2018-04-15 Advanced Putt and Approach Another (smaller) tournament, I was really looking forward to. Again shorther holes but more difficult ones and more of them. We played four round with twelve holes. I started off really good. Round 1 I ended with +1 (11 Pars, 1 Bogey). It was solid. This is what I go for most: omit mistakes; play the Par. I was happy with it. Nonetheless, I knew that I was able to get Birdies, thus I went a bit more for them, resulting in E on the second round (3 Birdies, 6 Pars, 3 Bogeys). Although it were more Bogeys, it still had payed off. During both rounds, my solid putting kept me going. Also, I had a nice group, which had just the right atmosphere. Then, after lunch, my new group wasn't as relaxed. Especially one of them got really mad at himself -- that killed the fun! I shot two OBs, scoring +3 (2 Birdies, 6 Pars, 2 Bogeys, 1 Double- Bogey). In the last round even worse. The most horrible hole I've ever played: I got a nine (!) on a short Par-3. It was a nice anny line with a mando on the right and scrubs on the left. On the three previous rounds I shot 4, 3, 3. This time, it seems, I had not realized a slight headwind. My Comet turned and missed the mando. Rethrow. The more stable P3 ... turned as well. Another mando miss. Already 4 on the score and no suitable disc left, or at least none I would normally use on this hole. (If I would have realized that it was the headwind -- if it was! -- then I could have used the Zone on the same line.) I then threw my putting P2 on a safe line ... into the scrubs on the left. I should have layed up at the mando. Unfortunately, there was no sane way out of the scrubs, because I still was not passed the mando and I didn't want to risk missing it again on my out of the scrubs shot. Thus I went right through the bushes, with little success, as one might guess. This way I stumbled myself to the nine on the scorecard and to a lot of experiences and lessons learned in my head. The round was gone, that was clear. I needed some holes to get back on the track after that desaster, scoring 4s and 3s, un- til I reached the 3s again plus a Birdie near the end of the round. The round wasn't too bad, it just had one really bad hole and it's afterwaves. Eventually I scored +8 (1 Birdie, 7 par, 3 Bogeys, 1 6-Bogey). All in all it were 35 players, 29 of them men. I came in 21st with +12. (16th with +1 after the first two rounds.) If I would have played a Bogey instead of the nine (five strokes better) I would have moved up by only two players. Hence, it wasn't too bad of a desaster. In contrast, I was (apart from the two mando misses and the two OBs) happy with the event. I notice how much better I've become. My putting has improved a lot. My approaches were good. My drives were too high at times, but acceptable. My goal was to go for Par, with an occasional Birdie, which worked out almost. Next time it'll be possible. I did throw a couple of really good shots. Most of all am I happy with my bag. I carried eight discs with me in the morning and six in the afternoon, after I had never used the other two. (I had more discs in the car, just in case, be- cause I had no clue what the course would be.) This was my bag: - D P2 (2): For putting only (and for the one rethrow). It be- comes clearer that I don't want to switch my putting putters to spare another disc. I like the P2s in the hand and I can work well with them. I do have two in the bag always, for putting practice and to not have to use a mini when I miss a putt. I like to take the disc that I throw next right in my hand when I've seen where the shot landed. - D P3: My workhorse driver and approach disc today. What had been the Comet in earlier days is the P3 now. I like this disc a lot. It is straight to fade (Teebird-like). It holds annies for a long time, but at the same time fades back if a straight shot starts turning. This is the disc I used most today. - ESP Zone: The overstable brother to the P3. For those shots when I needed more fade and for out of trouble shots and short rollers. It's a constant in my bag. - ESP Comet: I had considered taking it out, but today it provid- ed the more understable lines. (I have dropped the Pure instead.) Currently I like to stick with the Comet again. - Champion Teebird: Would not have been necessary. I used it on two shots, which did not work out that well. I could have used another disc equally. It was more the just-in-case disc today. The holes were just too short, and no dogleg right. The two disc that I brought to the car at noon, were a BigZ Comet and a Z Wasp. I would have used them if the holes would have been too long for my throwing putters. Apart from the Comet I did play this course with putters only and with such a small bag. I don't think that any other player had such a small and slow bag. Now I'm looking forward to playing a longer course. I'll just add a DX Teebird and be settled. :-) Currently I think that I do want to try going without midranges, only P3, Zone, Comet (not for length but only for understabili- ty), Teebirds. http://marmaro.de/discgolf/ markus schnalke