The feeling of the balance, the speed, the power and the throw. The ability to have “ultimate” control over the thrown object’s line, the height and the angle of the release. It’s the “beauty of flight” that has us in awe and coming back for more!

I’ve been playing frisbee since the age of five, whether it was playing catch with my parents or disc golf putting games in the backyard. It was the art of throwing that initially excited me at a young age, but it was the actual game play that had me most intrigued. It’s incredible how a simple flying toy can captivate us to the point of utter amazement, yet it’s something that none of us will completely master no matter how much we practice. Now that’s exactly why I respect most all in the disc sport disciplines.

I started playing disc golf soon after throwing my first Frisbee, because that was the sport that my parents played, so it became just another athletic activity that I enjoyed among basketball, football and baseball. It took me a while to understand how truly unique it was compared to other sports, and how many fewer people actually knew about it, but I think that’s what made it special. It wasn’t long after that I realized that I enjoyed the challenge and the competition especially against players much older than me. This is what inspired me to excel within the sport and chase that feeling of winning.

The competition drove my want to be the best for many years, the true nature of sport. I traveled, played and won tournaments all over the world, being considered one of the Top 10 players in the game but still trying to get better at the sport that I loved most.

It wasn’t until I started playing ultimate at the University of Oregon in 2005 that I got to witness the most athletic of all disc sports. A sport that made me realize how much I love throwing, and a sport that tested not only my shot-making ability but my overall athletic ability with the non-stop action. Ultimate was something that I would play with friends when I was younger, but unfortunately I never had an organized club in high school to participate in growing up.

Playing ultimate at the college level provided me with new challenges, because not only was it very physical, but it was very strategically mental as well. A non-contact sport that takes a toll on the body like no other with the running, the cuts and the full layout catches—it’s phenomenal to witness and even better to experience it.

I only played ultimate for two seasons before graduating, but I can absolutely say without a doubt that this sport made me a much better disc golfer. I was in the best shape of my life as it most definitely gave me increased stamina and endurance on the course. It also refined the technique and power of my forehand throws. It was the combination of everything along with radiating confidence that led me to winning some of the biggest tournaments of my career, a Disc Golf World Title and the No. 1 ranking in the world!

Disc golf vs. ultimate… These disc sports are completely different in almost every way except for the very thing that they have in common, the flying disc. It’s the love of the throw and watching a Frisbee fly that brings us together. So whether you’re an ultimate player or a disc golfer, I highly recommend that you give the other sport a try. Who knows? You might just find something special that has been missing from your life all along.

Thanks for everyone’s support throughout the season!

Go check out the newest gear, including some of the freshest jerseys at the Avery Jenkins Pro Shop on Savage’s website at Avery Jenkins Pro Shop or click on the photo above!

Here’s the Complete Article at SavageUltimate.com: Avery Jenkins on the Love of the Flying Disc

Savage is a customizable apparel company from Richmond, Virginia that set out on a mission in 2009 to make the best Ultimate apparel out there as they are continuously creating new, fashionable on-the-field gear every season. I first met Savage President, founder Todd Curran, at the United States Disc Golf Championships in 2014, where I approached him because I was very interested in the high- performance clothing that he had on display. I’ve always been a connoisseur of clothing in many ways, constantly in search of the next great line of apparel to wear on the course. I was immediately thrilled with his attendance at this particular Disc disc Golf golf Eevent, but even more impressed with his knowledge on athletic apparel.

Needless to say, we hit it off with some great conversations about clothing, and we discussed how his ultimate apparel line of clothing could translate very well to the apparel that we use on the course for Disc Golf. It’s this type of vision and passion that has made this company successful, and it’s great to have them involved in one of the fastest growing sports in the world.

Savage absolutely makes the best performance jerseys that I’ve ever worn on the disc golf course! The fully sublimated jerseys are lightweight, breathable, and moisture-wicking. The stretchable, loose fit and athletic cut allows for unrestricted movement while throwing. If you’re in need of great-looking athletic clothing for practice or tournament rounds, these are the jerseys that you’ve been looking for!

Savage offers an entire line of athletic apparel, from jerseys to shorts to hoodies, polos and jackets. But I think that I’m most enthusiastic about their fully sublimated jerseys, because of the full customization of graphics and colors that can be used to create something truly unique. And since then we have collaborated on several of my own personal designs collection for the Avery Jenkins Pro Shop. Savage has been working hard to design top-notch apparel for the active world, and they are proudly offering Made in the USA and Made in Canada options to keep jobs in North America.

They are also the official sponsor of Spikeball as well as the US National Quidditch Team along with Jomez Productions and the newly formed Savage Squad of Disc Golf Players/Ambassadors from around the country. It’s truly an honor to be part of their crew and it has been a pleasure to work with them over the past few years as I look forward to many great collaborations in the future!

