And then there were 18!
After a delay of three months, the final three holes of the Cal State San Marcos Disc Golf Course went into the ground on Friday. Holes 4, 5 and 6 had been delayed while the campus completed a field grading project in preparation for adding a baseball field. It is still possible that one or more of these holes will be temporarily closed in the future when more work is done on the baseball field, but for now all 18 holes are ready to go. When asked about the completion of the course, Hugo Lecomte, CSUSM Director of Campus Recreation had this to say:
This project has been a collaborative effort between many CSUSM departments, local businesses and private donors. We’re glad to announce that with the installation of holes 4, 5 and 6 that the CSUSM Disc Golf Course is completed with 18 holes and is fully playable. I want to extend special thanks to the University Facilities department for their hard and speedy work installing the course, to Monica Watkins for all of her fundraising and organizational efforts, and to Innova Disc Golf and the San Diego Aces for their generous financial contributions.
With the addition of these final holes, the CSUSM course now has 8 (mostly longer) holes on the lower athletic field area, 8 (mostly shorter) holes that wind through the upper campus buildings and 2 final holes on the undeveloped east end of campus. Paid parking is available on campus in the newly opened parking structure, or there is limited free parking available on side streets off of Barham Dr. The best times to play the course are on weekdays after 2pm (after most classes end) and all day on the weekends. Some holes may be closed temporarily from time to time for special events on campus – these closures will usually be noted at the first tee. As the signature sponsor of the course, the San Diego Aces ask players to be respectful of the campus environment by packing out all trash, giving pedestrians the right of way (don’t just yell “fore!” – no one knows what that means) and following campus rules, including the ban on smoking and alcoholic beverages. We would like this cooperative relationship with Cal State San Marcos to continue for a long, long time.
Also, be on the lookout for upcoming tournament action at CSUSM. The 1st annual First Gentleman’s Disc Golf Open, a PDGA sanctioned event, will be held on the last weekend of October, and the North County Doubles Championship will include an 18 hole final round at CSUSM, sometime this Fall.
2010 Ace Race is Coming Soon!
The fall is approaching, which means one thing – It’s Ace Race time!!!
Every year, beginning in 2003, Discraft has held a nationwide – now worldwide – event called the Ace Race. What’s an Ace Race? It’s part-tournament, part-disc testing and part schwag-fest, that’s what! Players pay a $25 entry fee to participate and receive all this: 2 brand-new prototype discs, a Discraft hat, a full-color mini-UltraStar and a metal Ace Race bagtag – all of which is a $67 value. The competition is 36 holes, tee shots only. For scorekeeping, players only count the number of aces (holes-in-one) they hit or when they hit metal from the tee 
(used as a tie-breaker). Don’t worry if you can’t throw super-far – we shorten a lot of the holes to encourage more aces and level the playing field a bit. The tournament winner is the person with the most aces (and/or metal hits), and they receive a new golf bag full of Discraft discs.
Each year Discraft comes out with a new prototype disc in conjunction with the Ace Race. Last year’s Ace Race disc ended up being released as the Focus putter and previous years’ discs included the Breeze, Glide Slipstream and Meteor. This year’s yet-to-be-named disc has just been released, and it’s an over-stable mid-range. Here’s what the Discraft web site has to say about the new disc:
Players have been asking for something more overstable, and in our 8th year we finally decided to give in. Here you go, sports fans! The 2010 Ace Race prototype is a fast, overstable midrange. It has good speed for a mid, longer glide than you’ll expect, and a medium strong finish. When you turn it over it will always come back unless you really torque it. Will hold a line in a moderate to strong headwind. We are looking forward to hearing the chains you ring with it!
