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. 

Two fun Texas Summer Disc Golf Tournaments you must register for next year

Hey you guys!

These past two weekends have been filled with so much fun, disc golf tournaments and swimming. What's even better is all three happening at the same time. What, whatttt! You heard that right.


First up was the 1st annual Swordstone Social out in beautiful Spicewood, Texas. The event took place on July 21st and 22nd, and our wonderful TD, Bonner Butler made this a one round a day tournament. Thank you. Thank you very much! When the rounds were over you could find everyone in one of the 2 pools the course had to offer and it was magnificent. Also, a huge thanks to St. Elmo brewery for hooking up some kegs for Saturday, we thank you TJ for bringing those out. You tha real MVP!

On to the course and results. This is a private course that partially runs through a vineyard and overlooks the lake. It is beautiful no doubt. I've heard others compare it to a baby bible ridge and I'd say that is pretty on point. The hills are definitely alive at this course so be prepared to zig zag your way up and down the hills and through the vineyards, although you dont want to land in the vineyards, that's just straight up OB. I highly recommend this tournament for three obvious reasons: the course is beautiful, one round a day, and swimming pools to hang out with the other awesome people that come.

First place in each division:

Open - Timothy Escobedo Jr.
Pro Masters - Gary Marotz
Advanced - Tony Dieterich
Advanced Womens - Renae Farr
AM Masters 40+ - Marty Cooper
AM Masters 50+ - Mitch Justice (has played disc golf for 30 years, in PDGA tournaments for 20 years and this was his first singles tournament ever won. Congrats Mitch!!)
Intermediate - Trevor Morrison
Recreational - Cheay Keomany

Next up: The Sizzler driven by Innova

We played this tournament on July 28th and 29th. The courses are located in small town Junction, Texas by the Llano river.

This is an awesome weekend filled with great friends, disc golf, and you guessed it...a river. There are 3 courses that you will play over the weekend, one of them being a ball golf course. You also have the opportunity to throw down a mountain for a chance to win a basket and other goodies or a hole in 1 takes home a truck!!!

The county course and north course are  smaller, birdie alley style courses. Dont get me wrong, there is plenty of OB to avoid and some longer holes thrown in there but here is where you want to play great, technical golf and get some good scores in, because up next is the ball golf course. The hot round ended up being a 51, with par at 57. There are a few ponds sprinkled in and greens that you need to avoid. This course brings a little more length with a few holes being over 600. Here is where you need to mentally stay in the game, avoid OB and putt like a champ. If you can do those things, you can shoot well here.

First place in each division:

Open - Austin McNabb
Open Women - tying for first Ashley Sloan and Stephanie Vincent with Ashley taking it in the playoffs
Pro Masters 40+ - Jim Davidson
Pro Masters 50+ - J. Shannon Fosdick
Advanced - Tony Dieterich
Advanced Womens - Judy Foster
AM Masters 40+ - Russel Shoffner
AM Masters 50+ - Jay Alba
Intermediate - Eric Lee
Intermediate Women - Melissa Veal
Recreational - David Schutt
Recreational Women - Kristi Gillis
Junior Girls <12 - Emily Weatherman

Congrats to all of our winners. Way to push through in this Texas heat!!!

Stephanie Vincent Disc Golf Q&A

Happy Monday!

Today we are privileged to have a Q&A session with Texas Disc Golfer Stephanie Vincent.  Stephanie is a professional disc golfer who has played in PDGA tournaments since 2006, has played 137 career events, and is sponsored by Mint Discs. In 2018, she has cashed in 4 of her 7 tournaments and has been working hard every day to become a better disc golfer.

How/When did you start playing disc golf? 

Back in 2006 I was sitting around with some college friends and all they would talk about was disc golf. What course they played, what they shot which new disc they were throwing. It sounded fun and I had played competitive softball for 18 years and was beginning to miss playing a sport. I asked if they would teach me and I threw my first disc at Circle R in Wimberly TX and here we are 12 years later. 

What does disc golf mean to you?

It’s a lifestyle so almost everything I do involves playing golf or spending time with people who do play. It has brought some of my best friends into my life and I’m grateful for finding this sport. 

How do some of the disc golf skills you’ve learned translate into teachings in your life?

