Into the woods
Sometimes, you only get one good shot: February 5, 2025
Check out the archive for more notes from bogeyland.
On the border
I played with some friends at Borderland State Park in Easton/Sharon, Massachusetts, yesterday. Hole 7 is a long par 3 with some strategically placed trees and woods lining the right side:
A “straight” shot
I tried to throw a straight shot right up the middle of the gap, but I forgot to give the disc a bit of hyzer angle (tilting the far edge of the disc toward the ground) on the release. The disc (an Axiom Paradox) turned slightly to the right and landed right in front of the small tree on the right about 80 feet from the tee pad.
Things get worse before they get better
From there, I tried to make up for my bad tee shot by throwing a shot that I wanted to go straight (again!) before turning to the right and nestling by the basket. The Underworld disc I threw turned too early and nestled deep in a bush in the right woods.
From the bush, I tried to punch out with a forehand Valkyrie, but made it only about 15 feet (in the clear at least):
One good shot
By this point, I was throwing my fourth shot on a par 3 hole (a long par 3, but still). And I still had to make it around one remaining big tree and over some farm implements blocking direct access to the hole — Destroyer time! The Destroyer is a distance driver that I generally have no business throwing, but for a shot like this where I wanted it to go high and then take a sharp right turn and drop straight down, it seemed like a good choice.
The Destroyer flew high, just outside the tree and then plunked itself down past the farm equipment and just inside the out-of-bounds line.
Double-bogey save!
Lesson learned
If you want to throw a straight shot, maybe use a disc that will fly straight when thrown flat. Duh!
Better yet, throw something that will fly straight then turn slightly left, avoiding the nasty right woods altogether (yes, there is some danger on the left, but hindsight tells me it’s not as bad as the right).
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Ed, try the Latitude64 Sapphire off the tee. It's a bit more stable (gut still relatively understable), has lots of glide, and can still finish to the left. Also, it is a lightweight disc (sub 170 grams) making it easier to throw. Good luck next time at BirdieLand!