Oh how sweet it is to win a shiny new disc, eh?

For the past two weeks, we’ve run a contest where disc golfers could share their favorite stories and have a chance to win a new disc.

I thought we’d gather more entries than we did. After all, free plastic is free plastic, eh?

Instead, we only received 16 entries, which is slightly disappointing. Especially when free plastic is involved.

Still, we received some good stories. And for the 16 who entered, it’s much easier to have a chance to win via the Random.org randomizer!

All of the stories were quite fun to read. They differed in tone and substance, which really shows the versatility of the game and how different things can happen.

Take for example, Luke. It seems our reader was playing in a not-so-nice neighborhood, loaned a disc to a shady character for some holes and… well, I’ll let Luke take it from here…

So we are playing and he starts telling me how he used to play there all the time but he hadn’t for a while because he had been in jail and just got out a few weeks before. He didn’t say what he’d been in for, but then he goes on to say, “Yeah, and I’m probably going back as soon as I go home today. The cops are probably waiting for me. I got drunk and beat the hell out of my ex-girl’s old man.”

Yikes!

How about Kevin, who suffered a broken ankle and when he was on the mend, he went out for a round with some friends and his brother. He then decided — on a hole not known for aces — to call a skip ace.

That would be like calling a bank-shot three-pointer, no?

Anyway, here’s what Kevin had to say after he called the shot to his brother …

He laughed and punched me. I took a big hyzer route, watched my disc flip up, saw it had a chance for the skip route, it hit the ground 30ft from the basket skipped and drilled center chains. We all just froze and had to re-look to make sure it really was in the basket, people were yelling and clapping, after I finally noticed it was in the basket I was yelling at the top of my lungs, my first ace and on a broken ankle.

Congrats on that shot. Kevin should have played the lotto that night!

There were stories about multiple lost discs in one day — in the same area or lake. There were stories with snowshoes in winter weather.How about fighting snakes for discs? Or a story about a “stolen” and “re-found” disc. Some of these stories make one shake their head!

Disc golfers have some interesting tales, that’s for sure.

How about Derek’s tale of landing a shot on a porcupine? Seriously! The end result?

As we approached he kinda wandered off. I was really hoping for a couple of quills or something in my disc. It would make the story better but no luck. We decided to give me a stroke penalty for hitting the thing. I still say I should have gotten a stroke off my score for almost getting stuck. I’m just glad he took off.

I don’t think you should have been penalized on that one, Derek. I think that’s a free drop!

And what would a story segment be without a heart-tugger? Allow me to share all of Jeff’s story, which shows how great this game really is.

We moved my Dad-in-law in with us a couple months ago after my Mother-in-law very unexpectedly passed away. We have been trying to keep his mind off of the tough stuff and get him as Happy as he can be, given the circumstances.

He got into throwing discs with me at his old place and started going to courses with me when we got him here. Last week, on hole No. 4, at White River in Auburn, Wash., he threw one of his best drives to date. About 285 feet on his drive (with his favorite 150 Class NUKE), but he ended up about 90-95 feet right of the basket with one medium window to hit through the Cedar trees. Somehow, he hit the window perfect and went dead center chains. His first deuce! A 90-foot upshot for a first deuce????

The group in front of us stopped and clapped. They had watched him throw. When I told them it was his first deuce, they came over from two holes away, shook his hand, and the woman in the group even gave him a big ‘ol hug. The look on his face was priceless. I think it was the first time in a long time he had a moment, even a short one, of happiness.

He is almost as obsessed with disc golf as I am, already. It’s been fun to try and help him learn, and enjoy the game. It was even more fun to see him be so happy, because of disc golf.

That’s the kind of story that is just wonderful to read, isn’t it? It makes you realize how great this game is — and how great the other players can be. The hand shakes and hug from strangers on the course is just remarkable.

Thanks for sharing that story, Jeff.

Finally, before we announce the winner of this contest, one more clip. A story from reader Tom about a disc ending up in a crazy spot on the basket.

I would encourage you all to go read the story on the contest page… I’ll just add to it by posting the photo of what happened:

That’s crazy!

Anyway, via Random.org. the winner of the disc is…

Luke!

Thanks for playing this one and we’ll send you an e-mail soon. Or, if you read this before we get that e-mail to you — send us your address so we can send you out the disc!

Thanks everyone for sharing their stories. We have a pile of plastic to give away, so please keep reading the blog and we’ll have a new contest soon enough!

Special thanks again to New Jersey professional Bob Graham for donating the Discraft Nuke that is going to the winner.

If you have any comments, questions, thoughts, ideas or anything else, feel free to e-mail me and the crew at: pj [at] rattlingchains.com. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook!