Learn from the I-I-D-A

Waking up at 3AM on Saturday, I turned on the Disc Golf Network stream of the FPO fourth round of the 2025 World Championship, and was shocked that 15 year old Finnish player Iida Lehtomäki who was tied for the lead after round three was up 12 shots after nine.

She started to struggle but managed to maintain her lead until the infamous #16 at the Nokia Beast course where after five OB shots, finished with a 13. It was difficult to watch her fail to land a shot three straight times from 150 feet onto the island green.

To her credit, she managed to recover the next two and was leading after round four.

I slept in until 515 on Sunday and found out Ohn Scoggins became the oldest player to win an open division world title. Since I had to get to a tournament, I did not get any details until later but saw a couple posts wondering why Iida laid up on the final hole.

Highlights showed there was a tie for first and in the playoffs, Ohn (who had the greatest putting performance in the final round I have ever seen) threw her drive OB and had a 15 foot par putt. Iida was about 150 feet away after two great shots and needed to get up and down for a birdie to win. Unlike MPO winner Gannon Buhr who succeeded in a similar shot to win his first world title, her shot was short and left OB and the posts were about her fifth shot that was a lay-up before Ohn made her putt for the win.

I asked if Ilda's approach was the worst shot ever and then changed it to worst professional shot ever comparing it to Paige Pierce losing the 2021 worlds by doing the same thing on #18 at The Fort in Utah. Responses were unhappy that I was picking on her and someone stated I would choke in her situation.

My reply: So you are stating I would choke needing to get up and down with a 200 foot shot on #17 and a 125 foot shot up a 15 foot slope on #18 at a World Championship to achieve something that I spent years of time, energy, and money to get knowing that with my age and physical situation, this might be my only chance ever to do so? I put both shots within 10 feet and made the putts.

Granted, since I throw a disc 100 feet less than Iida, there are more different distances for her to cover and even in the MA60 division, many at worlds can throw farther than me which might be part of the reason I was able to be one of three out of 72 to hit the island green on #1 at Oakwood Park twice.

I am hoping unlike Paige Pierce who was never the same dominant player after losing the 2021 Worlds, Iida will be able to learn from her mistakes and win major tournaments and I hope to be able to watch her succeed.

Ol' Grimey

Since I never met the Joliet area person for whom the Channahon course was named, the name Frank Grimes in my head defaults to the second greatest one episode Simpsons character only behind Hank Scorpio. (This was in the 20th century when the episodes were good.)

Then I remember the episode where the kids were playing football and I laughed when Bart was wearing the number 15 but the person in the room with me stated even though Green Bay Packers hall of fame quarterback Bart Starr wore that number, it was just a coincidence. (She did agree Flanders kids wearing 6 and 66 standing next to each other was on purpose.)

When I read a book listing Simpsons episodes from the first bunch of seasons and found out the name of that episode was "Bart Star", that person still would not admit I was correct in spite of overwhelming evidence.

Then my brain defaults to two similar FB discussions about female eligibility in sports as with those who do not play disc golf, this became notable during the 2024 Olympics. In both of them, someone suggested eliminating female restricted events because they were only created to protect the male ego.

As someone who saw some disc golf tournaments starting in 2022 eliminate the female pro division to keep transgender women from playing and the Disc Golf Pro Tour consider either eliminating the female pro division or moving them to states that would rule a transgender female ineligible, my brain immediately went NO!

I then tried to explain that female restricted events are necessary when there is a significant difference between elite female and male players and provided multiple examples of the difference between elite performances even in weight restricted divisions but I was only falsely accused of being transphobic.

Katie Ledecky who won her 7th straight 800m world title finished in a time that would place her 21st when compared to the 26 men in that event. Faith Kipyegon, who is trying to become the first female to run a 4 minute mile 75 years after Roger Bannister first did this, broke the women's record last month in a time that was 23 seconds slower than the current men's record.

Are there events where elite male and female participants can participate equally, yes. I wasn't referring to those as I initially stated "in events where there is a significant difference". 

Can the best female disc golfers compete against the best men? In March, the best female had her lifetime best rated three round event but her score on a slightly easier layout would have finished tied for 54th in the 110 player field so no.

Would I have a chance in a 5k run against my 51 year old sister who has completed an Ironman Triathlon? Hell no. Did the person who finished 31st in the MA60 division at the 2025 Masters Worlds beat the ten time professional major winning second place finisher in the FP55 division in a one round event last November on the same card? Yes. (Since those divisions at the worlds played different courses, the scores can't be compared.)

