Gigantic Bag Tag Melee!
- Saturday’s participants
Seventy-five disc golfers met at Kit Carson Park this last Saturday with one goal in mind: to leave the course that day with one of the coveted San Diego Aces black bag tags. The black color is reserved for tags 1 through 10 each year and competition is fierce for these tags. This year, our bag tag supplier (Little Flyer) had run out of the black mini discs used to make the tags when we ordered 2012 bag tags back in November, which meant that when the first 2012 tags were distributed back in December, the top ten tags were not included.
Which brings us to Saturday. With the ten black tags in hand, a bag tag melee was organized where players would surrender their current tags before going out to play one round, with the tags to be redistributed based on the results of that round. Interest was so high that thirty-five players signed up to be 2012 S.D. Aces just before the round. Many players showed up early to take part in a quick work party aimed at cleaning up trash from around the course. Twelve of those players received prizes from a work-party-only raffle, including Innova discs, hats, towels and shirts.
The prizes...
Saturday morning was especially windy for Kit Carson, and the scores reflected it. Even though some players are known to brag about shooting “double-digits-down” on a regular basis at KCP, the best score of the day was a 46 (8-under) carded by Pro Master player Mike Westerman. Mike took home the #1 tag by shooting one stroke better than Luke Christiansen and Stephen Heaps, whose 47′s got them tags #2 and #3. Justin Kirk and Chris Vilmorin earned tags #4 and #5 by shooting 48′s, and four players (Tom Vincent, Christian Cullen, Nick Newton and Pete Rudart) took tags #6 through #9 by tying at 49. Tag #10 went to Chris Armacost, who tied with four other players at 50, but had started the day with a lower tag and hence got to leave with the lowest tag in the group. Full results can be found here.
The winners!
These players’ names have been added to the top ten tag holder list on the Aces website and will remain there until new tag holders are reported. You can report top ten tag triumphs by sending an e-mail to rizbee@teamrizbee.com (he updates the website). It is quite possible that some of these tags have already changed hands, because several of these players immediately defended their tags at Sunday’s Goat Hill Monthly (Westerman, Vincent, Rudart and Armacost). That’s the spirit!
Black Tags are Here!
You know you want one...
The infamous black bagtags, those numbered 1 through 10, are now in the hands of the Aces’ Membership Director and will be distributed on Saturday (1/28/2012). The Aces will be holding a work party/bagtag melee at Kit Carson Park, with the work party beginning at 8am and the bagtag round starting at 9am. Members who participate in the work party will be entered into a special raffle for schwag items from Innova Disc Golf.
Before the melee round begins, players will surrender their current Aces bagtag and the number will be recorded. We will be signing up new members on Saturday before the round – more bagtags and discs have arrived! The top ten scores from Saturday’s round will receive the black tags, with the remaining tags being distributed based on scores. Ties will be broken according to the tag a player started with. Example: if players who started with #48 and #115 both score 50, the player who started with #48 will get the lower new tag.
Come out on Saturday for your shot at the black tags. Then you can defend it the next day at the Goat Hill monthly!
San Marcos + Ice Bowl = Fun!
photo courtesy of Lee Beecher
Sixty players filled the course on Saturday for the 5th Annual San Marcos Ice Bowl, and by all accounts the event was a great success. Most importantly, over $1,100 and 200 lbs of canned food were collected for the chosen charity, the North County Food Bank. It was a great field of players, consisting of experienced tournament PDGA pros, first-time players, loosey-goosey amateurs, recreating Marines, two father and two-son trios, a mother-daughter pair, a father-daughter pair and a husband-wife pair. Ample mulligan purchases and use led to some great scores, with Daniel Lichtman taking 1st place in the Men’s Open/Advanced division with a score of 75 for 36 holes, holding off challenges from Carl Renda (78), A.J. Risley (80), Travis Cutler (82) and Dennis Keane (83). Allison Wylot continued her domination of the Women’s Open/Advanced division, winning again with a 2-round total of 101.
Kevin Christie took home the icy trophy in Men’s Intermediate/Recreational, tying Corona’s Darrell Degner with a score of 80 for two rounds and then winning the darkness-infused CTP playoff. Steve Brueker (83), Kyle Becker (84), Brendon Tayag (84) and Chad Nichter (85) also posted great scores. In the Ladies’ Int./Rec. division, first-time tournament player Laura Elliott (124) outlasted Maxine Cook, and newcomer Dakota Sessler (132) won the Junior’s division.
There were side games, too. Carl Renda won a CTP playoff with Kevin Beath to take home the Hole-in-One basket. Carl had aced Hole #7 (sidearm) and Kevin aced Hole #8 (lefty backhand skip) in the first round. Andrew Mills won the long putt contest and its first place Ice Bowl hoodie, while Shannon Wylot won the Juniors long putt contest. Laura Elliott was the winner of Disc Golf Bingo and received a full-color Ice Bowl stamp Roc.
