Getting wacky at WACO

Hello and welcome, this is The Players Meeting. The only newsletter where March Madness means the TX Swing on one screen and college basketball on the other.

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If you missed WACO’s preview, then I got you: A Dice Roll for Victory

Let’s get into it.

WACO ANNUAL CHARITY OPEN

RESULTS - 🏆KYLE KLEIN & KRISTIN TATTAR

Sadly, the chaotic weekend is over. Those who call WACO the real start to the season got what they asked for and more.

The spread was tight. The highlights were endless. And the slow collapse at the top made for emotional agony.

MPO/ With great scoring conditions, everyone came out guns blazing. Adam Hammes held a small lead for 2 days as 19 others stayed within 3 after Friday going down to 11 after Saturday.

Trying to go wire to wire, Hammes thought -10 on Sunday would be enough. But in the end, he surrendered to 2nd place with a layup on Hole 18’s green.

From chase card, Kyle Klein stepped on the throat of Hammes and all others. He won his 3rd DGPT victory by 2 strokes with the weekend’s hot round of -13 (1084 rated).

FPO/ After Round 1, Kristin Tattar jumped into the driver’s seat of what she considered a “warm-up event”. You wouldn’t believe she had off-season surgery and minimized practice.

But Ella Hansen overtook and dueled Tattar until Final Round, Hole 13. Compounded mistakes gifted a 4-stroke lead to Hansen with 3 to play.

She was finally in control for her 1st DGPT win and somehow couldn’t find the in-bounds… Four became two, and two became one.

Knowing a final birdie would get her out of the spiral, Hansen drove for the green and found OB again. Out of a crazy turn of events, Tattar found herself 30ft away from victory.

Then she did what she does best: Win. In the end, Tattar is inevitable.

STANDOUT PLAYERS

While 18-year-old Cole Redalen’s 1st DGPT podium was impressive, a 992-rated player from Michigan left an impression. Every year, Jared Stoll goes over the top on Hole 17 at The BEast.

His successful attempt at the 360ft tomahawk was captured on Saturday. While he missed the putt, Stoll’s commitment to the “Simon Line” was appreciated in Lizotte’s absence.

HIGHLIGHT

Here’s the obligatory Hammes ace on Sunday’s Hole 8… It helped jumpstart his slow round to stay in the conversation until the final 2 holes.

PLAY FOX RUN AT HOME WITH BIRDIE PRO

The crossover between board games and disc golf is thriving. From McBeth to Big Jerm, touring pros love decompressing over a session of Catan or Wingspan.

If you relate, there’s a new DG board game on Kickstarter called BIRDIE Pro. This month, we’ll be tracking its progress.

This is a massive refresh of the original BIRDIE which sold over 10k copies. For the uninitiated, it’s the brainchild of the Boda Brothers - Todd & Steve Dodge.

Pledge at the conversion kit level if you’re an original owner. For everyone else, you OWE it to yourself to check out the Kickstarter that opened last Friday.

FRESH PLASTIC

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

👉 Powergrip’s Highlight: New Trilogy Releases
Dropping this Thursday (3/16) at 12PM ET are 4 more releases from Lat64 & Dynamic Discs.

On The Upshot, Jeremy Rusco - prior owner of DD - explained that “Lat64 scaled up the most aggressively during the course of the pandemic than any other manufacturer.” Those investments are now paying off:

1. Royal Grand Savior, 1st run (4|4|0|3) - Falls between the Harp and Verdict in glide & stability. It’s board flat, smooth, and feels like a fat zone in the hand

2. Royal Grand Orbit Trust (5|5|0|2) - Close your eyes and imagine a beadless Roc3 in gorgeous plastic

3. Royal Grand Glory, Stock run (7|5|0|3) - A FH dream that kicks the Eagle out of the bag

4. Fuzion Raptor Eye Felon (9|3|0.5|4) - Known to be a less OS run of Felons, these compare to a Sexton Firebird

To celebrate after-work rounds, Powergrip USA is running a Daylight Savings Sale. For an easy 20% off on non-sale items, use code LONGDAYS2023.

RANDOM DUBS

1️⃣ We’re going back to basics this week. Besides internet distance, putting is one thing everyone struggles with including top pros.

I’ve seen good friends change their stroke time after time thinking they’ve unlocked the secret. In reality, there’s only one fundamental holding you back from consistent 25-footers… Fire your fingers more.

This is Maria Oliva’s simple framework for adding more spin to eliminate wobble and improve consistency. Practice this at home while rewatching some JomezPro.

Clearly, this isn’t new info. But sometimes you gotta say it again louder for those in the back.

2️⃣ On The Trevor Staub Show, Scott Stokely explained his theory that “disc golf will be the most popular sport on planet Earth.” His solid reasoning starts with ball golf being the greatest sport.

He explained, “Everything filters in one direction.” A large percentage of retired athletes typically move towards ball golf. It offers mental challenges, camaraderie, and that one amazing shot per round.

Disc golf has all that and more… It’s affordable, more environmentally friendly, time efficient, and has a wide variety of courses.

So as long as our sport continues to increase courses and disc accessibility in developing countries, disc golf will be huge one day. I guess we can’t really argue with that sound logic.

TWEET OF THE WEEK

Thanks for reading today. Get out and play after work this week!

- Charlie