One of the reasons I have a blog is to get thoughts out of my head and this is one of those cases. 

Masters Worlds 2025 by the numbers

Hours start of trip delayed by Friday doctor appointment: 12

Change of gas price compared to Jan 20: +20

Stops made in trip: 5

Time to get to Bethel University: 7:45

Holes played there: 15

Minutes it took to retrieve disc thrown into 18" of rain water: 15

Minutes from hotel to Treasure Island Casino: 75

Number of Weird Al concerts seen/states: 24/6

Weird Al songs never seen done live before: 7

Minutes from concert end to get back to hotel following VIP/ traffic: 210

Throws Sunday at Oakwood #1 to before hitting island green: 8

Minutes to find disc in the middle of Oakwood 18 fairway in the tall grass: 10

Changes from Oakwood long layout for event: 1

Changes from Bethel long layout for event: 7

Discs in players pack: 3

Apparel in players pack: 2

Rank of 4 Worlds players packs: 3

Items purchased at fly mart next to check in: 4

Round one drives better than any practice shot thrown: 5

Round one shots better than rating: 2

Place: T21

People watching my group tee off #1 at Oakwood: 20

Birdies in first 4 holes: 3

Feet of par saving putt on 18 to finish round -1: 35

Shots better than expected: 3

Place: T18

Round three total from holes 2 through 6: +7

On other 13 holes: +2

Place: T26

Holes played at Acorn Park Thursday night: 4

Hints to Pete Ulibarri whom I met there that I didn't get: 3

Feet of hole I got unique birdie #1000: 216

Other people in 72 player MA60 field who did not get a bogey on Oakwood #1 in event: 2

Birdie putt attempts in round 4: 8

Of them, from 35-45 feet away: 6

Birdies in round 4: 0

Place I was in as I drove away from course: T32

Place when all other players finished: T29

People I met whom I knew before while at Convergence for 4 hours: 7

Classic arcade games played on consoles made in 20th century: 6

Discs on lost and found table at Bethel U at beginning of final round: 40

Holes played before catching up to MA65 lead card: 6

Score for first 6 and 7 through 18: +2/+12

Drives that hit a tree or branch: 11

Times second shot of hole was pitching out or forward with no chance to advance significantly towards basket: 6

Approach shots thrown/ended up within 10 feet of basket or reasonable achievable distance: 15/4

Putts made over 25 feet druing round: 5

Minutes waiting on 18 tee while MA65 champion was crowned: 10

Feet from hole drive ended: 35

Feet covered before putt after discovering phone wasn't in the bag: 400

Feet birdie attempt rolled from basket after being just short before par attempt was just high which was my first missed putt of round less than 33 feet: 28

Other holes of the previous 89 I three putted: 0

Shots worse than next lowest player for round: 5

Overall finish/ by rating expected: 31/T36

Birdies first 22 holes/ last 68: 5/2

Shots better than rating rounds 1-4: 4

Shots worse than rating round 5: 7

Miles on way home I got hotel realizing it was not safe to drive: 65

Holes played at Wakanda Park Saturday after nap: 13

Miles on sign near De Forest, WI to nearest Buc-ee's: 559

Holes played at course next to Madison VFW post in rain on Sunday: 9

Feet of hole drive one hopped off pole: 240

Total new unique holes birdied on trip: 18

Accidents passed due to cold front that had multiple heavy downpours which I drove through from Madison: 3

Hours from time I left to return home: 227.5

A tiering by the numbers

Minutes leaving work too late to join two I knew for a flex start event: 30

Years since I last practiced at Ingersol: 2

Total tee shots thrown on #6 wondering why the over the tree play no longer works: 8

Hours it took to realize the over the tree shot on #6 no longer works because the tree has grown in the past two years: 62

Holes I had birdied through 2023 being able to reach: 7

Holes I discovered I can now get within 45 feet because I throw farther: 7

Discs from players pack: 2

Holes practiced at Anna Page: 8

People in D pool that started at Ingersol: 37

Holes missed in round 1 by FPO player who got lost on way from Indiana to Rockford: 10

Round one putts taken from 11 to 33 feet: 10

Round one putts made from 11 to 33 feet: 3

Score to par: -2

Lead: 6

Minutes to play round: 93

Minutes between rounds one and two: 177

Estimated number of people at Rockford demonstration showing disapproval of the person attempting to turn the US into a Christian dictatorship: 2,000

