disc golf today at PLU Meadows. I put my Innova Champion Valkyrie distance driver into my bag and it was fun to play it again. It is light and really gets some distance. When it hits the grass right it will "skip" for a few extra yards.

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First round

Hole 1 / par 3 - 3
Hole 2 / par 3 - 4
Hole 3 / par 4 - 3
Hole 4 / par 3 - 4
Hole 5 / par 3 - 4
Hole 6 / par 4 - 4
Hole 7 / par 3 - 4
Hole 8 / par 4 - 3
Hole 9 / par 4 - 5
Front nine / par 31 - 34 (+3)

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Second round

Hole 1 / par 3 - 4
Hole 2 / par 3 - 4
Hole 3 / par 4 - 4
Hole 4 / par 3 - 3
Hole 5 / par 3 - 3
Hole 6 / par 4 - 4
Hole 7 / par 3 - 4
Hole 8 / par 4 - 4
Hole 9 / par 4 - 4
Front nine / par 31 - 34 (+3)

PLU MEADOWS DISC GOLF COURSE

Playing some disc golf on the nine-hole PLU Meadows disc golf course. Physical therapy for the back. Spiritual therapy for the mind.

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A good day on the course!

Hole 1 / par 3 - 4
Hole 2 / par 3 - 4
Hole 3 / par 4 - 3
Hole 4 / par 3 - 3
Hole 5 / par 3 - 5
Hole 6 / par 4 - 4
Hole 7 / par 3 - 3
Hole 8 / par 4 - 4
Hole 9 / par 4 - 3
Front nine / par 31 - 33 (+2)

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Sign for hole 8. The course has excellent signage that is easy to understand, which makes moving from basket to the next tee a breeze.

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Tee pad of hole nine. In addition to the signage, the tee pads were well-groomed. Turf-covered pads pointed in the direction of the fairway and basket were another welcome feature of this course.

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My workhorse disc for the day: 178-gram Discraft Buzzz ESP midrange. It played excellently in the wind. Normally, I use a 164-gram Buzzz, so this disc usually just resides in my bag, waiting for either wind or heavy brush. Today, it was my entire "middle game" as it's extra weight made the difference between control or chaos.

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All in all, a lovely short course. I will definitely be playing it again. And soon.

WHITE RIVER DGC FTW

Today was a day to "make up" for all of the cancellations related to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. The Child missed out on a karate tournament. The Child missed out on a track-and-field event. I missed out on heading over the pass to central Washington. So the two of us decided to substitute something that would get us out of the house but still keep us safely distanced from others. Disc golf it was!

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I played a 68 on 18 holes, which was +14 over par. Not really all that great a score, but fun nonetheless. Plus it was nice to play among the trees, in the cold, while really fine snowflakes fell here and there.

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The photo above is the dreaded (for me) hole 16 of the White River Disc Golf Course in Auburn, Washington, plus my disc sitting too close for comfort to the aforementioned White River.

I lost the first (and at the time, only) disc I ever purchased on this hole the first time I played it. When it went in the river, a seasoned player, who saw the horrible throw and lost disc, loaned me a disc, had me play a full round with him, and gave me a whole set of tips and suggestions.

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The course was packed with people today. It was awesome to see so many people out having fun after such a shitty week. (With proper "social distance " between groups, of course.)

JIM CREEK

Our home this past weekend.


Sleeping in tents.


Campfire.


Creekside.


Hiking.


Disc golf. (I came in second of eight players.)

Board games. Family. Food. Lots of dog walks.

DISC GOLF as PRAYER

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If disc golf can be a form of prayer, and I believe it can, then I prayed hard today.

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This past week, I was given a some discs that belonged to a friend of mine who committed suicide a few years ago. Derek was a kid who I  served as Sunday school teacher to when he was in high school. As an adult, he discovered that the two of us shared a love for many things—especially disc golf, craft beer, and heavy metal music. Occasionally, we would get together and talk about God and faith and life, as well as the darkness and depression that we also shared.

He and I talked about getting together to play disc golf a couple of weeks before he took his life, so we never did get out on the course together. I wish we had. I wish we had been able to have another one of our discussions about the world and our places in it. But we didn't.

So, today, I added two of his discs into my bag and headed off to the White River disc golf course. I listened to Australasia by Pelican in the car on the way there. It was an album that he recommended to me and I picked up almost immediately after he did so.

