1000 RATED: It is well known that you’ve now officially played more disc golf courses than anyone on the planet. When did you start this quest, how many courses have you played as of today, and how many courses had you already played by the time you went on the road? Can you provide us with some various stats from the year?

BEN: I left home on April 26th, 2008 with about 375 courses under my belt (during the trip I discovered 5-7 courses I had already played and not recorded). Now (January 5th 2009) I sit at 1,054, after having played my first new course of 2009 just this week. I drove 37,500 miles through 45 states this year, spending nearly $17,000. I took 2 breaks- one for 5 days and one for 10.

1000 RATED: How does it feel to be at home in Michigan after such a long trip? Are you somewhat burnt out from the experience or if you had the money and time to continue your trip would you do so?

BEN: It’s incredibly boring being back at home, back into a routine with nothing to do. I’d much rather be back out, or at least not in the same place every day. Michigan is not where you want to come back to when winter begins, either. I am not burnt out mentally, but physically my knees and elbow still hurt when I attempt to play- and I can’t yet tell if my game has suffered from so much play but very little practice.

1000 RATED: What was it like to play your 1,000th course with Gregg Hosfeld on the same day he was also hitting the 1,000 mark? Was it extra special to make history at the new course at the International Disc Golf Center?

BEN: Well when I first heard of Greg’s record for the most courses, that gave me the idea to go for it myself. I knew at the time I could- I had (would have) the time, motivation and money. It would be something most of us wish to do, and because I had the chance, I took it. On the first tee I was nervous. I had already played with Greg and knew it was going to be a serious battle just to stay close in score, add in my first time on video and with a gallery. We share a lot in common when it comes to ideas of course design and the sport of disc golf. I am grateful to the IDGC to put that course in so fast in time for us, it was really only one of a few possible options based on the courses we had each already played and the time scale, or else it couldn’t have been done. It was great to rest up a bit, help out at the IDGC and be a part of history that way.

1000 RATED: After so many courses, you must have a few favorites from your trip. What are some of your favorites that you played and why? Are there any least favorites you’d like to mention?

BEN: I probably played about half or more of my favorite courses before this trip, and re-played a few this time around. Some of the best are: Idlewild (Burlington, KY); Pickard (Indianola, IA); Highbridge Hills Granite Ridge, Gold, Blueberry Hill (Mellon, WI); Hudson Mills (Ann Arbor, MI); Morraine State Park (Portersville, PA); Warwick (Warwick, NY); Milo McIver (Estacada, OR); Whistler’s Bend (Roseburg, OR); Bijou (South Lake Tahoe, CA); Blue Mountain (Missoula, MT); Twin Parks (Austin, TX); Red Hawk (Crystal River, FL); Cedar Hill (Nashville, TN); Burnsboro (Vassalboro, ME); Perkerson (Atlanta, GA). The worst ones are usually due to course maintenance, rough (overburdened with thorns, ivy),navigation issues, and design. Some were just plain unplayable or impossible to enjoy, some are just so poorly marked that it is literally impossible to show up at the course for the first time and find your way around. Some of the bad ones, for varying reasons, inlude: Parma (Parma, OH); Bellevue State Park (Wilmington, DE); Goodnow (Princeton, MA); Patterson Lake (Dickinson, ND); Rooster Rock East (Columbia Gorge). Plenty of others are poorly designed in my opinion, but they’re not on the worst course list because at least they are playable and some others might like the design.

1000 RATED: Going along with the last question, you easily played more disc golf holes than any other golfer during the last year and you must have some favorites. Can you provide a list of some of your favorite disc golf holes and why?

BEN: I can name a few that stick out right now. There’s a hole at Warwick with 2 walls of rock, you have to turn a corner in the woods to the right, then clear both walls of rocks to get to the basket on the edge of one. Pleasant Hills in Maine has an 1,100′ hole where the ending is an option to go huge over water or play through the trees. There’s #2 at Idlewild where you throw a 350′+ right turning drive through some trees to a landing green, and then throw over a pond to the long pin. Obviously the hole at Whistler’s Bend where you are throwing so far downhill and long 700′, it’s easy to go way, way past the basket. Hole #18 at Tocobaga in St. Petersburg, FL- not for the design as much as you are sort of throwing at the ocean and hyzering back, and can be putting with the bay as a backdrop, a shell covered beach in play.

1000 RATED: For those who are looking to make a disc golf trip (but perhaps not as long), can you provide some tips or tricks you learned to save money and time while on the road? Is there anything you did that you’d change in order to make for an even better experience?

