So, I’ve just returned home from our weekly tag match at Exposition Park in Aurora, CO and I may have just thrown the best round of disc golf of my life. I’m not sure if it was being out on a wide open course after playing in the trees or being happy to be home.. but everything just clicked. I had played a fun round with Jurkface and our friends Sarah and Larry out at Lighthouse yesterday, shooting a 7 under par. That’s a pretty good round for me out there and I even hit the cage on the first hole with my first throw after getting off the plane! With a drop in deuce on the long hole 8, I definitely felt like I had shaken off all those not-so-fresh rounds in Portland.

I left work a little early to be sure I’d make it to tags in time to distribute the minis from my tourney two weekends ago. Skies were grey and a fair breeze was kicking up, nothing unusual for Expo. I had no idea what I was about to do, other than have a good time with friends. I played with my good friend Doug Bjerkaas, Anthony P and a really cool visitor from Alabama whose name escapes me.

I apologize ahead of time if this sounds uncharacteristically self-serving, but I just have to write it down, if for no other reason than for posterity. Here’s how the round went down:

HOLE 1: threw my gummy QMS just past and left of the bucket for an easy 2. A good start.
HOLE 2: landed the same QMS half on the sidewalk, but safe, canned a short jumper. 2 under par
HOLE 3: feeling a cross-breeze, threw a newer roc to fight the wind, shanked a little right, missed the putt. 2 under par
HOLE 4: drove a Monarch about 45 right and 10 deep, canned the putt. 3 under par
HOLE 5: QMS again, pin deep, 15 left. easy putt.. 4 under par
HOLE 6: lime green HukLab TeeBird, 20 short and 45 right.. long floater putt that flopped in. 5 under par
HOLE 7: 192g Condor a little short and left but in the circle. routine putt, 6 under
HOLE 8: newer 170g Pro Katana 45 short but left of the trees, long low jumper for 7 under
HOLE 9: yellow QMS a little long and right. simple putt, 8 under
HOLE 10: Condor high and right, caught a branch, left me about 30 out, got the putt.. 9 under
HOLE 11: QMS a little too high, wind took it just past but about 35 left.. death putt in the chains, 10 under
HOLE 12: New DX Roc, straight hyzer 5 feet away, drop in for 11 down
HOLE 13: 171g first run champ Boss, planted in the mud 2 feet away, drop in for 12 down
HOLE 14!!: 170g lime green HukLab TeeBird, hyzerbomb over the water… dead center chains ACE! 14 under par
HOLE 15: Red Monarch 15 feet past, 20 right, starting to feel the pressure.. but got the putt for 15 under
HOLE 16: threw floppy SSS Magic on gentle hyzer line, almost aced it, 15 footer for 16 under
HOLE 17: Yellow QMS deep and way left… heart racing, canned a loft putt for 17 under
HOLE 18: went back to floppy Magic again, wind from the left was picking up.. landed on cement ring under basket. dropped it in for 18 under par!!!!

So I now own the new course record by 2 strokes. The course record was previously at 16 under and had been done twice, by Sean Guillen and Doug Bjerkaas. I was with Sean when he set it the first time (video is available here) and Doug was with me today.

Shooting 18 under always floated around in my head on that course, but when I missed hole 3, I figured ‘oh well, another time’. When I hit the ace on 14, I just stood there for several seconds in shock.. no idea what had just happened. It was a real mental test to try to keep playin steady golf after that. I’m still not entirely sure what made today so much different.

Well, I’m off to go celebrate with the Jurk. I think that $140 in ace pool cash may very well all get spent in the pro shop in Japan… all kinds of goodies!

Stay tuned next week as the adventure continues into the land of the Rising Sun :)