Poll 18: How hot is too hot?

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Will the heatwave stop?

Or do you even care?

I realize we did a weather poll not too long ago, but I’ve seen many “excessive” heat warnings for the upcoming week and one of the other writers here offered that kind of poll. So I’m going to go with it.

But first, let’s check in on the poll from two weeks ago and get things wrapped up there.

We wanted to know if you had ever called somebody out for a rule or courtesy violation and the results were extremely close.

Of the 79 voters, 52 percent of you (41 votes) said you hadn’t. The other 38 (48 percent) said you had.

That’s quite close. So, let’s check a few of the responses to try and get a better picture of things.

Justin Allen says:

I think the area I play in, is the only little piece of the world where the rules to disc golf are not enforced or even recognized. Our weekly tournaments are a big jumble of people just randomly throwing plastic at chains regardless of who is furthest out, people throwing from adjusted lies, or just not paying attention to other players. I find it very annoying and try to keep whoever is in my group in line. This has earned me the title of disc golf hall monitor among my peers. I am awaiting my striped referee jersey and whistle.

That would blow my mind.

I am, by no means, a rules-crazed person, but that would drive me up a wall. If people are so blatant in destroying the rules, I’m not sure I could play in that league. There, eventually, becomes a safety factor, too. If people are just firing off discs whenever and wherever they want, somebody could get railed with a disc.

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Using a falling putt can help lower scores

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By Jack Trageser — RattlingChains.com Staff

Disc golfers familiar with the rules of the sport recognize the term “falling putt” as an infraction that occurs when the disc is within 10 meters of the target.

The rules (see 803.04 C) clearly state that a player – when inside this putting circle, must demonstrate full balance after releasing the disc before advancing to retrieve his or her disc. This is to ensure players cannot gain an advantage by shortening the distance their disc has to travel.

If this rule were not in place, putting would turn into a Frisbee-long jump hybrid, with players taking 10 paces backward to get a running start before leaping toward the target. I can easily imagine some nasty accidents as well, with “slam dunk” attempts going horribly awry.

Luckily the 10-meter rule prevents gruesome player/basket collisions, while at the same time preserving the purity of the flying disc aspect of disc golf putting.

Of course, when this rule is broken, it is usually much more subtle than that. The player inadvertently leans into the shot and is unable to avoid stepping or stumbling forward. Hence the term “falling” putt. But outside 10 meters no such rule applies, and using your entire body to gain added momentum can be a great strategy. If — and only if — it is done correctly. Plus, even outside of the 10 meter putting circle, it must be done legally.

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State of the Chains Address

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I feel that with how slow things have been here recently, I owe our readers a bit of an explanation — hence the State of the Chains Address.

First, my apologies for no poll this week. I am skipping it this week and it will return this upcoming Monday. I’m low on ideas for polls and have received a few ideas, so I need to get them all ready to go.

As for how things have been…

One thing about this site — and the writers — is we came out of the gates without any pace. By that I mean we had many ideas and stories and we just kept putting them out day after day. We tried a few things and when they didn’t work too well, we scaled it back or replaced it. Things were good.

For those of you who write, you might see where this is going.

It’s one thing to blog, it’s another when it’s a niche topic. I have a personal blog on top of Rattling Chains. At times, it’s much easier for me to whip out stories there because it covers a variety of topics. Here, it’s disc golf.

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Knowing your game can help you win the battle with trees

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Trees, trees, everywhere trees. (photo by Andre Fredrick)

by Andre Fredrick — RattlingChains.com staff

Let’s talk about trees, folks.

My life as a disc golfer began its incubation in the Midwest, in the lovely state of Minnesota. While trees certainly came into play there, it wasn’t until I started throwing in Oregon that I realized just how much a threat they pose to my scorecard.

Trees are everywhere out here, from narrow saplings to massive pines. Big or small, a well-placed tree can quickly devastate your score, knocking your drive down to a measly 50-feet, or sending an approach shot into the rough.

Granted, there are times that I thank the heavens for trees, be it because of a helpful kick or stopping an errant shot from going as wide as it may have.

