The big conundrum has come upon me when it comes to practice day versus tournament day.
My husband played in this tournament last year, called the Untitled Goose Tournament, at the North Georgia Canopy Tours course in Lula, GA. He loved the tournament, the shirt that you get with it, the discs you get to pick from as well as the mini. He encouraged me to sign up for it this year, but I said I need to play the course first before deciding.
In August, we played the Red Hawk Course, which I felt really good about. I was proud of myself and agreed to play, knowing the other course was going to be tougher.
Round One
During my practice round, I had three birdies and only one double bogey, with Hole 11 being the only hole that really gave me trouble. Hole 11 has a basket positioned far down to the right, tucked tightly into the trees. I ended up getting stuck in the trees on the left and had to figure out how to get out. Unfortunately, I made a few bad decisions trying to escape the trees, which made the hole much more difficult than it needed to be.
Then came tournament day—and, of course, the course decided to remind me who was in charge!
On Hole 9, I hit two trees before finally getting a clear enough line to make my way toward the basket and clean up the hole. Hole 11 was a repeat performance from practice. I got stuck in the trees on the left, directly behind a single tree. When I tried to throw out of the woods, I hit that one tree, forcing me to take yet another throw just to get myself out.
And then there was Hole 17.
I threw my favorite white Latitude 64 Diamond, 170g, straight into the pond. Yep. Gone. My next throw didn’t make it much farther because, understandably, I was now terrified of throwing another disc into the pond. My next approach shot was actually great—until it decided to roll all the way down the hill. So, instead of finishing the hole, I found myself working my way back up the hill.
Needless to say, tournament day was a completely different story from my practice round. The course definitely made me work for every single shot!
Round 2
Last week we did a practice round on the Lula OG so I would be familiar with that course.
For this practice round, I already knew this course was going to be more challenging than the Red Hawk course. I finished with a +12, and honestly, I was okay with that score. Looking at the results from other tournaments, a +12 on this course still would have given me a 700-rated round, so I felt like I was still in a reasonable place going into the tournament.
Let’s take a look at the tournament results I had. The trouble started on Hole 4 when my disc landed near the creek, and I had to work my way out of a difficult position. That led to my first double bogey. On Hole 5, I hit a tree, which resulted in another double bogey.
Hole 9 was especially disappointing. During my practice round, I had almost birdied the hole, but during the tournament, I grip-locked my throw and ended up losing my disc in the woods. That one really hurt because I knew I could play the hole much better.
The real killer for me was Hole 11. I got stuck in the woods and simply could not find a way out. This was another hole where the basket was positioned far down the fairway and to the right. I still have not figured out the best way to get down the fairway and make that turn to the right without getting myself into trouble.
Hole 15 was another situation where I should have slowed down and taken my time. When we arrived at the hole, I mentioned how disappointed I was that we had not come across any water yet. The group reminded me that we had just played a hole with water and jokingly told me to go back and get myself a bottle. I ran back, grabbed a bottle of water, and ran all the way back to the tee pad. As soon as I got back, it was my turn to throw. I was rushed, and that rushed throw ended up costing me.
By the time I reached Holes 17 and 18, I was exhausted. I had never played a two-round tournament before, other than doubles, and this was a tough course with difficult terrain to start with. By the end of the second round, I was definitely feeling the fatigue. Looking back, I think the biggest lesson from this round was learning when to slow down, take a breath, and make the smart decision instead of rushing the next shot.
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