I used to rage monster all over the course when I was younger. I wanted to be so good and I was terrible at accepting failure. One day I said you look like a crazy lady and it’s not helping your game, wake up! I have learned to be more patient and that failure does not mean you are a failure. 

If you could caddy for one disc golfer, who would you select and why?

Let’s see, Sarah Hokom because she is my bestie and chances are I will be watching 3 other amazing women play on the card too. 

Have you considered going on tour? If so and you have not yet, what things are stopping you from going? If you have, please tell us more about that experience. 

I dream of being on tour every day. 

Since I started I have always been competitive but I wasn’t always that serious. Tournaments use to be a place where I went to play golf and spend time with my friends. 

Now it’s much more competitive and while I still enjoy seeing my friends, I’m much more focused on the course than I use to be. For the last 3 years I have had the drive to tour, I just have to figure out what to do with my house and my job. I know I could sell it and live like a gypsy but I have to face the fact that I’m almost 40 yrs old and if I do go on tour how long could it really last so I don’t want to sell my home then have to start all over again when it’s over. I’m hoping to find someone to lease it to next year and get out there before it’s too late and I’m an old lady full of regrets. 

I did go on a mini tour one summer and I learned a lot of lessons on that trip. I met amazing people I still keep in touch with and realized I had the potential to be better. 

What is your favorite disc golf tournament near or far and why?

Beaver State Fling in Oregon is my favorite out of state tournament because the courses are beautiful and the tournament is well ran and there is always a big ladies field. Locally I love The Waco Annual Charity Open. The beast is my favorite local course and Ryan and Joey work super hard to pull off an outstanding event. 

What do you do to better the disc golf community and grow the sport? If you have not yet, what are some things you’d eventually like to do to help?

I started a club called Women Throwing Frisbees with my friend Laura Coffey. I worked on the PDGA Women’s Committee for a few years. I try to help with work days when I can. I have hosted several clinics and I’m currently the TX State Coordinator. 

Stephanie’s upcoming events include the 2018 Sizzler Driven by Innova and the PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Championships. Go Stephanie!!! Texas is rooting for you 

First Open Tournament and Back to Basics

This past weekend I played my first Pro disc golf tournament at the Live Oak Summer Open and finished last. I know, I know....what a way to start a blog. But that sort of is the whole point of this blog. To watch my progress, to give insight and encouragement to others, and just to have something to express myself through this journey that is just beginning. 

Signing up for Pro was not necessarily something I thought I was ready for, but when are you ever really "ready" for anything? So, with a lot of courage, self-doubt and motivation from family and friends, I did it. And even though I finished last, I am so happy that I made that leap. 

The round started on Saturday and we had tee times. I have mixed feelings about that. I felt that the course flow was smooth and I liked being able to start a little later in the day especially when you are travelling for a tournament. You dont have to wake up at 4 a.m to get to the shotgun start. The only downside is that I am a huge people person and part of the whole disc golf experience I enjoy is getting to meet up with friends before the round, gives high 5's and get that good energy and vibes coming through. With tee times you dont really get that feeling. Everyone is on their own schedule and if they start early than you, they may not even be there when you are done. 

Back on track, Renae! (I will probably ramble a lot, so get used to it.)

We played two rounds, 27 holes per day. It was rough. My tee time was around 11:30 both days. Smack dab in the middle of the Texas heat. The first round started on the Lakeside course and after the first few holes I felt that I was playing okay. My nerves wore off a bit, my drives were average, upshots and putts were great. Somewhere in the middle of that round, I started to fall off big time. I took an 8 on a hole and literally thought "what am I doing playing Open, I am not good, I thought you love this game." Haha literally all of the emotions drained me on that hole. Later on I picked it back up and finished strong. I was chasing 8 for 1st and 3 for 2nd after a 5 1/2 hour round, just wow!

Speed up to the day 2 - I lost my shit! I never gave up, I just couldn't bring my game together. The strongest part of my game is my putts but not this day. It was bad...I mean I had some highlights of that round but was not consistent. The fight in me was worn to pieces, another 5 1/2 round proved that I was not physically or mentally prepared. 

With that being said, I know I have it in me. I am a fighter. I have always been a fighter. I will figure it out and will not stop until I do. I hope with this blog I am able to see the growth in my physical AND mental game. I will be posting tournament recaps, thoughts going on during a round/tournament/practice and steps we all could take to better ourselves mentally and physically.