Go check out the newest gear, including some of the freshest jerseys at the Avery Jenkins Pro Shop on Savage’s website at Avery Jenkins Pro Shop or click on the photo above!

A substantial portion of the sales of these products goes toward the funding of my Disc Golf travels and worldwide touring efforts to spread the love and grow the sport.

Thank you very much for your support!

@savageultimate #Savage #SavageLife #SavageApparel #SavageUltimate #SavageDiscGolf #SavageSunday #Sponsorship #Ambassador #savageswag

The 2017 Disc Golf Season has proven to be one of the most eventful and spontaneous years to date as I got the opportunity to travel more than I have ever done before with nearly 80,000 airline miles traveled throughout 10 countries as I got to add a few others to the list for Disc Golf Course played. And I even played a few more tournaments than I have in the past few seasons taking down a few victories along the way.

I continue to be a perpetual road warrior and a present mainstay figure on the PDGA Tour on my 18th season as a Touring Professional Disc Golfer. But now that was a much different scenario with the my family and other responsibilities even though I was away nearly 130+ days this year. It’s still the thrill of Disc Golf, the adventures that excite me and the people that inspire me to know that I’m doing the right thing by chasing this crazy dream!

Disc Golf Adventures

**Our first official road trip started at the Glass Blown Open in Emporia, KS taking us all the way to Santa Cruz, CA for the Masters Cup and the St. Jude Disc Golf Charity Invitational in Monterey, CA. It was great to be able to play throughout the day and no matter how it went on the course I had my beautiful girlfriend and smiling Baby Boy waiting for me after every round. It was obviously much different for me for the fact that being a father was so new for me but I could definitely feel an overall shift of priorities.

We ended up spending over 3-weeks in the Bay Area, soaking up some sun and visiting some epic scenery up the Pacific Coast Highway on our way north to Oregon. I also got the chance to play a bunch of new courses that I’ve only driven by in the past. I enjoy playing as many courses as possible no matter how easy, difficult, short or long…I like to take the best aspects of every course that I play as I believe that it truly makes me a better course designer because of it.

I only participated in 13 PDGA Events this season including seven Top-5 Finishes and eleven Top-10 Finishes. I played in four different countries to start the season at the Aussie Open in Australia, New Zealand Championships in New Zealand, the Okinawa Open in Japan and the Asia Open in Taiwan. Almost half of the tournaments (6) that I played this year were International Events. I also had several strong finishes and wins at the Idle Hour Open, the Alaskan State Championships and the PCS Open I know that I could have played a lot better at a few of the events with three 2nd place finishes early in the season.

I still played two of my favorite events that I play every season, the Masters Cup National Tour Event in Santa Cruz, CA and of course the 2017 PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Championships. These will always be “not to miss” events for me because of the roots that I laid down in Santa Cruz for living there for 3-years and the World Championships will always be a tournament that I play as long as I’m able to being a former World Champion.

It’s still a lot of fun still traveling the country and the world on the Disc Golf Tour competing against the best players out there. That’s definitely what the tour has evolved into for me over the years and I’m not one to drive to destinations without checking out all there is to experience along the way. I’ll tell you that taking the roads less traveled will really open your eyes to how truly beautiful this country is.

Chasing that 1000th Disc Golf Course Milestone

So over the past few seasons I’ve really been trying to play as many Disc Golf Courses as possible 1) for the sake of playing some incredible courses 2) for the chance to see the differentiations between different course design elements and 3) to get to the 1000th Disc Golf Courses played milestone. This wasn’t a number that I was really after initially when I first sat down to go through my courses played totals at the end of my 2008 season. I just started going state by state trying to remember all the ones that I played even as far back to 1992 when I was 14-years old and I got a total number that was actually much lower than I originally expected.

Sure I played on the Pro Tour for several years before doing this research but then also realized that we always played same courses for many of the same events year after year and didn’t play too many new Disc Golf Courses unless we did so aside from the tour. Many of those “other” courses that we would get a chance to play were either on the travels from one city to the next or in the city that we might be staying in leading up to or following the event. Monday Fun Days or Travel Tuesdays were usually the perfect opportunities to play those new courses.

It wasn’t until the past few years that I really started on this mission to play as many courses as possible. I also starting mixing in a few other objectives by trying to play the Oldest Disc Golf Courses in every state and many of the Oldest Disc Golf Courses throughout the world along with the Oldest Disc Golf Course on every continent. It makes things exciting trying to accomplish a few goals all at once

Traveling

***It was an amazing tour with so many great experiences that I got to share with my family as we went out of way to visit as many National Landmarks as possible along the way. We started with a fun 2-month road trip to the West Coast and back, traveling through 11-States and covering over 7,300 miles. It made it incredibly fulfilling to be able to make that trip again as I absolutely love getting back to California whenever possible.