BEN: For on the course: Pack a printer with your laptop and print course maps the day ahead when you can find them. Or, take a picture of the map on your screen and carry it with you on your digital camera’s screen. GPS is a must for this sort of trip, saving literally days of time and tanks of gas. You don’t have to search for street-signs and try to decipher maps and poorly worded directions in the directory. Get the GPS coordinates from online, plug them in, check for accuracy and go. Please update the official course directory if you find errors! Don’t try to plan the days down to exact detail too far ahead, ’stuff’ can happen and will. Courses are closed, traffic jams, tournaments, car trouble, etc. Instead plan a general route, decide which courses you want to shoot for (read reviews and see pictures online ahead- I do that 2-3 days ahead online), and then make a list and route it but add a course beyond what you expect to play- just in case you encounter a problem. Plan for where you will stay at least a day ahead, don’t leave that up to the last minute. There could be a convention in town. Definitely do NOT use bottled water. Get a Nalgene type bottle (I had about 5) and re-fill those at the hotel/friend’s house/course when you can instead. Not just save you a lot over time, but the environment. My web-enabled smart phone saved a lot of time, being able to check maps, check pdga.com, and book and find hotels or campsites while on the road is invaluable. I’d camp a lot more next time around, with better supplies. On the first night my tent and several other items just broke on me. With wi-fi, and a shower, what else do you need?

1000 RATED: Do you have any funny or interesting stories from the trip that you’d like to tell? Did you meet some people you’d like to give a shout out to or have any experiences that you think people might want to hear about?

BEN: Really not much crazy stuff happened, which is good, because that also means no accidents, major injuries or tickets on the road. I saw lots of new-to-me wildlife and got many pictures of them. Saw a lot of intense car accidents, police action. I want to thank all those that helped in any way, from giving me a place to crash for 4 nights to the guy who pointed me toward the first hole. Call on me for a favor any time.

1000 RATED: Other than being known as that guy who’s played the most disc golf courses, what do you think you gained most by taking this trip? Did you learn any life lessons or have any disc golf epiphanies?

BEN: I gained the most memorable experience of my lifetime, new friends (and enemies), a solid geographical understanding of this country and it’s people (lots of culture shock). Most important to me was the simple fact that it was something to do. If not for the trip, I wouldn’t have worked as hard, and would have spent that time working very little and being bored, leaving me in the same place as I am now financially because I wouldn’t have been working so hard to save up. I’m glad I got to do this with my time instead. A good disc golf lesson would be to practice, and force yourself to forget your current throwing style and find the right one even if it has been what ‘works’ for you for a long time, it might not be right and you might be stuck at a plateau.

1000 RATED: What is your plan now? Are you going to save up for another trip - perhaps in Europe?

BEN: Definitely not Europe- I have no intentions of flying. Now I am starting to take a couple of business classes and trying to get as many hours at my old job back as possible. I’d like to move- winter is miserable and there’s no good reason to stick with it anymore if I can find a new place and a job. I probably won’t do anything like this again unless I somehow have the time, money, and most important- no responsibilities at the time. But, I will keep adding them on as much as possible, like en route to other tournaments.

1000 RATED: Who is you favorite 1000 rated player at the moment and why?

BEN: Probably Feldberg for his accomplishment last year. After being so close several times, winning virtually every other major event and dominating on tour, it was time to win the Worlds, and he did so, at home. It was like a made for tv sports movie.

1000 RATED: A natural performer, you excel in many different areas and have a variety of talents. Comedy, freestyle, disc golf, juggling, rope-walking etc. - you’ve performed at Disney, on cruises, appeared on The David Letterman Show, ESPN, America’s Funniest People, and more. What is your favorite part about being a performer, and if you’re not using a disc or a Frisbee is there a certain talent or act you like to perform more than others? Can you also tell us a little about your David Letterman experience or any of your other TV experiences?

GREGG: There are a LOT of great things that go hand in hand with performing.  Travel.  The money doesn’t stink.  Meeting other talented performers and famous folks.  One of the best though is hearing the kid’s laughter. Laughing adults is also good (that means they’re probably not going to be kicking my ass anytime soon)

I like doing freestyle stuff in entertainment venues because nobody else really does it.  It doesn’t get big laughs but it does surprise people because most people’s expectations for anything “Frisbee’ is pretty low.

Many of them don’t know what to think since I don’t have a dog.

I have a ‘spy’ character juggling piece that is completely original.  In the right setting it works very well.

I started doing the first version of my slide show nearly 20 years ago and I quickly realized that I could no longer follow MYSELF!  I had to put it at the end of the show.  This gave me the flexibility to NOT juggle the bowling ball, machete & apple if I didn’t want to.

The Letterman experience was pretty bizarro.

After the Bud Light Frisbee team wowed everyone at the 1985 PDGAW in Tulsa, I kinda crashed their demo by stepping out and doing an impromptu juggling demo, which included a quick series of air-brush combos with a mini disc.  To close out that segment I did some breath tips.  As luck would have it, I did 29 breaths, which is the best I had ever done.  To further my luck, someone video-taped it and I found out about it.  I got a copy of the tape and sent it to Letterman in hopes of landing a “Stupid Hosfeld…uh Human Tricks” slot.

