We will be closed Sunday, Jan. 30

We will be closed tomorrow, Sunday, Jan. 30 because we will be running the Devens Ice Cube Open Ice Bowl. Feel free to stop by the course and say hi.

By the way, the back door is closed until the Spring!

Find your discs in the snow; use ribbons!

There are a couple of things you can do to help you find your disc faster in the snow. I'm going to talk about using ribbons on your discs.

If your disc digs into the snow, the ribbon usually sticks out and helps you locate your disc. Plus it looks kind of cool flying through the air with this long tail making a "flicka-flicka-flicka" sound.

Some people think it is uncool to attach ribbons. Whatever. They must either be rich or enjoy wasting time walking around in cirlcles looking for their discs instead of playing. Some people say that the ribbon creates too much drag and affects the flight of the disc. To them I say, come on! It's not rocket science, it's winter golf!

There's my disc!

Here's the best method I've found to attach ribbon to my discs.

The Tools

• A bright roll of gift-wrapping ribbon (also known as curling ribbon)
• A roll of Duck Tape (the brighter the better)
• Scissors
• A warm room

Your tools - ribbon, Duck tape, scissors

What discs should I tape?
I usually do two or three drivers and a mid-range or two. Basically anything you are going to chuck far away should have a ribbon on it. It also depends on the course and snow type (crusty, beaten down, fluffy). Putters obviously don't need them unless you chuck them far away.

1. Get Warm
Probably the most important step is to plan ahead and do your taping the night before your next round. Bring your bag inside and let your discs warm up. Duck tape adheres better to room-temperature and dry plastic. Don't procrastinate and tape up in the parking lot before your round. After a few holes, the tape will probably fall off and you'll be bumming.

2. Cut your ribbon
Unroll about 18 inches of ribbon and cut it. Don't go too long or you'll end up with a bag of tangled ribbons. Believe me, I did that the first time and it was annoying. Also if the ribbon is too long, you'll end up tripping on it, stepping on it while throwing, or having it get tangled on bushes and other stuff sticking out of the ground.

Cut about an 18-inch strand of ribbon.

3. Cut your tape
Cut about a 1-inch piece of tape.

4. Cut a slit in the tape
Fold the tape in half, but not all the way. If the tape sticks to itself, try again! Use the tip of your scissors to cut a small slit in the middle of the fold. This makes a slit in the middle of the piece of tape where you will insert the ribbon.

5. Insert the ribbon
Unfold the tape and gently pull the sides so that the opening gets a little bigger. Insert the ribbon in the slit, but be careful not to let it stick to the tape too early. Ideally, you want the tape to be even with the edge of the tape. Press the ribbon to the tape when it's positioned correctly.

6. Stick the tape on the disc
I like sticking the tape to the top of the disc, dead center. Other people prefer sticking it on the bottom. I like it on top because it makes me feel like that extra couple of inches of ribbon will help me find the disc instead of being buried under the disc. I really don't think it matters though. Use your fingernail to go up and down each side of the ribbon to make sure it sticks to every possible contact point.

That's pretty much it. Experiment with different lengths to find what works for you. I also write my name on the tape just to let others know it's mine, mine, mine.

Let me know if these tips help you. If you have any other tips that work for you, add a comment. I've got plenty of ribbon at the store that you can use, so stop by and tape up!

Good luck and happy chucking!

New at the store - Fireworks and gravestones!

Pete N. just let me know that the Killer B Disc Golf merchant description on his credit card statement reads:

• MISC/SPECIALTY RETAIL (FIREWRKS, TROPHIES, GRAVESTONES)

Ha! Now, who needs a gravestone?

It was like a mini disc golf flash mob

This afternoon started off with a visit from John from Hubbardston. He's a friend of Randy's from a couple posts ago who has a course in his yard. Later Frank S. came in to sign Alex and him up for the Ice Cube Open and for NEFA membership as well. Frank was evidently the big draw of the afternoon because soon after, an oldtimer came in asking if the barber next door was closed for good. Frank played disc golf ambassador and told him all about disc golf.

