The ACT

Just a friendly reminder that the ACT will be held both days this weekend, rain or shine. Temps are currently looking high-70′s to low-80′s, with moderate (40% or less) chances of rain on either day. Plan appropriately. Some suggestions for those who may not have played in inclement weather before…

• Towels! Dish towels (or similar sizes) work well, microfiber is good and many golfers swear by chamois as a “first wipe” followed by a microfiber towel after in order to get your disc really dry. Throwing wet discs adds a whole new layer of challenge to the game, so you’ll want to throw dry discs if possible.
• Waterproof shoes. Nothing can annoy you more during a tournament round than squishing around in your sneakers. If you have waterproof boots or something with Gore-Tex (or similar) on it, wear it!
• Plastic bags. It’s a bummer when you go for your wallet and the end of the day and find it soaked – or worse, your cell phone. Rather than put things straight into your bag, think about putting your wallet, cell phone, and other important items into a zip-top bag before putting it in your bag while you play. Or just leave them in the car.
• Umbrella. Golf umbrellas with wind vents are preferable, square-shaped umbrellas are best for putting down since they tend to fly/roll away less when it’s your turn to throw. Of course, smaller umbrellas are easier to carry so use your own judgement.

Here’s a quick rundown of things you may want to bring no matter what the weather is, for those people who haven’t played many events before…

• Bag. Disc Golf bag, backpack, whatever lets you carry your stuff around. Every year we’ll see a few players walking around with a small pile of discs in their hands and it’s just an inefficient way to carry things (plus it’s easier to drop them while walking or forget one after playing a hole). You can plan to carry around the bag your player’s pack will come in, but it’s probably easiest if you bring your own.
• Sunscreen. You’re going to be outside all day and even if it does rain this weekend, sun is very likely for portions of the day. You want to go home with good things to remember the tournament by, and a lobster-shade sunburn isn’t one of those things.
• Water. You’ll want to hydrate during the round, and while we will have water out lots of places on the course it doesn’t hurt to at least bring your own water bottle to refill during the day. It’s especially important to hydrate if/when it does rain, since the body doesn’t remember it needs to rehydrate as easily then, so make sure you keep drinking!
• Towels! Even if it’s not raining, a good towel (usually dish-towel sized) can be the difference between a great shot and a poor one. Cleaning off excess leaves, mud and other debris before throwing not only helps the flight of the disc but also your grip of the disc while throwing.
• Money. You’ll want money to pay to get into the park – may want to buy lunch – may also want to buy something available during the day or definitely want to get in on the lunchtime CTP contest where you can win your own portable basket to take home at the end of the day. ($1/throw, $5 for 6 throws. Rules are simple and will be explained on tournament day if you are unfamiliar with the format).

There are plenty of things to keep in mind when playing any tournament, especially your first one, so post a comment if you have questions or want to add to the lists above for others to keep in mind as well.

See everyone this weekend!