I was working at the hottest comedy club in the southeast, The Punchline in Atlanta, when I got the call from their coordinator telling me they had gotten my video-tape.    “Hey Gregg…that’s pretty stupid!  C’mon up!”

I had to ask the club owner for Thursday night off to do Letterman.  It’s the only time he ever actually laughed at anything I said.  Then he found out I wasn’t joking.

I booked a flight to go up and back the same day.  I flew into Newark (yech) and took the subway over to NYC.   I had a bit of spare time so I took in the Statue of Liberty.  The elevator was broken but I had no intention of taking it anyway.  I was an Ultimate player and well, we run the stairs, thank you very much.

Rather than put us in the green room with Chrissy Everett Lloyd, they put us in the prop room.  The segment would include 3 “Stupid Humans” but there were 4 of us.  They nearly bumped me from the show because I was only hitting about 10 breaths or so in warm-up/rehearsal.

They ended up bumping the guy who could do the ‘Tiger Woods’ golf ball taps and take off his jacket at the same time.  (pretty cool actually)  And I went on between the girl who played a flute in each nostril and another guy who played guitar and yodeled upside down.  Yes, a stellar trio if ever there was one.

For whatever, reason I didn’t have time to work up a good “nervous”.  The old NBC studio was much smaller than I would have imagined.

After Letterman offered to let the flute player stick things up MY nose, I went ahead and did my trick.  I only got a couple of breaths on the first attempt, but the 2nd was perfect!  Upon review of the tape, I had done 40 breaths.  I had never even done 30 before!  Of course they showed it again in ‘super-slo-mo’ as Dave said “Yes!  THIS is what we’re fighting for!”

What’s so cool about it is that on the screen, right between my lips and the mini, was the studio sign that read “On Air”.

Obviously I was really stoked because I was pretty sure that was a new record.  (not that anyone else really works on this)

Afterward, I took a cab to the bus station, a bus to the airport and flew back to Atlanta.  We docked at concourse D (farthest out) at 11:50.  By midnight I had run to my car and was 3/4 of the way out of the parking lot.  I drove 35 miles north to the comedy condo in a half an hour, set up my portable VCR and got it on tape!  (Letterman was on at 12:30 back then)

It amazed me how many people later told me that they NEVER watch Letterman but just happened to tune in that night.

1000 RATED: You have many notable wins, awards, records and accomplishments in both disc golf and Freestyle over the last 30 years. What are your favorites and why? Does your recent 2008 Grand Masters World Championship win mean as much to you as your 1987 Open World title did when you won it?

GREGG: In my eyes, winning the 87 PDGAW is the only reason anyone even pays attention to me in this sport.

For years, (and to this day actually) the biggest kick I got out of winning the worlds is just imagining how many Frisbee players around the world were saying my name like this…  “HOSFELD?!?!?!?!”

Being inducted into the Hall of Fame was pretty fantastic as well.  Billy Crump interviewed me briefly in Melbourne last year and asked about my future plans for disc sports.  I told him that I’m not going to stop competing, designing and building courses, promoting, doing demos and teaching until I get inducted into the Hall of Fame AGAIN!  (Was that pompous?  I can never tell anymore)

While this year’s GM win was the culmination of a LOT of hard work, and felt fantastic, it doesn’t compare to the “dark-horse” winning the open division in a sudden death playoff with the guy who pretty much lives AT the course.

Don’t get me wrong.  I am incredibly happy about how well things went on the 1Kdgt.  It was a very charmed summer.  I knew going into the PDGAW that beating Greenwell was not only going to be tough but I couldn’t really focus on that.  I played very well, but I also used up all of my luck and at least half of everyone else’s on Friday to erase a 6-stroke lead.

I still think DLG is the greatest disc golfer “BC” (Before Climo)

1000 RATED: Hailing from Florida, you have an opportunity to play in fantastic weather for a majority of the year. A lot of golfers may not have had the chance to play Florida’s courses or tournaments as of yet. What is it about Florida disc golf and the Florida tour that’s so special? If you had to move for some reason, what is it that you think you would miss the most?

GREGG: There’s no question that being able to play 12 months out of the year in pretty good conditions has played a role in keeping me into the game as heavily as I am.  When I started, Jeff Watson and Steve Slasor were the guys to beat.  Then I became the guy for a while.  Then it was Climo.  Now, John E McCray, Garrett Gurthie.  (since Climo usually just hits the A’s, NT’s and Majors)

The Florida Tour was called “The best state-level tour going” by Brian Hoeniger when he was in office.  We have 19 stops slated for 2009 but we’ve had up to 25.  Admittedly, the tour has lost a little steam but not as much as some might think.  Much of the tour is handled by a very few dedicated members (isn’t it always the way?) who understand that the FFT has become the glue that holds our clubs together to form a much stronger entity.  Each tour stop helps out the others, which is really the spirit we’re trying to foster.

