2008 Sydney Disc Golf Open
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2008 Sydney Disc Golf Open

5-6 April 2008
Sydney, Australia

The ‘Sydney Disc Golf Open’

The timing was perfect, due to family and work circumstances I had just pulled out of the New Zealand contingent heading to Worlds in Kalamazoo and was feeling a little sorry for myself, when an email arrived from Sydney Disc Golf.

“Tournament directors Kurt Karlsson and Albert Munoz and Club President Luke Williams would like to invite you to play at this year’s Sydney Disc Golf Open” it said, “(an Australian Disc Golf A-Tier National Tour Event). Both days will be held at the Sydney Olympic Park Disc Golf Course, Newington Armory”.

How could I turn down an invitation like this! Upon checking the airfares I was pleasantly surprised that I could get to Sydney and back cheaper than a trip to Queenstown [and I could even pick up my quota of duty free].  After filling in the on-line registration Club President Luke Williams got back to me the very next day offering a place to stay and transport. Brilliant!

Friday morning saw us meeting the man with the key to get onto the course to set up a practice basket and ‘do some pre tournament course preparation’, a shallow guise for a practice round really. Newington Armory is an Australian Heritage property and is sadly locked up during the week so the only time you can play the course is on the weekends. [How sad it must be for a disc golfer to be able to drive past baskets in a beautiful park and not be able to get to them, mind you better that than nothing!]  The course made the most of the trees and foliage in the park but was still relatively open. There are numerous restrictions on where you could go due to the numerous heritage bunkers and buildings not to mention the endangered Australian native frogs but the best’s been made of a fantastic venue for disc golf. The standard layout involves 9 baskets with most having short and long tees.

Disc Golf New Zealand
The boys! If ya gonna visit Sydney ya gotta travel in a classic Holden.

Saturday morning and we’re at the course early as tournament director Kurt Karlsson briefs us on the format for the weekend. There will be 2 rounds of 18 holes on Saturday and 1 round of 24 holes for everybody on Sunday (followed by a cut for a final 12 holes after lunch). There will be a mix of permanent holes, modified permanent holes and new ones using portable targets.

For the opening round I was in a group with SDGC locals Tim Keighley and Jason McFarlane it was great to see how the regulars played the course.

During the lunch break I phoned home to see how my young son Toby’s rugby game went, to be told it was cancelled as the weeks worth of freezing cold southerly and horizontal rain had made the grounds unplayable, and that weather pattern was expected to last at least another week! .. Even more of a good reason to duck across the Tasman for the weekend as I stripped to a singlet and shorts for the afternoon round, 23 degrees no wind to speak of and not a cloud in the sky.

After a great Saturday evening dining at a local boating club on Botany Bay, footy on the tele and the company of Luke and old mate Greg Sparksman from Canberra, it was back to Homebush via the coffee shop for the Sunday rounds.

Once again perfect conditions for Disc Golf, by the start of play the light dew had dried off and the sun was putting smiles on faces. Following the players meeting there was a half hour period for warming up which meant for most it was out onto the course to play a few holes and practice putting but for the GM’s it meant another half hour of sitting in the deck chair while the sun did the warming up.

Disc Golf New Zealand
Luke, Tess and girls Skye, Sidi (Sidra) & Kiedis.

With the 3 extra baskets set up, the morning round of 24 holes was a great idea and saw us visiting areas of the park we hadn’t been to on the Saturday. I had the pleasure of fellow old-timer Greg Sparksman and Woman’s Open player Sally Hill in my group for the Sunday rounds and thoroughly enjoyed their company. Lunch in the afternoon sunshine was once again beautiful Greek Pizzas delivered hot to the course, before, surprise surprise everyone made the cut for the final 12 holes.

What a great weekend of Disc Golf and friendship. Thanks to all who made my stay in Sydney a memorable one. Luke, and beautiful wife Tess and girls Skye, Sidi (Sidra) & Kiedis. Luke’s Mum and Dad Carl and Amelia [and friends at the Boating Club] who bent over backwards to make me welcome. When you get over the ditch this way I’m hanging out to return the hospitality.

I’ll be back for the ‘Australian Disc Golf Championships’ at the same course in October all going to plan.

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Disc Golf New Zealand
Sydney Disc Golf Club President and host extraordinaire Luke Williams at the entrance to Newington Armory.

Disc Golf New Zealand
Jason McFarlane gets down the scores on hole #7.

Disc Golf New Zealand
Tim Keighley on the nicely mown fairway plays up to the basket on hole #3.

Disc Golf New Zealand
Cool hand Luke Williams nabs another birdie on hole #8 on his way to an opening day lead. Nice example of the straddle put.

