MLB pitcher buys course for $1.2 million

Happy Friday! You're In The Circle. The disc golf newsletter that gives you the same feeling as when you are CTP in a tournament.

📝 On today’s card:

• How good is your roller game?

• MLB pitcher buys course for $1.2 million

• PDGA member #250000

Read time: 4 minutes and 26 seconds

UP YOUR GAME

What throws do you have in your arsenal? Backhands and forehands are a good start, but another useful but difficult throw to master is the roller.

You’ve been there before, either on the tee or at a lie, saying to yourself “if only I had a good roller”.

You don’t need all the throws to be a good disc golfer, or even to be a pro. There are many pros that get by with throwing backhands or forehands 99% of the time. But, having different throws in your back pocket can sure make your life easier. So let’s get the roller added to your game.

Which disc is best

Generally, stick with fairway or distance drivers. The disc follows the same principles on the ground as it does in the air. The more understable or “flippy” the disc (the 3rd number listed on your discs), the quicker it will want to turn over to the stamp side of the disc.

So for long-distance rollers, you may want a more stable disc, or adjust your angle.

All the angles

There are two angles you need to focus on when throwing a roller, and both are extremely important:

• The angle you release the disc

• The angle of the disc as it hits the ground

Rather than spending the rest of the newsletter walking you through this, Latitude 64 has an excellent video that’s worth the watch.

They display the form for throwing a backhand roller and break down the angles for rollers and what they mean. Also included are some other types of rollers such as forehand, thumber, and the scooba as they call it.

MLB PITCHER BUYS COURSE FOR $1.2M

Six-time disc golf world champion Paul McBeth and MLB Chicago White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease now co-own the Gran Canyon Disc Golf Course in Brooksville, Florida.

The course is beloved by many but in years past, it has only been open for 4-weeks each year to host the Throw Down the Mountain tournament.

Mike Barnett, tournament director of Throw Down the Mountain, contacted Paul inquiring if there would be interest in purchasing the property to convert it into a permanent disc golf course. Paul then reached out to Dylan Cease, and 48 hours and $1.2 million later, they had a deal to become the new owners of the property.

MLB pitcher Dylan Cease is no stranger to disc golf. He recently purchased 60 acres of land in Tuscaloosa, Alabama to build a legendary disc golf course, Cactus Rock, designed by the one and only Paul McBeth.

Future plans for the property?

After throwing down over $1M on a disc golf course, Dylan and Paul have plans to get some return on their investment.

• Installation of permanent tee pads and baskets to open the course year-round

• Lengthening the par of the course

• Improved infrastructure such as parking and a pro shop

• The course will be pay-to-play, per day or yearly memberships

• Limited amount of transferrable lifetime memberships that include other incentives

The course will be getting a name change but they are waiting to release it. As of now, the course should be fully up and running by spring 2024. Dylan and Paul were on the Nick & Matt Show to discuss it all.

WEEKLY PRO RANKINGS - TOP 10

LATEST PLASTIC

The PDGA approved seventeen new discs this past week. All but one come from Remix Disc Golf.

Remix is a trademark of MVP Disc Sports. For a long time, the discs had not been PDGA-approved until now. The sixteen Remix discs now approved are:

• Battleship, Behemoth, Creature, Detonator, Eldritch, Gladius, Goliath, Haymaker, Heavy Metal, Mastodon, Mercenary, Rumble, Skirmisher, Spartan, Torpedo, and Troll.

The other disc approved this past week was from Hobbysport. Keeping the name nice and simple, it’s called the Hobbysport putter.

Total PDGA-approved models: 1,759

CIRCLE’S EDGE

• The PDGA is hosting the inaugural Women’s Disc Golf Week. Happening between May 13 - 21, it will include waived non-member fees, membership discounts, mystery boxes, and recognition of nominated women.

• There are changes coming to the W.R. Jackson Memorial Course for the 2023 Champions Cup. The changes are aimed to improve the play and spectator experience. This biggest change is a grandstand finish on hole 18 for spectators.

• As disc golf grows, so does the PDGA. Mark Fredericks became PDGA #250000. Sixty other people registered within one minute of Mark, likey trying to get the number themselves.

RULE OF THE DAY