Until very recently, Orlando was in a stranglehold by one guy running the show here.  There were no real out-reach efforts to charities or anything that I could see that invited the community to come out and play with us.  The Orlando Disc Golf Club formed a little over a year ago and we’ve offered an alternative to the ambivalence that has become the norm.  We’re still gaining a foothold but we’ve made some great progress.  And, I think the core group of officers is doing an incredible job.  The 2008 Orlando Open was the highest attended single-weekend FFT event of the year.

I have considered moving from time to time.  (I did move to Atlanta in the late 80s but came back)  There’s usually a fair amount of work for a variety entertainer here.  I’m getting pretty attached to T2 (the 2nd dg course at Turkey Lake), which I designed and am still working on.  I’ve invested hundreds of hours and I look at this course as a resume’ piece.   Losing the Gran Canyon course a couple of years ago was gut-wrenching.  There were soooo many ideas I wanted to implement.  Still hoping to find a very well-to-do disc golfer who loved the place as much as me.

1000 RATED: With over 1,000 courses played as of late November, you’ve had an opportunity to see some of the best (and perhaps some of the worst) courses ever developed. Are there some diamonds in the rough that you’d like to mention - courses that caught your eye that you never would have expected to be so great? What has been the best part of all of the traveling and playing new courses over the years?

GREGG: There have been a number of fantastic courses along the way… Boylan Family Farms was magical.  Winthrop Gold is just an enormous but fair challenge.  I am, of course, very biased toward the Gran Canyon course, but I don’t believe unjustly.  It was an awesome canvas to work with and once other Floridian disc golfers had a chance to see what I saw, I got a lot of help out there.

From the 1Kdgt a couple of courses stood out.  I was doing shows for Gary Auerbach who runs “Spinning Bees” Frisbee shows.  I had a show in northern Illinois and two days later another in northern Michigan.  I took the ferry from Wisconsin to Ludington, MI.  Doing my homework, I found that there were 3 courses in Ludington, but I’d only have time to play one before heading north for the show.  I flipped a coin and went left.  When I pulled into the parking lot for The Leviathan, I was under-whelmed.  That didn’t last very long.

It was a big course but a big arm wasn’t necessary to score well.  The multi-shot holes had well defined landing areas and the use of topography was as good as any course I had seen.  I liked every hole on the Leviathan disc golf course.  It was a real treat to play.

Just down the road an hour or two was another gem.  Flip City!!  This course, for me, was more about the feel of the place.  The work that Bill McKenzie has done out there should inspire people to kneel down and genuflect!  Again, some wonderfully creative uses of topography and the rock gardens/towers are just incredible.  There were a few “pachinko” holes but the other 15 were so good that it didn’t matter.

I had heard some complaints about Nockamixon but I really enjoyed it.  Hornet’s Nest (+ the web) and Rennie Gold also stood out.  Charlie Vettener pk in Louisville is a wonderful piece of work, as is Idlewild in Burlington, KY.  Pickard is another epic course that I’d play at any given opportunity.  And the Highbridge Complex is several people’s dream come true.  (I’d better stop…this could take forever)

The best part of playing all of these courses might be that I’ve been able to apply what I’ve seen to my game and to my design work.  After 1,000+ courses you get a pretty good feel for what works and what doesn’t.  I am not as often ‘pleasantly’ surprised with something well done as ‘disappointed’ with something that was done poorly.

Here is the WORST part.  After playing nearly 200 courses this year, I found (rediscovered, really) that a disturbingly high percentage of baaaaad courses are going into the ground. As much as 1/3.  Some due to lack of budget, but most due to someone’s pride or ignorance getting in the way.  There are a LOT of courses being installed these days but very few of them are moving the sport forward.  I believe the manufacturers are the ONLY ones who can do anything about that but it simply isn’t in their best (financial) interest to do so.  The PDGA could TRY to impose quality standards but they would fold without the support of the manufacturers.

1000 RATED: Both you and Ben Calhoun shared the experience of playing your 1,000th course together at the IDGC on November 18th. Do you think it was better that you both found common ground and decided to share the round as an historic event? What do you think about the fact that Ben has played 695 courses in the last year alone?

GREGG: I absolutely think it was a more fitting end to our respective journeys.  (Not that they are actually over)

I could have beaten him to the mark and, had I not blown my back out at the USDGC, I’m certain I would have.  The time I spent recuping gave me a chance to mull it over in my mind.  He had worked hard for it.  I had worked hard for it.  He was going to end up passing my record anyway.  People were lining up side bets as to who would hit the big 1K first.

I didn’t really know Ben, though I had read his blog from time to time.  So, I called him and talked to him for a while before presenting the idea.  I needed to feel that I could trust him.  After all, I was sticking my neck out with the offer.  He could easily have blown by while I was recuping.  But no internal alarms went off when I talked to him.  He seemed like an earnest kid and his record shows that he can stick to a plan.  So I threw it out there.  His reaction wasn’t what you’d call jubilant but I did detect a bit of relief.