After we returned back to Oklahoma, I got about a week of down time before traveling to the East Coast, then flying to Sweden & Finland for the Deep in the Game Tour and the European Majors. It was 40-days before I got to see Leah and Arian again as they both flew to Pittsburgh, PA for the 2015 PDGA Professional World Championships. We then continued on back to my parents house after that event.

We made plans to do another huge road trip throughout the Midwest through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan only to pass through to the Upper East Coast and Quebec, Canada. I got the opportunity to play one of my favorite events, the Green Mountain Championships in Jeffersonville, VT and finishing my year by playing the 2015 United States Disc Golf Championships in Rock Hill, SC. Shortly after we started on our final leg home and back to Oklahoma for the winter. We traveled over 14,000 Miles in Arian’s 1st Road Trip visiting 36 States and 1 International Country, he’s off to an excellent start for not yet being a year old.

Future Goals

I’ve set several goals for 2018. They include:

• Play my 1000th Disc Golf Course
• Take the Disc Golf World Tour to the next Level
• Play my best at every Event that I attend
• Bring Disc Golf to the Mainstream Media
• Hosting 20+ Disc Golf Instructional Clinics
• Promote all my sponsors to the best of my ability
• Travel the world teaching and playing the sport I love

***During the 2017 season, I will be playing a few less events but really focusing on the overall promotion of the sport through my new position as the commentator of the Disc Golf World Tour. It seems to be the natural progression of any top athlete as I will be concentrating more on the Disc Golf Business side of things this season and trying to really grow the sport in the most effective ways possible. I have always felt that I could provide the sport with a lot by being a proactive player but I now realize that I can offer this sport so much more as a promoter.

I also now share the duties of a DiscGolfPark Representative which has taken up a majority of my efforts lately as of right now in the early stages it’s a very time consuming position. I throughly appreciate and value the proper Disc Golf course design as I’m now responsible for selling the DiscGolfPark concept to city parks, state parks, golf courses, schools, etc… I’ve so far found it to be a very rewarding experience as it has definitely allowed me to utilize my Disc Golf experience and the business side of our sport. Overall, the installation of more Disc Golf Courses throughout the country is going to produce more player which in turn will grow the sport by leaps and bounds.

***I will also keep myself very busy helping to organize the Discmania Combine Tour in cooperation with the existing Discmania Tour and the Flying Circus Events with Simon Lizotte, Eagle McMahon and Eric Oakley. It’s going to be an entirely new tour concept giving talented players a chance to earn a roster spot on Team Discmania by qualifying through a series of skilled events to prove their professional abilities. I’m really looking forward to this tour and it’s going to be a lot of fun getting back on the road again!

And lastly, I’ll be traveling over to Europe on three separate trips this summer for the Disc Golf World Tour. We’ll be taking advantage of having me over there again by hosting several Deep in the Game Disc Golf Instructional Clinics throughout the Czech Republic, Estonia, Sweden and Norway! I’m really excited that the Deep in the Game Clinics are still very highly demanded and I’ll be exploring to some new international markets as Simon and McBeth will be traveling exclusively throughout Finland this summer. The European Disc Golf Scene is truly exploding right now!

I plan to certainly play a lot less than in years past due to many of my other responsibilities consuming so much more of my time plus I don’t want to be away for longer than I have to these days. I recently completed my 2015 tour schedule and I have around 5-7 tournaments planned, traveling throughout the west coast this spring, traveling to Europe in early summer for the Czech Republic and Estonian Events, then back in the US for a few events to be named during the fall. This season’s tour will be structured around the Disc Golf World Tour Events and several Deep in the Game Clinics throughout Europe this summer. I’ll be making lots of trips back home in between events instead of staying out on the road as I have in the past, the priority is family these days.

***The 2017 was an unforgettable season but I couldn’t have done it without the ones that support me the most. Special thanks to Leah and Arian for giving the opportunity to get back on the road again to live that Tour Life that continues to drive my soul. It means the world to me that Leah likes to travel just as much as I do and it was extra special to be able to take Arian on the tour with us at such an incredibly young age. We look forward to taking back out to all of the places that he’s been before so he’ll get the chance to experience that for himself.

It’s been a passion of mine for a long time as I enter into my 17th year as a Touring Professional, it’s going to be a tremendous 2016 season. I will continue to promote Disc Golf as one of the best sports on the planet in hopes to gain even more exposure this year. I am looking forward to another exciting and successful season on the Disc Golf Tour, I will do my best to make the most of it every single day.

Thanks to all of my sponsors: Innova Champion Discs, Discmania Discs, Keen Footwear, Grip Equipment, Savage Ultimate Apparel and Team Jenkins, I couldn’t do what I love without everyone’s support and assistance along the way!

