First DG Roadtrip...

[Weebl]

Alrighty, This is more of a log of tourny prep, mental prep, new course playing and also to see if anyone else is going...

South Lake Pro/AM Tournament in Lake Tahoe, CA!
July 22-23 is when it's at.

What do you all do to make sure you've got a clear mind for a tournament, preparation for courses you'll encounter and disc selection? Minimalist (Stable-beat driver, stable-beat mid, stable-beat putter all in 3 mold?), meditation, shot prep, smart playing? I've only played one tourny so far, B-tier sanctioned and it was rough to say the least...

[Weebl]

Since this is a hot topic, I'll chime in. The course is at 7,000' elevation, so im trying to figure out a bag setup. I'm fairly certain I'm going to bring a 150g putter, 162g, 168g, 172g to see what works best. I wish I had some more light plastic to use though in drivers and mids... I'm very tempted to only use Teebirds, Rocs and Wizards for the next month and a half to know them back and front so i wont have much guesswork in the tourny. I also have the urge to put a beast or some other distance driver in my bag for those big holes... I need birdie options if i want to place and a TB will only get me putting on a 375'-400' hole (this is heavier DX TB distance at sealevel for me) not to mention I have not played much at all in conditions with no or even little wind. Any input of pro/cons of carrying a minimalist bag for this tourny? Disc weight comparison (ex: 175g Roc at sealevel=168g Roc at 7k')

[Thatdirtykid]

In my opinion weight isnt as importance as stability for altitude. I play regulary courses at altitudes 2500' to around 7000+'. I playing at higher altitudes I pretty much throw one notch less stable (such as beat avenger instead of worn avenger ect)

mess around with different strategies, but I would say especially when youre not sure how your discs are going to fly play more control. The longer discs you throw the more they will be affected by altitude (even though fast discs that are all penetration no glide eg flick fly the same, while discs that are fast but depend on glide eg pro wraith are more affected)

[presidio hills]

i'm thinking about that tourney. zyphyr (sp?) cove is a really cool course and i've heard bijou is really good, too.
this last month or so i was throwing with a tourney in mind. i stripped my bag down to 4 molds, practiced throwing in a field, around my ghost course (no baskets), lots of putting practice, too. first round i think i played the worst i have since the last tourney i was in... DAMN! no amount of practice makes up for anxiety and lack of confidence, which is where i was at. second round i chilled out a little more and threw better, but still bad. second day my head was there and i played MUCH better. the final round i was looking at birdie on 1/2 the holes... missed most of them, though
-1 with 3 holes left... i double bogie a shot i know i could've birdied. double the next one (440', my approach got stuck in a tree). all the sudden i'm at 3 over but i kept my head there and made a 50 footer for bird on the next hole. last hole i put it right up there for bird, hit the chains just slightly high and got pushed out. old baskets!

i'm not sure yet what it takes to play good in a tourney. but i know you gotta be relaxed, easy going, patient, and confident all at the same time. i saw so many people on my cards just TOTALLY fall apart the second day because the first wasn't how they wanted. i didn't cash but it's only my 4th tourney and i improved throughout and had a blast.

[Pagan]

-1 with 3 holes left... i double bogie a shot i know i could've birdied. double the next one (440', my approach got stuck in a tree). all the sudden i'm at 3 over but i kept my head there and made a 50 footer for bird on the next hole. last hole i put it right up there for bird, hit the chains just slightly high and got pushed out. old baskets!

i'm not sure yet what it takes to play good in a tourney. but i know you gotta be relaxed, easy going, patient, and confident all at the same time. i saw so many people on my cards just TOTALLY fall apart the second day because the first wasn't how they wanted. i didn't cash but it's only my 4th tourney and i improved throughout and had a blast.

There's a article idea for ya Blake; Tournament prep and play.

I just try to focus more on my stragety and release. Honestly when I play leagues I try to "pretend" it's a tournament. This has helped with the few tournaments I've played. My score dont vary much from leagues to tournaments. My casual rounds are where I try new lines, tinker with disc selection etc. Most times I throw two discs when alone. Player a and b. I get more practice that way. I also get tired faster too though.

[Weebl]

I've been playing with a local advanced master (Merle Witvoet) and he's going to the pro worlds. I should ask him if we could get as many rounds in while in tourny mindset. eg: playing with eachother with every shot counting, playing smart and not going for the 140' birdie because it's 'not a tourny', ect. I think (correct me if I have a fault in my plan) that if I play every round as if I'm in a tourny then I will be much more comfortable in an actual tourny.

[presidio hills]

i think part of it, too, is to realize that a tourney ain't that big of a deal. you're just one golfer in one tourney... so no matter how much heartbreak that blow through the chains caused you, you're just a little bug compared to the big picture... so there's no reason to freak out.
the first day i was really hard on myself, feeling the pressure. it totally hurt my game. the second day, even though i missed like a 5 footer on the first hole of the day to take a bogie (5 footer being a result of hitting the top for bird)... i just laughed at myself and moved on. i played much better with that attitude. i think the attitude has a lot to do with it.

[lacrimosa]

presidio, I ended up playing the willits tourney - and I really agree that a lot of tournament stuff is mental. on the first hole during the first round of the tourney, I ended up missing a 5 ft putt for birdie because I was so nervous. normally during that situation, I'd just let basic muscle memory take over and put it in the basket - but this time I got anxious contemplating all the possibilities of what could go wrong, and ended up throwing the putt mechanically (ie, focusing on all the minute muscle movements, the lines I could take, etc.)

blake is right when he says that anxiety and pressure are unnecessary and self-inflicted. learning how to get rid of them is another matter, though.

[Thatdirtykid]

I've been playing with a local advanced master (Merle Witvoet) and he's going to the pro worlds. I should ask him if we could get as many rounds in while in tourny mindset. eg: playing with eachother with every shot counting, playing smart and not going for the 140' birdie because it's 'not a tourny', ect. I think (correct me if I have a fault in my plan) that if I play every round as if I'm in a tourny then I will be much more comfortable in an actual tourny.

Thats hard to do with out any extra drive to do well. Play for $ but dont play skins, risk reward is different playing skins vs tourney.