This year’s local Ace Race will be held on Sunday, September 12th at Montiel Park in San Marcos and is sponsored by the San Diego Aces. Allen Risley and his Team Rizbee staff have held two prior Ace Races at Montiel Park as fundraisers for the Aces and this year is no different. Check-in will begin at 9:30am, with play beginning at 10am. The Ace Race is about the most-relaxed tournament you’ll ever play in – there are no tee times and no assigned groups, so you can play your 36 holes whenever you want with whomever you want. Just make sure that you finish 36 holes by 3:45pm, in time for awards. Along with the regular Ace Race, there will be other activities going on, including the mini-Ace Race, Can-Jam and possibly Dodge-Bee. The Aces will be holding a barbeque (Costco hotdogs, burgers), with donations accepted. And sunlight permitting, there will be a bagtag melee afterwards.
Pre-registration is strongly recommended – if you don’t pre-register, don’t expect to be able to play. Player packs have to be ordered up to 2 weeks in advance, so signing up early is important. Like past years, there may be an extra 5 to 10 player packs ordered, but don’t expect those to last very long on Ace Race day, if they even make it to then. So how do you sign up? Here’s how:
- Click on this link and print out the registration form, fill out the form and mail it (with $25) to the address provided.
- Print out the form, fill it out and give it to TD Allen Risley in person. He can be found every Monday at 5:15pm at Montiel Park where he runs the weekly doubles league, or Saturday mornings at 9:00am at Kit Carson Park for the Kit Carson doubles league. If you can’t make those times, call 760-798-2080 or e-mail rizbee@teamrizbee.com to make other arrangements. We cannot be held responsible for entry forms given to third parties.
- You can sign up via PayPal. Go to the PayPal web site and send a $25 payment to ajrisley@yahoo.com. Include your name, phone number and e-mail address in the comment section of the payment.
- As entries are received they will be logged in to the player roster, which can be found on discgolfscene.com at http://www.discgolfscene.com/tournaments/3rd_Annual_Montiel_Park_Ace_Race_2010/registration
The Ace Race is a lot of fun and a great way to get a few new discs. If you have any questions about the Ace Race, contact Tournament Director Allen Risley at 760-798-2080 or e-mail rizbee@teamrizbee.com. Sign up now and join the fun!
Your Name Must be Tom…
…if you want to win a North County disc golf ace pot. Or so it seemed last week.
The ace pots for the two doubles leagues running at North County courses had been growing, but now they’re both back down to $0. The pot for Monday Doubles @ Montiel Park was up to $184 (it took a while to count all the quarters…) until Tommy Vincent threw what would be his last shot of the round last Monday (July 19th). Tommy’s tee shot on Hole #1-long went dead in the chains, ending the dreams of the rest of the players in attendance. If you were at the Morley Spring Fling PDGA tournament earlier this year you may remember that Tommy also had an ace there and that that ace was also on his last hole of competition. What are the odds? After confirming that there were no more aces, Tommy received the ace pot cash, sharing a chunk of it with his doubles partner, Rene Lopez.
The second ace pot win of the week, scored by the second Tom of the week occurred Saturday morning at the Kit Carson Park DGC 9am doubles league. Thomas Sopata is a new disc golfer, having just picked up the game through participating in Mark Verrochi’s Tuesday night clinics held at Kit Carson Park. The KCP ace pot has grown a little slower than the Montiel pot, but had just crossed over into triple digits on Saturday. Thomas was able to claim his $100 prize by acing Hole #12 at Kit Carson, which would be a completely blind ace. Maybe someone who was in the group can comment on whether it could be heard through the bushes, or whether it was a complete surprise revealed when the group approached the basket. Interestingly enough, Thomas’ partner on Saturday was his former instructor, Mark, who gladly accepted half of the pot.
So…who’s next? Any more Toms out there?
Bag Tag Questions?
One of the more popular reasons to join the San Diego Aces is to get involved in bag tag challenges. Having a low bag tag number is definitely a bragging right – everyone is on the lookout for those black tags with the low numbers! Players are obviously interested in bag tag challenges, as evidenced by the fact that the “Bag Tag Rules” page is one of the most accessed pages on this web site (even more than the Randy Wylot board member bio page!!).
