We win! Well maybe not....

Sunday's challenge was a weird one. Some Maple Hill guys showed up late and there was talk of a forfeit, then not a forfeit, and then some of our guys left after round one leaving us without enough players, blah blah blah, so I think in the end we decided to count it as a real match. In that case, we lost.

Anyway, the first round was filled with some great competition. From what I hear, Hillfolk Donnie Discgolf made a great comeback bid against Maple Hiller Pete T but lost in a playoff (I think). Arty G and Andy G went up against Shaun L and Steve D from MH and both of those matches went into overtime. Unfortunately, some putts didn't fall for the good guys and MH took those matches, but Devens is definitely showing the league that we've got some skills.

The lone bright spot for us was Gags beating his ghost opponent (you go, boy!) and me beating Cuzz after 15 holes.

Round two was another story as people started to drag ass. It's pretty tiring playing the Hill on a nice Fall day, but add in a foot of snow and a few searches for lost discs and you get tired fast. We got spanked in doubles play.

Round 1

• Dodge (MH) over Gallerani (D)
• Borelli (D) over Cuzz (MH)
• Gags (D) over ghost (MH)
• LaForce (MH) over Arty (D)
• Tolvanen (MH) over Donnie (D)
• Hoey (MH) over Luke (D)

Round 2

• Dodge (MH) over Gallerani (D)
• LaForce/Cuzz (MH) over Borelli (D)
• Hoey/Tolvanen (MH) over Luke/Gags (D)

Hole 9 Ace!
Congratulations to Shaun LaForce for aceing hole 9 during our doubles match! It was a beauty to watch. Shaun throws lefty but took the anhyzer route to the basket (he threw to the right of the trees in the middle and it curved in the basket). It just floated down the hill and crashed gently into the chains. It was awesome to see, even though it meant I lost that hole to him and Cuzz! Nice going Shaun!

That is the second ace on that hole this month, as well as the second-ever ace on that hole. Hole 9 is finally heating up! When I designed that hole, I was positive that it would be aced early and often. Nope.

March Challenge
Next up is team Burgess from Burgess Park down on the Cape on March 9. Many of us have not played this course, so we look forward to making the trip. We hope to maintain our perfect goose egg of a record against this top-rated team. :-)

Hill vs Hill

We play host to Maple Hill this Sunday morning in another NEFA Challenge. We should have a good turnout this time and look forward to playing with the boys from Leicester. We are big underdogs again, but look forward to stealing a point or two anyway.

Another Ice Bowl this Saturday
There's bound to be a few tired golfers for both teams, since some of us are also playing at Franchi's Ice Bowl out at Flatrock in Athol, MA on Saturday. You should play too. $20 and 5 cans of food. Franchi's course is a beauty and his events are always a great time.

Directions to Flatrock: Rt 2 to exit 17, right off ramp, 1/2 mile to right onto Woodlawn. Follow to end and take hard left onto NewSherborn, take 3rd right onto Monson Turnpike, then 1st right onto Flatrock Rd. Course is 1/4 mile on left. Be there by 8:45.

One last ICO article

Here's another article from the Nashoba Pub weekly papers (Ayer, Pepperell, Groton, Harvard, Townsend, Shirley). Thanks for coming out, Katrina!

Rob Walker gets his picture in the paper again, plus some nice quotes from Bobka, Strauss, and TM.

See two more photos here.

L&F says thanks

Judy Grande sent this thank you letter in to the local papers. (link)

Thanks to Ice Bowl golfers!

The board of trustees, staff and clients of Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry (the largest food pantry in North-Central Massachusetts) would like to thank Dave James and all of the participants in Devens Disc Golf's first Ice Cube Open Ice Bowl.

Held on Feb. 2, the tournament players braved the elements on a very windy day and not only played, but also raised over $300 in contributions and a truckload of food for Loaves & Fishes. We are very grateful for their ongoing support and admire their fortitude in playing the game, too.

JUDY GRANDE

Acting executive director,
Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry Inc.

A few things for you to stare at on Sat.

Stop by course-sponsor Gervais Auto in Lowell this Saturday Feb. 16 from 12-2pm to stare at the Celtics' 1981 Championship trophy and also meet a couple of Boston Celtics dancers.

Free hotdogs and hamburgers will be available. Dates with the dancers, well probably not. :)

The final tally

It took a week, but I finally tallied up all our donations. We collected a lot more cash than I had thought!

Last night, I dropped off 207 food items and a check for $320 to the Loaves and Fishes!

That's pretty awesome for only 18 golfers! Mullys, donated prize winnings, and random donations brought in about $140.

We got this email the other day from Judy at the L&F:

Thank you so much for inviting me to come to the Disc Golf Tourney to collect the food and donations for Loaves & Fishes. The article about your group in the Lowell Sun was great.

