2012 Off Axis Men’s Line

Posted on February 15, 2012 by admin

I mentioned that we had new designs coming up in the new year and the men’s line is at last up. I know it took a while but with work, disc golf, and trying to (finally) finish my planning masters, I often find myself short on time. So please take a look at the shirt and long sleeve section of the site for some new goodies. This time around it is much more streamlined so our brand is much more recognizable.

On the disc golf front, we are looking into expanding our roster and pick up some new talent. If you are interested please drop me a message on Facebook so we can talk (you can find a link at the bottom of the page). On that note, our current team is ready to start the year off strong. Kimmy Jones will be attending The Gentlemen’s Club Challenge in Sin City, The Memorial in Arizona (which she won last year by the way!), & The Glass Blown Open (lucky!). I just recently got notice that Triston Covington will also be at The Memorial and he look forward to his new year. Personally, I will be attending the Enduro at DeLaveaga next week as well as (hopefully) The St. Patrick’s Classic in Orangevale & the Masters Cup back at DeLa. The year is looking to be a good one.

Well till next time, we’ll see you at the course

Mondo

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Diving Into A New Design Realm

Posted on January 26, 2012 by admin

So what is this new realm I’m talking about… Well it’s designing tee signs and maps for courses, as well as, course design itself. I’ve always told my wife that I think I got into the wrong architecture because the landscape it what I like to change the most. So naturally I decided to move into this tough market and give a crack at it. Thankfully I have some good friends involved in many different disc golf clubs so perhaps some work will come my way.

Below are some pictures of my first design for the course I laid out in La Quinta Park. I find it very calming doing this kind of work. Check them out and tell me what you think below in the Facebook link:

       

This course isn’t built but it serves as a temp course several times a year. Usually put on by Helix disc golf and the city of La Quinta during the holidays.

In more news Off Axis will be getting new apparel designs by the new of the month. The current stock is now up of the website and the new designs can be viewed on the Off Axis Facebook page. Let me know what you think.

Till next time keep practicing those 30 footers… they’ll get ya!

Mondo

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New Year, New Look

Posted on January 16, 2012 by admin

Being that we are in the new year Off Axis will be undergoing a much-needed update to the apparel line and to the logo. We needed to come up with something that will is easily recognizable but still carries our style. So without further ado here it is…

You Like? Let us know at the bottom through our brand spanking new Facebook link (Yeah I know. It took forever to get that on here). I’ll post new images as they are finalized to get more feedback from you all.

In other news, Kim Jones will be holding it down for us at the Ice Bowl in Paradise this coming weekend. Hopefully she’ll bring home the first Off Axis win. Next month, I will be showcasing my skills at the Mariner Open in Aptos, Ca on February 4, as well as, the Enduro Ice Bowl at the famous DeLaveaga disc golf course on February 25. 54 continuous holes of golf! Sounds like a fun Saturday to me (and a tiring one as well).

Last, make sure to visit the Off Axis calendar at offaxisdiscgolf.com. I painstakingly went through and displayed all the tournaments in California up in till now. I will update it every few weeks. I’m sure I will be missing some local tournaments but I at least have all the PDGA & Ice Bowls. I find that using the PDGA site is slow and clumsy so I decided to make it easier for you all. Shoot me a message if you have a tourney you would like me to showcase.

Again please ‘like’ us below. It’s an easy, simple, cost free way to help us get our name out. We highly appreciate all the help we can get.

Till next time, it’s all in the hips

mondo

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My own 2011 Worlds Experience

Posted on December 7, 2011 by admin

As I mentioned in the previous post I going to talk about Pinto Lake but I’m also throwing in Ryan Ranch and the Oaks course at CSUMB. I’ve already played Delaveaga many times over so I’m not going to recap that. I’m only going to say that I can actually shoot under par, which is pretty good, but in saying that the pins were not at the Worlds distances so there you go. Now for the new courses!

Lets start with Pinto Lake. This thing is a beast to say the least. Tight fairways, booming distances, and plenty of elevation. It even managed to eat my dear ole Valk that I found many years ago (I guess it was time for someone else to have her for a while). Playing the course before and after the improvements made a real difference on how I approached certain holes. Obviously the fairways are wider and less tense with foliage but with that added distance. Holes 3 is still just as hard and the nearly 1300 foot eleventh is just insane especially with the OB lining both sides. The mixture out there is smart and challenging to say the least. I highly recommend the course but beware because it will take a while. This time around I managed the course better but I was still over par.