After the oldtimer left, Rob and Steve W. came in after playing a round at Devens. "The course is looking great," Rob said. "There's been a lot of people playing out there." He added that they found a lot of ribbons out there and wanted me to remind everyone to pick up your damn ribbons if they fall off your disc! Ok, you heard it folks. Don't be getting Rob mad.

Then, to top it off, another Devens regular, John R, strolled in. He was hoping I knew of somebody needing a partner for the ICO. Coincidentally, Steve had decided during his round that he probably wouldn't be able to last two rounds in the snow, so bam, Team Walkerhizer was formed.

And now the snow starts to fall...

 

New Buzzz SS and Hornet hit the Hive

The new Discraft Z Buzzz SS and Z Hornet have arrived! Discraft says that the Buzzz SS flies just like a beat-up regular Buzzz right out of the box and I'd have to agree.The Hornet is a very overstable mid-range.

I grabbed a bright pink 174g SS for my Challenge this Sunday and threw it twice. It went straight as an arrow as advertised with no fade, even with a limited stand-and-deliver throw. Run-ups were far and in between in those snowy conditions. I didn't feel like I got a good rip out of it and am curious to see how it flies once I can chuck it at full power.

We've got some great colors for winter golf (pink, neon green, and blue), so come down and get your Buzzz on!

I survived sub-zero disc golf!

I have good news to report. Thanks to my ribbons, awesome cold-weather gear, and of course very accurate shots, I did not lose any discs or limbs yesterday in my Team Challenge tournament at Crane Hill.

When I left the house at 7:00 AM it was -4 degrees. Almost two hours later when I got to the course and threw my first drive, it had warmed up to a blazing 2 degrees! My killer Killer B jacket kept me warm though (see it below) and all was good, especially since we won!

Here is my crazy team and me after our victory:



When I woke up all warm in my bed, I really didn't want to go golfing, but I'm glad I did. It was my first snow golf of the year and the conditions were actually quite good considering the artic weather. It was sunny all day, no wind, and the snow was powdery and dry. That's a good thing because my discs didn't get wet and neither did my clothes, bag, and towel.

Let's hope this next batch of snow we are expecting this week will be nice to us and my Ice Cube Open Ice Bowl golfers this Sunday!

Playing in the snow today?

If you are braving this ridiculously cold weather today, stop by the store and I'll show you the best way to attach ribbons to your discs so you don't lose them in the snow.

Stop laughing -- there is a "best" way to attach them so the ribbon doesn't go its own way!

There's a course back there?

I just had a great visit from a fairly new disc golfer from Lancaster. Randy and his buddies play on a friend's course with homemade baskets in Hubbardston and it sounds like they have a lot of fun competing against each other.

"We have to beat Lenny!" he said. They had their first tournament recently and even got custom t-shirts for it. Sounds like these guys are addicted!

The best part of his visit was when I pointed to the back of the store and asked if he had ever played Devens. His face lit up and he said, "There's a course back there?! Alright!"

I guess I'll be seeing Randy and his friends this summer.

Ice Cube Open close to selling out! Donations keep rolling in.

What are you waiting for, dude? There are only 13 spots left for the Devens Ice Cube Open Ice Bowl presented by Killer B Disc Golf!

We've got a bunch of stuff to give away and raffle off this year including restaurant gift certificates, chili at lunch, new plastic, waterproof scorecards, a singing Homer, Ice Bowl schwag, free pizza after the event, a free entry to an upcoming event, and the coveted Ice Cube Open trophy.

• Register or donate now
• More on the ICO

Don't forget about the Disc Grab Bag where $5 and a gently-used disc could win you a box full of new-to-you plastic.

If you can't make the event but still want to toss a few dollars toward our charity, the Devens Loaves and Fishes food pantry, please do! Just use the registration form to make your donation.

Food drive ideas and other unique donations
Do you own a local business or have connections to your marketing department at work? We'd love to throw even more things in the prize pool. Coupons, company schwag, t-shirts, bottle openers, a six pack, bottle of wine, whatever! Maybe you could donate a box of handwarmers? Loan us your portable firepit?

Better yet, maybe organize a quick food drive at work by putting a box outside your cube or in the lunch room. Any little bit helps. The last few years, Donnie Disc Golf has organized a homeroom competition where he teaches and has donated hundreds of food items. Great idea!