He came through Florida and we hooked up at Barnett Park (his 600th of the year) and then to DeBary’s River City Nature Park before heading to a local sub shop to work out the details.

I think it’s amazing that Ben has played more courses in one year than ANYONE (but me) has played L-I-F-E-T-I-M-E!!!  I don’t believe there is another person out there who has played over 650 courses.  His persistence and dedication to the task are quite an achievement.  Do you have ANY idea how disc-plined you must be to average 3.5 courses a day, take a photo on each hole, and write about each course and post them each night?  I’m gonna go ahead and guess…. YOU DON’T.

1000 RATED: We want to talk a little about course design. You’re very passionate about this, have a lot of experience, and with 1,000+ courses played have done more fieldwork and research than most course designers will do in a lifetime. What do you think are the 10 most important aspects to consider when developing a new course and why? What kinds of mistakes do inexperienced course designers make when developing a course? Also, what is your favorite course you’ve ever designed and why?

GREGG: My favorite course design is a no-brainer…ANYONE that knows me already knows that answer.  Former IDGC office assistant Matt Gillis said “The Gran Canyon Disc Golf Course is one of the most spectacular courses I’ve ever experienced; like someone’s mad dream of what a perfect disc golf course can be.”  Shawn Sinclair said “”27 of the best holes ever assembled on one course” One of my favorite quotes came from Greenwell, who said “I wish I had more thumbs so that I could give it more than two thumbs up”

Course design ideology…in no particular order…

1. Before you expect to design a course…Find friends with temp baskets and take turns designing temp holes/ courses.  This should help you figure out some of the ABC’s of challenge and flow BEFORE you are called upon to demonstrate them for a permanent layout.  I did about a dozen of these courses with our “Have Course-Will Travel” events.  The experience was inestimable.

2.  Take your time in the discovery process. When you are walking the property for the first time (and and 10th) don’t get married to an idea too soon.  If you “cement” an idea immediately, you might miss a far better opportunity 15 feet away.  Get a very good feel for the property before committing to specific holes.  And, sadly, sometimes you have to give up on a great idea in order for the rest of it to flow.

As Spock said, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.  Throw long and prosper.”

The biggest mistake you can make is thinking… “Let’s just get it in the ground and we’ll fix it later.” Fixing a flawed design/install is far more difficult than taking the time to do it right up front.  Partially because the original install probably ruined many of the possibilities.

It is hard enough to get helpers to invest time in the course without having to re-enlist them to come out and do it OVER!  That’s where you hear this…“Sure, this course sucks, but it’s better than it was”.

You also hear this (Geez!) “Hey, everybody’s got to play it.”  As if uniform exposure to a bad hole/course somehow justifies it.

That said, you must be willing to go back and fix a problem. Every course evolves.  You will find very few exceptions to that rule.  Fixing one problem may create another one.  If a course is established, take time to try out solutions before committing to them.  Try temp tees with alt baskets without removing the permanent ones.  If you didn’t originally design the course, call the designer and explain the problem.  He may have had to roll the dice in a decision process and may have a solution.

3.  Let the trees and land tell you where the “natural” fairways are.  This is not golf design.  We shouldn’t try to clear-cut a forest to make a fairway.  Use natural arches.  Try to spare the healthy trees and look for ways to open up areas where there are already dead ones.

4.  Listen to (and ask for) suggestions.  (no matter how dumb they may sound)  I found that about 80% of what people suggest is either completely off base or hasn’t taken into consideration the surrounding factors that influence the flow of the course.  Another skill of a course designer is gently explaining to people why their ‘revelation’ won’t cut it….this time.

But don’t let your pride get in the way.  Too many courses are built by people who think, “how hard can it be?”  My experience has been, if you think it’s easy, chances are, you’re not giving it due consideration.

Also, if you’ve got a radical idea ask someone who’s been around the block.  Maybe they’ll have some valuable insights that you haven’t considered.  In fact, it’s pretty likely.

Oh, and join the Disc Golf Designer’s Group online.  It’s a very valuable resource with over 100 brains to pick.

5.  Safety issues are priority one.  We, as a sport, have been very lucky.  To my knowledge, there has never been a major lawsuit due to a disc golf related incident/injury.  But I get the distinct impression that we are running out of time. With the popularity of the beveled-edged discs (especially in the hands of players too new to the game to wield them) it is only a matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt.

All I can do when I’m designing a course is to say… “not on MY course”.  I am more concerned about the unaware passerby than another disc golfer on the course.  Maybe 70-30%.

Knowing how discs fly in the hands of a pro and a rank amateur is vital when laying out a course.  That said, Houck realized… “Imagine the worst possible shot on a hole and someone will throw one worse than that”.  It just happens.  All we can do is try to minimize the risk of injury.