Next, lets move to Ryan Ranch. This course again is not in the Worlds layout but it still serves a challenging array of shots. Hole 3 is still beautiful, the 7th & 8th are still grueling (if you play the Par 4 format) and the 5th was a nice surprise to an otherwise open course. The last time I was here the thing was brutal. Everything was overgrown and the poison oak was abundant. The local club has done a magnificent job upgrading and maintaining the gorgeous grounds. Again bring water and food because there is nothing out there and it will take a while. I shot one over, which wasn’t too bad (the wind can get you when you don’t expect it).

Last, the Oaks course. Now this thing is definitely still in the Worlds format and my score showed it. Now I will say that I played it after I finished Ryan Ranch so I was plenty tired and didn’t pack nearly enough food and water. The course again is stunning and very different. Lots of gimmicky holes (if you know what I mean). Pins at the edge of a cliff, some strange OB, several island holes, and some lackluster holes as well. Mostly for big throwers but some technical shots. By the end I was toast and was just glad to be done. I guess that’s why the pros didn’t play two courses in one day. 54 holes that day.

To sum up, I would have to rate them very high on my scale. I definitely have to return to the Oaks fresh. Maybe then I can compare them equally and decide which one is the toughest. In other news, I signed up for December Doubles at Waller park in Santa Maria the 17th and 18th. Throwing with my good friend Rick and we plan to play in the intermediate division which will probably be my last amateur tournament.

Till next time, stay classy people. Nobody likes a whiner.

Mondo

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Trek the Ascent

Posted on November 11, 2011 by admin

So as I promised two blogs ago, I bought Vibram’s two fairway drivers a week ago and have played a total of four rounds. Thus far it hasn’t proved to be a good buy. I’ve talked to several people about the discs and everyone says something is missing… I have to agree. Perhaps its the feel of the rubber, or the fact it has the Vibram logo on the edge of the disc, or the strange flight characteristics on the bottom of the discs… I’m not sure but I’ll try to explain.

Let’s start with the Ascent. It’s rated as an over stable driver which I characterize more like stable. Thrown flat it will hold a line pretty easily with a predictable fade at the end. Not too much release at the end (skip) but I think that’s a good thing. I got it in a medium stiffness in a lightweight as I found that the heavier weights don’t fly as far (for me at least). It would stay in my bag except for the fact that it doesn’t seem to go as far. It just doesn’t have the same pop as an Eagle does (Innova). Needless to say it will remain till it either proves itself or it fails. It does hold a hyzer line better than any fairway driver I have though. It’s too early to call it.

Now for the Trek… this is a mixed bag. It’s a love hate thing. During my round at Pinto Lake yesterday it would act like it’s suppose too and then the next minute it would fail gloriously. It’s suppose to hyzer flip straight but sometimes it just doesn’t. I can’t put my finger on it yet. It’s definitely a under stable driver which I got in a lightweight for the same reason stated above. Medium stiffness but perhaps I need to go to the X-Link Firm so I can get the feel like I can really put some torque on it. Again it will remain in my bag because I need more time with it and I really want it to work out.

I enjoy the feel of the putters and overall like the Vibram brand. My hopes are to get sponsored by Vibram but that means playing well and more often. I’m playing with the idea of going pro next year and seeing if I can jump start my career in this sport and take the next step. I tend to thrive on competition so if I immerse myself in that high caliber arena my body and mind might elevate itself to perform better and be competitive. Actually, it more than just a thought…. The wheels are in motion to make this happen. Ready or not I’m entering the pro ranks sometime next year. Wish me luck.

I’ll try to get my hands on the new Vibram Sole (putter) and Ibex (midrange) as well as the stiffer fairway drivers. Next time I’ll talk about Pinto Lake… that was brutal.

Till next time, my dear Valk… try & find your way home

Mondo

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Reboot & DeLaveaga

Posted on October 27, 2011 by admin

So once again I restructured offaxisdiscgolf.com and got rid of the ratings system. I liked the idea but it was getting out of hand. When I started I neglected to think how many people I was going to have. Duh… every order is a new member so the list exploded and I was spending a couple of hours having to update everyone’s rating using the extremely slow PDGA website. I was beginning to dread it every time the ratings were updated so I knew it was time to give it up. I apologize to anyone that enjoyed looking at it but I will continue the army in the form of pictures so please remember to send them (if you want).

Also, the apparel website has gone through some pricing changes. Some things did get more expensive but some things actually dropped so take a look. www.offaxisdesign.com

With that said I can move onto the famous DeLaveaga DGC visit this past Tuesday. I went with a bud that knew the area well which came in handy. The course (as many of you know) plays through a oak/pine woodland with plenty of corridor shots with a handful of open bombs. It’s one of those courses that if you miss your mark and push out of the fairway… you will be punished. Generally (with any luck) you can save a three with a nice up shot but if it’s an early tree you hit… you pretty much have a four. Unless you’re a magician and you can pull rabbits out of your bag.