Because of the great numbers of mulligans used during play and the mysterious missing scorecard from round 1 that delayed the start of round 2, playoffs and awards were conducted in the dark. It was quite a sight to see – dozens of people huddled on the basketball court using flashlights and cell phones to read raffle ticket numbers, and everyone in good cheer. Over 30 raffle prizes were handed out, including Ice Bowl-stamped discs and t-shirts, several discs and shirts from SoCal Disc Golf Association, a variety of prizes (hats, t-shirts, towels) from Innova Disc Golf and two gift certificates from Goat Hill Golf Course.
With this win, Daniel takes a 1-point lead in the overall Golden Sombrero points race, one point ahead of Carl and two ahead of A.J. Many thanks to all of the players and to our sponsors and contributors: Innova Disc Golf, SoCal Disc Golf, San Diego Aces, City of San Marcos, Goat Hill Golf Course, Tina’s Deli. Full results available here.
Course Rep Positions Open
The San Diego Aces are in need of a few good disc golfers, to serve as Course Representatives for 2012. The retirement from the board of our previous Sun Valley and Goat Hill representatives has opened up the Course Rep spots for those courses. Also with Mark Verrochi (Kit Carson Park) becoming Membership Director and Allen Risley (Montiel Park, CSUSM and Sunset Park) becoming Secretary, those spots are open as well.
The roles of Course Reps vary a bit from course to course, depending on whether they are free-to-play parks or pay-to-play courses. Common responsibilities include meeting with park or course staff to discuss course issues, minor maintenance, keeping kiosks updated, running leagues or tournaments.
The Aces board will be meeting next Monday evening, January 9th at 6:00pm. The location for the meeting is at the offices of Schirmer Engineering in Rancho Bernardo:
11770 Bernardo Plaza Court
Suite 116
San Diego, CA 92128
There is a sign over the door that says “Schirmer Engineering”. You’re in the right place if you see cars with disc golf stickers on them parked outside. If you are interested in attending, please contact one of the current board members – our e-mail addresses are on the “Contact Us” page.
5th Annual San Marcos Ice Bowl Coming January 14th!
Have you ever played in an Ice Bowl Disc Golf Tournament? Tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of people have participated in Ice Bowl® events (www.icebowlhq.com) in the twenty-five years that they have been held across the U.S., raising millions of dollars for charity. The latest installment of our local Ice Bowl history will be held Saturday, January 14th at Montiel Park in San Marcos, the 5th Annual San Marcos Ice Bowl. This 2-round disc golf tournament is being held to raise funds and collect canned food for the North County Food Bank. For their $20 entry fee, players get a tournament-stamped disc (Innova Champion Darts, Rhynos or Glitter Gators), an Ice Bowl mini disc, 3 mulligans and a donation to the North County Food Bank.
This is the sixth Ice Bowl run by Tournament Director Allen Risley (5 in San Marcos, 1 in San Diego) and the fourth time the San Marcos event will be part of the Southern California Golden Sombrero Series of Ice Bowl tournaments. In the Golden Sombrero Series, players earn points at each event based on the number of players that they beat. Their top three point totals in the six Golden Sombrero events count towards the series championship – first prize is a portable Innova basket and a commemorative golden sombrero! San Diego County will hold two more Golden Sombrero events: Saturday, February 4th at Olive Glen Disc Golf Course @ Sycuan Golf Resort in El Cajon (T.D. – Mark Verrochi) and Sunday, Feb 26th at Mission Bay Golf Course (T.D. – Randy Wylot). Other Golden Sombrero events will be held in Redlands (Jan. 7), Los Angeles (Jan 21) and Beaumont (Feb 5).
Ice Bowl tournaments are fun for serious and non-serious disc golfers alike. It’s your chance to get that best-ever score, because mulligans are allowed! Each of the San Diego Ice Bowls will allow players to purchase mulligans (do-overs) for $1 each, with all proceeds going to the event charities. At the San Marcos and Sycuan Ice Bowls mulligans will also serve as raffle tickets. These events typically have a great raffle haul and interesting 1st place trophies. At San Marcos, players will also compete for a portable basket for a hole-in-one and there will be a long-putting contest during the between-rounds break. A catered lunch from Tina’s Deli will be available for $5 extra.
Online registration is available at DiscGolfU: http://www.discgolfunited.com/disc-golf-tournaments/tournament-dashboard.cfm/tourn_id/287
Or download the tournament flyer here. For more information contact Allen Risley at rizbee@teamrizbee.com or 760-798-2080.
New Course Coming to Brengle Terrace Park
An end of the year holiday gift was given to the disc golfing community recently as the Vista City Council approved a proposal to add a disc golf course to Brengle Terrace Park. The effort, spearheaded by Aces members Ryan Meyer, T.J. Cruz and Courtney McSherry was approved by the council on a 4-1 vote. Brengle Terrace Park is in north-central Vista, and is conveniently accessible to many Vista residents because of it’s location in the middle of town. Disc golf will become highly visible to Vista residents, as the course will be an added to a park that contains the city’s acclaimed Moonlight Amphitheater, the Vista Senior Center, Alta Vista Gardens and hosts the annual Scottish Highland Games and 4th of July fireworks. The park has a combination of open green space and dense jungles and much elevation (read: great for disc golf).
