In a few weeks, we’ll turn the page on 2012.
So why not now to look back at the year in regard to disc golf. This week’s poll will be covering your best disc golf memory from the year.
Maybe it’s that tournament win. Or figuring something out about a new technique.
It could be something such as hitting a 50-foot putt.
With a year full of disc golf memories, will you be able to pick out that one moment — that perfect event — to be your best disc golf memory of 2012?
We’ll get to that in a moment. First, let’s go back to last week’s poll and check in to see what some of you had to say about the oldest disc in your bag.
We had 149 people respond to this poll. The overwhelming majority selected a disc that is 2-5 years old (63 votes/42 percent). The second choice was 6-10 years (37 votes/25 percent), with a year or less coming in third (20 votes/13 percent). Then the older discs started popping up as 11-15 years old placed fourth (17 votes/11 percent), followed by 16-25 years old (9 votes/6 percent) and more than 25 years old (3 votes/3 percent).
That’s quite the range. I know I’d like to see those 25-year-old discs and what kind of shape they are in!
Let’s see what some of the readers had to say.
Ben M said:
I still carry one of the first discs that I bought, and old-school (and *very* understable) Comet. My first putter, an Aviar, is hanging on the wall. I don’t have any of the other original 2-3 discs I purchased, but the molds have been so kind to me over the years and I’ll keep buying Gazelles and Stingrays until they stop making them.
I still carry two of my first discs — and am always worried I’ll lose one. I have a feeling they might hang on the wall soon enough, too!
Joe says:
My oldest disc has kind of a cool story. The first time I was taken out to play on an actual course by a friend (about 4 years ago) I found a yellow pro wraith with no markings, though it looked fairly used. Became my favorite forehand driver and I now have all 3 of my aces with it, so it will always hold a special place for me.
Definitely neat! It’s pretty cool to think your aces came from a disc somebody lost or left behind.
BlueAndy said:
This might be considered cheating. I’ve only been playing for two years, but my oldest disc is an Innova Birdie DX from 1991 (the year is stamped on top). I gave a Discraft Magnet to a friend after he had success using it. He insisted on making a trade and offered this putter. He started playing in college in the early nineties and bought it then. I know this disc doesn’t receive good reviews, but I like it.
It may not receive great reviews, but as long as you like it and can use it well, it’s all that matters!
Rob P said:
I just lost my prized second run super flat, super stable CE Valkyrie that I traded for right when it came out, in 2001-2002-ish.(been so long I don’t remember exactly) That disc was absolute money. Sadly one bad gust took it away from me. Once I lost that, I took all my old discs out of my bag. I have a few 4-5 year old discs, but mainly I throw new, easy to replace discs. I still have another Valk, and some old tee birds that I retired due to fear of losing them. Bums me out since they do fly better than newer discs for sure.
It stinks when you have a disc you truly love and either lose it or pull it from use with the fear of losing it.
Anthony W says:
I have a 10-year-old Discraft Elite Z X Putt’r From the 2002 Waterloo Disc Golf Classic in Austin, Texas. For approach shots with zero chance of skip and it lands like a Harrier Jet. I love it, It really cannot be replaced.
And for approach shots — it also seems like a low percentage chance of losing a prized disc such as that!
Bob said:
My first disc was an Innova DX Hammer that I have carried to every round I’ve ever played. Bought it in college around ’94/’95.
That’s awesome!
Rizbee said:
The oldest disc in my bag is a DGA Kittyhawk from the 1983 World Disc Golf Championships. These discs are often referred to as “Shuttle Puppies” because the hotstamp is a picture of a Space Shuttle (the tournament was held in Huntsville, AL, a big NASA town) and the Kittyhawk was very similar in design to the first small-diameter golf disc, Destiny Disc’s Puppy. It’s an extremely straight flyer that I use for putt/approaches in the 30-80 foot range. It air-bounces really well to settle near (or in) the basket. I don’t know how many tens (or hundreds) of thousands of times I have thrown that disc!
I can’t imagine thinking about that many throws on one disc. Really wild.
Those were some great comments, as were all the ones on that post. It really is cool hearing stories about people’s oldest discs.
Now, on with this week’s poll.
We want to know — what’s your best disc golf memory of 2012? We obviously couldn’t cover everything with choices, so if your memory isn’t one of the choices, select other and let us know in the comment section.
Even if your choice is there, expand in the comment section. We’d love to hear your memories from this year. We’ll feature some of the best in a bigger poll post in two weeks.
[poll id=”44″]
If you have any comments, questions, thoughts, ideas or anything else, feel free to e-mail me and the crew at: pj@rattlingchains.com. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook!
rattlingchains.com 
Having a former world champion just pop in at a C-Tier I was running.
Thanks Eric, hope to see you at the next April Showers!
LikeLike
My first best memory of 2012 is hitting my first ace at the year end doubles tournament/ tour awards party. It was a beautiful shot! Even better was that it was witnessed by guys I have been playing with all year long. (Didn’t hurt that my partner and I won the rec division and that there was an ace pot of $380 that went along with it!)
If I got a second one it would be hosting a Discraft Ace Race, we introduced lots of new people to the game and raised money for a wonderful cause!
LikeLike
My favorite of the year was meeting the “Rattling Chains” crew and showing them what the world of Mini Disc Golf is all about. Great time I will remember always. Thanks for the memories my Friends.
LikeLike
I shot my first round this year. I had a terrible score, but it was a lot of fun. Also, I learned the hard way that you should NEVER play catch with golf discs. They hurt your face when you fail to catch them.