6.   Try to balance the course but not at the expense of good flow and challenge.  The “6-Left, 6-Right, 6 Straight” formula is a good idea but I call it the “Fisher-Price” formula.   If your formula is slightly off that’s fine if you’ve got at least 15 quality holes.  And remember that just because a fairway turns left, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it favors a righty.  Also keep in mind that a righty backhand and a lefty sidearm may be spinning the same direction but the flights can be radically different.

7.   A course should reward skill…not luck.  Too many times I’ve heard people call their course an “equalizer”.  Meaning that a local am has about the same chance of scoring well (or poorly) as a top pro.  What this usually means to me is that the fairways don’t provide an adequate FAIR WAY for a well executed shot as opposed to putting one out there and hoping it gets lucky.   If skill doesn’t help, why did I practice for 25 years?

8.  Try to give them options off of the tee on at least 1/2 of the holes.  If a hole is wide open, a player has unlimited angle options to reach the pin.  On restricted holes, I like to try to provide optional fairway lines when possible.  I think this helps a player to expand his/her game and the course is less boring with more flight options.  Window-shopping is ok, but dual-fairways are better.

This is also another way to apply ‘risk v reward’ features.  A well-executed risky shot should have a strong chance to gain a stroke on someone who plays it safe.  Along those same lines, someone who decides to play it safe should have an opportunity to make a well executed to decent shot and come up with par.

9.   Be sure to keep the property manager informed of your progress and plans.  Remember, it is not YOUR land, so permission is paramount to gaining and maintaining their trust and respect.  A friend of mine just lost a project that he’d been on for over a year because the lines of communication broke down and he may have overstepped his boundaries instead of keeping them informed and asking permission.

10.   Never assume that the parks people know how to install the equipment.  There are only so many ways they can incorrectly piece together a basket and, unless they use the irreversible screws, it can be reassembled.  But you only have ONE shot at the cement slab.  Be sure that it is surfaced to your liking.  A tee pad should have a much rougher texture than a sidewalk.  Just because “Joe the maintenance guy” (Joe the Plumber’s brother) has worked with cement for 25 years, doesn’t mean that he’s worked with it for THIS application.  Give him his props but be sure he understands why the tee must have a grippy surface and show him how to do it.  For me, a poorly done tee pad falls into the safety issue category.

If the parks folks say they have some experience with course installation.  Find out which course and go see how that turned out.

11. Build the right course for the intended demographic. If there are no other courses in the area, chances are you want to design a course that will spoon-feed the newbies.  Conversely, Orlando had 3 advanced level courses when I started T2, so I designed the blue tees to challenge a pro level player and the red tees to allow an advanced player to score well and not intimidate the newer player.  A friend of mine built a course at a very popular privately owned park that holds massive music festivals.  He built a huge, arduous course through thick woods.  The attendees of these festivals want a fun round of Frisbee in between bands, not Homer’s Odyssey.

Don’t try to build beyond your level of expertise.  If you’ve never thought or played like a pro player, it make sense that you probably aren’t going to build a course that properly reflects the challenges suited to pro players.  If you don’t play at all, don’t even THINK about designing a permanent course.  Period.

12.  Do the follow-up.  You’ve taken the time to contemplatively design a course.  You’ve invested massive man-hours getting it installed properly with great tee pads, tee signs, “next-tee” signs, benches, bag holders, trash cans, bridges etc.  Now…for the love of the sport…Puh…lease… get in your car and drive to the nearest interstate exit and make certain that people have excellent DIRECTIONS to get to the park!!  It blows my gourd how many people invest their soul into a course but fail to tell people how to get there.  Granted, GPS helps but not all of us have them.  Nor do we all have the luxury of googling the address and printing out the results.  The directory should DIRECT us to the course.

Hints:  Start with the exit # where possible.  The first turn should signify polarity (North, South, East, West) from there ‘left’ or ‘right’ will do.  Give the street name and the route number for each road.  And list the mileage between turns.  I wrote an article many years ago called “Directions on how to give directions” in DGWN #32.  Cliff Towne and the PDGA directory endorsed and adopted this method in hopes that YOU the course designer or pro will take the time to ensure that people can find the course without zig-zagging aimlessly around town.   (Like Ben and I did all *&^%$#@!ing summer!!!)

13.  Think ahead.  Design LONG, build SHORT, expand later based on your plans.  Too often I’ve seen a course go in the ground without due consideration of what comes next.  If you’d like to have gold tees one day, put them in your master plan and make sure they work.  You don’t have to build them right away but if you don’t leave room for them at the outset, you’re probably going to be cramping up the course.

Also, many courses are installed 9 holes first and 9 later.  It is a very good idea to find out where the subsequent 9 are slated for and rough them out in your master plan so that your original 9 complements them.  (No, it’s NOT extra work.  It’s going above board now to save work in the future)

In a recent project, a parks department wanted 9 holes now and promised 9 later.   Based on that statement, I designed an 18-hole course (though I was only paid for 9).  In order to preserve areas that I felt were crucial to a decent flow, I installed the 9 holes that were closest to the parking area.  The subsequent 9 will branch off of different holes of the original 9.

