Aces President Jeff Nichols presents check to Monica Watkins, representing CSUSM Associated Students
The San Diego Aces recently followed the old adage to “put their money where thier mouth is” as they made a significant donation to the fundraising drive for a new disc golf course at California State University San Marcos. Aces President Jeff Nichols presented a check for $2,500 to Monica Watkins, representing the Associated Students Inc. at Cal State San Marcos (CSUSM). The check presentation was made during the awards ceremony of the Labor Day of Disc Golf at Montiel Park in San Marcos. The mission statement of the San Diego Aces describes the club’s top priority as being “to build additional permanent disc golf courses in the San Diego area.” This donation is the most significant action of the club to date towards carrying out that mission.
The 18-hole course, championed by CSUSM Campus Recreation Director Hugo Lecomte and San Diego Aces Board Member Allen Risley, will be built once the necessary funds have been raised, possibly as early as Spring 2010. The course will provide additional greatly-needed recreational activities for the 9,500-student campus, which is working to shed it’s “commuter campus” feel as it heads towards it’s 20th anniversary. Half of the course will be located on the campus’ lower athletic field area, which is currently mostly undeveloped and under-utilized. This area will be the site of baseball and softball fields in the future, in addition to the now-present Mangrum Track. The disc golf holes have been planned to coexist amongst these facilities. The other half of the course will be located on the upper campus plateau, adjacent to the Kellogg Library and other campus buildings. Being on-campus will make the disc golf course a convenient way for students to relax between or after classes and will provide a useful resource for classes in the College of Education and Kineisiology Program, which could then incorporate disc golf into their curriculum. The holes on the upper portion of the course will be relatively shorter in length, both for safety purposes and to accomodate access by the disabled. Use of the course will be free for casual play by students, faculty, staff and members of the community.
Fundraising for the disc golf course is being conducted the Campus Recreation office of Associated Students Inc., the student government organization at Cal State San Marcos. Due to recent budget cuts to the CSU system, no new recreational facilities will be built in the near future without funding from private donors. The $20,000 price tag of the disc golf course is seen to be a relative bargain to add a significant recreational resource, especially when compared to the millions of dollars needed to pay for ballfields, gyms, tennis courts and pools. Monica Watkins, a local non-profit fundraising professional, has headed up the development effort and was instrumental in ushering the course through the design and approval process. Her goal is to raise the funds to build the course with an eye towards installation in early 2010. For more information on how you can help sponsor the CSUSM Disc Golf Course, contact Monica at mwatkins@csusm.edu or760-310-9468.
Sun Valley Open 2009
The annual PDGA event held at Sun Valley golf course came to a conclusion this past weekend. This year’s event was one of the biggest ones yet, with over 140 players and a plethora of spectators there in support. One reason why this was one of the biggest events in Sun Valley’s history was the presence of some of the top pros in the sport. Joining local pro favorites Carlo Pelg, Micah Dorius, and Chris Vilmorin in the Open division were big-name pros Dave Feldberg, Paul McBeth, Steve Rico, and Bobby Musick. All and all, there were 9 players in attendance with rating over 1000 battling it out in the Open division.
But, the pros didn’t steal all the spotlight…there were a group of amateurs that deemed themselves the “Ironmen of the SVO”. San Diego Aces members Ben Rutherford, Robert Martin, Patrick Paramore, and Paul Morgavo were among these Ironmen that played EVERY round on each day. They played all three rounds each day with little to no break in between. They were able to do this by competing in both the Advanced and Intermediate divisions. One of them, Rutherford, finished in the top 10 in BOTH divisions. Nice job guys! Click on the following links to see the official results of the event: Pros/Adv and Ams.
Finally, the event ended with the traditional $1000 skins match where the top four scores from the weekend got paired up with four lucky raffle winners. The four teams competed for five holes – each hole worth a $200 skin. If a hole is not won outright by a team, the skin ($200) gets pushed to the next hole. So with everyone at the course watching, the four teams kept it suspenseful and ended up pushing on all five holes of regular play. It was then to be decided in a sudden death hole playoff, with the winning team taking all the cash! The decisive hole was a safari tee location for SVO hole #1. San Diego Aces member Carlo Pelg stepped up on the elevated tee and lasered his drive between two palm trees landing the disc well inside thirty feet, by far the best drive of the bunch since the other three teams were all just outside the circle. Pelg’s teammate, Patrick Paramore, sealed the deal nailing a high pressure putt to win the $1000 for his team. It was an exciting conclusion to a truly great event. Fun was had by all!