I finished with a +4 (correction made. Ron told me I forgot count the three birdies) over 28 holes. Honestly, for the exception of #13 (I-5 as they call it), the bogeys were all my fault. Just bad shots and missed putts. I missed three putts within the circle which shouldn’t have happened. With those made I would have shot 2 under (blows my mind). Lost concentration pretty much. I did have one DeLa roll away but I banged my putt any way. For my first time the course treated me very well. Miss throws somehow found a way through or I would get kicked over onto the fairway. Pure luck I say. My buddy (Ron) didn’t have such luck and I’ll leave it at that.

The course is beautiful and challenging. It will take your breathe away in both terms. I can’t wait to return and play her again. Being only 25 minutes away I really don’t have an excuse not to play it more often. For my next adventure I’ll visit Black Mouse and (once again) Pinto Lake. Pinto should be fun as I played it before Worlds when it was a jungle pretty much. Lets see if it got any harder (or should I say easier).

Till next time, snap, crackle, pop!

Mondo

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Foot Fault!

Posted on October 18, 2011 by admin

So I came about this discussion topic from viewing a disc golf video the other day (Icgm8 on You Tube is awesome. Check him out). It centers around one particular putt from Paul Ulibarri at the European Open. In the video it looks like he steps past the mark before releasing. The comments on the video reflect that mentioning that he is cheating.  The author confirmed by checking frame by frame that it was in fact a honest putt.

I hope we don’t have to start a instant video review at major tournaments. Can you imagine players carrying red flags and throwing them down when a foul occurs? It would be pretty funny. I’ve noticed the falling putt issue more prevalent lately at the past couple of tournaments I attended. But one thing that gets me is no one is man or woman enough to call it. I’ve seen it called once on video at Nikko Locastro and he nearly cried. He was like “How dare you! I’m a professional!” then why are you cheating? You can clearly see it on the video. Perhaps it was a honest mistake but why the sour attitude? You’re a professional.

I guess I wish people would stop taking it so darn personal when they get caught committing  a penalty. Where has human integrity gone? During the Gold Pan Open someone on my card was shaving strokes and when confronted he got offended. Dude! You cheated and you get mad at me! I counted the throws and he still didn’t confess. I even brought it up to the TD and she was hesitate to confront him. If you cheat and you get caught, you should pay. End of story…. well he didn’t.

Sometimes dishonestly works I guess. Not that I’ll be taking that road anytime soon. Karma will find you. I least I kicked his ass during the tourney.

Well till next time, cheaters never prosper…. except when they cry I guess

Mondo

 

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33rd Gold Pan Open & Vibram Putters

Posted on October 5, 2011 by admin

So it’s been a month since my last post and very little has changed. Wife loves her work and I am still looking for mine. Opportunities are far and few between but I remain optimistic that something will come. But enough of that lets get to disc golf.

So as I promised lets start with the 33rd Gold Pan Open. I placed 4th in the intermediate division which I am truly amazed. I thought I played pretty poorly but looking back I always finished on top of the group. Rocklin DGC (which I am very familiar with) played fairly with only a few holes in the long positions. I lost a lot of birdie changes with dumb drives and a overall lack of commitment to the shot. It was all in my head that morning.

Auburn was fun and frustrating to say the least. We had a local playing with us and he was an OK guide except on a few holes which screwed the rest of the group. I suppose I could have walked the hole prior to shooting and seen the hidden creek but he didn’t mention it so… yeah. My putting was the culprit here as simple 15 footers were just blown. Confidence I just didn’t have that afternoon.

Shady Oaks on Sunday was a different story. I ended up having the second hottest round (so I’m told in my division) which elevated me from 9th place to 4th. Everything was working well except for a few costly up shots that I wish I could have back. I ended up cashing in $81 to the club store (Final 9 Sports) which bought me a mini basket! I accumulated 32 minis thus far so fun I am definitely having. I also played with a new/old friend (Justin W.) which was very enjoyable to say the least.

Overall the tourney was excellent and ran very smoothly. There was some delay after the final round but I understood since we all had tee times to start. I also appreciated that they handed out all the awarded and did the raffle at the very end. Thank you very much for the great experience and I look forward to doing it again next year.