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At White River, I exclusively used his Gateway Apache as my driver and his Gateway Element as my mid-range disc. I've never thrown Gateway discs, but I loved both of these. I am pretty sure that I'm going to use the Apache as one of main drivers, since I liked its slightly smaller diameter. It was easier for me to throw than some of my other drivers and definitely more controllable.

I played a 65 (+9) from the red tees. (All holes are par 3, except hole 14 which was par 5 and 735 feet from tee to basket.)

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I played and prayed for Derek, that he may know God's mercy and love, wherever he is as he awaits resurrection and new life in Jesus Christ. I played and prayed for Derek's family and the immense loss and sorrow that they feel in his absence, and for healing for all of them. I played and prayed for my own mourning at the death of someone so young, who seemed so full of life, but who hit a moment that he thought he couldn't escape from in any other way. I played and prayed for my own healing, since disc golf started as a form of physical therapy for me after a disc blew out in my back.

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Derek, I thank your father for the discs. I am glad that I got to play them today. I would rather you had been there on the course with me, in person, but know that I played them (and prayed them) in memory of you. Rest in peace my friend. Rest in peace.

WHITE RIVER DGC

It had been quite some time since I had played disc golf (almost two months), and only the third time since the beginning of the year, but The Wife and I decided to take advantage of some nice weather and time together to tackle the course at White River in Auburn, Washington.  Rustiness and some tree shots meant a 68 (+14), but it was great to be outdoors in the fresh air with discs flying from our fingers.

WHITE RIVER DISC GOLF COURSE

Discraft Stalker driver on White River DGC hole #2.

Troy's Work Table and the family head out for a morning round of disc golf at their favorite local course, White River. TWT is one with the disc, one with the basket. He ties his score for best game ever, 58 (+4), although this is his best game ever. He is extremely relaxed yet focused. His throws, for the most part, go were they need to go. The river tumbles along, birds fill the forest with song, the sun is out, The Child runs ahead while The Wife and TWT chat and hike and throw. In the moment, this is paradise.

AUTUMNAL JOYS

Today, the wife, the child, and I spent a rare day together. The three of us enjoyed sleeping in, a round of disc golf, lunch at Tacoma's Freighthouse Square, and poking around in both the University of Washington Tacoma bookstore and King's Books.


The wife's driver disc attempts to hide from us!


A beautiful mid-autumn day in the Pacific Northwest. (The rain came later in the day.)


Chicago-style hot dog with all the fixin's from Dog & Deli of Tacoma.

WHITE RIVER DISC GOLF COURSE

I played my second-best round of disc golf, scoring a 59 (+5) at White River Disc Golf Course of Auburn, Washington on Saturday morning. Highlights included the following:

*Playing the first five holes in torrential downpour.

*"Losing" a white-colored driver in an open field of grass on a bad throw. A white disc in a field of green that I couldn't find after ten minutes of searching! Someone behind me found the disc and called me.

*The someone turned out to be the guy I played my first round of disc golf ever with: Larry.

*Even with taking the penalty for losing the disc and playing from where I think it landed, I threw a four for the hole, one over par.

*My back nine was the best back nine I have ever played, and it felt like it. 28 (+1).

*On many of my second throws on holes, I was hitting metal—the pole, the side of the basket, the chains, or the top of the basket.

*I almost had a hole-in-one on the final basket. The drive was perfect and landed one foot from the basket. I am glad I had witnesses. I didn't quite believe it myself.

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Hole 1 - 3
Hole 2 - 4
Hole 3 - 3
Hole 4 - 4
Hole 5 - 4
Hole 6 - 4
Hole 7 - 3
Hole 8 - 3
Hole 9 - 3
Front nine - 31 (+4)

Hole 10 - 3
Hole 11 - 3
Hole 12 - 3
Hole 13 - 3
Hole 14 - 3
Hole 15 - 3
Hole 16 - 4
Hole 17 - 4
Hole 18 - 2
Back nine - 28 (+1)

Total - 59 (+5)

ANATOMY of a DAY: WANDERINGS (PT. 2)

Photograph by The Child.

Today was a true Troy's Work Table day. All of the major categories were included: books, art, beer, and wanderings.

