No wonder Jimmy's not afraid of the Hill!

Check out what Devens regular Jimmy Blakeney does in his free time. Very cool. Very crazy.

Jimmy Blakeney 2003 Creeking DVD from Bryan Kirk.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Along with the official Devens Turkey who calls our course his home, I wish you a happy Thanksgiving!

Eat up!

Tolvanen tops taggers at Bonanza

Sixteen golfers and one dog showed up yesterday for our annual year-end Bag Tag Bonanza that wraps up our Wednesday Weekly tag league.

Good times were had, good food and drink were brought, my grill decided to go on strike (sorry about that), and lots of stuff was given away. And maybe best of all, two rounds of golf were played on an unseasonably warm and sunny day in New England.

Just for showing up, everyone received a small Devens Disc Golf freebie and was entered in a drawing for a special-edition 2009 Worlds Sparkle Shockwave, a one-of-a-kind Devens hat, and a Devens Thrill on the Hill DVD made by Steve Walker.

Congratulations to Pete Tolvanen who went home with the 2009 #1 tag and a custom Devens keychain. Matt Duquette took home the Overall Skills Challenge title and won himself a new Avenger SS. Nice job, guys!

Thanks to several generous golfers, we ended up with 18 CTPs and prizes to give away. Thanks for supporting our league everyone and see you next year!

Bag Tag Bonanza Results
Final tag Golfer R1 R2 Total

• 1 Pete Tolvanen 54 56 110
• 2 Donnie Phillips 56 58 114
• 4 Frank Strauss 59 56 115
• 5 Rob Walker 56 61 117
• 6 Alan MacLean 57 62 119
  
  
• 9 Luke Adolph 62 58 120
• 11 John Borelli 61 62 123
• 15 Andrew Duquette 60 63 123
• 16 Pete Nevius 61 64 125
• 17 Dave Mallen 63 64 127
  
  
• 20 John Rodenhizer 65 64 129
• 22 Chuck Gerbrands 71 65 136
• 27 Matt Duquette 70 67 137
• 29 Doug Callaghan 65 72 137
• 33 Steve Walker 77 77 154
• 40 Dave James DNF

Overall Skills Challenge A B C D E F Total Prize

1. Matt Duquette 3 4 5 3 0 0 15 - Worlds Avenger
2. John Borelli 0 5 4 0 3 2 14 - Strauss Jam
3. Donnie Phillips 3 0 0 5 0 5 13 - 12-pack of Mt Dew
4. Dave Mallen 5 0 0 0 3 1 9 - Shot glasses

Skills events

• A - Corner kick flick into soccer net
• B - Roller CTP
• C - Opposite hand for distance
• D - Closest to Marcy
• E - Putting
• F - Stand and deliver for distance

Raffle

1. Andrew Duquette - 09 Worlds Sparkle DGA Aftershock
2. Donnie Phillips - Devens hat
3. Pete Tolvanen - Thrill on the Hill Dubs DVD

CTPs

• Ice Bowl shirt - Luke Adolph
• Orange surge - Luke Adolph
• Ice Bowl Roadrunner - John Borelli
• King of the Hill Surge - John Borelli
• King of the Hill Surge - Pete Nevius
  
  
• Thrill on the Hill Dubs DVD - Rob Walker
• $10 funny money - Pete Nevius
• Disc and towel - Luke Adolph
• Harvard General Store gift card - Pete Tolvanen
• Harvard General Store gift card - Doug Callaghan
  
  
• Homemade applesauce - Donnie Phillips
• Homemade pickles - Pete Tolvanen
• Homemade salsa - John Borelli
• The Regifted Cooler - Rob Walker
• $10 cash - Pete Tolvanen
• $10 cash - Matt Duquette

CTP donors

• Matt Duquette
• Andrew Duquette
• Steve Walker
• Frank Strauss
• Dave James
• Chuck Gerbrands
• Pete Tolvanen
• Donnie Phillips
• Killer B Productions

Sorry, not many photos this time. I forgot I had the camera. Just like I forgot how to drive, approach, and putt too...

Pete practices for Putting



John R, Doug C, and Dave M roll in after Rd 2


Matt D turbo putts his way to Overall Skills Challenge dominance

Four year olds can deuce 16. So why can't you?!

Ethan S. became the youngest golfer in Devens history to deuce hole 16 today at the tender age of four!

Out for a casual round with his dad Frank, Jimmy B, and me, Ethan stepped up to the tee box on 16 and whipped a Roadrunner tomahawk roller down the hill, just missing family dog Puck who was sniffing around the rocks just below the tee. The disc caught an edge and veered right, just over the rim of the hill and looked like it stalled out in the brush.

After the rest of us threw, we started down the hill and Ethan yelled, "There's my Roadrunner!" We looked up (uhh... down) and sure enough his disc had somehow made it all the way down the hill, stopping about 40 feet in front of the basket. Not bad for a throw we all thought didn't even make it over the edge of the hill!

