🎊 New year, new contracts

$200M Payout, DG ASMR, and Course Records

January 04, 2023

Hello and welcome, this is The Players Meeting. The only newsletter whose resolution is to play more disc golf. I’m 3 for 3 already.Email Read Time: 4 Minutes & 17 Seconds

If you missed last week, then I got you: McBeth Called His Shot

Let’s get into it.

Contracts Watch

There are 3 certainties in life: 1/ Death.2/ Taxes. 3/ Innova still has one of the best teams.

Buckle up. Here are all the recent moves made:

🚨 NEW 🚨

  • Innova finalized its roster and retained its top 10 players

    • Eveliina Salonen, Henna Blomroos, & Garrett Gurthie: 3-year extensions

    • Joel Freeman, Jennifer Allen, Ohn Scoggins, & Kat “flying solo” Mertsch: 2-year extensions

    • Hailey King, Philo Brathwaite, Bradley Williams, Nathan Queen, Jessica Weese, Emily Beach, & Holly Finley: 1-year extensions

  • Clash Discs brings a handful of big names onto the team. Like TSA, these pros will throw a mixed bag

    • Eric Oakley, James Proctor, Erika Stinchcomb, Scott Withers

  • Lone Star Disc slowly completing its Infinity Gauntlet with 4 more signings

    • Lisa Fajkus - The Tour veteran left Innova after 7 years

    • Robert Burridge - The PDGA Rookie of the Year left Innova

    • Deann & AJ Carey - Using her 4 years with Innova as a “stepping stone,” Carey believes she and her husband found their forever sponsor

  • Maria Oliva traded in her Innova wings for a 1-year deal with Thought Space Athletics and Tour Series discs

  • Sai Ananda - The silent killer that no one talks about will tour full-time with Westside Discs on her back. Typically only playing a few events a year, she always shows up (7th @ USWDGC ‘22, 8th @ Worlds ‘21)

  • Stacie Rawnsley had to unexpectedly part ways with Innova but found a new home with Kastaplast

  • Chandler Fry - Extended with Discraft (1 year, team-level downgrade like Callaway)

  • Christine Jennings - The 2019 PDGA Rookie of the Year is dropping all her sponsors and taking a full-time position with the DGPT

  • Dustin Keegan is ending his time with Discmania to focus more on Uplay’s operations

  • Jon Nicholson - On Dec 1st, he began a 25-day Instagram giveaway but abruptly stopped after Day 9. With no warning weeks later, he announced he’ll never tour again and had forfeited his Tour Card and DD sponsorship. Touring aside, he plans to continue his DG Prescription podcast and have clinics as a “Stokely Method” instructor

AWAITING ANNOUNCEMENT

  • Left DD: Valerie Mandujano, Mason Ford, Holyn Handley, Paige Shue

  • Left Innova: Anthony Barela

  • Left Discraft: Austin Turner

  • Left Discmania: Simon Lizotte

Plastic

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

👉 Powergrip’s Highlight: New Year SaleStart the year right with new plastic from Powergrip USA. Now through Sunday (1/8), use promo code NEWYEAR23 for an instant 23% off (some restrictions).

In honor of all the player moves, here are some recs that pros are immediately bagging post-switch:

From Innova to Kastaplast, Stacie Rawnsley

  • Joined the Berg (1|1|0|2) gang and uses it for easy approaches

  • Uses the Kaxe (6|4|0|3) for anything under 300ft

  • Replaced her TL with the Lots (9|5|-1|2) that has more glide

  • Putts with the Reko X (3|3|0|2) in K3 plastic

And Deann Carey easily found Lone Star Disc replacements for her Innova go-to’s

  • Known for her Valkyrie shots, she found its replacement with the Lariat (9|5|-1|1)

  • Switched out her beat-in Wraith for the Nimitz (11|5|-1|3)

  • Uses the Bull Snake (3|2|0|4) for BH approaches

  • Uses the Copperhead (3|4|0|2) for FH approaches

Random Triples

1️⃣ The DGPT is hosting its inaugural DG industry conference days before the All-Star competition (2/15-17). If you have >$600, then fly over to Tucson, AZ to learn from the best in course design, e-commerce, and marketing.

The Pro Tour believes this event will bring the sport’s best minds together for collaboration, networking, and growth. Who knows, maybe the next Latitude64 will be born here.

Back in June, the Swedish manufacturer was bought by venture capitalist firms to the tune of 2B Norwegian crowns (~$200M). The price tag was shared by PDGA Europe’s Partnerships Manager - Michael Bui - on The Nick & Matt Show.

2️⃣ For the 6th time, both Paul McBeth & Paige Pierce won the PDGA Players of the Year. Before you whip out your pitchfork, you need to remember how the PDGA does these awards.

There are no votes, just a completely objective measurement of points. What matters is how many events you play, how well you place, and the level of the event (Major, Elite, A-Tier).

Bottom line: Pierce & McBeth performed better at Majors than Wysocki & Tattar, which the PDGA views as more important.

3️⃣ There’s nothing more relaxing than watching a man and his dog play disc golf in serene conditions. Join Isaac Olson and his border collie, Luna, on their daily routine.

I clicked on this video with zero expectations. 6 minutes later, I wanted nothing more than to continue watching Luna spot discs and have Isaac read me bedtime stories.

Meme of the Week

Thanks for reading today. Get out and get your 1st ace of the year!

- Charlie

What'd you think of this week's edition?

2023 Season Countdown: 7 Weeks

1st DGPT event - Las Vegas Challenge, February 23-26