2018 HOTT Kyle Open Recap and Results

Hello Friends!

I hope you all had a great weekend but I know I am looking forward to the long weekend ahead.
This past weekend was the HOTT Kyle Open, a three-round B-Tier tournament in Kyle, Texas hosted by Team Justice. Huge thank you to Patty and Mitch, Fishead and Adam Case and the rest of the crew for all you do!

On Saturday Morning, the energy was buzzing. I had a game plan to keep me in check. I brought my head phones, I had my new Zuca Cart, and after saying a few hello’s I disappeared from the crowd to get focused. After a few practice throws I lost my new glow Alpha but couldn’t dwell on it, I had a tournament to play. I started on the shortest hole on the course (hole 5) and ended up taking a 4 the first round. The nerves got to me, but I was able to overcome that within the next few holes. My drives and upshots were confident, but my putts were weak…nervously weak. A new goal of mine is to figure out what I’m doing differently in tournaments where I putt really well and tournaments where I am a nervous-wreck. I think once that is figured out, I’ll feel like I belong in the Pro division.  After the first round I was down by 4 strokes for the lead.

Saturday afternoon was the start of the second round. I started on hole 5 again, but this time birdied it. I thought “Yessss…this is going to be a great round, I can feel it”. My round did indeed feel a lot better than the first round. I was able to get off the box cleaner, I incorporated a lot more forehands with my light blue Alpha and felt confident throwing it in the wind. My backhand was just turning over a little too much for my liking, so I was thankful to have that trusty Alpha in the bag. It came down to the last two holes. They are two of the longest and least-shadiest of holes and I think that mentally got to me. I know that on those two holes all three rounds I lost 3 to 4 strokes. My third round was very similar to the my second. Stephanie Vincent ended up taking the win, congrats girl. I ended up just barely holding on to 2^nd as Kristina Gold turned up the heat in the 3^rd round to only end up 1 stroke behind me. Whew! Way to power through Kristina!

This tournament I just wasn’t connecting on my putts. I can’t wait to figure it out. For now, I am going to work on coming up with a clear routine so that each time I putt, I am doing the same thing regardless of the distance. I am going to incorporate Yoga into my daily activities in hopes that I can learn to clear my mind and focus on my body and breathing. I am also going to just keep signing up for tournaments knowing that it will get easier as anything does with practice.

I’d like to give a huge shout-out to my boyfriend Andrew Wikert. He just moved to the Pro division as well and cashed this weekend!!! This was his first time to cash and he was ecstatic. This is one of the happiest times I’ve seen him. He too has worked hard to get where he is at and it’s definitely showing. I am so proud of you.

Hott Kyle Open Results

Open Men: Mason Ford
Open Women: Stephanie Vincent
Pro Masters 40+ : Russel Shoffner
Pro Masters 50+ : Vinnie Miller
Advanced Men: Connor O’Reilly
Am Masters 40+ : Armando Martinez Jr.
Am Masters 50+ : Glen Hall
Intermediate Men: Frank Valtierra
Recreational Men: Adam Dyer

The last event of the HOTT tour is the 20th Annual Oktoberfest and HOTT final. If you didn't make any other HOTT tournaments you can still play this one. It's a b-tier at the beautiful Moody's disc golf course in Red Rock, Texas October 6-7. Hope to see you there!

Do you have kids that play disc golf or are interested? Introducing the Junior Chain Smashers

Happy Tuesday!

Did you know that National Disc Golf Day was this month on August 4^th? And what better way to celebrate than by helping to grow the sport? That’s what these two girls from the Austin area did. Olivia Erickson and Zoey Martinez started their own disc golf league for juniors called the Junior Chain Smashers. How awesome is that?!? I had the pleasure of joining Zoey and Olivia on their first league meet-up at Mary Moore Searight Park to hear in their own words what the purpose of their league is and their goals.

* I recorded and interviewed the girls during their round when they had the occasional break.

Me – We are here at Mary Moore Searight Park on a Saturday at 8:30 in the morning with about 10 kids. Can you tell me why we are here?

O – Zoey and I are starting a group called the Junior Chain Smashers where we are going to gather a bunch of kids and throw discs together.

Me – So, I hear you helped Olivia create this group, the Junior Chain Smashers. How did you and Olivia meet?

Z – Yes, we met at the 2018 Texas Women’s Disc Golf Championships.

Me – Cool, so what’s your Ultimate Goal for this group?

O – My ultimate goal is to try and get 100 kids in each division and to one day have a tournament for all of the juniors.

Z – I just really wanted to get a group of kids out and playing together. I see this group as a fun group, not so competitive, where we all work on getting better together.

Me – What age divisions do you offer here?
O – We offer all ages from 0 – 18.

Me – What is your favorite disc to throw?

O – A champion beast.

Z – Discraft Avenger – Discraft is my favorite disc company

Me – How long have you been playing disc golf?

Z – Since December of 2017.

Me – Wow! That is incredible. You already have a lot of distance and really great shots.

Z – Thank you!

Me – When you think of disc golf, who is the person you look up to the most?

