☀️ Hit or miss in the Sunshine State

Hello and welcome, this is The Players Meeting. Just like that, the season’s off to the races. Remember it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and TPM is here for you.

Let’s get into it.

Email Read Time: 5 Minutes & 48 Seconds

TOUR COVERAGE
All-Star Weekend

RESULTS - 🏆TEAMS ISAAC & MISSY

Going into the event, the vibes were high. But as the weekend came so did the wet conditions and complaints about pre-season blunders.

In no particular order, here are the storylines you should remember or may have missed:

1 - DGPT, DGN, & PDGA Live were hit or miss.

If you were on any form of social media, then it was crystal clear that the rollout of DGN 2.0 and no UDisc Live had some shortcomings. It was a coin flip for paying subscribers, and for those unlucky, they were loud and angry.

Even YouTube was upset. Friday’s skills comp was pulled after airing due to music copyright violations. Then as the coverage went behind the normal paywall, issue reports poured in…

• Red buffering circle of death

• No picture-in-picture (PiP) or lock-screen audio when on mobile

• No app on previously supported platforms: Xbox, some smart TVs, older Fire Sticks, etc.

• PDGA Live showed potential but lacked distinctions between teams or overall standings

With all that in mind, I ended up happy enough with the improvements and willing to wait for bug fixes (PiP first please).

2 - Slippin’ and slidin’ down Olympus.

After a captivating 4-hour round of FPO doubles, the Tour halved the remaining rounds out of safety and course health. Players struggled to find good footing with mud-caked shoes and new water features.

As the remaining touring pros flock to FL, they’ll have 1 less practice day as Olympus was closed on Monday to give the property a break. Based on pros’ socials, it’s already looking drier and ready to go.

3 - Off-season grinders.

While this was a fun exhibition where the flip played and the forecast had more showers than a remodeling convention, it was still clear who came prepared.

On Sunday, Holyn Handley eagled the last hole and shot 3 better than anyone. Including MPO, she was the only player under par.

During the off-season, Handley designed and built a private 18-hole course that targeted her weaknesses. Her hard work paid off.

As for most others, here are the takeaways:

• Andrew Marwede & Ohn Scoggins deserve their crowns as best putters. But while not on the green, Scoggins is still easing into things as her arm is only at 70% since her overuse injury

• AB & Eliezra Midtlyng are certified bombers. Midtlyng fended off Ella Hansen and proved that her Long Drive title from Worlds was no fluke

Here are their winning forms (@jtamalito):

If that wasn’t impressive enough, Midtlyng’s 9-year-old sister showed off her 50mph swing. T-minus 7 years until there’s another Midtlyng on Tour.

TOUR COVERAGE
Chess.com Invitational

PREVIEW (2/23-25)

It’s time for the season to really start, and things are looking a bit different. The Vegas desert has been traded for the Sunshine State which should live up to its name.

Thanks to Paul McBeth’s vision, the Tour is starting in the southeast on his & Dylan Cease’s unique property. Compared to All-Stars, the full Olympus course will be featured.

To those seeing it for the 1st time, the course is tough. Olympus features typical sawgrass rough and OB lines where multiple stroke swings will happen.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Now 6 months since his last competition and 2 months since his stem cell treatment, Dad McBeth is finally making his debut. It’s fair to say everyone is eager to see his game.

He has a busy season planned that includes Worlds at another one of his designed courses and 4 Europe events (compared to 8 last year). This weekend, he’s hoping to silence any doubts and continue his winning ways…

Also back from injury is fellow teammate Paige Pierce. It’s been 7 months since fracturing her ankle before the PCS Open.

Since then, Pierce has gone through bolts, casts, and PT sessions. She’s coming in with zero expectations and a different style of game.

While slowly regaining trust in her brace leg, Pierce isn’t hitting the same distances and relies on different discs. Even in her current recovery state, you know the 5x World Champ will still come out firing.

POWERED BY POWERGRIP USA
Fresh Plastic

👉 Powergrip’s Highlight: Latitude 64 Royal Grand Brave (7|6|-1|2)
PSA: You can never have too many glidey, straight fairways!

Thankfully Latitude 64 is adding one to their ultra-premium lineup. The Royal Grand plastic is as good as ever: gorgeous, zero flashing, and grippy.

Features of this release:

• Turn. The Brave is slightly US with a touch of turn right away, and it doesn’t fade hard

• Glide. Remember when you first started and someone handed you a River, the glide on the Brave is comparable

• Slot. The Brave is the US companion that will slot next to your Explorer

• Uses. It’s the perfect fairway driver for a single-disc round. It’s versatile for all arms

Starting tomorrow (2/22) at noon ET, you can Brave any course with Powergrip USA!

QUICK HITS
Random Dubs

1️⃣ After All-Stars, the DGPT released their post-production media plan.

The good news: It’s mostly the same as last year.
The bad news: FPO Chase Card loses its post-coverage.

Here’s the rundown:

• JomezPro continues to be free next day on YouTube. Like last year, European Open & USDGC coverage will be on a delayed 2-week release. Pro subs to DGN get it next day

• JomezPro coverage will change to provide a “complete competition narrative” instead of only lead card shots

• There won’t be dedicated MPO/FPO Chase Card next-day coverage. A supercut of MPO Chase will be released the week after on Gatekeeper

Essentially, the plan is to funnel all post-produced traffic into one channel (JomezPro) with a “more complete product for fans”. The other channels (Gatekeeper & Ace Run Pro) will still have Tour content but are taking a step back.

2️⃣ The signs of our sport’s slowing growth are seemingly around us… The DGPT has changed its pricing tiers and consolidated coverage.

But when you look past the pro scene, you’ll realize that disc golf is thriving. Like in past years, UDisc has given us vital information in its new 2024 Growth Report.

Here’s what I found interesting:

• 200k more people used the app in 2023 than in 2022 (17% growth)

• Finland has nearly 6x the # of disc golf courses compared to ball golf

• Short courses are being put in the ground at twice the rate of 18-holers. Short kings rise up

• Disc golf is still growing, now at a sustainable rate

Hunker down and read the full report to brighten up your mid-week. Who knows, your next home course could emerge from it.

Meme of the Week

Thanks for reading today. Starting next week, TPM is moving to Tuesday & Thursday releases. You’ll get twice the content you know and love.

Happy 2024 season!

- Charlie