Please accept my thanks for all you've done for Loaves & Fishes. I will get a letter out to the local newspapers today acknowledging your gifts.

Best wishes to all you hardy souls. And thanks for the donut, too.

Judy Grande
Acting Executive Director
Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry

No problem, Judy. See you all next year!

Another 15 minutes of fame for our local disc golfers

Thanks for another great article, Jennifer! Her write-up was the featured article in Sunday's Local section of the Lowell Sun and included a big group photo of Brian, Pete, Donnie, and Luke, plus another shot of Donnie driving. There's also another photo of Brian putting on the inside page.

• Sunday's main article: Par for the Course
• Thursday's preview article: Ice Bowl heats up Devens Saturday

Feel free to send a quick email to Jennifer and thank her for her continued support and coverage of our little course on the Hill.

More pix from the ICO

Ice Cube "Slush Bowl" results

Thanks for coming out today, everyone. We had 19 golfers, a buttload of donated food, and a good chunk of change donated as well. Thanks for your generosity, kind words, and good golf!



Dave James overcame a one-stroke deficit to take the AM1 title by two strokes, while Tushar Patel squeaked by Joe Atwood to take AM2. Great job guys.

More pix, CTP winners, and totals tomorrow. Now it's time to wring out my socks and take a hot shower.

2008 Ice Cube Open Ice Bowl Champs: Tushar and Dave




AM1 results




AM2 results



Let's go Pats!

Donnie D gets a head start!

Just got this photo from Donnie Disc Golf and had to share. Looks like he had a food drive at his work and collected over 75 items! Awesome! What a great idea!

Hmm, that's 25 free mullys plus the two that he already bought. Uh oh, I hope he doesn't need to use them all ! :-)

Thanks Donnie and friends!

Food for Mullys

Remember, you get 1 free mully for every 3 cans of food you donate on Sat. No lima beans though!

Loaves and Fishes is also in need of non-food items. Here are some ideas:

Most Needed Items

• Juice
• Jelly
• Coffee
• Baked
  
• Beans
• Cereal
• Paper Towels
• Hand Soap
• Paper & Plastic Bags
• Diapers (sizes 5&6)
• Shampoo

General Needs

• Canned Meats
• Pasta Sauce
• Granulated Sugar
• Cake Mix & Frosting
• Dry Potatoes & Helpers
• Baked Beans
• Bath Soap

ICO pre-reg list

Here is the latest list. Looks like it's going to be an all AM tourney since no pros have signed up yet. Everyone else, let me know if you are coming.

The weather is going to be nice, so no excuses (or whining).

AM1

• John Borelli
• Dave James
• Donnie Phillips
  
• Chuck Gerbrands
• Chris Gagne $
• TM Dyer $
• Rob Walker
  
• Arty Graustein $
• Frank Strauss $
• Justin White $
• Jim Bobka $

AM2

• Brian McNulty $
  
• Pete Nevius: Ace Race Champ and Wunderboy
  
• Joe Atwood $
• Luke Adolph
• Tushar Patel $
• Steve Walker $
  

Reminder: Bring your lunch Sat.

We won't have any lunch vendor on site for the ICO, so please bring your own lunch on Sat.

There are two sub shops nearby, but since we want to have a short lunch break and keep things running fast, we'd appreciate it if you stayed close by.

Weather is looking warm and sunny in the low 40s. Too bad -- I was hoping for some really cold stuff!

Free memberships to all Ice Cubers

Disc Golf U has signed on as a sponsor of the Ice Cube Open and is giving all participants a free 6-month membership to their score-tracking and handicapping website. They are also sending us a bunch of scorecards.

They are backed by Innova and it looks pretty cool. Course owners can use the site to set up leagues and track players' scores. Handicaps are automatically computed after a certain number of rounds.

I thought I'd try it out if we start an actual league this Spring and make it more enticing for newer players to come, since with handicaps anyone has a chance to win.

You can also enter scores for your own casual rounds and I think it automatically downloads your scores if you play in a PDGA event. So, we'll see how it goes.

Wait until after the ICO to sign up because you'll get some special promo code, I think.

Let's go swimming

Thank you Steve Dakai of Choice Pools in Oxford, MA for donating some new discs to use as CTP prizes at our Ice Cube Ice Bowl this Saturday!

Steve also donated two boxes of used discs that we will be donating to schools and camps around Devens. Everyone should by a pool from Steve!

Snowy Social results

We had two new faces this morning for a snowy round of doubles: Mr. Flatrock himself, Sean Franchi, and Pat from Harvard. Thanks for coming out, guys.