Do you have a problem? (photo by Andre Fredrick)

Ultimately, however, this is just pure luck and luck is never something one should count on to save par and keep their score low.

It could be argued that hitting trees to the detriment of one’s score is just as much a matter of chance as getting that lucky deflection, but I disagree.

There are a number of ways in which you can handle throwing on a wooded course, and you have a great deal more control over the outcome than you might imagine. While I haven’t mastered throwing in their midst entirely, over my years of hucking plastic in Oregon, there are a number of lessons I have learned that have made them less of a factor to my game. Here are a few:

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Lost discs can at least make for good stories

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I will first admit that I am not as regular of a disc golfer as I would like to be. That’s the crappy part about not having a good course within 1:20 of you.

Still, I’ve traveled around and played several good and tough courses.

Through all of that, I’ve never (knock on wood) lost a disc.

There have been times I should have lost a disc and somehow found it. I’ve actually almost given up on looking for it before I stumbled across it and found it.

I’m sure, at some point, I’ll join the group of people who have lost discs. I’ll just hope it’s not one of my favorites!

A couple of weeks ago, during our weekly poll, we asked people about their best lost disc stories. And with that, we’re going to give a disc out to the best story as decided by members of our staff.

Before we get to the winner, I’d like to share a few other stories as there were some good ones for sure.

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Poll 17: Calling people out in a tournament

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This is one of those questions I’ve wanted to see answered for a long time.

I’ve heard some incredible stories about these things, too. Tournaments can be pretty intense, especially when players are quoting rule books.

We’ll get to that in a moment, though.

First, let’s take a peek back at last week’s poll results and comments.

We wanted to know if you were a fair-weather golfer or if you played in pretty much any sort of weather that Mother Nature threw at you.

The results didn’t fully shock me, considering it seems to match up with many disc golfers I know.

I might only like certain weather situations, but many others seem to see it differently!

A total of 72 players voted in this week’s poll and of that group, 50 percent (36 votes) chose that they play in any weather.

That was followed by “A drizzle is fine, but not a rainstorm,” which drew 25 percent (18 votes) and was followed by “That’s what they make umbrellas and rain gear for!” (10  percent/7 votes).

“Sunshine only for me” was fourth with four votes (6 percent) and “Cold or heat is fine, but nothing else” rounded out the top-5 with three votes (4 percent).

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Disc golf becomes a life-changer

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(Editor’s note: RattlingChains.com welcomes Andre Frederick to the writing crew here. Andre lives in the Pacific Northwest and will provide some interesting commentary about disc golf from his eyes. Welcome Andre to the staff of Rattling Chains!)

By Andre Fredrick — RattlingChains.com Staff

I’ve never been the athletic sort.

My youth saw me as an awkward, chunky lad with limited athletic ability. I tried tennis lessons, and, I even took up junior varsity football, but no sport could maintain my interest. I wasn’t terribly competitive and didn’t find myself motivated to compete against others.

Toward the end of my high school days, I discovered disc golf.

Some friends and I would visit the Burke Lake course in Virginia occasionally on weekends to play a casual round, using old Lightning discs that a few friends had collected.

While I had fun, I didn’t realize then what the game held for me. I honestly kind of dismissed it.

After high school, I moved to Iowa to pursue a college education, and even through those years, I hadn’t thought about disc golf. After graduating, I moved to the Twin Cities to room with a college friend, Matt, and enter the workforce.

These years would re-introduce me to the game that has since changed my life.

Lamenting our lots in the rat race, Matt and I began to play disc golf. We often called in sick to get out and play. It quickly proved to be one of the few activities that would get me outdoors. Matt and I would talk about our woes, share our plans for the future and forget the drudgery of adulthood, all while chasing plastic discs around Kaposia Park.

Parenthood and marriage soon changed many things in my life.

Once more, I forgot about the game of disc golf as I grappled with fatherhood and being a husband. Those weekend jaunts to Kaposia quickly faded into little more than memories.