We hope that the rules page answers all of your bag tag-related questions. But if it doesn’t, here’s your chance! If you have a burning bag tag question, submit it as a comment to this page. We’ll do our best to answer your question. Thanks!!
The “Pin of Death” is Calling…
Are you ready for the SVO? What’s the SVO you ask? Well, it’s only one of the best disc golf tournaments run each year in San Diego County, possibly all of SoCal, and it’s gained that reputation in just a few short years. Sun Valley Open Tournament Director David Parnell has built a reputation for delivering a tournament that does many things right: strong Pro and Amateur fields, a challenging 18-hole layout, generous payouts, efficient scheduling and a fun, friendly atmosphere.
David, along with past co-TD Richard Hockaday, developed a wonderful relationship with the management of the 9-hole Sun Valley ball golf course, securing an open weekend each year where disc golf could take over the executive-length ball golf course. The usual wide-open Sun Valley layout grows some teeth, however, for the SVO, as Parnell and Company carve 18 holes out of the property. The tournament course mixes long boomers with some tight, technical shots, making ample use of Sun Valley’s hills and valleys. The course has more than its share of tight pin positions, from the steep drop-off behind hole #18 to the notorious “Pin of Death” on hole #6, where unlucky drives can easily roll downhill into a golf bunker, and a penalty stroke (or three…).
Unique to the SVO and returning this year is $1,000 Final 5 Safari Skins, sponsored by Pyramid Brewing. This exciting end to the weekend pairs the players with the four hottest rounds of the weekend with four raffle winners to play a five hole skins game in front of a raging, maniacal gallery. If the two previous incarnations of this contest are any indication, it’s something you don’t want to miss.
The Sun Valley Open will be held on the weekend of August 28-29, 2010 at the Sun Valley Golf Course in La Mesa, CA. It is a PDGA-sanctioned B-Tier tournament, with a wide range of Pro and Amateur divisions and a field of 144 players. On-line signups are available at http://www.pdga.com/event?TournID=10612 or visit Tournament Central on the web at http://www.discgolfersr.us/events/2010-sun-valley-open. You can also find the SVO on Facebook, if that’s your thing. Questions? Call TD David Parnell at (619) 675-6477 or Co-TD Carl Renda at (619) 861-2945.
Or…download the entry form here.
We are almost ready to install the first few rubber tee pads! We are currently working on purchasing materials and should be announcing a work party shortly. If you know of anyone or any company that would like to sponsor a hole, we could really use your help! Tee sign sponsorships are available for $600 so grab your friends and get your names on a tee sign! Please contact Ryan Meyer for more information at kitcarsonparkdgc@gmail.com.
The course is currently set-up with 17 holes, but we are working on alternate hole locations throughout the park. Please DO NOT experiment with new holes on park property. The neighbors have been writing letters to stop new holes from being installed due to some recent disc golfer activity in these areas of the park. We MUST go through the process with the City in order to assure our designs take all pertinent issues into account. If you would be interested in serving on one of our Design Committees for KCP, please contact Ryan.
Last week, Ryan Meyer presented the Escondido Rotary Club with the “Disc of Champions” that was signed by our 1st place finishers at our Grand Opening Tournament in May. The Rotary Club president, Dan Sunquist, was appreciative of the plaque and expressed his continued support for Disc Golf in Escondido.
We are planning to host an Aces BBQ at KCP in August. Stay tuned for details!
Don’t forget to join us on Facebook! Search: “The Escondido Rotary Club Disc Golf Course at Kit Carson Park”.
-by Ryan Meyer
What’s Shakin’ in San Diego Disc Golf?
Last night’s magnitude 5.7 earthquake came just as the board members of the San Diego Aces Disc Golf Club were finishing up their monthly meeting. While it wasn’t an earth-shaking meeting, there are a few highlights that should be of interest to local disc golfers.