Pat, Pete, Rob, Donnie, John, Franchi


Although it was pretty nice playing while it was snowing, we lost at least three discs this morning. Pat and Donnie both nailed a couple of great flick putts/approaches from at least 60 ft. Nice!

Results:

• Franchi/JoBo - 55
• Rob/Pat - 57
• Donnie/Pete - 59
• Pete won CTP on 11

Puttin' Pat

Ice Bowl prizes are here!

Here's a peek at what you're playing for next Saturday.



Besides a cash payout, first and second winners in each division will have their choice of a disc or long-sleeve shirt. Well, actually, the first place winner will have the choice -- second place will get the other of the two!

Plastic prizes are:

• Pro: Pro Wraith
• AM1: Pro Wraith
• AM2: Roc full-color
• Rec: Aviar full-color

So far no Pros have signed up, so the Wraith and shirt may turn into CTP prizes. I don't understand why very few non-locals have signed up. Maybe NEFAland has commitment issues! :)

So come on golfers! Join us for a day of fun and help out some hungry people while you're at it! I want to blow away the Devens Loaves and Fishes with our generosity!

Twenty-two degrees? No problem!

Six humans and one dog braved the chilly temps Sunday morning for a pretty competitive and tiring Social. Joining us regulars (Dave, Donnie, newbie Mike, and me) were Mike and Scott Connell. Nice to see you guys out here again!

Mike, Donnie, Dave, Smokey, Mike C., John, Scott C.


Dave and I held off a late push by Mike C and Donnie to win by two with a 50. Even though Scott and Mike brought up the rear, Mike showed why he is destined to become Devens' first teen disc golf wonderboy. The kid's got skills, money!

Although it was 22-degrees, sunny, and breezy, it wasn't that bad. Hiking through the snow definitely helped keep us warm.

Hopefully we'll see even more people out there next Sunday in preparation for the Ice Cube Open. Please let me know if you are going to play in the ICO. So far we've raised $100 for our charity!

Mike C puts on 2



Fresh from a heavy downpour, Scott gives it a go on 2.



Mike shows off his mad putting skills.



Donnie stares down his disc on 3. Can you see it?



Donnie goes up and over 4




Your left, left, left right left.... Off to tee 7



18 holes in the snow is tough, even if you have four legs!

Saturday morning golf

Brian, my dog Smokey, and I hit the Hill this morning for 11 holes. It was beautiful out there, the snow was crusty, and we had a good time. Hole 16 wasn't bad at all, so all you worrywarts have nothing to fear.

If we don't get anymore snow this week, the course should play pretty well for the Ice Cube Open in two weeks.

Disc Golf Donnie, Joe, and I plan on being there tomorrow for the Social at 9:30. Join us for a pre-ICO round!


Brian gets ready on hole 3



He let's it rip!



Peering around a tree for his approach



Both of us end up sitting pretty



Smokey shows me what he thinks of my shot on 4



Brian finds himself behind another tree on 4



Clank! Off the top!



He has better luck on 9

Ice Cube Open - Feb. 2: Sign up now!

Come brave the cold and snow and play in our first charity Ice Bowl! Help raise money and food for the Devens Loaves and Fishes! (More about Ice Bowls)

Devens Ice Cube Open

• Sat. Feb. 2
• $20/person with $10 going to charity.
  
• Bring 3 cans of food and get 1 free mulligan. Bring 6 cans, get 2!
  
• Pro, Am1, AM2, Rec
  
• Bring your own lunch
  
• Winners will get plastic and/or cash
  
  
• Snow or shine: No wimps, no whiners!
• Two rounds of singles
• Proceeds to benefit Devens Loaves and Fishes. Help us raise $500!

• Check-in at 8. Meeting at 8:45. Start at 9.
  
• $1 mulligans will be for sale before R1 and R2
• Rat out your friends for whining and tax 'em!

This will be a fun, relaxed tourney the day before the Super Bowl.

Reg is open. Send your check now!

Name, division, and check payable to:

Devens Disc Golf
40 Cranberry St
Pepperell, MA 01463

See you on the Hill!

Golfers:

Pro


AM1

• John Borelli
• Dave James
• Donnie Phillips
  
• Chuck Gerbrands
• Chris Gagne $
• TM Dyer $
• Rob Walker $
• Arty Graustein $
• Frank Strauss $
  

AM2

• Brian McNulty $
  
• Pete Nevius: Ace Race Champ and Wunderboy
  
• Jim Bobka (currently on the IR list) $
• Joe Atwood $
• Luke Adolph
• Tushar Patel $
• Steve Walker $
  

Rec


Probablys

• Matt DeAngelis (Pro)
  
• JC Vermynck (?)
  
• Dave McHale (Pro)
• Tim Walsh (Pro)
• Sean Franchi (Pro Masters)