Found disc: Daniel Marcus

Good news, Daniel. I found your 180g Roc you lost on hole 18 when we played together back in early Feb. It was about 10 feet beyond where we had been looking, right in the open.

I decided to look for it this morning since I had landed in the vicinity and it there it was, plain as day, sitting slightly frozen in a clearing. I will hold on to it until I see you next.

Wake Up! It's Time for Sunrise Golf!

Brian and I played a sunrise round this morning. Man was it nice out there! It was great being out so early watching the course get brighter as the sun rose. The only bad part was having to go to work after we finished!

Brian was on fire early on with a couple of nice drives. I must say he has improved a lot since I first met him -- proof that playing often makes you better! Good job, Nut!

The last bit of snow on the Hill (hole 8)

I hit a tricky birdie putt between two trees on 9

Yes! We finally have a water hazard!

Hole 18 ate me up again!

Sunrise Round, Fri Mar 30

I am meeting Brian tomorrow, Friday Mar 30, at 6:33 AM for a sunrise round before work. Anyone care to join us? I haven't played for weeks and have been itching to get out there. Why not at the crack of dawn?

Post a comment or email me if you can make it!

Pye Brook DG Sinks an Ace

Thank you Bill "Stew" Stewart and the Pye Brook Disc Golf Course for grabbing one of the last Ace sponsorships! Pye Brook is a relatively young course in Topsfield, MA built in a recreation area that used to be a landfill.

The course offers lots of tricky up and down shots over and around rolling hills and valleys, as well as an imposing water hazard. And you can always count on the wind to challenge every drive and putt. It's a fun course to play, so check it out! Stew and his crew have done a lot to spread the word about disc golf in their area and I definitely appreciate him helping us out.

Keep an eye out for the Pye Brook "Tournament of Sevens" in July (7/7/07). It is a 2x NEFA points event and bound to be a good time. Pye Brook holds a special spot in my disc golf heart since it is the site of the first and only tournament I have ever won!

Disc Golf über Alles!

World traveler, custom flutemaker, and Devens Disc Golf Club Board member, Steve Berthiaume sent this great story in today. Keep spreading the word, Steve!

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Disc Golf über Alles!

Last week I was on a business trip in Berlin, Germany. The weather was totally amazing- sunny and in the 70's- about 20 degrees warmer than normal for this time of year.

I thought I would take a nice walk and do some sightseeing, and ended up in the Regierungsviertel - the Government Quarter where the German Parliament, Chancellor, and various other top government agencies have their facilities.

The German Parliament, or Bundestag, meets in the building shown above, the Reichstag building. For those not up on their European history, this is the site of the famous Reichstag fire of 1933. Of suspicious origin, this event was used by the Nazis as an excuse to completely take over the German government.

Technically, the building is known as the German Bundestag, since the German Reich (empire) ceased to exist at the end of WWII, but everyone still refers to it as the Reichstag. The building is open for free public tours, and the inside was totally gutted in the 1990s to make way for the newly united German government's move from Bonn to Berlin. The new interior features lots of glass, natural light, and modern design elements. The inscription on the building, (under the triangle near the frisbee in the photo) Dem Deutschen Volke, translates to "to the German people." The photo originally appeared in a German newspaper on Wednesday, March 14.

In front of the Reichstag is a huge lawn where everyone was enjoying the sunshine. I noticed a group of folks working on their freestyle, and went up to see if they knew anything about the local DG scene. Apparently, there is an object course in Berlin, and when the national tour comes through, they set up baskets. In addition, the guy with whom I spoke mentioned a place where people get together to practice drives. He had never played DG himself , but thought it was really cool, or geil (watch out, geil can also mean "horny").

He asked me if I played (Bist du Golfer?), and was impressed with the state of the sport in the US. He said that it was quickly increasing in Europe as well, although it's very difficult to get courses put in on public land.

According to the German DG site www.hyzernauts.de, the object course is in the Wedding district of Berlin, and they meet on an almost-weekly basis. Looks like I might have to bring a couple of Wurfscheiben (literally, throwing plates or discs) on my next trip to Berlin!

(Email Steve)

Cuzz & Rick Hit the Hill

Pete and I bumped into a couple of Hill first-timers on Saturday. Pyramid and Maple Hill regulars Cuzz and Rick met up with Aaron and Michelle for a round. Nice to see some more Worcester-area folks making the ride up. I am really glad Aaron came since he found one of my discs! Thanks for checking us out, guys.

Aaron on Hole 3

Cuzz on Hole 3

Michelle on Hole 3

No-limit Texas Hold 'em Charity Tournament

Devens Disc Golf supporter, the Ayer-Shirley-Harvard Rotary, presents:

No-limit Texas Hold 'em Tournament Charity Benefit
Sunday March 11, Noon
Bull Run Restaurant, Shirley, MA
$100

• $2500 first prize
• Players eliminated during the first 2 hrs of main tournament automatically entered into a single table tournament for free
• Guest speaker: Ashey Adams, author of Winning 7-Card Stud: Transforming Home Poker Chumps into Casino Killers
  

Sign up: Call Chris Lilly 978-772-3688. Please mention you heard it thru disc golf!

Family Fun Spot Arcade Hits Start to Begin

We're happy to announce that Family Fun Spot Arcade has joined us as a Birdie sponsor! Thank you!

The Fun Spot Arcade is located next to several other course sponsors in the Devens Commons just up the road from the course. So stop by after your next round and blow off a little steam in their arcade, or bring the kids over and let them wow you with their video games skills as you plink-plunk your way around the pinball machines!

Nashoba Club Restaurant Serves Up a Birdie

Thank you to our latest Birdie-level sponsor, Nashoba Club Restaurant in Ayer center! They have been in business since the 1950s, and have all sorts of pizzas, sandwiches, dinners, and a full bar. Oh yeah! The bar is also loaded with sports memorabilia so stop in and check them out. Thanks again guys!

Insurance Woes

Sorry for the lack of news lately, but we've been slightly distracted. In order to legally open the course, we must have insurance or else MA Development (which runs Devens) will not lease us the land. Our preliminary research on insurance is pretty depressing. Most insurance companies won't give us a policy, while those that will are estimating costs of around $3000 per year!

So, if any of you out there are kind-hearted insurance gurus, let us know if you can help or suggest some alternative solutions. Thanks.

Believe me, we are trying our hardest to make this happen. We have come too bleepin' far and worked to damn hard to let this fail. Brian told me the other day he was actually nauseous over the fact that after over two years of hard work spreading the word, gathering community support, and bringing new people onto Devens that we may get smacked down.

We see the course as a win-win for Devens since the course is already getting steady traffic and helping to add a few extra dollars to area business piggy banks. Beside benefiting financially in a small way, Devens will also be adding another item to its already impressive list of fun, family-friendly activities. That's why it is so frustrating that they can't find a way for us to be covered under one of their policies. Ugh...