– SD Aces Sun Valley Rep. Aaron Van Matre
Aces Points Update
How it Works
San Diego Aces Club members who compete in organized Disc Golf events around the county will be awarded points for event participation & completion, placement based on score, and divisional victories (1st place).
Points Race
At the end of the year an Awards Event and Ceremony will take place to announce and reward the Divisional Winners.
1. Scores are cumulative BY Division: example Joe Player = 200pts vs. Intermediate.
2. Players may play in and receive points for more than one division, but may only win ONE division.
3. Local or Sanctioning rules may govern which division a player may play in, points will still be awared to the player and assigned to his/her cumulative total for that division.
4. Divisional points will not be included versus competitors who DNF.
Points Breakdown
Participation – 1pt for each completed round. Must finish event(s). DNF = no pts
Placement – 1pt based on final score for each player in your tournament division who you beat or tie.
Bonus Points – 2pts for divisional 1st place. Players tied for 1st will receive same points regardless of tie breakers related to trophies etc;
Double Points – Designated Tournaments such as EIEIO, Summer Fling, SVO, Courses Championships will award double points.
OPEN Division (right-click, save-as)
ADVANCED Division (right-click, save-as)
INTERMEDIATE Division (right-click, save-as)
LADIES Division (right-click, save-as)
Aces BBQ After Morley Field Monthly
We are having another Barbeque at the Monthly on Saturday, September 19, at Morley Field. Only this time we hope to have the Barbeque there available for food sales inbetween rounds as well as after the tourney. This month’s field is Intermediate, Novice and Women.
The San Diego Aces are having these Barbeques and other fundraising events because we have been rather busy lately as far as putting baskets into the ground. The more support we get at these Barbeques, becomes more money that we can donate to course development so that there are more places in San Diego to play. As of now, there are only 2 permanent 18 hole courses in the county, but by the end of next year, there should be at least 4.
So come and show your support for the San Diego Aces, even if you aren’t playing the monthly, by buying some lunch and participate in the mini-games that we will set up. We will do a 21 putting challenge, and also a CTP challenge, just like we always do. There will be San Diego Aces memberships for sale ($20 gets you a disc, a bag tag and your club membership), along with the surplus CFR Gators and Starfire-L’s (SL) that will be sold for $15 a piece.
So we’ll see you all there on Saturday. Remember, the money you spend at these barbeques will give you chains to bang in the future, so do what you can to help!
Labor Day at Montiel Park a Big Success
Forty-five players and a throng of spectators showed up at Montiel Park in San Marcos for the Labor Day One-Disc-One-Round Challenge. This event was held as a fundraiser for the CSUSM Disc Golf Course. Players paid a $25 entry fee, for which they received a World’s Biggest Disc Golf Weekend disc, a custom tie-dyed WBDGW t-shirt and entry into the challenge. Everyone was required to play the 18-hole tournament (9 short & 9 long) with the WBDGW disc they had just received. This proved to be quite a challenge for some players, especially those who had never thrown that particular model of disc before. Moderate winds and the ever-present arid atmosphere at Montiel added to the challenge.
In the Men’s Advanced division, Steven Thomas cruised to a 4 shot win with a 9-under 45, followed by Rhett Stroh (49) and Montiel local Nick Newton (50). Allison Wylot shot a smokin’ 2-over to take the Ladies’ title. Dave Fukami’s 58 was good enough to win the Men’s Recreational division. Far more players turned out than there were player’s packs, so an “Overflow” division was created for these extra players. John and Jonathon maki tied at 47, and were last overheard trying to figure out who would get the 1st place prize. All division champions recieved a free round of disc golf and cart courtesy of Emerald Isle Golf Course, as well as CSUSM Campus Recreation t-shirts.
Along with the usual informal bag tag challenges, a long-distance CTP contest was held, with players teeing off on the 9th tee and aiming for the Montiel practice basket. Jeff Nichols took the cash, landing his shot about 15 feet away from the Discatcher.
Full results for the Labor Day One-Disc-Challenge are posted on discgolfscene.com:
http://www.discgolfscene.com/tournaments/Labor_Day_1-Disc_Challenge_2009
Along with the results there are some pictures from the event, including a few of Randy Wylot and Peter Laubert’s freestyle jam! Randy and Peter were gracious enough to entertain the crowd while the tournament staff counted up scores and arranged the awards and raffle prizes.