Round two holes on east course where I threw a drive then a 50-100 foot shot to less than 10 feet: 13

Birdies/ birdie putts from 11-33 feet: 2/4

Score to par with bogey on the one bad hole the event plays on: -1

Lead after day 1: 2

Value meal main choices at Beef-a-roo: 40

Minutes in the day round three started earlier than round one round: 90

Drives to less than 10 feet from basket: 3

Drives within 11-33 feet/birdies from them: 5/1

Score to par including 38 foot birdie made: -5

Lead going into final round: 8

Minutes between rounds 3 and 4: 175

Round 4 holes I consider a par four: 4

Round 4 Holes listed as a par 4 for the event: 1

Holes on west course where plan to drive to 50-100 feet followed by an approach turned into par: 8

Putts for 2 attempted/made: 4/2

Distance of #6 where I threw a roller to 12 feet: 255

"Birdies" on a hole I call a par 4 that the TD called a par 3: 1

My total to par/ PDGA app to par: -2/+1

Winning margin: 11

Total winning margin of last two events: 29

Fewer total shots taken than expected: 4

Total C1X putting for event: 11/27 40.7%

Number of IOS events played before winning first one: 36

Number of IOS events won in a row: 2

Opposed events won in 2025/more than one round: 4/3

PDGA rating from most recent update: 897

Total below 900 among 5 rounds whose ratings will be dropped for being over a year before event: 92

Total above 900 shot for the weekend: 28

Estimated rating as of the event: 900

Rating of round played on 7/4/24 that will be dropped after I play worlds: 939

Holes birdied over weekend that I had not birdied before: 4

Total unique holes birdied: 983

Alternate disc golf

This Memorial Day marked the first time I played an age restricted division where I was the player significantly better who was asked why I wasn't in a ratings based division? This is opposed to what I experienced from 2015-2019 and I will need to check opponents before committing to a division in future events especially at a C tier.

I also got my 41st and 42nd unique birdies at 50 Acre Park that has 18 holes of which 17 have two tees and the other has 2 baskets. The reason I have 6 more unique birdies there than holes on the course itself is alternate and temp holes.

Some events will have additional or alternate temp holes to fit more players or to adjust to flooding like Emporia, KS had the Saturday night before the Masters Worlds that started the Tuesday after. Mike Walsh at 50 Acre Park has gotten very creative over the years and him asking me how many temps have been done there led me to create this post.

My birdies and better on the actual course:

Ace: 13 from both short and long tee (a picture of the ace disc in basket 13 has been my profile picture for 8 years)

Short tee to regular basket for a 2: 1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9,10,15,16,17,18 (I consider 11 and 12 from short tee as par 3 though to me they play a par 3 1/2.)

Long tee to regular basket for a 2: 1,2,6,8,10

Short tee to long basket for a 3: 4

Long tee to regular basket for a 3: 12,15,16,17

That makes 25

Alternate birdies from tee pads:

2 short tee to 3 basket (135 feet)

8 short tee to alternate basket away from swamp (230 feet)

11 long tee due west to temp basket hole I call 10A (265 feet)

16 long tee to a basket near 16 short tee (200 feet)

16 long tee to temp basket in trees (420 feet par 4)

17 long tee to two different temp baskets 180 feet each (one along fairway and the other towards 18 short tee)

17 short tee to basket on mound (245 feet)

18 long tee to basket just over water (225 feet) This is where I lost a disc 9 days after getting and ace with it in 2019. A couple times every year I check the pond with a retriever and the Play it Again Sports on 95th just in case.

That makes 9

Birdies from alternate tee pads:

Area near southwest corner of park to open spot near 11 short tee I call 10B (200 feet)

Area in northwest corner of park to 17 basket (175 feet)

Two different parts on the sidewalk near the gazebo to temp basket (175 and 195 feet) Two other people at the Monday event remembered seeing Tom McManus get an ace there. I refer to that as hole 19

Sidewalk near dog park entrance to practice basket (235 feet) I call it long 20

Grass area to practice basket (150 feet)

Sidewalk next to port a john to practice basket and to temp basket near driving range fence (190 and 250 feet) (a.k.a. the shitter hole) Those last three are versions of hole 20.

8 of those, 42 total.

Though I initially thought there was only one temp hole I never birdied, there are more:

7 long tee to basket 6 (245 feet)

9 short tee to basket on hop of hill (240 feet)

10 long tee to basket in southwest corner of park (700 foot par 4)

13 short tee to temp basket near short 8 tee (200 feet)

14 short tee to 16 basket (600 feet par 4)

15 short tee to temp basket making it a straight shot and a shorter walk to 11 short tee (300 feet)

18 drop zone to 18 basket (150 feet) Used for women's and junior divisions

That makes 24 alternate holes that I can recall.