We've gone viral

Well, not really, but we are sorta getting some free advertising out of Discraft's latest ad campaign for their new discs, the Hornet and Buzzz SS. If you are a PDGA member, check out the back cover of the latest issue of DiscGolfer (Winter 2011) for this ad.

Should I start carrying these discs? Is it cosmically meant to be? Ha, I just said bee.

Show us your Hive!

Even with 11 inches of snow and counting, Mother Nature respects the Hive enough not to cover it up.

That's right. We're hot. Very hot.


I respect Mother Nature and will be closed today. Who's up for some tee pad shoveling tomorrow morning? Email me or comment here.

A new home on FB and the FSD

We're trendier than ever

Have you tried to find us on Facebook but failed miserably? Probably not, but just in case you have, you can now find us at our new, easy-to-remember address:

• facebook.com/killerbdiscgolf

Share it with your disc golf friends. I'd love to hit 200 friends by the end of the month. That would make me all warm and fuzzy. And slightly tingly too.

Golfers who check in at the store using FB's Place feature will also get an entry into our monthly Free Stuff Drawing.

Free Stuff Drawing
If you've stopped in the store recently and signed up for our newsletter, you're automatically entered in our monthly drawing for free stuff, otherwise known as the FSD. This month we're giving away a new ABC Disc Flying Squirrel midrange disc.

Come in, write name, win stuff.

ABC Discs - The new kid on the course

Dan Pastore, owner of ABC Discs, stopped by the store this morning to show off his line of new discs. While ABC Discs is a relatively new company, Dan has been playing for over 24 years and is well-known on the Midwest pro scene. And even though he's a Chicago Bears fan, we got along just fine.

Overall, I was pretty impressed with the feel and flight of their three drivers (Screamer, Gamma Ray, Secret Weapon), two mids (Flying Squirrel, Mission), and one putter (Money). The drivers and mids come in Gold plastic (similar to Champion and Z) and the Money is available only in their version of DX plastic.

We headed over to the soccer field next to the Devens disc golf course parking lot and despite the breezy cold conditions, ended up playing catch with all the discs for about 35-40 minutes. After a few tips from Dan and a few launches at different angles, I found the perfect hyzer release for the Secret Weapon and unleashed a few effortless and accurate bombs. It quickly became my favorite of the bunch.

The Flying Squirrel was real flippy and the Mission flew very much like a Buzzz but with what seemed like more glide. The Money seemed to have a taller rim than most putters and was pretty predictable on the approach. I didn't do any putting with it, though.

The other two drivers were fairly easy to figure out. My brain was a bit frozen by then, so I don't quite remember what they did. We decided to call it a day after I lost his new prototype driver which I think he said he was appropriately calling the Beeline. I threw it into the steady headwind, it flipped, rolled, and then just disappeared in the field. Even though we had both watched it, we just couldn't find the damn thing. I guess it didn't help that it was a clear disc! So, it you find a clear, unmarked, unstamped disc out there, let me know.

I grabbed a few Flying Squirrels, Missions, and Secret Weapons, so be sure to check them out the next time you're at the store.

New Latitude 64 in the house!

We got our latest order of sparkly new Latitude 64 discs today, along with a few of their new monster tourney bags. You could use this thing to pack for a week and still have room for your discs.

I shoved 18 discs in the main compartment and two putters in the side putter pocket. There are three huge pockets for all your stuff, 3 pencil holders, a beverage holder, mini pocket, and a couple of smaller pockets. It has Velcro straps on the back to hold your umbrella and also has a cool, fat, bike messenger-style four-point strap for you to sling over your neck. Pretty sweet in my opinion.

Now, gaze at the new lovelies that await you ... Flows, Rivers, Cores, Strikers, Fuses, Visions, and more.

 

 

Get you some Ice Bowls!

Ok, the new year is here and so is Winter Golf! Check out some of the Ice Bowl tournaments you can register for on the Events page. Come on, help those charities out and have some fun doing it!

If you are running an event of your own, let us handle registration or hook you up with some sweet trophies. Contact us and let us know what you need!

Show me your hive!

Marcy and I took the buzz to the Patriots game Sunday. On to the Super Bowl!