The San Diego Aces have agreed to install disc golf baskets and tee pads at Brengle Terrace that are property of the club – the Aces purchased these items when Emerald Isle Golf Course removed its disc golf course. The club will be soliciting donations and sponsorships to help defray some of the installation costs, and is looking to its members to supply the labor to put the baskets, tee signs and pads in place. The Aces Board of Directors is currently ironing out details of the agreement with the city of Vista. Once that process is completed work will begin on the course. Stay tuned for our call for volunteers!
See more about this in the story reported in the North County Times.
Board Election Results
Votes were cast online over the past week and voting was conducted in person this past weekend in conjunction with the North County/South County Challenge. The top five vote earners will meet after tonight’s Board meeting to select the Executive Board. Vote totals are as follows:
Jeff Nichols – 62 votes
Allen Risley – 62 votes
Donny Olow – 52 votes
Mark Verrochi – 45 votes
Randy Wylot – 44 votes
Dan Lichtman – 27 votes
John Heaton – 21 votes
T.J. Cruz – 20 votes
Brian Akerson – 11 votes
Courtney McSherry – 6 votes
Chad Nichter – 3 votes
Another Year, Another North vs. South Challenge
This weekend will see the fourth installment of the San Diego Aces’ North County vs. South County Challenge. The details of this event are kept secret each year from the disc golfing public, with the team captains (Dan Lichtman/South, A.J. Risley/North) holding all of the information until the last possible moment. Why? Not sure. Perhaps it’s because it’s extremely difficult to put together teams of San Diego disc golfers who will commit to being someplace for two whole days, without the threat of losing their entry fee and where there’s no prize money on the line. Perhaps it’s because it’s so difficult to get the OK to play the courses on a given weekend at a given time. Perhaps it’s because the team captains can’t figure out how to type an e-mail to announce the details. Perhaps it’s because there are fugitives from the law on the teams and the captains are trying to make it difficult for the police, sheriff or Dog the Bounty Hunter to find them. Well…whatever the reason, we think we finally have enough info available to announce what is happening this weekend. Here goes:
The competition consists of four rounds of match play disc golf, played over two days, two courses per day. According to sources close to one of the team captains (OK, it came from a team captain, so that’s pretty close), Saturdays rounds will be at Kit Carson Park (8 am start) and Goat Hill (1pm start). Sundays rounds will be at Sun Valley (8am start) and Morley Field (1pm start). Players are responsible for paying their own greens fees at Goat Hill, Sun Valley and Morley Field. There is no truth to the rumor that any of the courses will let the South team trade in their spiffy team shirts for greens fees. Singles matches will be played at Kit Carson on Saturday and Morley on Sunday, with doubles matches played at Goat Hill on Saturday and Sun Valley on Sunday.
Scoring? No details have been released on how the matches will be scored. Standard match play rules call for players to compete for the best score on each hole, with the winning player/team receiving one point. We’ve heard some people muttering about keeping score by totaling the number of holes won by each player…we’re not sure.
What’s at stake? Well, obviously bragging and trash-talking rights for the next year. There’s also a rumor about a trophy, but very few people have ever seen it if there is one. That’s because the South team has won every time so far and team captain Dan Lichtman keeps the trophy at home in his kitchen, using it to hold down the napkins he brings home from El Pollo Loco.
Along with the disc golf competition, two other events will be going on in conjunction with the Challenge. The 2012 S.D. Aces Board Election will be held this weekend. The online portion of the election has been going on since last Friday night. Members who have not voted online (we have a list) will be allowed to vote in person at each of the courses this weekend, while the voting is going on.
Also, this weekend will be your first chance to join or renew your membership for 2012 and be able to receive a 2012 bagtag and 2012 membership disc. Bagtags have arrived, and the first 50 members to sign up will be given a chance at the top 50 tags. The new discs will be picked up from the Innova factory on Friday and will be available this weekend.
This weekend’s rosters:
Board Election is Available Online
Invitations to vote in the 2012 board election for the San Diego Aces went out over the weekend. Members with a valid e-mail address in the membership database were sent e-mails containing a link to the online ballot. The e-mails were sent out from “San Diego Aces Disc Golf Association” and had the subject line: “2012 Board Election“. If you are a current member and did not receive an election e-mail, please send an e-mail to rizbee@teamrizbee.com to get this taken care of.
If you do not have an e-mail address or prefer to vote in person, a ballot box will be available this weekend at the courses being used for the North/South Challenge. On Saturday, matches will be held at Kit Carson Park in the morning (roughly 9am-11am) and Goat Hill in the afternoon (roughly 1pm-4pm). On Sunday, matches will be held at Sun Valley in the morning ((roughly 9am-11am) and Morley Field in the afternoon (roughly 1pm-4pm). Bios for most of the candidates are available here.
If you have further questions regarding the election, please contact Aces Vice President Randy Wylot, at wylot@sbcglobal.net.
