👶 Taking care of Steve Dodge's baby

Contracts Winter, Clash's Bday, and Dark Helmet

Dec 07, 2022

Hello and welcome, this is The Players Meeting. The only newsletter where indoor putting leagues are winter’s only beacon of hope.
Email Read Time: 5 Minutes & 17 Seconds

If you missed the last edition, then I got you: Misconceptions of Disc Approval

Let’s get into it.

“This is not your best investment, Todd”

Son to Richard Rainwater ($3B worth), Todd became the majority owner of the DGPT after working with Steve Dodge for years. His original role changed when he saw the opportunity to save this “passion project” and take care of Dodge’s baby.

In 2019, he purchased a majority stake (>60%) in the company against his advisor’s warning. He and CEO Jeff Spring discussed the Tour’s history, progress, and future on The Upshot.

Here’s the 55 min interview in 30 sec:

The Tour didn’t turn a profit this year due to mid-season camera upgrades
In the next 2 years, Rainwater will likely see a return on his original investment
10-year vision: grow sustainably, put all profits back in, more employees, better tournaments, bigger purses (provide sustainable touring lives for pros)
Current revenue split: 50% subscriptions(>40k DGN)/media vs. 50% on-site revenue, partnerships/ads, retail/merch
Ad partnerships will be their future driving force through the live product
Rumors are true - The DGPT is searching the Southeast for physical headquarters that will house main offices, a warehouse, and a championship-level venue. They want to host conferences, tournaments, outreach, etc.

Contracts Watch

🚨 NEW-ISH 🚨

Stacie Hass’s 1st year on Tour was successful with her Silver win at Tallahassee. Probably last year’s best off-season signing, MVP has locked down Hass for another 2 years.
Paige Shue announced her departure from Dynamic Discs after 13 years on the team. This is out of left field for 2 reasons:
- Her father (Doug Bjerkaas) is the President of DD
- Since her daughter’s birth (Feb 2021), she has been off the Tour with Grady in NC
While some speculate she’ll announce the end of her competitive career, she says it’s time for a change and knows she still has good DG left.
Matt Bell - After 1 year with Thought Space Athletics, the partnership extends another 2. Even with 7 new molds in 2022, Bell will continue to throw a mixed bag.
Alden Harris is betting on himself and extended his contract with Prodigy for 1 more year. With his YouTube channel growing and new off-season training, Harris believes 2024 will be his big contract year.
Chandler Kramer - The FH specialist re-signed exclusively with Lone Star Discs for 2023. No longer using a mixed bag, Kramer will choose from their growing lineup of 25.

PREDICTIONS

Kat Mertsch was recently picked up by Squatch bags, and there are still rumors that LSD has more news in the tank. Who better than Locastro’s partner to add to their roster?

Compared to last year, it’ll continue to be a quiet off-season until the end of this month. But once the ball drops, contract announcements will flood in.

Fresh Plastic

Sponsored by Powergrip USA… A PRETTY GOOD disc golf shop.

👉 Powergrip’s Highlight: Discmania Lone Howl 3 (10|4|0|3) & Mermaid (7|4|-1|2)
This may be hard to believe, but Discmania has more than just mystery boxes this time of year.

Dropping today (12/7) at 11AM ET, Colten Montgomery’s Signature Series is the first-ever PD made in their C-Line Metal Flake plastic. Falling between stock C-Line and the S-Line Nordic Phenom, this run is slightly gummy and perfect for any season.

Montgomery shared a review on Instagram:

From their Active Line, the base plastic Mermaid is their 1st disc that floats on water. Cause of its beginner-friendly nature, this disc is perfect for water carries when your noodle arm feels extra floppy.

But wait there’s more... On Friday (12/9) at 11AM, Clash Discs is celebrating its inception with a VERY limited drop of 1-Year Anniversary boxes. With only 550 boxes worldwide, Powergrip USA is one of the few distributors with them.

Littered with unreleased plastic, here’s what you’ll get:

1 Spice (prototype designed by Eric Oakley, 10-speed Sexton Firebird)
1 Special Blend Mint OR Berry (new - most stiff/durable blend)
1 Glow Popcorn OR Cookie
1 Softy Butter OR Popcorn (new - 1st soft blend)
1 Core Blend Wild Honey OR Salt (new - stiffer version of Steady)
1 Steady plastic disc
1 Tiny Raspberry (15cm diameter)

Random Triples

1️⃣ It was a quiet off-season, then vlogmas came in like a wrecking ball. There’s an influx of channels now posting one video a day.

Here are a few recs to help you sort through the noise:

Pick your favorite pro or new YouTuber:
- Connor O’Reilly - play-throughs of known FL courses
- Paul Ulibarri - behind-the-scenes mixed with big name cameos
- Casey White - lifestyle vlogs
- Bodanza DG is insanely dedicated to his content. For the past 3 months, he’s posted a video (sometimes 2) nearly every day
Honorable mention: Ella Hansen is taking us along as she builds out her brand-new ProMaster van

2️⃣ The PDGA published its 2023 rules and changes. To answer your question, no they didn’t address the transgender topic. It’s a separate policy outside of the rulebook.

As for the rules, your rounds will see no change. There were mostly updates to ease the lives of TDs with withdrawals/refunds.

Now if your name is Matt Bell, then the new rules clearly disallow your Bowfly upshot - balling up a floppy disc and throwing it.

3️⃣ Spanning coast to coast, the Disc Golf Masters Tour headed by Callie McMorran was announced for 2023. At each of the 16 events plus finale, there will exclusively be 32 age-protected divisions for pros & ams 40+ years old.

So if you’re masters age, then call your agent and set your alarms for a DGMT event near you. They can be found on here on DGScene.