LikeLike
I won my first tournament this year. Going into it, I was probably the 4th-best player in the field, but I played my brains out and beat a guy who I regard as the best player I’ve ever played with. He is the reigning provincial tour champ and is in a whole different echelon when it comes to disc, but I played like a man possessed and beat him by a few strokes.
The tournament was also a success for me in that I took away the putting competition prize along with the doubles round prize. Going to be hard to top that for me in 2013.
LikeLike
I said other because this year we were able to redesign a course (of only two in Winnipeg) and expanded it to 27 holes in the park. Biggest change in DG courses in the area since they were put in nearly 10 years ago!
LikeLike
I took second in a tournament as part of a series. Last year in a similar tournament against similar competition I took 27th. So seeing the improvements I have made in less than a year is encouraging.
LikeLike
A lot of memories this year. Installed a course at the school I used to work at, and that was quite rewarding. Had a nice time hitting a new course with my dad just a couple weeks ago. But I think the best part of 2012 has been moving to a new area and meeting new people to play with. These new friends have been very welcoming, and I am excited to log some more rounds with them in 2013!
LikeLike
I played in my first tournament this year. I DFL’d it, but that’s not the point. I improved from the first round to the second by 6 strokes and had a great time, and met some pretty cool people who also helped me do better in the second round. I also played in 2 ace races and I thought those were awesome too..
LikeLike
I got my first ACE on memorial day.. was playing that day for a friend who was killed in Action. what a wonderful day. I know that’s 2 things, but I had to mention this too..
LikeLike
My best memory from this disc golf year was getting to play in a disc golf tournament with my brother. We are in the grandmaster age group and got to play in the same group during the whole tourney. He lives about 8 hours from me and we don’t get to see each other too often, so getting to play together in a tournament was a real treat.
LikeLike
As we walked up to the fifth tee James told Felix & I the story hoe a dog had chased down his drive and chewed up his favorite disc a month ago.
Felix & I tossed our drives. As James stepped onto the tee, a dog ran out of the wilderness area next to the basket. It sits about five feet left of the basket.
James: Oh no …
Felix: That’s a coyote.
Me: I wonder if it’s a fetching coyote.
James throws, and watches the disc fly. Felix & I watch the coyote tracking the disc.
The disc lands about five feet right of the basket, bounces, and the coyote is on it. It picks up the disc in its mouth, and sits, looking back at James.
James: Oh no you don’t.
Felix & I are convulsed with laughter.
James runs after the coyote. The coyote takes off back into the wilderness area, finds an open spot, sits & looks back at James with the disc in its mouth.
James goes after it and the coyote runs off. James decides it was meant to be, so follows Felix & I as we walk to the next tee.
Before we get there, we see the coyote at the next open area, but by then James has realized the coyote is a wild animal with sharp teeth, so he picks up a branch and flings it at the coyote. The coyote runs over the the branch — it doesn’t have the disc anymore.
We found where the coyote dropped the disc, and there wasn’t a mark on it.
LikeLike
My favorite memory of 2012 is creating the Northside Park Disc Golf Course Facebook page. I use it as a resource for the local golfers, city, and users of the park where the course is located. The page spurred interest in the course, and to that end the course is receiving the productive attention. In early 2013 the city of Azusa will be installing new baskets and new tee box signs. Get involved and do something good for your local course!
LikeLike
Hitting a 100-foot approach forehand with a Zone. It was so exciting for me, as I have been playing only about a year.
LikeLike
My favorite memory is starting to play disc golf. I only started in July and only seriously started in August or September.
LikeLike
Voted other for today’s poll. My most memorable moment of 2012 happened at our League’s End of Year Tournament. I had a mediocre season, and after a mediocre 1st round I Aced the CTP basket! An Ace is always a thrill but to do it at the EOY was so sweet. It turned my season into a success. The CTP prize was a Ti Buzzz, and the Cash was $160, There was another Ace so I had to split. The icing on the cake was the Ace propelled my partner and I into cashing in the Tournament too!
LikeLike
I have never thrown an ace. I don’t expect to any time soon, even though I’ve come close a few times. This summer a friend and I played at North GA Canopy Tours. It’s an awesome course, but it was really hot and humid that day. I think I drained two 20 oz. water bottles by the 12th hole. I made my first eagle ever, on a par 5 hole. It was a pretty amazing feeling. My third shot was a 70′ put uphill. My best friend’s jaw dropped. Mine did, too.
Thank you for a wonderful year, Rattling Chains! I look forward to another one.
LikeLike
Sorry, that was supposed to be “putt,” not “put.”
LikeLike
As a new player in 2012 (Jan), I voted “Reaching a Big Goal”… I knew I’d improve my game, play new courses and I am constantly learning something new. So, my big goal(s) were to beat my home course, the very first course I ever played, I scored a +26. I can now consistently score 0 to +4 there. My second goal was to beat my friends, I have played and have beaten each of them at least once, some of them can longer beat me.
Thanks for a solid year Rattling Chains! Cheers to a new year.
LikeLike
I travelled to Olympia WA, Port Charlotte FL, and Morgantown WV. Played disc golf on 5 awesome courses and I introduced my hosts to DG. I gave some discs to my friends and they are hooked! I will be lucky to have this much fun in 2013.
LikeLike
My most memorable moment of 2012 was watching the Women’s final nine at the PDGA World Championships and watching Sarah sink that putt live.
LikeLike
I got my first ace this June. Hole 13 at Camp Taloali near Sublimity, Oregon. A 196 foot straight narrow shot with my mako. I also got my 2nd and 3rd aces in September within a week of each other. This was a good year of disc golf for me.
LikeLike