This will change the # of every hole on the course but #1.  But I felt this bit of temporary confusion is far outweighed by making a strong first impression and securing the areas that we will NEED.   I wouldn’t do this in most cases but sometimes you have to protect your investment of time and sweat by doing something a bit out of the ordinary.  Which brings me to another important point.

14.  Remain flexible. I have several hard and fast rules about course design.  In order to make these projects work, I find myself breaking one or two each time.  Chuck K uses a ton of mathematical formulas in course design.  In my eyes, he views it as a science.  I prefer to think of course design as an art.  Art is intended to stretch your imagination.  Sometimes you have to go off the beaten path.  But remember… There’s a fine line between genius and insanity.

This is the most important piece of advice…

15.  Just forget about it and hire me. 407 701-9058.

2009?  Yeah, I’m open.

1000 RATED: Well known as Gregg “Mini” Hosfeld, you’ve been a supporter and player of mini disc golf for over 25 years. With the somewhat new Mini Disc Golf Federation and the first public, permanent mini disc golf course in Pennsylvania, do you think this activity will start to catch on with some of the more active disc golfers? Why have you always loved it so much?

GREGG: I think mini golf will pretty much remain as it has been; a fun diversion.  Disc golfers dig mini golf but very few of them are going to dedicate themselves to an investment of time to get really good or put gobs of energy into promoting it, though I’m glad to see Donny and Linc and the PA gang putting energy into it.  And it is a very fun community up there.  I had a blast playing those mini courses with Donny.

That said, I’m working on designing the permanent mini course at the International Disc Golf Center.  I have 10 holes flagged but to be honest, I still have to spend another few days looking at more areas.  The mini course will pretty much have to be squeezed between the existing 3 standard disc golf courses.  The new Jim Warner Memorial course wasn’t finished the last time I was looking for available land.  So I couldn’t really assess what land was suitable on that side of the complex.

I think one of the reasons that I got into mini disc play in general is that as long as I had a pocket, I could carry a mini with me.  It wasn’t really mini golf that got me rabid about minis.  It was more about freestyle…mini air-brush combos, breath tips, snaps etc.  At one point I had written down nearly 100 ways to deliver a mini disc.

Another thing we used to do back in the late 70’s and early 80’s.  Mini fights!!  We’d have 4 guys in a small bed-room with about 20 minis (lightweight wham-o’s ONLY) and just wail on each other for hours at a time.  It was just sick-funny!  My face would hurt from laughing.  (and getting hit)  But you couldn’t THROW them.  We either had to snap them or air-brush them. Jeff Watson could snap a mini 40 yards upwind.  So imagine what damage he could do in a 10×12 bedroom!

1000 RATED: The PDGA has been a big part of your life. Inducted into the Disc Golf Hall of Fame in 1998, your accomplishments have not gone unnoticed. What do you think the best asset of the PDGA is for disc golfers? On the other hand, what do you think the Association can do to bring in more memberships, retain those memberships, and attract more outside attention to the great game of disc golf?

GREGG: Being a governing body for the sport was the premise for the PDGA but they have become much more.  We look to the PDGA for guidance.  We can call upon the folks at the PDGA offices for connections (both business and personal).  They archive information that is valuable in promoting the sport and gladly dispense this info each and every day.  Obviously, the credibility of the PDGA has been soundly vindicated and validated with the opening of the International Disc Golf Center.

Sanctioning a tournament with the PDGA not only provides insurance but it also becomes an event where the statistics can be tracked and used to create rankings for players, tournaments and courses.

I’d love to offer up about 20 paragraphs on what the PDGA can do to bring more people into the sport.  All I can say is education.  Innova is doing the EDGE program, which the PDGA supports.

Marketing is a tricky thing.  I heard that Dr. Duesler brought in more money AFTER he was replaced as marketing director.  It takes a long time to build a relationship up with companies that are being romanced for their pocketbooks. I felt that when DGWN was the official mag of the PDGA, that was the single best marketing tool we had for the sport.

This may not be a PDGA thing per se, but the biggest thing we could do as a sport is find a way to gain a stronger presence in the private sector, outside public parks.  We need some venues that are not run by parks departments (government).  These people cannot operate outside their overly cautious parameters.  We need more private venues like Marshall Street, or Trophy Lakes where it is run like a business, brings in a LOT of players and shows a profit.  Only then will we see an interest in investing in the sport.

The PDGA will continue to grow either way, but an infusion of personal interest by someone in the position to open up privately owned public courses is what we need.  Publicly owned parks are just too bound by outside interests and a lack of knowledge of what it takes to move the sport forward. They have too many other interests to invest themselves properly.