Course Updates:
Morley Field – San Diego’s oldest and most popular disc golf course continues to be ground-zero for disc golf action. The Pro Shop, run by Snapper Pierson, has the best selection of discs you will find in our area, and most of our top players are sure to pass through the property each week. Aces bag tag #1 has recently been in the hands of the Nichols family, with Aces President Jeff, Alex and Max each defending the tag at Morley in recent days. Don’t miss the next Morley Monthly, coming up on Saturday, June 19th.
Sun Valley – The 9-hole course in La Mesa will be the site of the next PDGA-sanctioned tournament in San Diego County, the 4th Annual Sun Valley Open, on August 28-29, 2010. The SVO has turned into a must-play for local tournament golfers, with Tournament Director David Parnell pulling out all the stops to make it a great event. Each year, Dave converts Sun Valley’s 9 ball-golf holes into 18 challenging disc golf holes, making great use of the course’s rolling hills, ball golf greens and bunkers, and its signature palm trees. Be sure to watch out for the aptly named “Pin of Death”… it can definitely kill your score. The SVO has a Facebook presence this year, so in between Mafia Wars and Farmtown visits, check it out.
Montiel Park – San Marcos’ 9-hole circuit is still busy, hosting it’s regular Monday Night Doubles league at 5:15pm each week. Players had been complaining about the high weeds on the course making it difficult to find discs, but that has been addressed. The S.D. Aces (who have a contract with the City of San Marcos to oversee Montiel’s disc golf course) were able to get the City of San Marcos to cut down most of the weeds on the lower portion of the course, in the name of fire safety. While the City will not cut down the weeds for cosmetic or ease-of-play issues, they will bring out the mowers if the weeds become a fire hazard. Next event on tap for Montiel: The 3rd Annual Montiel Ace Race, scheduled for Sunday, September 12th, with proceeds going to the San Diego Aces Course Development Fund.
Escondido Rotary Club DGC @ Kit Carson Park – San Diego County’s newest course is getting lots of play, and great reviews from the players. The Grand Opening tournament was a huge success, raising over $500 to go towards new rubber tee pads for the course by raffling off a DGA Mach-3 basket. The course is still in need of sponsors for some of its holes, so if you’re interested contact Aces Course Representative Ryan Meyer. The Aces are currently sponsoring two weekly events: Saturday Morning Doubles, at 9am ($5 buy-in, random A/B pools) and a Disc Golf Clinic held every Tuesday at 6pm. Both events meet at the practice baskets.
Kit Carson is experiencing a few growing pains. Hole 14 has recently been removed and Holes 9, 10 and 13 are being redesigned as a result of two park users being hit by discs. Also, the park’s rangers have reported having significant problems with illegal behavior by disc golfers in the park – drinking alcohol, smoking and having dogs off-leash are against park rules. The Aces board has been working closely with park officials to resolve these issues and reminds all disc golfers that breaking these park rules is about the same as saying to the Parks Department “please remove this disc golf course.” Please help us keep our new courses by following the park rules.
Cal State San Marcos DGC – Summertime is the best time for disc golfers at Cal State San Marcos! Since the summer semester has very few classes, campus is pretty near empty. That means the course is wide open for play most of the time, although the best time to play at CSUSM is still after 2pm on weekdays and any time on weekends. Holes 4, 5 and 6 have still not been installed, but just today the construction crew got back to work on the field grading project, so we may be able to install those holes soon. The university recently opened its first parking structure ($5 for 3 hours), which is now the closest parking for the disc golf course. In the works: A tournament at CSUSM is scheduled for October 30th, 2010. Dubbed “The First Gentleman’s Classic” this tournament will be a fundraiser for Ace Scholars, an organization that helps foster youth fund their college education. The tournament will be hosted by Jim Mickelson (no relation to the lefty ball golfer), husband of CSUSM President Karen Haynes.