Now for the Vibram putters. I am officially a Vibram believer. The Ridge has improved my putting tremendously. I have a medium firm & and floppy one. I find the floppy’s superior tackiness is just what I was looking for. The firmer one works well when I’m outside the circle and need to jam it in there. It has also allowed me to develop a push putt which I find to be more accurate and safer if I miss. The Ridge is a stable putter so I can still crank it off the tee and know it will hold the line. There is virtually no skip with this putter so I find myself always running at it which I like. It has made me a more confident, aggressive putter. I know they’re costly but I would definitely give them a try if you can or if you see me just ask to try them out.

Well that’s enough for now. I’ll try to get me hands on the Vibram fairway drivers next.

Till next time, always wear a helmet especially after a rain (some people will get this)

Mondo

 

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Time to move on… again

Posted on September 4, 2011 by admin

So here is the update that I promised a few days ago. If you’ve talked to me or seen my Facebook lately you already know that we are moving to Campbell, Ca. If you didn’t… you do now. My lovely wife was offered a job in Los Gatos as a landscape designer which we are truly blessed to have. She beat out stiff competition and I’m proud of her. New location, new job, new beginning.

How does this relate to disc golf? Well our business will move once again, which isn’t a big deal, but most importantly I’ll get the chance to become apart of the Silicon Valley Disc Golf Club as well as be 20 minutes from the epicenter that is Santa Cruz and the World Famous DeLaveaga Disc Golf Course! I haven’t had the pleasure of playing it yet but I’ve seen countless videos and I truly can’t wait for it to kick my butt on the first go around (I know better than to say I’m going to beat the course on the first time).

Living there will also give me access to central & upper California tournaments. I can toss with the SLOThrowers, jam with the Jellies, play at home in silicon valley,  and throw in Sac Town. I can’t say enough how excited I am. Now if I can only find a job for myself (that isn’t retail or a marketing) life would truly be awesome.

Well that’s enough for now. Next time I’ll discuss how I did in the 33 Gold Pan Open and my personal amateur opinion of the Vibram putters.

Till next time, it’s all about location, location, location… & putt

Mondo

 

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Disc Golf Videos

Posted on July 25, 2011 by admin

So lets get back to what I used to do when I started this little project and talk about disc golf. Today I’m going to discuss some of the video channels that I like to watch on YouTube. There are hundreds of disc golf videos out there and most of them don’t last but a few seconds. I like to watch longer videos that show off longer segments of play rather than some random ass ace run. I’ll start with the least favorite and go up from there.

The first channel is DiscmasterTV. I’m gonna put it to you straight… it’s very cheesy and sometimes hard to watch. It centers around the Santa Cruz disc golf scene and showcases Val & Avery Jenkins and Nate Doss (hence the ‘master’ part). The cheese comes from the host who tries to make it funny but fails (not funny to me at least). If you can get past the cheese they provide some healthy, beginner friendly commentary by the pros. As well as displaying some of the great disc golf courses in their area.

Next on the list would have to be DiscGolfMonthlyTV. The main host for the videos is Carl Cubbedge (the guy with a million short aces). They seem to rotate the color commentators from video to video. You can definitely see the time put into the broadcast which is one of the main reasons I watch. Hence the name ‘monthly’, it’s only one video per month but I see why. I couldn’t expect them to crunch out videos like this every month. The show centers on the lead card as they play the final round so you can expect to see some good golf. They tend to focus on smaller tournaments which doesn’t bring out the big headliners but it’s still good. The program does tend to move along slowly but if you got time to kill I recommend watching.

Clashdvdseries is next and very fun to watch. Billy Crump is the man in front and he has very good commentary during play. He has a very Sportcenter-esque style with quirky one liners but yet is knowledgeable about the sport. The play is solid showcasing the sports top talent and often attending high caliber tournaments. They often post a couple of times a week which is the most by any other channel I could find. If I had one bad thing to say is that they are out to promote their DVDs so they don’t show everything. I don’t blame them because their out to make a buck; it’s a company after all. Other than that, a awesome channel that every disc golf enthusiast should be watching.

Lastly, it has to be Icgm8 for the most impressive, high definition videos. The videos focus on major & minor tournaments in the European circuit. There isn’t any commentary but the quality is impressive. The editing is superb showing hole layout, scoring, and competitors names throughout every shot. We get to see the great talent overseas like Ville Pippo and Jesper Lundmak. If we could mix his video quality with Billy Crump’s commentary it would be awesome! You really can’t go wrong with this channel. Usually follows the lead card throughout the entire final round. Every shot is shown other than tap ins or if someone is shooting badly (which is actually very kind of him. It’s painful to see someone struggle). A definite must see for any disc golf player!

Till next time, stop posting ace videos… it’s getting old

Mondo

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