Also, San Diego Aces President Jeff Nichols used the Labor Day get-together as an opportunity to present a $2,500 check to Monica Watkins of CSUSM Campus Recreation. This will make the San Diego Aces the Signature Sponsor of the new Cal State San Marcos Disc Golf Course.
The final event of the day was a touching dedication ceremony for the new bench at Tee #3, installed in the memory of Daniel Alexander.
Wrightwood SoCal Event – A Little Closer to the Heavens
Dave Roper boasting his #1 Aces bag tag
Sunrise Showdown in Wrightwood, CA is arguably the most unique event on the SoCal tour.With its mountain setting, breathtaking views and thin air, the Ski Sunrise course presents challenges found in few places in Southern California. Anyone who has played at high elevation has experienced the effect that the thin air has on disc flight. You really have to experience it first hand to understand it, but discs fly faster and more over-stable at higher elevations.
There was a strong contingent of 17 Aces members present, plus we set up a table where we sold memberships and discs and supplied water to players. Aces members present were:
Open: Mike Lust, Dave Parnell, Mike Shaw
Open Women: Emily Hardy
Pro Grandmaster: Jeff Nichols, Greg Olsen
Advanced: Dave Roper, Adam Nash, John Ryan, Pat Paramore, AJ Risley
Advanced Master: Randy Wylott, Bill Maury-Holmes, Danny Zwolenski
Advanced Grandmaster: Eric Simmons
Recreational: EJ Simmons
Novice: David Simmons
Because the Aces members were spread across so many divisions we decided to have an all-inclusive bag tag challenge with the tags distributed in the order of overall score at tournament end. The overall winner was Dave Roper, who carried off the #1 tag with a hot Sunday round. Special thanks and recognition goes to Mike Lust who brought up the #1 tag and agreed to put it on the line gainst the whole field. This is the true spirit of the bag tags that I hope it will set an example to all Aces members.
In my opinion camping and disc golf go hand-in-hand. Most disc golfers also love the outdoors and there’s nothing like playing, cooking, sitting around a fire and sleeping outdoors, then waking up and doing it again the next day. Portable baskets set up around camp inspired a few games of “HORSE” under the pines and thanks to Emily, there was even “glow golf” happening around the campground after dark.
Saturday’s event schedule was changed because of Tim Selinske’s funeral. I thought about Tim many times over the weekend and even though I’m sad to see him go, I felt good about all he has done for the game, especially in SoCal.
Day 1 saw quite a few hot rounds especially considering the course was in its more difficult configuration. Paul MacBeth was the only one to break into the 60’s with a 12-under par 69. The next four best scores all came from the Pro Masters, which proved to be the division with the most depth in this event. Aces members Emily Hardy and Jeff Nichols led their divisions after Saturday with Jeff seizing a one stroke lead over Dave Roper for that coveted #1 Aces bag tag.
Day 2 course configuration had nine of the 27 holes in their shorter pin locations and most of the golfer took advantage and carded better scores. Paul MacBeth proved to be the class of the Open division winning by 11 strokes. Emily Hardy ran away with Open Women by 16 strokes, Mark Collicott outlasted Dago, Robbie Wilson and Mike Byrne in Pro Masters, any of which would have finished second in Open. Jeff Nichols managed to cling to his lead in Grandmasters. Check out the other division winners and all the results here. Other notable finishes by Aces were Mike Lust (4th Open), Dave Parnell (5th Open), Dave Roper (4th Advanced), Adam Nash (8th Advanced), Randy Wylott and Bill Maury-Holmes (tied for 2nd Advanced Masters), Eric Simmons (2nd Advanced Grandmasters) and David Zwolenki who set a Junior’s course record on Saturday. Congratulations to all the Aces who played this event.
Emily Hardy 1st place Women's Open
Jeff Nichols loving his "mountain golf"
The awards ceremony included a very nice raffle where several Aces members won some fine prizes, and was highlighted by the Innova metal DisCatcher basket won by our own Carl “Beanieman” Renda. The winning ticket was given to Carl by the Tournament Director in appreciation for his work as a volunteer.
Bill Maury-Holmes and Randy Wylott with Carl's basket in the foreground
Junior Ace David Zwolenski basking in his course record
All in all it was a delightful weekend with a good setting, good golf and good company. I highly recommend this tournament and the camping experience next year, or if you just want a fun disc golf outing, don’t wait for the tournament, just get up there and do it. But you’ll need to do it before November because the course is seasonal and the baskets will be moved to Yucaipa for the winter. Now go play some mountain golf!
