🏆 Champions Cup week
1st Ballot, Why Are Trees, and The Beatles
Hello and welcome, this is The Players Meeting. Your twice-a-week consolidation of disc golf in a clean, readable email.
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If you missed the Tallahassee recap, then I got you: Estonian Becomes Florida Man
Let’s get into it.
Hall of Fame
As we gear up for the Champions Cup, it reminds us that the DGHoF exists on the same property (PDGA International Disc Golf Center). Along with that is Paul McBeth’s recently denied nomination and the mild controversy around it.
The inner workings of the HoF have been unclear and lacking structure. Ultiworld DG reported, “current hall of famers both nominate and vote for future inductees.” And the criteria for who gets in can be loosely interpreted.
McBeth was put on the ballot in mid-2021. Shortly after, a new rule was added that inductees must be at least 45 years old. Before, nominees only needed 15 years of active participation with good character and reputation.
Being denied means he can never be a 1st ballot hall of famer. And due to the prestige that comes with that title, McBeth shared his obvious frustration.
Whether you think it was a mistake or you don’t care, it’s undeniable McBeth will be remembered as the sport’s most transcendental player for a long time.
PDGA Champions Cup
PREVIEW (4/14-17)
You’ll hear this again and again: W.R. Jackson is “one of my favorite courses” or “it’s disc golf paradise” from all pros. And it’s for good reason…
Located at the IDGC, W.R. Jackson is a masterclass in course design. It has everything from wooded par 4’s & 5’s, multiple fairways per hole, and beautiful mature trees.
The event will play 4 rounds at this fabled course, testing each player’s mental game to the max. The infamous “Why Are Trees” poem by Nate Sexton originated here.
Being the 1st of 4 majors, it has the best field of players, a min purse of $100k, and Bushnell as the presenting sponsor. With that there are new features to the experience:
Bushnell Blvd: A series of viewing areas for spectators that span multiple holes without interfering with play. And they’re providing binoculars to improve the viewing experience.
Reflective boxes: A replacement for flags on baskets - making it easier for pros to range distances through the heavy woods.
LAST YEAR 2019 RECAP
With Covid in 2020 and the PDGA getting out of running events, 2019 was the last time pros were here.
MPO/ Calvin Heimburg and Adam Hammes battled it out in a playoff. Even with Hammes’s putting on fire, Heimburg was cool under pressure and celebrated similarly.
Playoffs happen here. The endless tree kicks and zero artificial OB keep the field close. In 2017, it was a 3-way playoff between McBeth, Lizotte, and Wysocki. Jump in the time machine, and give it another watch here.
FPO/ It wasn’t as much of a nail-biter for the women. Sarah Hokom cut through the trees with minimal mistakes, unlike Pierce and Allen who took 2nd and 3rd. She averaged a 999 rating that weekend.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
MPO/ This might be Paul McBeth’s major to lose. It’ll be a 🪙 flip.
FPO/ And it wouldn’t be a major without McBeth’s FPO equivalent, Paige Pierce.
You’ll be able to watch these players live starting today on DGN. Or on next-day coverage from JomezPro, Gatekeeper Media, GK Pro, and Ace Run.
Rules Clarification
Starting in 2022, the PDGA changed the “Moving Obstacles” rule to clarify if you can remove objects in your run-up and stance area. This has been a hot topic recently.
To explain it simply: You can move dead and unattached obstacles (rocks, sticks, or leaves) if they are where your feet will be when throwing. You cannot move any of these obstacles if they’re in your run-up.
In the final hour, the PDGA clarified this to the pros during Wednesday’s player’s meeting for the Champions Cup. And they said, “if there’s a safety concern just throw a stand-still.” Many aren’t happy with this answer.
Random Dubs
1️⃣ The DGPT announced Cory Wong from the band Vulfpeck and JomezPro docu-style video will be the Director of Music. Wait what…
The Pro Tour has been looking to expand its events past only spectating disc golf. Imagine music, food, or drink festivals paired with a premier tournament.
The popularity of the sport has grown past our niche community, and the 2021 Celebrity Pro-Am event showcased that. As superstars in their world, Cory Wong and Andrew Zimmern can contribute to ours.
This year there will be 6 concert series paired with select DGPT Elite Series. Wong will headline half of the events and will curate the other half.
Concert tickets can be bought as add-ons or separate tickets at those events. Come for the golf, but stay for everything else.
2️⃣ 4/1: Innova - We finally listened, so grab your Halo DX Polecats.
4/3: Wait it wasn’t April’s Fools… They actually made Halo Polecats, but only 100.
4/12: Innova makes an entire run of Halo Polecats with a limit of 8 per person, and it sells out in minutes.
Meme of the Week
Thanks for reading today. Get out and win this weekend!
- Charlie
What'd you think of this today’s edition?
It's a shame McBeth didn't get 1st ballot, but I don't think it has anything to do with his stature as a profoundly skilled player. I think this is reaping the fruits of his disrespectful remarks to Ken Climo on Twitter. That's one thing I've never liked about McBeth, and it's colored my whole perception of him. You don't have to respect your elders, but disrespecting them is just a bad look. He got knocked down a peg and he earned it.