2020 Update – First Completed PDGA Tournament Dave Feldberg Blog #5

Dave Feldberg Wins Throw at the StoneWhat a year we have had and we are only halfway through! Synthya, Leomax, and I have been laying low at our house hoping things get somewhat back to normal. We have been focusing on our family, house projects, and NADGT. We hope everyone stays safe during these uncertain times.

Throw at the Stone

This last weekend I played my first complete event of the season, a B tier called The Throw at the Stone in Macon, GA. I didn’t know what to expect since I had not played since March where I had to DNF at The Memorial due to the flu.

Before the first round I was nervous like it was my first ever event. I did what I could to focus that energy into a positive energy. They had me teeing off in the last group at 2:00 p.m.. The first hole is a blind par four 495 foot turnover with a very difficult angle and very thick schule to lose your disc in. I walked up and ripped it on the inside and cut the distance of the turn and placed it 8 feet from the pin for an eagle. After that it all clicked and I went on to shoot -21 on the 27 holes. I had the lead by 7 throws over Matt Dollar and Bryan Gort.

The second day the course pins got a little harder, the wind blew a little stronger, and I had a little less game then the day before. I couldn’t find a way to make any birdies and by the time I got to the 8th hole I only had a two stroke lead with 19 holes to go. I battled back and forth with Dollar over the next few holes and got it back up to 3 shots with just over half the round completed. Then I noticed on live scoring that not only was Dollar three back but Sean Goddard was on fire, -14 through 19 holes, and only two strokes back as well. So I focused in and birdied 5 of the next 7 tricky holes. Dollar lost focus and Goddard put on the breaks and my led grew to 7 strokes again. I ended up winning by 10 strokes over Goddard and Jamie Kiep, last years champion.

I really enjoyed playing with card mates and playing the course, it was fun. I wanted to thank James Luppino and the Macon Aces for putting together a great event, especially during these uncertain times. The Macon Aces are the closest Disc golf club to Synthya and I, and they are hard workers. I also wanted to thank Wes Campbell and Richie for their help.

I reached my goal and kept my streak 20 consecutive years with at least one B tier or higher MPO win alive. I wasn’t sure I would get the chance to do so, but I did and I am grateful.

I want to thank all the competitors, event sponsors, volunteers , and my sponsors Infinite Discs and Propull Disc Golf as well as Synthya for pushing me to play this event and then giving me the time to do so. I love you.

2 A-Tiers — Another Win – Dave Feldberg Blog #3

First Place

Huk Central, South Carolina

Some days you feel great and other days you don’t. Being that this event is only 3 hours away from our house I decided to drive back and forth each day. I also decided to just show up on the day of the event since I had played the course before. Both of these decisions were poor choices to play my best. So when I arrived after a 3 hour drive leaving my house at 4:40 am, I am also told that it will be a record hot day both days of the event. So I decided to take it easy and play in the masters division. Another poor decision.

I came out of the gates playing well but I somehow forgot how to make short putts? Which was the one thing coming in I had been the most consistent with this year. So I was spun and managed a 1020 rated round where I threw about a 1070. Then the second round I was trailing Barry by 2 and I cut the lead, but again I couldn’t make routine 18 footers and then the heat broke me. I had not played in heat like that (97 degrees) in a long time and I just ran out of gas. My leg was cramping and my energy was gone allowing Barry to go ahead by 6 while shooting a lousy 983 rated round.

On day two I still had hope, and I started to make some putts, cutting the lead to 3 on the front nine. But then I managed to somehow miss a few more very short putts and ended the round with a bogey from 15 feet and gave him all the strokes back to be down by 6 again. The heat would not let up and the final round was a test to say the least. I played well shooting a 1052, but again I ended my round and event by missing a 15 foot putt for low round of the day.

I did finish in second, but I would have tied for 4th in Open and I probably would have made less of those silly focus mistakes if I was playing in the open division. I also would have made a little more money. Just a weekend of bad decisions and poor play. I want to thank Brian and the Huk Central staff for a well run event with plenty of water!! They always run a solid event that I will continue to play for years to come!! I want to thank my caddy Ryan Schollkopf  for helping me get through the heat!!

Trailblazer – Clermont, FL

I had no idea what to expect as I had never played in that part of Florida before. I did know that the heat wave had not gone away and I would be in for record hot temps again. I felt lucky that I had played the week before in South Carolina as I had learned how to deal with heat better. One thing was that Synthya bought me one of the chilly pad cool towels. Man those things are a life saver and only 8 bucks at Walmart. Also for this event I showed up two days early so I could learn the courses and be prepared.

They would have us play two really long courses twice a day, this was more of the Florida Iron man contest. Both courses were designed by Gregg Hosfield and one was brand new. The first course, Hiawatha Preserve a par 65 over 9000 feet, was a very fair mature tree course. It had challenging shots and fair ob’s. I came out the first round on fire breaking the course record and I would have gone lower but I was stung multiple times by some yellow jackets while trying to stand out of the way of my fellow competitors shot. It shook me up for a few holes. I carded a bogey on the hole I was stung and missed a 16 foot birdie putt in the next hole as I was still a bit worked up from the incident. The good news was that the night before the event I had gone to the course and practiced putted in the dark and figured out what had gone wrong with my circle one putting. It was pure laziness. I noticed I was leaning back in my set up instead of leaning forward. I think the habit started because I was so tired the week before. Once I started leaning forward I started making all my putts again.