Sunset Park – Our little hidden 6-hole course is there for you if you need practice with approach shots. This course was designed to be a place for beginners and kids to learn how to play the game of disc golf, and it seems to fit that role well. The Aces Course Representative has been working with the City to move the locations of baskets 4 and 5, which were not placed in the designed location and are thus too close to O.B and the park’s signature snake head play structure. Sunset Park may someday be the host of a PDGA-sanctioned Superclass tournament – a tournament format where all players are required to use larger, blunt-nosed discs (think Ultimate disc or beach Frisbee).
Along with these course updates, the board discussed many of the usual topics: new course development, recruiting new members, improving communication with the membership and fundraising. If you’d like to attend a future board meeting, they are held monthly on the second Monday of each month at 6pm. Meetings in even months are held at Brickman Group Inc. offices in San Diego, meetings in odd months are held at the City of San Marcos San Marcos Civic Center. Feel free to contact a board member for more information, or to pass along a comment or suggestion.
Cal State San Marcos Disc Golf Course a Reality
SAN MARCOS: University opens disc golf course
18-hole site designed, built with donated funds
By Manny Lopez – from the North County Times, April 15, 2010
There’s a new game being played on the campus of Cal State San Marcos, and its name is disc golf.
A ceremony Wednesday marked the opening of the university’s new 18-hole disc golf course on the university campus in front of the Kellogg Library. A large contingent of students, faculty and donors attended the event, which culminated with a ribbon-cutting and a ceremonial throwing of the first disc.
CSUSM President Karen Haynes and donors tossing out the first disc
Campus officials said CSUSM is the first university in Southern California with its own disc golf course. Conceived by Allen Risley, a research analyst with the university’s institutional planning department, the course took more than 18 months to design.
“It was the most collaborative project I’ve ever worked on,” Risley said. “We wanted it to be accessible, provide athletic challenge and, most importantly, safety.”
The first eight holes of the course are located by the Clarke Field House off Campus Way, with holes nine through 18 meandering through the rest of the campus.
Risley said the design encompasses an aesthetic element, relaxation and strategy very similar to conventional golf. Risley has helped plan other disc golf courses in San Marcos, including the ones in Montiel Park, Sunset Park and Kit Carson Park.
The game of disc golf is played the same way as golf with a ball and clubs. Players use flying discs that are thrown from a tee. They traverse a course and eventually finish their hole by throwing a disc into a target. The player to complete the entire course in the least number of shots is the winner.
According to Sam Ferrans of Innova Disc Golf, manufacturers of disc golf products, the first formal course was built in 1975 at Oak Grove Park, which is now called Hahamongna Watershed Park, in Pasadena. Ferrans, who in 1984 at the age of 16 became the youngest player to ever win a Professional Disc Golf Association world championship, said there are now more than 3,000 courses around the world.
Ferrans was on hand to dedicate CSUSM’s new course to Tim Selinsky, a founding member of Innova, who died in August of 2009.
At a cost of more than $20,000, the course was designed and built entirely with donated funds. As part of a graduate school project, Monica Watkins of Vista took on the task of finding donors. She said she searched for people she thought would have an affinity for the university.
“Whether it was community members who had an interest in the university or disc golf, I was looking for people who were interested in student success,” said Watkins, a graduate of UC San Diego.
Dr. Karen Haynes, president of CSUSM, said that the new course will provide a wonderful opportunity to bring community to everyone on the campus and a new way for students who might not get involved with other sports to really find recreation and fitness.
Jordan Smith, a junior at CSUSM and a member of the university’s Ultimate Frisbee club team, said that the sport is a lot of fun to play, a great way to socialize and very affordable. “Frisbee” is a trademarked brand of flying disc.
Smith, who lives in the school’s dorms, added that with the new course on campus, he will no longer have to travel to one of the local parks to play and is looking forward to being able to play in between classes.
San Diego Aces Disc Golf Club 