But Ethan wasn't done just yet. He calmly walked up to his disc and picked it up, took a few steps toward the basket, and threw another Tomahawk. Crash! Into the basket for a deuce! We all had a good laugh over that one, especially since we all got fours.

Here's Ethan re-enacting his history-making putt a little bit closer to the basket. Keep it up, buddy!

Pro Clinic: Getting out of trouble

Bag Tag Bonanza is coming. Are you?

Please let us know if you are coming to the final bag tag tourney of the year next Sat. Nov 21. It's free.

We have a bunch of one-of-a-kind Devens prizes and a special DGA Sparkle disc I got down at Worlds up for grabs. It is very cool.

RSVP now, now, now!

Vote Borelli for NEFA MA representative!

Just a quick request to all MA NEFA members to vote for me for MA State rep. Right now state reps only determine the state's double NEFA points event, but word on the street is that they will be given more responsibilities next year as the organization continues to grow.

I've got a bunch of ideas to help grow disc golf in our region and would appreciate your vote!

Cast your vote by Nov 21 by emailing current officers Gary and Rick. You must be a NEFA member and you must email your choice to both men. Thanks!

Thank you

Today is Veterans Day. To all military personnel who have passed through Fort Devens and to all who continue to serve on base, thank you for your service. You are a huge part of why we can freely chuck plastic on Shepley's Hill and everywhere else in the USA!

Veterans Day is an annual American holiday honoring military veterans. Both a Federal holiday and a state holiday in all states, it is usually observed on November 11. It is also celebrated as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world, falling on November 11, the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice. (source: Wikipedia)

The Veterans Day National Ceremony is held on November 11th at Arlington National Cemetery. At 11:00 a.m., a color guard, made up of members from each of the military services, renders honors to America's war dead during a tradition-rich ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns. The ceremony takes place inside the Memorial Amphitheater. (source: US Dept of Veteran Affairs)

The Hill brings 'em in from far and wide

A few weeks ago, Ernie Davis from Seattle sent me an email looking to play a round while he was out here on vacation. I met him Friday and had a great time showing him around the Hill. Ernie's been playing a while and had a few interesting stories about playing with Nate and Feldberg when they were younger. Good times!

While we were playing, we bumped into a guy from Wyoming also out visiting family. "I've been to a couple courses in MA and so far this one sure is the most challenging," he said. He must have liked it because I saw him out for a second round later.

We also bumped into a group of new players. They weren't from any exotic place like Seattle or Wyoming, though. They lived in Groton and NH and the kids went to Lawrence Academy. They looked like they were having fun and asked a few questions about rules and technique.

The Happy Locals


Both Ernie and I impressed them with lucky park jobs on hole 1 (but we didn't tell them that of course). If you guys read this, be sure to email me and I'll hook you up with some real disc golf discs like we talked about.

With this warm weather this week, I'm sure Hill will be hopping. Get out there and chuck some plastic!

Ernie fires away on Hole 1

Eight Hillfolk finish in top of NEFA Points standings

Can I get a huge "Hill Yeah" for eight of the finest disc golfers at Devens?!

Congratulations to Daniel Marcus, Ken Gary, Mike Connell, John Borelli, Ed Hovestadt, Alan MacLean, Marcy Buchanan, and Sam Misuraca for finishing at or near the top of the 2009 NEFA Points standings in their respective divisions!

I normally don't brag, but damn, what an impressive showing. We had someone place in the top three in 7/10 divisions. Not too shabby for such a young course, eh?

• Daniel Marcus: 1st, Pro Masters
• Ken Gary: 2nd, Pro Grandmasters
• Mike Connell: 4th, Pro Grandmasters
• John Borelli: 2nd, Advanced
• Ed Hovestadt: 2nd, Advanced Masters
• Alan MacLean: 3rd, Intermediate
• Marcy Buchanan: 3rd, Women's Intermediate
• Sam Misuraca: 1st, Recreational
• Full results
  

Throughout the year, NEFA members compete in several tournaments throughout New England and earn points depending on their finish in each tournament. Depending on the division, the top three to five finishes for each golfer are totaled to determine the overall Points Champion at the end of the season.

More success at Finals
The season concluded with the NEFA Points Championship tournament in Maine a few weekends ago. Despite horrible rainy and cold conditions, Pro Grandmaster Ken Gary earned top honors for the second year in a row! Atta boy!

Daniel Marcus also had a great run in Pro Open, but lost in a heartbreaking playoff, while Ed Hovestadt played good enough to take home second place. So close!

The rest of us? Well, let's just say we had as much fun as we could playing in that miserable weather.

Congratulations on a great year, Devens! Hill Yeah!

> Don't forget about the Bag Tag Bonanza for all 2009 bag tag holders Nov. 21. Please RSVP now.

Locals make Disc Golf Monthly episode at the Vibram Open

Check out this great coverage that includes some of NEFA's finest from the 2009 Vibram Open at Maple Hill. Be sure to watch the other 8 clips from this episode, including the lead card for all 18 holes. Pretty nice!

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