Having a Google Doc listing every unique hole I ever birdied was the only reason I could create this post and when I get to 1,000 hopefully this year, there will be another long post and if you find doing this as unusual, please reference the title of this blog.

Practice summary

Though it was an enjoyable weekend of disc golf, there were things to learn and to get them out of my head and to have somewhere to reference, posting them here:

1: Neither course has a forced water carry or many places to lose a disc and there isn't an anticipated shot that would need an addition to the bag unless the same winds from last year in Kansas appear in Minnesota. 

However, it makes sense to keep backups especially for dx Leopards since it felt like I threw more last weekend than the rest of the year combined.

2: Focus on the courses played. Last year along with the weekend storm that caused changes to the Olpe Lake course and delayed my practice there, I ended up playing 38 holes in Emporia, KS not on the event courses and the fatigue showed on Friday. Last weekend was to play new courses for the stat sheet and tournament week needs to be for the event. If I visit Blue Ribbon Pines on Sunday or Monday to take a picture on course #4, don't try to play other holes.

3: Better intake: That Friday afternoon was spent dealing with fallout from what I ate the previous 30 hours and I ended up dehydrated when I got to Kahn's for dinner. There is a Super Target across the street from the hotel and a grocery trip there on Sunday is a must.

4: Underwear: Last year and last weekend, I failed to realize that after a round, there is a desire to shower and put on clean clothes. A dozen pair is the minimum that must be packed.

Practice weekend by the numbers

Time out the door: 515AM

Temperature °F: 46

Cars stopped by police on Wood Dale road: 2

Increase in cents of cost of gas per gallon compared to Jan 20: 30

Decrease in cents in cost of gas in Beloit, WI compared to station near me: 60

Years since I drove down Wisconsin Dells Drive since I had to exit expressway to talk on phone: 10

Places remembered with daughter who turned 25 on that day: 8

Cost of Osseo Hardee's lunch: $13.27

Gal of gas put in car Osseo Speedway: 11.13

Years since previous time there when I made a joke about employee hydrating a pizza: 10

Total dead deer seen on I-94 in Wisconsin: 10

Total floors of elevation required to navigate Oakwood disc golf course: 11

Birdies on course including ones throwing the shorter layout while scoring the long one: 5

Holes where I expect OB or Mando added for worlds as the fairways are close to each other: 3

Distance in miles from Northwood Park where I played rounds 2&4 of 2022 worlds to Pizza Ranch: 2.7

Distance in miles from Jones Park where I played rounds 2&4 of 2024 worlds to Pizza Ranch: 1.5

Distance in feet from basket 18 at Oakwood Park where I will be playing rounds 2&4 of 2025 worlds to door of Pizza Ranch: 306

Maximum height in feet of entrance to parking structure at Mall of America that a driver in a box truck ignored: 7

Number of FB posts seen about baseball preference of the new Pope: 10

Distance as the crow flies in miles from hotel to tee one at the Bethel University course: .9

Driving miles: 2.7

Driving time in minutes from hotel to Bethel University course: 9

Cost savings per night at hotel reserved for worlds compared to Worlds main hotel: $20

Travel minutes from Quality Inn to Treasure Island Casino where Weird Al will be on June 28: 55

Hotels in that area available for that night only: 0

dx Leopards thrown at Bethel University: 7

Baskets on a significant slope or next to a dropoff: 8

Birdies: 1

High temperature on Friday: 80

Birdies on Acorn Park course playing two layouts at same time: 12

Dollars including tip for two bowls of Mongolian cooked vegetables with noodles and some shrimp served with rice: 40

Birdies at Lakewood Hills course played early Saturday morning after checking out of hotel: 4

Signs in northern Wisconsin endorsing eliminating an option for female reproductive treatment that my mother 18 months before I was born had in order to save her life: 4

High temp encountered on Saturday: 80

Times in 2025 visiting the Speedway advertised station at exit 69 to find out it is now Amoco: 2

Dollars to play Madison, WI Capitol Springs course: 8

Total open holes up or down the main hill: 13

Birdies including playing some from short tees: 6

Total new birdies from weekend: 28

Temp when home: 60

Total time in hours: 61

Hours from beginning of first of five played rounds to the end of the fifth: 50