O – Ummm…my Dad because he’s won a lot of tournaments, he’s really good at it and he’s the one that got me into it.

Z – My Dad!


Me – Nice! And if you could play with any lady disc golfer who would you choose?

O – Paige Pierce.

Z – Sarah Hokom – I want to learn to flick like she does. I already backhand and flick but want to flick like Sarah.

Me –Do you have dreams of one day touring?

O – 100% yeah!

Z – Yes, and I want to play with Sarah and Paige.

Me – Do you have any tournaments your looking forward to?

O – Definitely Texas Women’s and would like to find others so I can get better and try to win some tournaments.

Me – What’s your favorite course?

O – Mary Moore Searight Park


It was so awesome seeing all the kids excited about playing. At one point it was getting super hot outside and the kids were asked if they’d like to call it a day and head to hole one for putting and prizes and almost all kids said No, they wanted to continue playing disc golf. Their enthusiasm is the cutest but also very vital to the growth of this sport.

I also saw one little boy who was shy and didn’t want to play and another little boy went up to him and chatted with him about how fun it was and how he should try too. The next thing you know, the two boys are running around throwing discs together and making new friends. I think this is such a great idea, because no matter how many times the parents asked if he wanted to play, it took another little kid his age to convince him and break him out of his shell. I think if kids see other kids playing, they will be more likely to want to try as well. Olivia and Zoey, great job on your first league meet-up. I can’t wait to see which future Pro Disc Golfers come out of this group

If you have kids that would be interested in joining, the next Junior Chain Smashers League date will be this Sunday, August 18^th at Zilker park @ 9 a.m. 

Lisa Fajkus Q&A

Happy Wednesday Ya’ll!

I took a couple of days off from disc golf this weekend and it was kind of nice. Drew and I typically play every day and I almost forgot what other things we love to do. We hung out with friends, went to a concert, made delicious meals and even went on a boat party. 
Sometimes I get so caught up on wanting to get better, that I don’t give myself any breaks and I noticed that my body was telling me it’s time to rest. We’ve decided to take at least one day a week off and on one other day we will only go to putting league. It’s a start…  

Storytime!! My second ever tournament in 2016 I was placed on Sammie Jo and Lisa Fajkus card. I remember when they read the names off for cards my heart started racing, my eyes got big, and I was super nervous. My second tournament and you want me to play with Lisa Fajkus? Well it ended up being one of my favorite, most fun rounds. Lisa and Sammie Jo were so kind and encouraging that it felt that I was playing with people I knew forever. At one point, I got the box…I know…I got the box. I threw my drive and bam hit the basket. Lisa and Sammie Jo hand me a $1 each, ‘cause you know 5-1 club. Well, Lisa goes after me and aces it!!!! YEAAHHHH!! It remains one of my favorite moments in disc golf because of the support I received, the laughs we had and how chill they made it for me. Thank you both sooo much!


Today I am super excited to have our Q&A with Lisa Fajkus.

Lisa is another Texas Disc Golfer who is currently on the National Tour. She has played PDGA tournaments since 2007 with 172 career events. She is also currently #5 in the Director’s Poll for the FPO division.


How/When did you start playing disc golf?
I started playing disc golf in the summer of 2005, the year after I graduated high school. My boyfriend had a friend with discs so we went to play one day at Cat Hollow. We were hooked instantly and started playing daily. I remember calling my right arm my “Disc Golf Arm” and would protect it accordingly.

What does disc golf mean to you?
Disc golf is my life and passion, so it means everything to me. It has given me opportunities to play lots of tournaments, travel all over the US and some in Canada, meet new people, make new friends and even earn a living.


How do some of the disc golf skills you’ve learned translate into teachings in your life?
Too many to note, really, it all translates in some way.

If you could caddy for one male disc golfer and one female disc golfer, who would you select and why?
Ken Climo and Des Reading. Legends!! Plus, they are masters age and would appreciate a caddy ;)


Can you tell us a little about the tour-life?
Being on tour is such a rush because there is always something to be done to prepare for the next one. I am an Iowa as we speak preparing for the Titan Open. *Spoiler Alert – She won!!* Each day I am practicing a course or two and getting my body ready for the weekend. It’s both play and work. Meeting new people and enjoying local food and nature spots is an awesome part of being on tour. You meet the nicest people on the road who go above and beyond to open their house up to you and make sure you feel very welcomed.

What is your favorite disc golf tournament near or far and why?
My favorite event is the United States Women’s Disc Golf Championships, because it is a major just for women. I love the vibes and excitement that comes with this event. We are competing to become US Champion, so that is very exciting. Since women’s participation is low in most tournaments, I like that the field size as USWDGC are much bigger. You get to meet players from all over.

What do you do to better the disc golf community and grow the sport?
I love being involved with clinics and meet and greets on tour. Kids Disc Golf is a cool program to get kids excited about disc golf. At all the Pro Tour events, there are Kids Disc Golf pizza parties. It’s a great way to introduce kids and their parents to pro disc golfers.

Thank you, Lisa, for the interview. Texas loves you!!! Keep up the great work.