☀️ Great American Off-Week

Hello and welcome, this is The Players Meeting. The only newsletter to play a 1-hole glow round during the eclipse.

Let’s get into it.

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PRO COVERAGE
Off-Week Eclipse Action

After an exhausting TX Swing, many pros spent their weekend traveling, competing, or watching totality. It turns out watching circles in the sky is way more popular than we thought.

As for the off-week, here’s what you should remember or may have missed:

PERSIMMON RIDGE RETREAT

In 2018, Steve and Kim Jones took over the retired 90-acre Persimmon Ridge Golf Course turning it into a wedding venue with a temp disc golf course hidden away. This was their primary business until the pandemic hit.

In May 2020, Luke Humphries jumpstarted their business by hosting a tournament and GK Pro Skins on their property. The impact was huge and the Joneses saw potential.

Persimmon Ridge no longer hosts weddings and now has 4 18-hole layouts on its property. This weekend, its 1st A-tier was completed along with the Eclipse Fest.

At near Pro Tour levels, the property and course were the perfect mini-vacation. It had a mix of holes including a 1000’ par 4 and scenic but dangerous greens.

Here are the quick hitter storylines:

The big man has still got it. Since 2018 WACO, Big Jerm took home his 1st A-Tier or better victory. Fighting back from the chase card with zero bogeys, he earned his laser-engraved katana.

Another drought ended. During the windy final round, Drew Gibson was the only member of the lead card to remain toward the top. He ended his 1-year drought of a top finish at an A-Tier.

Coming up short. As expected, Tattar & Scoggins battled it out while creating a large gap from the field. And while Tattar did grab her 2nd win of the year, she came up short of the elusive 1000 rating staying at 999.

COLLEGE NATIONALS

For 4 days, over 700 players from 80 schools competed in their version of March Madness. Schools came from far and wide playing together regardless of stature or normal division. It was the 1st time ever that teams came from outside of the US.

Men’s D1 Team: 🥇UNC Charlotte (-27) 🥈Cincinnati (-27) 🥉NC State (-25)

Women’s D1 Team: 🥇Liberty (-12) 🥈Clemson (-10) 🥉Emporia State (-7)

Men’s D1 Singles: 🥇Benji Zorn - Ferris State (-3) 🥈Ilkin Groih - Cincinnati (-2) 🥉Benjamin Wagner - Milligan (-1)

Women’s D1 Singles: 🥇Kelly White - UNC (-4) 🥈Genesis Beck - NC State (-3) 🥉Atlanta Krueger - Emporia State (-2)

The camaraderie and team atmosphere was unmatched by any other event. I mean just look at the celebration after Benji took down his D1 Singles title.

And not only that, but the D1 Men’s Team finish was electric. Poised to go back to back, Cincinnati just needed UNC Charlotte to miss their final putt for eagle.

But digging into the clutchness that got them there, UNC Charlotte’s Glenn Fister kept his team’s undefeated status alive. They went on to win after 3 holes into the playoff.

POWERED BY INFINITE DISCS
Fresh Plastic

♾️ Infinite’s Highlight: Discraft 2024 Tour Series.
In a warehouse filled with plastic, there’s little that truly excites after a while.

This year’s Tour Series fits that uncommon theme. After perfecting the formula, Discraft’s top 12 pros each have their chosen mold made in Jawbreaker Z FLX plastic.

It’s an instant favorite because it combines the tackiness of Jawbreaker with some durable flex. Here’s the cheat sheet on all 12 molds:

1. Ezra Aderhold Nuke (13|5|-1|3) - Truer to the numbers for average arms

2. Anthony Barela Venom (12|4|0|4) - Less OS, like a stock Force

3. Chris Dickerson Buzzz (5|4|-1|1) - Fits right between a BuzzzSS & Buzzz

4. Corey Ellis Force (12|5|0|3) - A Force for the masses, less OS than stock

5. Missy Gannon Thrasher (12|5|-3|2) - Stable, straighter version

6. Aaron Gossage Raptor (9|4|0|3) - Sexybird Beat-in Cap Rap

7. Adam Hammes Zone (4|3|0|3) - Trust me, it’s good

8. Holyn Handley Vulture (10|5|0|2) - VultureSS 🤌

9. Valerie Mandujano Scorch (11|6|-2|2) - Beefy version of stock

10. Paul McBeth Kratos (3|3|0|3) - The Envy killer, beaded Luna

11. Paige Pierce Passion (8|5|-1|1) - Longer, more stable Buzzz

12. Brodie Smith Zone OS (4|2|1|5) - Less OS, more usable

Feel like a kid in the candy store with Infinite Discs!

QUICK HITS
Random Dubs

1️⃣ 6 months ago, the International Disc Golf Center shut down its WR Jackson and Jim Warner Memorial courses due to a pine beetle infestation. And while they’ll forever be gone, they won’t be forgotten.

For this entire month, you can bid on your chance to score memorabilia straight from the torn-down courses. Original WR Jackson tee signs are currently at $50 while baskets start at $300.

I’ve got my eye on the iconic double fairway Hole 8 tee sign.

2️⃣ Staying with the bidding theme, the DGPT is holding its own auction event. They teamed up with Brodie Smith to feed his card unboxing addiction hobby.

Ending tomorrow (4/10), they have “super rare” 1 of 1 autographed relic series cards on eBay. All proceeds will benefit foundations including Paul McBeth’s & Ricky Wysocki’s.

As of now, Brodie’s card hit $255 while Kristin Tattar’s is at $206. While these prices could be mildly inflated due to the donation side, it’s interesting to see the current state of collectible disc golf cards.

Tweet of the Week

Thanks for reading today. Get out and be a disc golfer this week!

- Charlie