Poll 47: Buying discs in 2013

February 18, 2013 / P.J. / Leave a comment

For those of us in states where there is actually a true winter, the season is somewhat approaching.

For those of you with great weather all year, well, the “official” season seems to be coming upon us.

That’s right — disc golf season.

And with that will likely come many releases of discs from all sorts of companies, big and small. Some new plastic from Innova and Discraft, perhaps? Maybe a nice new rubber disc from Vibram? Or how about something from Latitude 64? Maybe you’re even salivating to see what this whole Prodigy thing is about?

Oh so many new discs will likely be coming at some point!

But we’ll get back to that when we talk this week’s poll.

First, let’s go back to last week’s poll and see some results.

We wanted to know how old you were when you first started this wonderful sport of disc golf. We received 227 votes for this poll and the results were close.

The winning age group was 21-30 years old, garnering 65 votes (29 percent). Right behind was 11-20 years old with 63 votes (28 percent). The group 31-40 years took third47 votes/21 percent).

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Finding go-to discs is never easy

January 23, 2013 / P.J. / Leave a comment

OK, it’s time to get a little personal.

What’s your go-to disc? What disc can you not live without? If you’re playing on a cold winter day and your favorite disc hits a tree and cracks into small pieces, which disc would leave you devastated over your loss? More importantly — what kind of discs are the go-to ones in your bag?

It all depends on who you ask. But, what’s more interesting is, why?

In the beginning I only knew of a limited number of places to go and purchase discs and, as a female golfer, I didn’t really know what to purchase. So I would try a wide variety and, eventually, the ones that qualified made it to my bag. Then I’d play another amateur tournament, do well, and bring home more plastic. The dilemma would return yet again. Do I make new friends with these discs, but keep the old? Mix them up? Or stash the new ones in my back up bag?

It seems like the brand that made it to my bag first and most often (because of accessibility) was Innova with a peppering of Discraft. I do wish, however, that with all of the friends I made when I first started playing, that one of them would have spoken up about the plastic I was throwing. That’s not to say I couldn’t figure out for myself that, as a new player with slower arm speed and less snap, I shouldn’t be throwing an Orc.

It would have saved me not only from the aggravation of trying to get the disc to fly straight but it also would have saved me from forming bad habits. Such as forcing the disc into an anhyzer in order to compensate for less snap and finally make it land ahead of me on the fairway, instead of it quickly crashing down left into the woods.

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Poll 43: Your favorite type of disc

January 21, 2013 / P.J. / Leave a comment

We’ve talked about discs before, but it’s time to find out what your favorite type of disc is to throw.

And by type, we don’t mean plastic, rather the range.

Before we get into that, however, we want to visit last week’s poll and see what some people had to say.

Last week, we asked a simple yes or no question — should there be dress codes at tournaments?

It seemed like this would definitely invoke some thoughts and opinions as it seems like something that is sometimes talked about at tournaments among different levels of players.

Of the 145 people who cast a vote, 62 percent (90 votes) said yes, there should be a dress code. The no vote had 55 votes (38 percent).

Some noted they voted yes because they see something small being helpful, others thought there should be some bigger parts to the rule.

Let’s see what others said.

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Ice Bowls a great way to experience tournament play on a lighter level

January 18, 2013 / P.J. / Leave a comment

As clouds dotted the sky and a light breeze chilled the air on a 55-degree day in San Marcos, California, I couldn’t help but think one thing:

Not bad for an Ice Bowl.

Such is the luxury that comes with Southern California living, an “Ice Bowl” in which a mild threat of rain showers makes players look skyward every few holes, then get back to business.

But, more than the weather, what I took from the 6th Annual San Marcos Ice Bowl, held January 6 at Montiel Park, was that the aforementioned business was actually quite casual, especially for what is dubbed a tournament.

Sure, there was a player meeting and scorecards were passed out. There were backups on tees and people wanting it to be quiet during a putt.

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Rattling Chains named top disc golf blog

January 16, 2013 / P.J. / 8 Comments

Thank you.

There’s not much more else I can say.

Late Monday night, we were informed that Rattling Chains was named the top disc golf blog by DiscGolfStation.com. In the growing age of digital media and blogging, this is quite an honor.

We were contacted by Disc Golf Station a week ago, letting us know we were being considered. I answered the two questions I was asked and sent things back.

Then we got the news.

I’m obviously stoked — for the site, for those who contribute, but most of all for those who have supported us for the past 10 months. The fan base this site has built might not be as large as some other disc golf sites, but we have a loyal and vocal group who will tell it like it is.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

These fans will tell us when we’ve done well, tell us when we’ve messed up, when we’ve misspelled something or when we got something right. And I like that. They send us ideas and thoughts and it helps us grow as a site.

Clint Henderson, of Disc Golf Station, said they sent e-mails to about 20 disc golf blogs, and considered many others in the initial process. It’s nice to know how we stacked up against so many other blogs.

When I started Rattling Chains in 2012, the goal was simple: create a disc golf blog that covers the sport like no other place — with journalistic integrity, entertaining and original content, and consistency. Add all that together, and our hope was to help grow the sport through the written word as we dive into stories others aren’t telling.