1000 RATED: You recently mentioned on your blog that you gave thanks at Thanksgiving for all of the friendships and friends you’ve made all over the country. Can you talk a little about some of these friendships and perhaps tell some stories from the past that readers would appreciate?

GREGG: I’ve tried to do at least a little of that for the last 20 or so years in my DGWN articles, but I’m sure I’ll never be able to say enough about the folks who have played through in the fairway of my life.

Here’s a cool stat.  If I remember correctly (you’ll find that I preface statements that way frequently these days) when I was steadily working comedy clubs, I think I spent 340 days on the road in 1985. I sprung for a hotel room twice.  I had Frisbee friends all over who would put me up (and put up with me) I didn’t have a van that I could sleep in like I do now.

There are pockets of Frisbee family all over the world now, but a few in particular that I know I can show up at any time and be welcomed.  Kansas City is one of them.  Memphis, Atlanta, Jax… the more I list, the greater the chance that I won’t list a town where someone might expect me to.

Due to my vagabond lifestyle and my A.D.D. personality, many of my friends know that when I call them to let them know I’m coming into town, I’m not giving them a month or a week’s notice. It’s usually only a matter of a few hours.  More often than not, their doors are open and they’re asking when I’m coming back well before I take off.

This summer’s 1Kdgt was such a mad dash with my only $ coming from disc sales and tourney spoils.  I may have paid for a hotel room 3 times.  There were so many people who offered up a couch or a bedroom for this weary traveler.  To be sure, there were a few times when they only let me stay out of the goodness of their hearts but hey…that counts too.  For those of you hosts and hostesses who were so kind as to put me up this summer (or any time for that matter) thanks for making my road trips a bit more comfortable, affordable and enjoyable.

1000 RATED: If you could offer three tips to young players who are trying to raise their level of play, what would they be?

GREGG: 1.  Don’t expect a 50-year old guy to tell you what you want to hear.  Now, get out there and practice in a field and work on different types of upshots and putts.

2.  Learn to throw slower, understable discs until you can control them going straight, left and right.  Then move on to the next level of speed.  But KEEP the slower discs in your bag.  There is nothing more valuable in disc golf than a disc you can trust to get you up & down in two.

3.  Watch the big boys and figure out what it is about their styles you like.  Try to incorporate those styles or techniques into your game.

4.  (As if I could list just 3) Try playing in overall events.  It will expand your overall disc knowledge.

1000 RATED: Who is your favorite 1000 rated player at the moment and why?

GREGG: Can I say ME?  Frankly, I feel pretty lucky to still be rated over 1000.

Actually, I never really put much thought into whom my favorite 1000 rated player would be.

It’s hard to not side with Climo simply because he is just so tenacious and the best that ever lived.

Feldberg is a very smart guy and he is doing some interesting things with teaching and learning within the game.

Avery is a huge talent and Nate has shown that his talent is absolutely for real.  I love the fact that these guys are getting involved in overall events.  There is no question in my mind that over-all skills give a disc golfer more depth.  Don’t believe me?  Ask Climo, Doss, Jenkins, Feldberg…

I think John E McCray is possibly the most under-rated player in the game.  Because he doesn’t travel extensively, he is not as high profile.  But he pretty much rules the Florida tour.  I know he is rapidly approaching his 100th open division win.

There are a lot of younger 1000 rated players that have impressed me over the last couple of seasons, like “Double G”.  I would like to go on record as saying that I was very pleased to see Nikko relax and settle into his game this year.  He has all the physical skills necessary to reel in the big events.  If he can stay calm and focused he’ll be a force to contend with.

DION: What is the best means of gaining skill?

AVERY: It’s all about repetition. As many times you can do a certain movement, or a certain action, your muscles respond to that and lock that motion down to being a natural move. From driving to putting, spending a certain amount of time each day will make your body dial into that spot. If you throw thirty foot putts all day long and by chance you find yourself a thirty foot putt on the course, you raise your probability of making that shot.

DION: What should one avoid doing while practicing?

AVERY: The thing to avoid while practicing is taking it for granted. You can’t go out there and start winging a bunch of shots and not really realizing where they are going. Not trying to aim or put them in a certain spot is a waste of practice.

When you go out there you should challenge yourself in many aspects of the game. I’ll go out and challenge myself by throwing a lot more sidearms - I’ll throw a lot of different routes that I normally wouldn’t throw just in case I did have to make that shot. On longer holes I’ll club down and throw mostly rocs or aviars and see if I can still reach the pin. It’s all about challenges and preparing for that situation in a real round.

DION: Is there such a thing as too much practice?

AVERY: It’s possible to find too much practice tiresome, your body gets tired, and your mind gets tired. You have to keep changing your practice up and try a variety of routines to make it fresh and interesting.

DION: What is your favorite type of practice?

AVERY: I like to go to a field and throw. The best practice you can do is go to a field and watch the discs actually fly the way they want to fly, not just the way you might make it fly to fit a particular hole.