After the first day I had a 7 stroke lead headed to Palmetto point park, a new course that will be great but still needs some breaking in. The holes were long, par 67, and they were tight, many a car couldn’t fit through. The rough was on another level (poisonous snakes) and you had to pitch sideways when you missed the fairway. I knew this type of golf would play to my advantage since I learned on wooded courses and my best skill nowadays is accuracy. I came out in the morning and set the new record of -12 with two bogeys. I was throwing well hitting most fairways and making all my circle one putts as well as making a few long putts. My competitors struggled as this course tightness is not easy to explain on paper. I extended my lead to 20 strokes.

Then in the fourth round I came out firing again shooting the exact same -6 on the front nine, but then with the lack of push and the heat reaching its peak of the day and it being the fourth round in two days I lost focus and shot only -1 on the back. It was still the low score of the round at -7. So I won by 21 strokes to win my first A-tier in Open this year. The course was hard period. Fox Hills video crew was there and so you can see when the video comes out what I am talking about.

I want to thank my caddy on Saturday Dan Lewis and my Caddy on Sunday Anthony Rising. Without them it would have been rough. Also, great to see a lot of Florida guys I have not seen in years. I also won the putting contest claiming some cash and a mini basket!!

The trophy was a sick sword!! Looks kind of like the Huk Lab blade. I want to thank the staff of the event for a great event and I look forward to this club and event growing over the years.

NG Update

On a business level NG is doing well and we are working out all the computer kinks that come with a new system. Everything should be working great in the next couple of weeks!! We have really been focused on building a quality staff this year so we can accomplish more and do it smoothly. If you’ve played an event, be sure to check out he current standings.

On a personnel level. Synthya and Leomax are doing great. He is smiling, and really becoming curious, we think he is also starting teething. Everyday the reward of a family is stronger and reminds me how small my life really is. My brother came to visit and loved Leomax. We took him on the lake and he caught his first freshwater fish. Synthya’s Grandparents also came to visit while I was gone but I did get to see them for a few minutes before they left. They are always a treat. We are now getting ready for this summer and of watching Leomax grow !!

I am really starting to dial in my mixed bag, and i am looking forward to defending at the Masters World Championships in a month!!

Breaking Off The Rust – Dave Feldberg Blog Post #2

Dave Feldberg at Tournament

Jonesboro Open

So I decided to play in my first two singles events with my new mixed bag. The first event was the Jonesboro Open.

I felt ready. I showed up the day before the event to practice and the wind was blowing 30 mph. Not very good practice since it was going to not be 30 mph during the event. The fact is I know my discs, but I had not seen many of them fly in heavy wind. So when the first round rolled around and it was only a slight wind, I felt like instead of executing I was playing a guessing game of, “How much is that going to Hyzer?”

 I didn’t make many mistakes, but I also didn’t make anything worth mentioning and I found myself in 35th after the first round. But I was only a few strokes back of the top ten. I did putt 100% in Circle 1. The second round came, and the weather was looming. Everyone was getting ready for a doozy of a day. I usually play well in the conditions and I was prepared, and my caddy Steve was also highly prepared. 

At the start, I was playing better than the first round and by the time we got to hole 11 I was already in the top 20. Then after a great drive, they blew the stop horn. I still had seven holes to go and now we were to play at 7:30 am. I have never been much of a morning person. 

When I woke up on Sunday at 6 am it was literally freezing and raining. I barely had enough clothes to feel comfortable outside. I headed out and I took a par on all seven holes dropping me to around 25th. That I could handle, but now I had a 5 hour wait in the rain and cold before I had to play 18 more holes. I tried to distract myself, rest, and stay warm, but this was a task. I headed out for the third round and played the front nine well. But then I just ran out of gas and focus. I took a bogey on three of my last four holes, finishing with a sloppy par on the last hole. I dropped back down to 35th.

All in all, it was good weekend. It’s just the older you get, even though you have the experience to play in the conditions, it is less enjoyable playing in the bad weather. But it was a good warm up and let me know what I need to work on for the rest the season.

Linton Park Open

I played in one more event, the Linton Park Open which was a B-tier in Sandersville, Georgia. I was able to pull out the win by two strokes over Matt Dollar. It paid $1100 for first!! I started off a little slow and gradually increased my play throughout the weekend. Jamie Brindell and his crew ran a fabulous tournament with all kinds of food, awesome trophies, and tons of added cash. It’s nice be able to win over thousand dollars less than an hour from my house.

Over the next few weeks I have two more events planned. I will be playing in the Huk Central A -tier in South Carolina, followed up by the Trailblazer A-tier in Clermont, Florida. I’m hoping to be able to start playing my rating at those two events.

I got my first action with the Infinite Discs Emperor at these events and I must say I really like the disc. It is giving me a really fast over stable distance driver for my bag. My new tour Emperor in Splatter Star should be coming out very soon. If you like Destroyers, you’ll love the Emperor.

Next Gen Tour

On a business level next generation tour is doing well. We just announced that we will have a $100,000 final event in Austin Texas. Synthya and I decided after lots of thought that the one thing that amateurs need to take that next step is cash. 

On a personal level, Synthya, Leomax, and I have been doing great. He is growing so fast, and Synthya has turned into a wonderful mother already. This week my brother is coming to town from Maryland to visit us and meet the baby. I think we’ll all go up to the Atlanta aquarium and check it out.

Well that’s my update for now hopefully I can start playing better Disc Golf, make sure people understand what NextGen is now, and enjoy being a father to this wonderful family that I have helped create. Until next time, see you in the fairways.


Dave Feldberg Putting Tip: Slow Down and Hit the Mark

In this two minute putting clinic, disc golf legend Dave Feldberg explains the importance of consistency when putting. To be a more consistent putter, you need to hit the mark. Start your motion at the same point where you will release the putter. When you drop the disc back, a slower drop back will provide more consistently to help you hit the mark. When you’re hitting the mark more consistently, you will make more putts.