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WANDERINGS (DISC GOLF)
A round of disc golf at Fort Steilacoom's Northwest Course was just what was needed today. It supplied some wonderful late summer weather, much needed exercise, and the opportunity to throw discs into plenty of trees. The Child and I even had some fun pretending we were throwing discs from a closed tee platform (as seen above).

My red Discraft Stalker seemed to try hiding from me on half of my tee drives today. It would hit a tree and "disappear" into brush or tall grass or behind another tree. It definitely got a workout, but one that was rather brutal. It looks like additional time at Fort Steilacoom DGC is needed!

WHITE RIVER DGC

Hole #1 drive: focus. (Discraft Elite Z Stalker.)
Photograph by The Child.


Hole #1 drive: throw. (Discraft Elite Z Stalker.)
Photograph by The Child.


Hole #1 putt: in for par. (Latitude 64º Sinus SP.)
Photograph by The Child.

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The sun finally decides to cooperate with TWT's days off, which means disc golf without rain. The ground is still rather muddy due to being oversatuated from the days prior, but that is okay; at least we can play and be dry.

White River Disc Golf Course beckons and we respond.

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Hole 1 - 3
Hole 2 - 4
Hole 3 - 4
Hole 4 - 3
Hole 5 - 3
Hole 6 - 3
Hole 7 - 3
Hole 8 - 3
Hole 9 - 4
Front nine - 30 (+3)

Hole 10 - 4
Hole 11 - 3
Hole 12 - 4
Hole 13 - 4
Hole 14 - 4
Hole 15 - 3
Hole 16 - 3
Hole 17 - 3
Hole 18 - 3
Back nine - 31 (+4)

Total - 61 (+7)

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My drives feel good today. They are solid and straight. I am especially happy with my initial drives on holes 6, 8, 13, 14, and 17. Hole #8 almost sees me get a birdie with my 150-gram Valkyrie driver. Hole #17 is the longest drive I have had to date, and it was beautiful.

I just need to focus on tightening up my putts and I will be in great shape, at least at White River.

ANGER IS AN ENERGY

The child's Innova Skeeter takes a rest.



Navigation.


TWT's Discraft Stalker tries to hide.


The cathedral of trees on the middle of NAD's hole #12.

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"Praying is funny. When you pray, you leave the day-to-day time stream and enter a quieter place that uses different clocks and values things that can’t be seen."
—page 291, Generation A by Douglas Coupland

"Anger is an energy! Anger is an energy! Anger is an energy!"
—from "Rise" by Public Image Limited, as found on the album Album

I played my best game of disc golf ever at Bremerton's NAD Disc Golf Course. I played a solid 60 (+6). This was partly due to being angry at various individuals in my life. I channeled some of the energy into the game. That anger was paired with an accompanying calm that felt very much the same as when I pray.

As I entered this realm of calm and quiet, the anger transformed into intense focus. I literally saw things differently. I still struggled on a hole—number nine. I was able to think through the error that landed me in a thicket of trees and get myself back on course.

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Hole 1 - 3
Hole 2 - 3
Hole 3 - 3
Hole 4 - 3
Hole 5 - 3
Hole 6 - 4
Hole 7 - 4
Hole 8 - 3
Hole 9 - 5
Front nine - 31 (+4)

Hole 10 - 3
Hole 11 - 4
Hole 12 - 3
Hole 13 - 4
Hole 14 - 3
Hole 15 - 4
Hole 16 - 3
Hole 17 - 3
Hole 18 - 2
Back nine - 29 (+2)

Total - 60 (+6)

PLASTIC DREAMS

An early anniversary gift to myself, since I bought it at the end of January—a Discraft Stalker extra long range driver disc. Semi-translucent red Elite Z plastic with white stamp, 167 grams.

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Today is the one-year anniversary of my first round of disc golf. I didn't get to wander out onto a course today, but I did reminisce about what an awesome year it has been for throwing plastic.

*I started out averaging in the mid-80s for eighteen holes and now play an average of 65 for the same.

*My collection of discs has expanded.

*I have figured out which discs work best for me. Driver: Discraft Avenger SS. Midrange: Discraft Buzzz ESP. Putter: Latitude 64º Sinus SP.

*I am now working with my new Discraft Stalker, which flies very similar to my Buzzz midrange discs. Hopefully, it will work into becoming one of my "go to" drivers.

*I have been able to play with a lot of people, including many people I have introduced the game to.

