šŸŖ² PSA: Ticks suck

Wysocki's Song, Jonesboro Preview, and Pay to Play

Hello and welcome, this is The Players Meeting. Weā€™re the Tom Cruise of disc golf newsletters. We do all our own stunts and research.

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If you missed CCā€™s recap, then I got you: Cathedral of Disc Golf

Letā€™s get into it.

TICKS LOVE DISC GOLFERS

With Spring in full swing, itā€™s the season to hit the course hard. Temps are comfortable, the underbrush is still growing, and fallen leaves no longer hide tree-kicked drives.

But thereā€™s more than just trees to be scared of while searching for a discā€¦ Ticks are growing in numbers, and disc golfers are prime targets as we tramp through the woods.

Even if your home state doesnā€™t have them, here are some tips to avoid being allergic to eating mammals or having flare-up swelling for life:

  • Check your skin, clothes, and bag for ticks after a round

  • Shower quickly after a round

  • Wear long pants/sleeves/socks and for the extra mile, tuck your pants into your socks

  • Treat your clothes/bag with permethrin (Insect Shield recently sponsored Wysocki)

  • And if thereā€™s a single thing to remember, itā€™s thisā€¦

While his treatment methods are hotly contested, Ricky Wysocki is the poster child for Lyme disease. This year, heā€™s missed nearly every event due to complications.

Last week, he announced heā€™s taking ā€œmore time offā€¦ to see some of the best specialists.ā€ Until heā€™s back, weā€™ll be singing his song and thinking of him.

Ricky Ricky Ricky Ricky Ricky Wysocki!

JONESBORO OPEN

PREVIEW (4/28-30)

With Champs Cup in the past, the 1st chunk of the season is over. But thereā€™s no rest on Tour, and most pros drove the 600 miles to Jonesboro, AR.

For 3 days, Disc Side of Heavenā€™s championship course welcomes the highly skilled. Taking a 180 from WR Jackson, the private farm property forces bomber shots and wind reads with its many rolling hills.

While ā€œthe golf is maybe not the most interesting [here]ā€, this Elite Event has been a mainstay on Tour. And to take it down, players need to forget most of what they worked on last week as the gaps are nonexistent.

LAST YEAR RECAP

MPO/ šŸ„‡Calvin Heimburg (-26) šŸ„ˆPaul McBeth (-26) šŸ„‰Kevin Jones (-25)

The windiest Jonesboro Open nearly gave us a 3-way playoff, but it wasnā€™t meant to be for KJ USA. The playoff only lasted 1 hole and brought some drama with a tee pad balk.

After McBeth shanked his drive and blamed the tee pad, Heimburg parked the hole. This was Heimburgā€™s 1st big win in 1.5 years (not counting his Ledgestone tie).

FPO/ šŸ„‡Kristin Tattar (-24) šŸ„ˆMissy Gannon (-14) šŸ„‰Ella Hansen & Kat Mertsch (-12)

If you like blowout victories, then this event is for you. For the past 3 years, the margin for victory has been 8+ strokes all by different players (Pierce 2020, Allen 2021).

PLAYERS TO WATCH

With this course like Music City Open, its winners (Lizotte & Tattar) have an advantage. But your focus should be on the other Crush Boy this weekend.

This was the event Eagle McMahon dropped out of after dislocating his shoulder throwing FH. He then took 3 months off and won European Open.

Now, heā€™s nearly back to normal with podium finishes and even throwing short FH upshots. The Bird is hungry to make up for lost time.

TRUST YOUR GUT WITH POWERGRIP USA

Sometimes on the course, you have to trust your gut. An easy way is to fill your bag with delicious plastic that you can lean on.

The latest mold from Clash Discs releases tomorrow (4/28). The Fudge is their 1st beaded putter and comes in their Steady premium plastic.

If youā€™re curious to test other molds from Clash, then youā€™re in for a treat. Their 2023 Tour Series Box just dropped and it features a brand new plastic - Sunny.

This was made with their sponsored pros in mind and is stiffer and more OS than any of their plastics. These runs are the most reliable of these molds and do not disappoint.

  • Evan Smith - Mint (4|3|0|3)

  • Erika Stinchcomb - Peach (4|5|-2|1)

  • Scott Withers - Berry (5|5|-1|1)

  • James Proctor - Cookie (7|5|0|2)

The boxes will not last and are limited editions for nowā€¦ Support these pros at Powergrip USA now.

RANDOM DUBS

1ļøāƒ£ At the Smugglersā€™ Notch Resort, this yearā€™s Worlds will have upgraded spectator experiences. For the low price of $1.2k, you can buy the week-long Gold VIP Pass for these perks:

  • Exclusive merch (Squatch bag, discs, and clothing)

  • Passes to the FallFest with live music, local food/beer, and after parties

  • Access to all VIP meet & greets, spectator areas, and ceremonies

  • 3 rounds of play on the courses including an overview with Jeff Spring (DGPT CEO, TD, & designer)

Youā€™ll finally get the chance to feel like a pro on lead card with Springā€™s breath on your neck. It sounds like a steal.

On the other side of the coin, we have a seasoned veteran and Elite winner - Bradley Williams. 2 weeks ago at the Blue Ridge Championship, he made the controversial decision to lay up and guarantee 2nd.

To Williams, this was a smart decision financially. Currently, heā€™s breaking even on Tour with car payments, travel expenses, and other costs that affect his decision-making on the course.

He views the Tour as a grind and knows that consistent play pays off in the end. Hopefully, the efforts of the DGPT to increase spectator revenue will result in more money in the pockets of those on the grind.

2ļøāƒ£ OTB Tour Skins fatigue is real, but if you havenā€™t tuned into this weekā€™s then youā€™re missing out on Feldberg stories, big putts, and S-tier trash-talking. Hereā€™s a taste of one of the many highlights:

Even if you were one of the 35k to see it already, ABā€™s $4k ace run on Hole 16 was too good not to display on repeat. Watch GK Proā€™s OTB Tour Skins.

MEME OF THE WEEK

Thanks for reading today. Get out and feed your addiction this weekend!

- Charlie