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Poll 42: Dress codes

January 14, 2013 / P.J. / 11 Comments

Oh disc golfers — with our interesting choice of clothing and such.

I am sure most of us have seen some outlandish and interesting choices of clothes people wear playing this fine sport. Whether loud and crazy tee shirts to basketball shorts or whatever else, it can be quite the mix.

You’ll even see these sort of things at tournaments.

Is this an acceptable sort of thing as the sport continues to grow and moves forward?

We’ll get to the question and thoughts down below. But let’s first look at last week’s poll and comments.

We wanted to know last week if it mattered to you if so many professionals jumped to Prodigy.

The overwhelming response was no, which garnered 114 of 176 votes for a whopping 65 percent. Of the voters, 62 (35 percent) said yes.

That seems to speak volumes. Let’s see what some people said in the comments.

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Gauging the true cost of disc golf

January 8, 2013 / P.J. / Leave a comment

By Tim Engstrom — Special to Rattling Chains

All players of disc golf are somewhat ambassadors for the sport, me included.

We are quick to say how inexpensive the sport is when we list the reasons it is a wonderful game. And it’s true — it is an inexpensive sport. But let’s face it, costs can add up.

It starts off at a cheap price. You buy a $9 low-grade disc and go throw it at a park with no pay-to-play fee. Soon, you realize you want more discs. So, you buy a putter, a driver and a mid-range.

Fourth-graders at St. Theodore Catholic School (Minn.) hold up putters in March 2012 when local disc golfers taught disc golf to a physical education class. When starting out, people likely only need one disc, which helps with the inexpensiveness of the game. (photo by Dave Sime)

Then, as you get better, you realize you need more discs for various shots. You buy an understable disc to throw anhyzers, and an overstable mid-range to bend around corners. Perhaps you try a different putter or maybe you want to get that more expensive plastic like your buddy now has.

Oh, and you just have to replace that disc you lost. Soon, you’ll need a shoulder bag to tote all these discs.

Despite the investment, it’s still a cheap sport. The course is free. The collective investment in plastic saucers cost less than equipment for most sports, short of soccer and basketball.

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Poll 41: Prodigy Disc Golf

January 7, 2013 / P.J. / Leave a comment

As many of you know, we don’t do a lot of coverage when it comes to the professional tour.

There’s a reason for that, too. By looking at the numbers over the course of the year, the page views are noticeably higher when we’re not talking about the professional tour. This year, however, we are planning to do a bit more — such as previews and wraps of major tournaments. After all, if we’re going to continue to grow, we need to cover all angles.

Still, the reality is professional disc golfers — especially touring professionals — do not make up the majority of the disc golf population. In feedback we’ve received, people enjoy the in-depth stories, first-person accounts and instructional stuff. We like to be goofy at times and serious when we need to.

Alas, this whole Prodigy Disc Golf things is being talked about in the world of disc golf. So we’re curious what you all thing.

Before you vote, make sure you read what we mean by the way this question is being phrased. More on that below.

First, let’s check back on last week’s poll, when we asked you about your goals for the upcoming year.

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Poll 40: Looking to 2013

December 31, 2012 / P.J. / Leave a comment

Happy New Year’s, everybody!

Before we begin here, I hope everybody had a wonderful Christmas (or whatever holiday you may celebrate!) and I hope you all prosper in the New Year. Be safe out there tonight!

We’re back from our break starting today. And, if you’ll remember from the one post, we’re going to be a little more laid-back for the new year. That means though we’ll strive to keep our Monday to Friday schedule, we might miss a day here and there because we want to make sure Rattling Chains continues and is sustainable.

Hopefully, in the long run, it will make us better. My goal for 2013 is to make this blog even better than our first year.

How about you guys?

What will 2013 bring? We’ll get to that more in a second. First, let’s see what some readers said about 2013. Our last poll asked what you best disc golf memory of 2012 was. We only got 113 votes for this poll, but of those, the winning selection was “other” with 27 votes (24 percent).

Second place went to playing in your first tournament with 20 votes (18 percent), followed by improving certain aspects of your game (17 votes/15 percent), reaching a big goal (16 votes/14 percent), a new course or two you played (15 votes/13 percent), winning a tournament (10 votes/9 percent) and learning how to do something new (8 votes/7 percent).

It seems like it was quite varied when it came to people’s thoughts about 2012, so let’s see what some readers had to say.

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Wishing everybody a merry Christmas and a great holiday season

December 25, 2012 / P.J. / Leave a comment

As many of you already know, the staff of Rattling Chains is taking this week off to enjoy the season with family and friends.

And maybe even hucking a disc or two.

Therefore, there will be no true new content this week.

We’d also like to take the time to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to visit the site as often as you do. As much as we love the game, we truly do enjoy bring original and quality content to you each and every day.

With that being said, we’d like to wish everybody who celebrates a Merry Christmas and to everyone, a wonderful holiday season.

Please check back sometime Wednesday, however, as we’ll be having a massive giveaway in celebration of the holiday season. There are several prizes to win — and a few different ways to win them.

Thanks again and we’ll be back next week!

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!