That was awesome stuff, wasn’t it?
On the MPO side, heading into yesterday’s doubles action, Team Eagle was up two points to one over Team Calvin. James Conrad and Ezra Aderhold bested Gannon Buhr and Nikko Locastro’s -13 by one stroke at Pusch Ridge to bring the score to even at two points per team.
There was plenty of action on the 17th and 18th holes between them, but the other four doubles teams came in at -14 a piece, so there was no movement on those fronts. Tied, they all earned a half-point. Today, Team Eagle and Team Calvin will start things off with three points each.
All knotted up. pic.twitter.com/rPBLFMfpQg
— Disc Golf Pro Tour (@DiscGolfProTour) February 12, 2022
Speaking of today, it’s going to be intense …
Whereas Saturday was filled with ties, an All-Star winner will be crowned in a few short hours.
But first, let’s talk about doubles disc golf for a brief bit …
I love doubles. It’s a format that’s popular with recreational players. You see it plenty within local clubs, too. It doesn’t get much play on the national stage with professionals, though …
And no, this isn’t a call for Jeff Spring and the Pro Tour to scratch what they’ve done up to this point and start over. Doubles is doubles. It’s not “real” disc golf, per se. Manufacturers can talk about their “teams” all they like, but let’s not kid ourselves – disc golf is an individual sport.
Doubles does, however, give disc golf fans something new – something fresh …
Here are three reasons why:
1. Doubles makes disc golf even smaller (that’s a good thing)
Disc golf is growing, but it’s still a relatively small, tight-knit community. Shoot your favorite pro a DM on Instagram or Twitter, and there’s a good chance they get back to you. We buy their Tour Series discs. We attend their instructional clinics. We subscribe to their YouTube channels.
In a roundabout, more distanced kind of way, we “know” these disc golfers. And because we “know” them, when they pair up in a doubles format, two already-small worlds collide and become even smaller for the community that supports them – it’s an intimate thing for fans.
Doubles makes that happen.
2. Strategically, doubles offers a change of pace
Strategy-wise, it’s not that doubles is necessarily better, but yeah …
It’s different.
And I’m not talking about the obvious stuff. You know, the second golfer throwing a safe tee shot after the first tosses out of bounds. Or one guy “going for it” if his partner’s parked.
There’s more to this – think about it: Instead of having a buddy, some random kid from the gallery or an Airbnb host awkwardly tote your bag around for a few hours, partners “caddy” for each other. They might not carry the gear around, but the shared strategic genius is there.
Wouldn’t you like to know what Eagle McMahon and Kevin Jones say during a doubles round?
Of course you would. Strategy at its finest.
Let’s get these guys some portable mics (and a bleep censor) next year, DGPT peeps.
3. There’s more scoring in doubles golf
On his own, Paul McBeth can (clearly) toss a perfect round. There are a few other guys on tour who can do it, too. They’re smart enough to know that playing for perfection isn’t the best way to win, though. Somewhere, Jeremy Koling is urging someone to “take their medicine.”
During doubles competitions, logic gets tossed right out the window …
“Aggression” is the name of the game. And thankfully, for you and me, it’s this kind of haphazard thinking that leads to these sorts of highlights – look familiar, by chance?
Ezra Aderhold + James Conrad = 754ft EAGLE 2️⃣ pic.twitter.com/6WpJo3W5xm
— Disc Golf Pro Tour (@DiscGolfProTour) February 12, 2022
I get the impassioned arguments against “birdie-or-bust” golf, but when the world’s best team up for intentional ace runs, throw-ins and death putts, I don’t need to be invited twice …
My butt will be there.
Tomorrow is Super Bowl Sunday, but before the big game, winners will be crowned in Tucson. For both the MPO and FPO fields, with wildcard golfers in play, seven different matches will take place – that’s seven points up for grabs to swing this thing one way or the other …
To quote Paul Ulibarri, “Let’s see how it plays out.”
Have anything to add? Take to Twitter to let us know – we’ll actually (for real) get back to you.
