Ain't she purty?

Yesterday Ken G, Andy D, and I installed the first FlyPad on teepad 1 and damn, does it look good! It instantly gives the course a boost in awesomeness.

This used to be somebody's roof.

Instead of stone dust as the base, we are trying out ground up recycled asphalt shingles from our neighbors, Routhier Brothers. You know those huge black piles to the right of hole 1? Well, those are finely ground shingles and tires. The guys over there were real helpful and drove over a 1/3 of a bucketload in their payloader and parked it near the picnic table.

Andy and I then shovelled it into a wheelbarrel and wheeled it over to Ken who had prepped the teebox and worked on spreading the black stuff evenly. After maybe 7-8 loads, Ken fired up the gas-powered tamper that Routhier lent us and poof, the base was set.

Thank you Routhier Brothers!

Next, we rolled out a 12-ft section of recyled rubber mat, layed it on top, and secured it with 6 threaded spikes. We quickly learned that trying to pound a metal spike through rubber wasn't the easiest thing to do since it kept bouncing back up. Then I had the brilliant idea of trying to twist the bolt in and it went in like butter.

Andy and Ken then trimmed the front and back edges and we were done. The whole process took about 30-40 minutes, not counting the brief jaunt over to the gas station to refill the tamper.

The tamper vibrated so much I couldn't focus!

If we get everything organized ahead of time and get plenty of people to come out and help, we should be able to bang out the remaining 8 tee pads Sat. Nov 13. The most time-consuming and difficult part of this will be getting the base material to the holes.

So, check out the new pad and let us know what you think. If you like it, donate some money to the course and help pay for these. They sure ain't cheap! Hit that PayPal button now!!

Oh, we each aced our first drive off the new pad. Scores are going to drop.

Ken and Andy trim the front.

Need help Thursday

We are installing a flypad on tee 1 tomorrow at 10 AM. You need to come help. Bring your tools. Thank you.

This will be a test run for our tee pad workday Nov. 13 or 14.

Local disc golf featured on Disc Golf Monthly

Catch a glimpse of Marcy and me on the latest episode of Disc Golf Monthly as they cover the Vibram Open at Maple Hill this past August. If you've got an hour to spare, be sure to watch all four episodes. (#77)

Strauss/Gula set Dubs record at Thrill on the Hill

Thanks for coming to the Thrill on the Hill, everyone! It was another beautiful Autumn day, just like we requested. Send me your DiscGolfScene email if you want your scores to appear on your profile.

• 2010 Thrill on the Hill results

Congrats to Frank Strauss and Alex Gula for shooting a dubs record 46 in Rd 1 en route to a superb 94 (-14) AM1 tournament win. Their 3-throw lead was hard to overcome in Rd 2 as Karl and I matched them stroke for stroke with a 48.

AM1 winners: Alex and Frank

You could tell something special was in the air after Alex deuced hole 14 from just past the second tier. The hawk that is now calling Devens home was there to see this rare birdie too. Frank and Alex played steady, solid golf all day. Great job.

The Hawk

Brett Norcross and Austin Brooks held off Andy Allen and Jason Paul to take home the AM2 crown with a hot 49/53 (101), while Recs Luke Sisco and Martin Janhunen shot lights out in their first-ever tournament, also shooting a 101! Great job guys. Watch out for these guys next year, AM2s!

AM2 winners: Brett and Austin

Rec winners: Martin and Luke

There weren't any aces, but Pete Nevius chained out twice I think I heard. Doug Callaghan won the ace pot throw off with a beautiful tomahawk that landed right next to the basket. He won 60-something bucks.

Speed
The turnout for Speed was disappointing, especially after so many people had signed up for it or told me they were going to do it.

The old guys win Speed! Karl, Rob, Donnie

Nonetheless, age and experience prevailed as Karl Molitoris spanked the field by 23 seconds. Karl shot -1 for a final adjusted time of 2:55. Rob Walker came in second (-1, 3:18) and Donnie Phillips finished third (+1, 3:28). I took fourth (+1, 4:02) while Doug C (E, 4:48) pulled up the rear .

I guess us old people are a little more adventurous than the young, scared whippersnappers. Thanks Tim, Nat, and Bobka for spotting and scoring. More pix and video coming later.

Look for the opening of our new store behind basket 12 next month. Killer B Disc Golf!

Flypads are here!

Our first roll of Flypad recycled rubber tee pads has arrived and we need to cut them ASAP.

Join Ken and I at 4:00 today. Bring a heavy duty cutter if you have one. We are meeting at my old dog business at 53 Ayer Rd (Rt 2A), Littleton. Look for the warehouses next to the gravel company.

Hopefully some of you can help on such short notice. We'll have the Patriots game on the radio, don't worry.

Course closed Sat. Oct 23

The course will be closed this Saturday due to the Thrill on the Hill Dubs and Speed tournament. Feel free to come watch and learn a little more about disc golf!

The event is now full! Thanks for signing up and helping selling out yet another tournament! See you bright and early tomorrow. Looks like a classic sunny New England day is in store for us.

Three spots left!

Three more teams signed up over the weekend and the Rec field has sprouted to five groups now! It's great to see so many newer players venturing into tournament play.

There is a solid AM1 field with several top players competing, as well as a large AM2 field too.

Let's sell this sucker out! Just 3 teams thrilling spots left! Did I mention that there are Borelli Brownies up for grabs for all first place teams? Mmmm, Borelli Brownies....

• Sign up!

Course closed Sat. Oct 23

The course will be closed all day Saturday, Oct. 23 for the Thrill on the Hill tournament. There are 5 spots left, so don't miss out! Register now!

Only 9 spots left for Thrill on the Hill

Yep, there are only nine spots left for our yearly Thrill on the Hill Dubs & Speed tournament on Sat. Oct 23. Don't miss out on this fun day of disc golf on the Hill!

• Register now!

I'm excited to see many new names signed up for this, as well as our faithful regulars.

It's also good to see so many adventerous souls who have signed up for the Speed round. If you are on the fence about doing it, just sign up for it. It's a lot of fun and takes less than 4 minutes (2.5 if you are really good). It's really not all abut speed, but endurance, brains, and accuracy too.

There are a few ways to approach the 4-hole Speed round:

• Run really fast but shoot over par, take your +/- penalty, and hope your low time compensates for your wild shooting. 
• Run at a controlled pace, take your time on each shot, shoot par or below, and hope the +/- bonus helps you out.
• Run fast and shoot well.

Any way you do it is a lot of fun. Even if you don't participate, we need a handful of volunteers to record scores, spot, and of course cheer everyone on. So be sure to stick around after Dubs!

Be like Pete!

Watch the USDGC live Tue - Sat.!

If you can't make it down to Rock Hill, SC to watch the United States Disc Golf Championships this week, watch it live on the Internet. Several players from New England are participating.

Support the growth of our sport by donating to the coverage. There are a few options including free, $4, $20, and $100 and you'll get free stuff and a chance at winning schwag just for being a supporter.

• More info
• Watch live

Be like Peaches and Herb

Ok, I've got 69 discs waiting in the Devens Lost and Found box in my cellar waiting to be reunited with their loved ones. These are all the discs that have been turned into me over the past few years.

Skim through the list (even if you haven't played the course) and see what turns up.

• Devens Lost and Found list

If you recognize yours or a friend's, let me know before I chuck 'em in the ocean currently falling from the sky.