Today I woke up to the second snow of the year. Up here, that typically means that fall is over, and winter is upon us. Feels really early this year. It will be interesting to see how folks cope with being cooped up inside all winter without access to events, bar, and restaurants. The things that normally get us through the cold temperatures and darkness are facing restrictions once again due to the increases in infection rates Minnesota has experienced over the last month.

Since I consistently competed this last summer in PDGA-sanctioned events, I met a lot of motivated and talented disc golf players. Most of the events I played were near where I live in the Twin Cities and I found myself speaking with locals who had their own strategies for keeping their skills up over the winter. While winter disc golf is pretty fun, and I enjoy playing courses like Brookview which are only open in the winter, it isn’t really a substitute for playing real courses. Being unable to use your full power or aim effectively, while having to nurse hand-warmers and mittens is a recipe for skipping the round altogether and watching Netflix instead.

One of the strategies that was mentioned, was how “going south” for the winter seemed to magically transform 900-rated players into fully-fledged disc golf champions, capable of winning coveted B-tier tournaments. I tend to believe the hype, though it doesn’t seem to be a problem for some Minnesotan super pros like Cale Leiviska. For us mere mortals, missing out on 3 to 4 months of practice, league, and tournament play is a huge disadvantage. Those of us in this position—in the northern climates at least—usually can’t just pack up and leave. This got me thinking … since I’m working remotely anyways, why not go south and practice most of the winter?

Luckily, it didn’t take much convincing (for my boss or myself). In every tough situation, there is usually a silver lining and I figured that going somewhere warm where I can prepare for the 2021 season to be as competitive as possible was a safe bet for some fun! Now the only question remains, where to go?

The decision isn’t yet finalized, but I started with browsing some areas that will be warm, have tournaments, and will be in close proximity to other activities I want to do in my free time. Luckily, there is a wealth of information about disc golf which has narrowed down the decision making process.

UDisc is a savior of an application. With both a fantastic iOS and Android app, as well as a blog, if you have not yet checked it out you should! According to one of their recent posts, Iowa has the most courses per capita but that’s obviously not an option. I think at this point in time, most states have enough courses, where accessibility is not that much of a problem.

Unfortunately, most tournaments and leagues have not been finalized for January/February ’21 at this time, so I can’t really factor that into the decision. I’m thinking the choice is between Southern California, Arizona, Texas, or Florida. Taking a quick look at Airbnb prices for the winter yielded some terrifying results for California (how does anyone afford living there?) so that might be out as a choice.

One of the tournaments I am really looking forward to is the Las Vegas Challenge in Henderson, Nevada. A number of Minnesota guys go down every year to get toasted by actual professional DG Pro Tour players and I thought I might join in on the fun! Since that is at the end of February, I’m guessing that the best option for training is Arizona. I still need to do some research, but with the most popular course in Arizona being Vista Del Camino Park in Scottsdale, a course on my UDisc “wishlist,” it seems like a fun place to spend a few months avoiding the snow. It’s close enough to California, New Mexico, and even Texas, which could make for a fun road trip.

I realize that this blog is fairly new and probably does not have much readership yet. But if anyone has any recommendations of where to go for the winter to play a bunch of disc golf let me know in the comments! I’m excited for the opportunity this brings, but want to make the right decision and be productive in order to win a few events in 2021!

Before I could legally drive, it was a big deal having a friend who’s older sibling could drive us places. I distinctly remember the excitement of being able to hop into my friend’s beat up gold Saturn to go to a few local courses that were outside of biking distance to play some disc golf. One of the initial attractions to the game for me was the sense that it was an escape outside of the normal boundaries of where I could normally go. The neat thing about Minnesota in early aughts, was that there were already hundreds of disc golf courses around the Twin Cities. With so much choice, half the fun was picking a fresh course and setting course to it, ready to explore.

Time moves fast, that was already 15 years ago. Hard to believe how quickly time moves when you start college and work full-time. It’s also crazy to think that I still play this ridiculous game with as much enthusiasm and interest as I did when I was younger. Playing a new course holds as much excitement to me as it did back then. The only thing that has changed in all of those years is that I can explore around the world instead of just my state.

This past weekend I met up with a friend from the original neighborhood I grew up in when living in Minnesota, Steve, who’s older brother used to drive us around to play new courses. He’s one of those friends who I don’t always see every year. Whether it’s due to our busy schedules or just the nature of working and moving, suddenly you find that two years have gone by. But when we do meet up, it’s usually over a game of disc golf or a beer and we pick up right where we left off like there was no interruption in-between. Some people you just click with and it’s always refreshing remembering that some people “get” what you talk about right away.

I think there is a reason that games like golf are played for social outings. It is a great opportunity to catch up with a friend you haven’t seen for awhile, or to meet new people you have not previously gotten to know. There is generally so much downtime during the round that you can’t help but get to know the person you’re talking to.

If nothing else, I think that playing a round is pretty universal outing for most people my age. I don’t necessarily want to go out for a drink or play video games all day with my day job being sedentary. Not every one bikes or likes to exercise, so I’ve found playing a round to be a healthy mid-ground for most folks.

In fact, earlier in the summer I was contacted out of the blue by another one of my old friends David, who I had gotten to know over time. After the casual small talk was over, I got the question, “hey do you want to go play a round of frisbee golf somewhere?” We ended up playing a couple rounds that day and caught up chatting about a range of topics from family life to career goals.

I’ve racked my brain pretty hard, and have yet to find a better activity to socialize with. I think cycling is pretty close, but I do have quite a few friends who either don’t own a bike or don’t know how to bike. Ball golf is of course another option, but with courses shutting down left and right and rounds that cost $50+, who has the patience for that?

Since it is getting into the holiday season with this year likely that many families will not be seeing each other due to the pandemic, I’ve been reflecting on how lucky I am to be surrounded by people who are active and able to get out. Without hobbies like disc golf or cycling, I probably would have gotten some insane cabin fever the last couple months. I don’t know how people live in cities like New York where you can’t just leave at a moments notice. As it came up in one of the conversations while catching up with Steve, we were thinking even though the pandemic has greatly affected our work lives, our lifestyles “really have not changed that much.” That I think, is a good thing and I hope to strive for longevity in the activities I choose to do. Gotta keep on truckin’, or whatever that Grateful Dead song says to do!

One of the reasons I love disc golf is the unique characters that one encounters on the course. When I was younger, I remember being enthralled by professionals who would occasionally stop by and check out the local scene through leagues or tournaments. Disc golf legend Gregg Barsby happened to be one of the first pros I got into, purely through Youtube.

For those who know, enjoy the video (you know what this is). For those who don’t, Barsby is known for his classic impression of “The Champ” Ken Climo.