🏴󠁵󠁳󠁴󠁸󠁿 DGPT's final yeehaw

Hello and welcome, this is The Players Meeting. The only newsletter where the Final Four looks like a robot, a lime, an AZ Suns player, and a lefty.

Email Read Time: 5 Minutes & 31 Seconds

If you missed TX State’s preview, then I got you: Doctor James Proctor

Let’s get into it.

TX STATES (SILVER)

RESULTS - 🏆CALVIN HEIMBURG & SAI ANANDA

The TX finale paired beautifully with two fresh courses and mostly laid-back vibes. Here are the event storylines you should remember or you may have missed:

1 - Two for the price of one.

Located just 15 miles from Houston’s center, the massive Brock Park transported the Tour to a different world. Both courses gave FL vibes without other sports or pedestrians wandering about.

Besides the Goat Hill-esque valleys, the FPO course was this weekend’s shining star. Per Sarah Hokom, the main indicator of good design is having similar birdie rates between the 2 divisions.

Compared to last week in Austin, the average birdie rate was twice as close between MPO & FPO. Hot scores hit -8 each day adding to the entertainment and valuable viewership for the ladies.

With TX States known for rotating locations every few years, let’s hope the Tour showcases this property again. This Silver Event was a breath of fresh air as the TX Swing’s finale.

2 - From Taco Bell to beating World Champs.

In 2016, Sai Ananda won AM Worlds and turned pro. Since then, she worked at Taco Bell saving up money and showing up at big events when she could.

The now 27-year-old was always a silent killer. Placing 7th at 2022 USWDGC and 8th at 2021 Worlds, she’s been working towards this moment for 7 years.

For the 1st time, she’s committed to the Tour and won a DGPT event averaging 993 golf. Her history of winning throughout juniors and ams was clear as she pushed past pressure applied by Tattar & Scoggins.

3 - Death, taxes, and Tattar podiums.

It didn’t take long for the reigning World Champ to finish back on the podium. While her performance left a lot to be desired, Tattar’s skills are undeniable.

She still has some lingering numbness but no longer experiences any pain thanks to her elbow surgery. If Tattar can find her putting flow state, then she’ll have no trouble starting another podium streak.

4 - March Madness with Vinny Buckets.

A wise man once said, “The short game is the great equalizer.” Too bad for everyone else, but Calvin Heimburg’s long and short games were unflappable.

On a course made for him, his stats speak for themselves - 93% C1X, 57% C2, & 67% birdie rate. With his 2nd win of the season and two 3rd places, 2023 will be remembered as Heimburg’s year.

5 - “This man could win the lottery and still be disappointed.”

While it isn’t new behavior, Joel Freeman’s outer monologue didn’t earn him many new fans. His audible commentary on every shot whether good or bad was showcased on coverage.

In his post-event post, Freeman admits to acting “childish” in Round 1 but believes he “maintained a good attitude” afterward. Even so, is the damage already done?

HIGHLIGHT

Supporting her family back in the country of Laos, Ohn Scoggins snagged a skip ace on the 2nd hole of the event. With her G-Star Destroyer, it was love at 1st throw when she got it just days ago from teammate Emily Beach.

SIMON SAYS PLAY BIRDIE PRO

At $14.5k, Birdie Pro has almost hit 300% of its original Kickstarter goal. Its Stretch Goals have been easily reached with the support of board game enthusiasts.

This means every game and conversion kit will receive exclusive Simon Lizotte, James Conrad, Sarah Hokom, and other Team MVP player cards. Beat your friends with your own Holy Shot by reserving your game today!

BE THE ENTERTAINER OR BE THE BEST

The DGPT is entering its Harvey Dent era. On the one hand, the competition is the fiercest its ever been with the deepest fields. On the other, payouts at Elite Events aren’t growing at an equal pace.

On the Tour Life podcast, Brodie Smith pointed out “payouts have been surprisingly low this year.” At each of this year’s 3 Elite Events, the MPO winner took home $7.5k with checks sharply decreasing down the line.

Compared to 2022, the MPO payouts have remained stagnant. Meanwhile, Tour Cards went up by $240 and registration costs $350/event.

In its current state, the pro scene is about building a fanbase and selling discs. Early on in his career, Simon Lizotte chose to be an entertainer, and now he makes 90% of his income from disc sales.

To survive in this sport, you have to beat McBeth and Wysocki Heimburg or have a likable personality. With just a few strokes meaning the difference between 47th or 10th place, can middling pros make a livable salary off of just sponsorships?

Disc golf is continually growing and so is the money. But to ensure a healthy future, the players (aka the product) should be priority #1.

FRESH PLASTIC

Sponsored by Powergrip USA… A PRETTY GOOD disc golf shop.

👉 Powergrip’s Highlight: Eagle McMahon’s Color Glow D-Line Flex 3 Rainmaker (2|3|0|0.5)

That was a mouthful… For its 2nd-ever release, McMahon’s putting putter will be available at 11AM ET tomorrow (4/29). His custom mold is essentially a modified P2 - slightly lower profile & straighter.

With the only difference being in color, this 2023 run is very similar to 2022. They have a glidey neutral to stable flight with a soft fade at the end.

The plastic remains the preferred consistency for McMahon’s unique putting grip. It’s stiff with some give in the flight plate and textured for clean releases.

RANDOM DUBS

1️⃣ To prevent 5ft misses, the PDGA has enlisted psychologist Dr. Andrew Ahrendt to give tips to overcome “the yips”. Rewatch Salonen’s WACO demonstration for a refresh.

The most common type of yip is rooted in performance anxiety. Dr. Ahrendt recommends 2 specific drills to free up the putting stroke and build confidence:

1. Alternate putting with your eyes open and closed. This will shift your focus from the mechanics to the feel of the throw.

2. Rapid fire a stack of putters without stopping or going through your routine. Eagle McMahon does all his practice this way. He finds a properly paced flow state, fires as many putts within 10 min, then stops his practice.

2️⃣ Trash Panda has officially launched the 1st disc recycling program. The word sustainable gets thrown around a lot, but if you want to have a real hand in it then follow these steps…

1. Gather any destroyed, unthrowable, or unwanted disc you have

2. Buy a shipping label here

3. Reuse a box from your latest impulse buy and ship

4. Profit from the # of discs with a discount code to their shop

Once they have your donation, they’ll either regrind them for new discs or send them to charities for someone else’s bag.

TWEET OF THE WEEK

Thanks for reading today. Get out and ground yourself this week!

- Charlie