*I have been able to play a number of great courses—White River, Fort Steilacoom, NAD, Crystal Mountain, Horning's Hideout.

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Here's to another year of running around through the woods throwing plastic discs at the chains of a metal basket!

THIS IS BOB CALLING...

My cell phone rings.

TWT: Hello?

PHONE: Is this Troy?

TWT: It is.

PHONE: This is Bob calling. I have one of your discs, a D-3 Prostyle, and I will drop it off at Mando's in Auburn later today.

TWT: That is awesome. It has been missing in action since mid-July. Thank you very much.

PHONE: You don't need to thank me. I went out with a group of guys today and everyone gave me discs they have found over the past couple months to drop off at Mando's, since I was heading there after our round.

TWT: I still thank you. You're the one that is getting it there.

PHONE: All right, then. Have a good one, Troy.

TWT: You too, Bob. Thanks again!

WHITE RIVER DISC GOLF COURSE

Disc golf in the rain means fewer people on the course. Therefore, I headed off to White River DGC on a wet Sunday afternoon (by myself!) to play a round.

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Hole 1 - 3
Hole 2 - 4
Hole 3 - 3
Hole 4 - 3
Hole 5 - 4
Hole 6 - 4
Hole 7 - 4
Hole 8 - 4
Hole 9 - 3
Front nine - 32 (+5)

Hole 10 - 3
Hole 11 - 4
Hole 12 - 4
Hole 13 - 3
Hole 14 - 4
Hole 15 - 3
Hole 16 - 5
Hole 17 - 3
Hole 18 - 4
Back nine - 33 (+6)

Total - 65 (+11)

WHITE RIVER DISC GOLF COURSE

After being sick for two weeks with a major head cold—head pressure, congestion, coughing, drainage, body aches, fatigue, et cetera—it was nice to be able to head back outside and hit the disc golf course. It meant that I was doing such the day after a good strong windstorm had removed many leaves from the trees on the course. It meant playing in some strong wind, and having to use my heavier discs. It meant having to adapt my game due to those heavier discs and that brisk wind. It also meant having to search for discs as they buried themselves into piles of leaves or simply blended into the background.


The fairway of hole #1 was littered with yellow and brown maple leaves. One would think that it would be fairly easy to locate a white disc that landed upon them, but such was not the case.


Hole #3 proved to be a challenge, as I hit a tree on the first shot and played at the edges of the fairway for the rest of the hole. Once again, you would think that a bright red disc would be fairly easy to find, but when only a portion of the disc is visible it is somewhat of a challenge.


Hole #6 is only available during the winter layout of the course. It involves fewer trees than summer layout #6, yet I find it more challenging due to the cedar trees. Not only am I allergic to them, but when their branches are wet they may as well be made out of cement. In other words, they stop discs immediately.



Clockwise from upper left: Mirus in a bed of maple leaves; Sinus in a bed of cottonwood leaves; Stingray in a bed of cottonwood leaves; and Gumbputt in a bed of mixed leaves—maple, cottonwood, and alder.


Hole #9 is a fun hole in both winter and summer (#7 in summer layout). Fortunately, I curled my disc around and through trees to avoid most of the leaves on the ground.


Hole #11 is one of my favorite holes. I played it well today. My initial drive curved to the left and set me up within decent putting range. I almost made the basket on my second shot, hitting the pole and glancing off.


Hole #16 was a challenge due to the leaves remaining on the trees. I couldn't get my first two shots to break the screen of trees near the old riverbed. Once I did, I was in good shape.


Buzzz attempts to hide.


As does Avenger SS (Super Straight).

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Hole 1 - 3
Hole 2 - 5
Hole 3 - 4
Hole 4 - 6
Hole 5 - 3
Hole 6 - 4
Hole 7 - 4
Hole 8 - 3
Hole 9 - 3
Front nine - 35 (+8)

Hole 10 - 3
Hole 11 - 3
Hole 12 - 4
Hole 13 - 3
Hole 14 - 3
Hole 15 - 3
Hole 16 - 5
Hole 17 - 4
Hole 18 - 3
Back nine - 31 (+4)

Total - 66 (+12)

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My best shot of the day was an eighty-foot putt that curved around a tree to the right of the basket and hit nothing but chains and dropped right in. It was absolutely awesome. (It also made up for my horrible six throws on hole number four.)