Disc Golf New Zealand
Co TD Kurt Karlsson explains the weekend’s proceedings ahead of the start of play.

Disc Golf New Zealand
Sydney Disc Golf Club member Jason McFarlane putts out hole #1. Across the road behind, the jail makes you very aware of the value of freedom!

Disc Golf New Zealand
Hole #5 saw a few players suffering extra OB strokes; here Tim Keighley putts out for a par.

Disc Golf New Zealand
Another hyzer putt for birdie on basket #9 sees Luke’s lead extended.

Disc Golf New Zealand
Sally Hill, & Ian Thorpe watch playing partner Robert Howe put out on hole #8.

Disc Golf New Zealand
Robert Howe shows his putting skills on hole #3.

Disc Golf New Zealand
Eventual Open winner Kurt Karlsson sends his put to the basket on what I would call the ‘signature hole’ #5 at Newington Armory.

Disc Golf New Zealand
Skewered! Katie Edminston a visiting Disc Golfer from Michigan couldn’t have set this up any better if she tried. Her drive on hole #4 became an artwork for the course.

Disc Golf New Zealand
Aditya Dhanrajani, Jason McFarlane, Tim Bickerstaff &  Luke Williams  check the scoreboard ahead of the final afternoon round of 12 holes on the Sunday afternoon.

Disc Golf New Zealand
Basket #9 in front of the on-course accommodation at the Sydney Olympic Park.

Disc Golf New Zealand
The camera came out numerous times on the signature hole #5. Here Sally Hill takes the safe route to the basket.

Disc Golf New Zealand
TD Kurt Karlsson on his way to being spat out of the chains on the temporary basket on A1.

Disc Golf New Zealand
To a golfer normally a bunker is full of sand. Here Kurt makes his way past one of the many bunkers of a different sort on the Newington Armory course.

Disc Golf New Zealand
Greg and Sal watch on as the master of the straddle put Luke sends one towards the basket on the beautiful hole #5.

Disc Golf New Zealand
Greg Sparksman travelled up from Canberra for the event. No show without punch!

Disc Golf New Zealand
Sally Hill has the problem of a little something between her and the basket on temporary hole ‘C’.

Disc Golf New Zealand
Grand Master Bob asks Greg to take the shot on the beautiful hole #3.

Disc Golf New Zealand
Good thing Greg had the camera, Bob’s 20 metre put hits the chains and drops nicely into the basket for a birdie!

Disc Golf New Zealand
The heavily bandaged Greg Sparksman shows his putting style on the temporary hole ‘C’ framed by the timber.

Disc Golf New Zealand
There was plenty to impede your route on hole ‘C’ out the back, here Greg Sparksman from the Capitol tentatively putts at the portable basket.

Disc Golf New Zealand
Greg, Luke and Bob at their regular morning stop on their way to the course.

Disc Golf New Zealand
Luke Williams, Kurt Karlsson, Bob Gentil, Sally Hill, Simon Pryde & Eric Dhal all managed a place on the Olympic Park Dias at the end of the weekend.

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2008 Sydney Disc Golf Open Results

Name

Location

Division

Round 1
(18 holes)

Round 2
(18 holes)

Total After
Rnd 2

Round 3
(24 holes)

Total After
Rnd 3

Final 12

Grand Total
(72 holes)

Kurt Karlsson

NSW

MO

52

54

106

66

172

34

206

Luke Williams

NSW

MO

50

52

102

72

174

35

209

Erik Dahl

NSW

MO

58

51

109

67

176

34

210

Bob Gentil

Auckland

MM

55

53

108

69

177

35

212

Albert Munoz

NSW

MO

53

55

108

74

182

31

213

Martin Ryland-Adair

NSW

MO

53

52

105

74

179

37

216

Simon Pryde

NSW

MA

61

61

122

79

201

40

241

Robert Howe

NSW

MA

57

60

117

82

199

42

241

Greg Sparksman

Canberra

MM

65

63

128

77

205

37

242

Jason McFarlane

NSW

MA

70

64

134

86

220

40

260

Sally Hill

NSW

FO

72

73

145

92

237

46

283

Aditya Dhanrajani

NSW

MA

85

78

163

100

263

50

313

Tim Keighley

NSW

MO

64

62

126

81

207

DNS

-

James Rabb

Phoenix

MO

55

56

111

DNS

-

DNS

-

Ian Thorpe

NSW

MO

60

64

124

DNS

-

DNS

-

Tim Bickerstaff

NSW

MA

75

67

142

DNS

-

DNS

-

Katie Edminston

Michigan

FO

77

78

155

DNS

-

DNS

-


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