Morley Field August Monthly
Micah Dorius jumped out to a commanding lead after the first round by shooting -17. According to Micah, he missed two 25 foot birdie attempts that would have given him yet another course record. He cruised to victory with a -10 in the second round. Carlo Pelg, Mike Westerman and Jeff Nichols battled it our for second and third with Carlo and Mike finishing a stroke apart and Jeff falling just short.
The Advanced division was close as four competitors finished tied at -9 after two rounds of play. These four stepped to the pad on hole 1 to play off for the win. Josh Damron, aka Big Josh (pic), quickly ended the play off with an ace. Not a bad way to win.
The Intermediate division had 6 players within two strokes of the co-leaders (Pete R and James, -5) after round one. The top two cards started the second round on holes 13 and 14, respectively. The competitors had a tough time with the long waits at holes 1-7 once the turn was made. Ben Rutherford won by shooting -3 in the second round to hold off a charge from the second card by Chris Mc who shot -2 to finish at -6. The co-leaders after the first round faltered a bit, Pete R fell to a tie for third and James had to win a playoff to take last cash (9th place.)
Open
Micah Dorius -27 $60
Carlo Pelg -16 $40
Mike Westerman -15 $26
Jeff Nichols -13
Marc Jarvis -7
Chris Wymer -3
Mike Ballestas even
D-nice even
Nicholas DNF
Advanced
Josh Damron -9 $50 shop credit + grab bag (won playoff)
Patrick Paramore -9 $33 shop credit
Luke -9 $33 shop credit
Adam Cook -9 $33 shop credit
Aaron Van Matre -7
Alex Nichols -7
D-unit -6
“Donuts” -4
Brendon Wear -4
Randy Wylot -3
Jack Daniels even
Paul Stevens +3
Tom DNF
Intermediate
Ben Rutherford -7 $42 shop credit + grab bag
Chris Mc -6 $36 shop credit
Jay H -4 $28 shop credit
Pete Rudart -4 $28 shop credit
Josh D -1 $21 shop credit
KC Sowa -1 $21 shop credit
Utah -1 $21 shop credit
Tracy Crowder -1 $21 shop credit
James even $16 shop credit (won playoff)
Shooter even
Shane Dehner even
Wes Sage +1
Mike Holmes +1
Bobby Martin +2
Heath W +3
Clark G +3
Brooks +3
Eddy Spracklen +3
Josh H +4
Sage +4
Augie +4
RJ +5
David F +5
Travis +11
Brandon +12
Stephan DNF
Big Josh aced #1 (ace pool=$96)
Labor Day Event at Montiel Park
Montiel Park will be the site for disc golf fun on Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 7, 2009). The San Diego Aces will be holding a fundraiser for the new disc golf course on the campus of Cal State University San Marcos. Proceeds from the sale of “World’s Biggest Disc Golf Weekend” discs and tie-dyed t-shirts will go towards establishment of San Marcos’ third disc golf course (and our first 18-holer). Purchase of a disc and t-shirt player pack ($25) will include entry in the “WBDGW One-Disc Challenge,” an 18-hole tournament where players must use a 2009 WBDGW disc.
Where Have All The Bag Tags Gone?
Most of you have “spiced up” your rounds by exchanging bag tags. Bag tags add a little extra interest to your game and are a tangible token of “bragging rights” with your disc golf buddies. However, it seems that as the year progresses many of the lower numbers tags have a tendency to disappear and are rarely if ever seen again. Please remember to bring your tag with you to the course each time you play and wear it proud on your bag. Remember, the whole purpose of the bag tags are for them to be won and lost. If a tag is exchanging hands often its good for competition, good for camaraderie and good for the local disc golf community. Put your tags on the line every time you play!
Sun Valley Open Coming in September
One of the yearly highlights for Aces tournament players is the Sun Valley Open, held at the beautiful Sun Valley Disc Golf Course in La Mesa, CA. This tournament draws many of the top players in Southern California and 2009 promises to be one of the most competitive yet. But you don’t have to be a seasoned tournament player to enjoy this event because it boasts large fields in the Recreational and Novice divisions also. Tournament Director Dave Parnell recommends that you register early for this popular event. You don’t want to miss this one! Check it out here.
San Diego Aces Disc Golf Club 