In the course of my seven-year marriage, I went from being 240 pounds to a whopping 360. I was depressed with my weight and struggled with the pressures of being a parent and partner. In an attempt to salvage things, my then wife and I moved to Portland, Oregon, hoping a change in scenery would improve the state of our union.

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Photography and disc golf: Look beyond the throw

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I was laying on the ground as a friend tossed discs into the basket. I was mesmerized by the brilliant blue background of the sky and just wanted to capture the disc as it started to rattle the chains.

(Editor’s note: This is the second in a series about disc golf photography. The rest of the series will continue in the coming weeks.)

By P.J. Harmer — RattlingChains.com Staff

Disc golf is a fantastic sport to photograph. I’m pretty sure I’ve said that before.

Expressions, action, the discs in flight — but it goes so much more beyond that. See, disc golf can be an artistic thing as well.

The silhouette of a basket with a sunset as the background never gets old.

Though the action shot is the ultimate, there’s a lot people can do with point-and-shoot cameras, a camera phone or whatever else to get a great image.

The big point is this, though — not all disc golf shots need to be action or with people in them. The beauty of this game is that baskets, discs and whatever else lend itself to having phenomenal shots.

And you don’t need a high-priced fancy camera (though if you have one, excellent!)

Think of the possibilities out there for images — cool-looking baskets; baskets with nice backdrops; the disc going into the basket (without a person present); discs in crazy landing spots; disc golf bags full of colorful discs. The list can go on and on.

Now, I wouldn’t suggest you try and do all this during a tournament, of course. But during a casual round? Take a peek around.

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Poll 16: Are you fair weather?

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I have to admit this — I’m a bit of a fair-weather disc golfer.

This might be coupled with the fact that there’s not a decent course for a good 1:20 drive from me, but still.

I look ahead as far as I can when it comes to tournaments. Is it supposed to rain? Be too hot? It makes me consider if I want to play or not. Especially taking into consideration the terrain of the course.

But we’ll get to that in a second…

First, let’s take a peek at last week’s poll and see what we have.

Of the 72 voters who took part in the poll, 29 percent (21 votes) said they had lost 11 or more discs!

Eleven or more!

Knock on wood, but I’m lucky to know I’ve lost none. Of course, I also search for as long as possible to find my discs, but still. And, I’m sure, I’ll eventually lose a disc or two. It happens.

The next spot went to 5-6 discs, which garnered 22 percent (16 votes). Next was 3-4 discs (21 percent/15 votes), followed by 1-2 (13 percent/9 votes) and none (6 percent/4 votes).

To think people have lost so many discs!

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Company Closeup: Zing Mini Flyers

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By P.J. Harmer — RattlingChains.com Staff

What started out as a way to make a few extra bucks after getting laid off from his job has turned into something a bit bigger for Craig Myers.

Myers is the owner and sole employee of Zing Mini Flyers, a company that has designed and created three different mini discs. These discs, which often are used by some as marker discs, are also used when playing mini disc golf.

A finished Zing mini Snipe.

But how would one get into something like this?

Myers said the company started as a need for extra income when he was laid off from an engineering plastics job in 2008. He took the severance package offered and invested into something he enjoyed — disc golf.

Since then, he’s been employed and laid off another time — he notes that engineers are often disposable — but the mini discs have always been a steady income supplement.

He said his experience goes back a ways in making mini discs as he owned another mini disc company, which he sold to a disc distributor located in Minnesota in the 1990s.

But why minis?

The 1956 hot stamp machine Myers uses. It’s an antique, but Myers says it runs great for minis.

“I love the sport of disc golf, and being a career plastics person, I felt the need to make something for the sport,” Myers said. “I like to produce mini discs. Everything about them is small. From the expense of designing and cutting the injection mold, the costs are much lower than larger discs.”

The lower costs can also be attributed to less plastic and smaller machined. Myers said it’s everything the bigger companies have, but on a smaller level. There’s no big warehouses to store them — just make them and ship them.

“Plus, I have a huge allegiance to the large disc manufacturers,” he said. “I just don’t want to compete with them. I’ll just stay happy in my mini world.”

With that in mind, Myers said he has no intentions of ever competing with larger discs or going into making his own large discs.

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