GoPro Mountain Games 2015 – Disc Golf Competition – Part Two

The first post about the 2015 GoPro Mountain Games can be found by following THIS LINK.

The Vibram Disc Golf Experience invited spectators and participants of the GoPro Mountain Games a chance to come out and see what disc golf is all about. The disc golf experience took place on Thursday and Friday, and allowed individuals a chance to throw at the baskets, practice basic putting, and then throw into a speed cage to record their disc’s mile per hour (MPH). The disc golf experience also doubled as a way for the disc golfers in the Disc Golf Competition to practice for the main event that consisted of a $5000 purse ($1000 first place men’s division, $500 first place women’s division).

The competition began on Saturday, with approximately 120 participants, including the Vibram Team members in attendance (Chris Deitzel, Sean Jack, Vinnie Miller, and myself). The participants were split into two pools, with each person having a specific time slot within their group. The three skills tested in the competition were: accuracy, putting, and disc speed. Out of the 120 eligible participants, 36 men, and 9 women would advance to Sunday’s competition of 18 holes of disc golf on a never before seen course designed by Steve Dodge.

Saturday’s putting competition was coordinated by Steve Dodge, who set up a specific putting area. There were three possible putting distances; 25′, 30′, 35′. Each distance was worth 4, 5, or 6 points respectively. Participants then had 2 minutes to attempt 10 putts. Only putts that stayed in the basket (or chains) counted as points, and a total score was given. If a person was to make all 10 putts, the lowest possible score was 40, while the highest was 60. Pool A started in the putting section, while Pool B began at the accuracy course.

The accuracy portion of the Disc Golf Competition involved players attempting to get as close to the basket as possible, from 100′, 150′, and 200′. If the player was able to make it in the basket, 30 points were awarded. Points were then subtracted from the possible max score of 30, for each foot away from the basket where the disc landed. For example, if a player threw the disc and it landed 7′ away from the pin, 23 points were awarded for the attempt. Each player was able to throw three discs at each pin, recording the closest disc for their score. In order to help the Vibram team members that were escorting each participant through the three holes, pre-measured ropes were attached to the base of each pin in order to expedite the scoring process. The minimum score possible on the accuracy portion of the event was 0, with 90 being the maximum score (3 hole in ones).

The final stage of the competition would conclude with the MPH station at Checkpoint Charlie; downtown Vail, Colorado, where all of the wandering spectators could witness the disc golfers throwing as hard as they can for accuracy. A radar gun was set up to track the disc’s speed, and the participant was required to throw into one of three areas in order to get a score in the MPH booth. The player would get 1 point for every MPH of the disc. The first area was a 4’x3′ opening, with a disc golf basket sitting in the middle. The second station was a slot above the main section, that would add 10% of the disc’s MPH to the player’s score (ie. 50 MPH throw through the top would generate a score of 55). The third opening, referred to as the “mail slot” would double the MPH for the player (ie. 50 MPH thrown through the bottom would generate a score of 100).

It was exciting to see players on the “bubble” of making the cut (top 36 men, top 9 women) that were forced to attempt throwing into the mail slot. One particular player needed an estimated 70 MPH in order to make the projected cut. To make it even more entertaining, Steve Klehfoth, president of the Flying Eagle Disc Society (FEDS), had a roaring crowd cheering him on in his attempt to make the cut. Check out the stress and excitement involved in trying to make the cut to play for $1000 against 35 other players:

Steve was a great help, and instrumental in organizing the local disc golf club volunteers that shared their time helping us run the show. FEDS is a top notch disc golf organization, that has strong representation in both the men’s and women’s divisions. Not only is Steve on his game, his wife also made an excellent showing in the women’s division. She would later go on to earn 2nd in the Rocky Mountain Women’s Disc Golf Championship two weeks after the GoPro Mountain Games Disc Golf Competition.

Another fun contestant from the MPH qualifier involved the Sasquatch from Jack Link’s protein snacks. Jack Link’s is helping to #GrowTheSport with their latest Messin’ With Sasquatch disc golf commercial.

With 120 spots available for the final round of disc golf, and a chance to be crowned the inaugural GoPro Mountain Games champion, the final scores were as follows:

More exciting stories, and interviews from Team Vibram disc golf at the 2015 GoPro Mountain Games in future posts…

To see all of my pictures from the event, check out the gallery: