Hello and welcome, this is The Players Meeting. The twice-a-week email you rely on to keep up with disc golf.
If you missed the Belton primer edition, then I got you: Recover like the pros
Let’s get into it.
The Open at Belton (Silver Series)
RESULTS - 🏆 CHRIS DICKERSON & CATRINA ALLEN
MPO/ It was windy every day in TX out there. And it affected Paul McBeth’s potential hat trick. Instead, it was Chris Dickerson’s time to shine.
With the par changes and relentless winds, Dickerson only needed -25 to win his 1st event of 2022. He had 6 strokes over the field going into the final day and kept telling himself, “don’t mess it up.”
And of course, he carded his 1st bogey of the weekend to start the final round. Slowly he came back to Robot Chicken form, and it was clear the only battle was for 2nd place.
With his wire-to-wire victory, Dickerson proved he’s got a handle on his new Discraft plastic.
FPO/ After a tough 1st day, the power throwers were trailing behind Alexis Mandujano. But as expected, Catrina Allen & Kristin Tattar took over the leaderboard after 2 days.
The two women traded birdies and bogeys on Sunday. And coming on the final stretch, Allen overshot 17’s green to allow Tattar back within one.
To add pressure from chase card, Valerie Mandujano shot the hot round (1014 rated) to tie Allen’s score. But the World Champ clutched up and birdied hole 18 to win outright. This was her 2nd win of the year.
STANDOUT PLAYERS
MPO/ Corey Ellis has had a rough start to his year. Finishing 62nd at LVC and 70th at Waco, he hasn’t found himself above the cash line.
But at Belton, he flipped the script and tied for 6th. Here’s to hoping he can keep it up for his 1st full season on tour.
FPO/ For the 2nd week in a row, Valerie Mandujano made her home state proud. By bagging 2nd, she proved her accuracy with distance, wooded lines, and managing the wind.
If she can podium at next week’s TX States, then you’ll see Mandujano on coverage all year long.
HIGHLIGHT
Vinny’s tunnel shot eagle on Hole 4. The man knows low, power shots.
Paradise or Icy TX?
Imagine a world where the sun never sets, and you can play disc golf day and night. No, I’m not talking about permanent daylight savings. I’m talking about Iceland.
But Blær Örn Ásgeirsson, the highest rated Icelander, wouldn’t recommend his country as a DG destination. While having the highest courses per capita, the country lacks a crucial feature: trees.
Ásgeirsson is the only Icelandic pro attempting to tour the US and Europe full-time. Only able to train on open & windy courses, he finds himself at home in places like TX.
This guy is a buy now for potential sponsors as his stock is low, but he has potential. Outperforming his rating at Belton and taking 35th, look for Ásgeirsson to do well at Worlds and DDO in windy Kansas.
Fresh Plastic
Insights by Daddy Disc Golf. SHOP THE SHACK for the latest!
👨🏫 Daddy’s Disc of the Week: Innova Star Mid Disc 3 - Metal Warrior
Dozens of us have relied on an old Discmania MD3 for years. They’re the Goldilocks of mid-ranges.
Not too domey. Not too stiff. Just the perfect, stable mid-range for any shot.
But every time we go to throw it, we’re scared it’s the last time. And there isn’t a backup waiting in the wings.
I’ve got the disc for you. The new Innova Metal Warrior [MD3] is the replacement for your old MD3. The “reinvented” MD3 in Italian plastic just doesn’t feel right.
So don’t reinvent the wheel, and go with Innova’s tried and true. Or buy them both for different slots… You can never have too many discs.
Speaking of Innova, Calvin Heimburg’s Tour Series Destroyers debuted this week. They got the Double G treatment with new color combinations.
Innova is now guaranteeing you won’t easily lose these colored flight plates. Tell that to the guy who dives for discs, and Destroyers are always #1.
Heimborg’s new discs are coming soon to your favorite retailers.
Random Dubs
1️⃣ Is the Idio Syncrasy the last DG shoe you’ll ever wear? It’s hard to say with backers still waiting for the 1st full-production to get on their feet.
This is the only specific shoe on the market designed from the ground up. Ranging from the side step sole, pivot point, and reinforced toe, Craig Kitchens thought of everything.
I may never know though. My sale stockpile of Adidas Terrex are waiting for the next toe blowout.
2️⃣ When you got handed a disc for the 1st time, you were taught 2 different styles of grip: power & fan.
As you grew as a player and likely saw McBeast talking about his modified power grip. You went to the field, tried it out, and didn’t start using it.
But now, the guys at Overthrow DG explain this modified grip is more simply known as a mid-loaded grip. This means you’re applying the most pressure to the disc with your middle & ring fingers.
Typically you’ll use the mid-loaded grip on slower discs to increase accuracy and control. Alternately, the front-loaded grip whips drivers by pressuring with your pointer & middle fingers.
Watch the short explanation by OT and think about your grip more:
Tweet of the Week
Thanks for reading today. Eat some meat or yell “fore” this week!
- Charlie
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