Thanks to all my friends, family and travel companions throughout the year that have made my world travels possible and my disc golf dreams a reality. Here’s to an incredible 2018 Season!

2017 Disc Golf Tour by the Numbers:

10 – Countries Visited
113 (998 Total) – “New” Disc Golf Courses Played
2,700+ – iPhone Photos Taken
8,450+ – Ground Miles Traveled
79,150+ – Air Miles Traveled
87,600+ – Total Miles Traveled

The 2015 Disc Golf Season has proven to be one of the most eventful and spontaneous years to date as I got the opportunity to travel the country on the PDGA Tour with a 3-month old baby. Now seriously, who does that? Who has ever taken a baby on tour with them traveling coast to coast playing Disc Golf tournaments along the way?

I continue to be a perpetual road warrior and a present mainstay figure on the PDGA Tour on my 16th season as a Touring Professional Disc Golfer. But now that was a much different scenario with the ability for Leah and I to take Arian on his first road trip to the West Coast at 3-months old. Typically when I’m gone, I’m usually gone for weeks or months at a time but now I no longer wanted to stay on the road for too long because I didn’t want to miss him growing up. It was a chance of a lifetime to bring them on tour with me and to not miss a single waking moment with my Baby Boy.

Disc Golf Adventures

Our first official road trip started at the Glass Blown Open in Emporia, KS taking us all the way to Santa Cruz, CA for the Masters Cup and the St. Jude Disc Golf Charity Invitational in Monterey, CA. It was great to be able to play throughout the day and no matter how it went on the course I had my beautiful girlfriend and smiling Baby Boy waiting for me after every round. It was obviously much different for me for the fact that being a father was so new for me but I could definitely feel an overall shift of priorities.

We ended up spending over 3-weeks in the Bay Area, soaking up some sun and visiting some epic scenery up the Pacific Coast Highway on our way north to Oregon. I also got the chance to play a bunch of new courses that I’ve only driven by in the past. I enjoy playing as many courses as possible no matter how easy, difficult, short or long…I like to take the best aspects of every course that I play as I believe that it truly makes me a better course designer because of it.

I only participated in 15 PDGA Events including two top-5 finishes. I played in all 4 PDGA Majors (Scandinavian Open, European Open, World Championships and the United States Disc Golf Championships) and had two Top-20 finishes. I also had several strong finishes at the Green Mountain Championships, European Open and the United States Disc Golf Championship Major Events. I know that I could have played a lot better at many of the events but I was also really focused on living on the road as father.

It was a lot of fun still traveling the country on the Disc Golf Tour, spending time with the family and of course taking in as many awesome experiences as possible. That’s definitely what the tour has evolved into for me over the years and I’m not one to drive to destinations without checking out all there is to experience along the way. I’ll tell you that taking the roads less traveled will really open your eyes to how truly beautiful this country is.

Teaching the game

The Deep in the Game Tour Finland Clinics with the Hat Guy made a huge impact in the local disc golf communities that we visited bringing some more education and excitement to the sport. We set out on a 2-week tour throughout Finland again last summer going to a few new locations as well as visiting some locations in high demand. It was amazing to meet many of the participants that traveled hours to attend the closest clinic to them, it showed real dedication on their part as they really want to take part in the events and improve as players. And that’s really what it was all about, learning and progressing as a player through proper teaching and the great opportunity for the chance to get one-on-one instruction.

We really hope that everyone had an enjoyable time and at least received some solid information to take away from the event to apply to their games. But it all comes down to this, if the players want to really improve their game, then they really need to take what they’ve learned and commit to practicing this proper technique instead of going back to their same throwing habits. Dedicated time to practice and constant repetition of correct form will go along way into producing some really great Disc Golfers in years to come. Special thanks to the Antti Vuento (The Hat Guy) for being a great tour partner and for the awesome adventures along the way!

Traveling

It was an amazing tour with so many great experiences that I got to share with my family as we went out of way to visit as many National Landmarks as possible along the way. We started with a fun 2-month road trip to the West Coast and back, traveling through 11-States and covering over 7,300 miles. It made it incredibly fulfilling to be able to make that trip again as I absolutely love getting back to California whenever possible.

After we returned back to Oklahoma, I got about a week of down time before traveling to the East Coast, then flying to Sweden & Finland for the Deep in the Game Tour and the European Majors. It was 40-days before I got to see Leah and Arian again as they both flew to Pittsburgh, PA for the 2015 PDGA Professional World Championships. We then continued on back to my parents house after that event.

We made plans to do another huge road trip throughout the Midwest through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan only to pass through to the Upper East Coast and Quebec, Canada. I got the opportunity to play one of my favorite events, the Green Mountain Championships in Jeffersonville, VT and finishing my year by playing the 2015 United States Disc Golf Championships in Rock Hill, SC. Shortly after we started on our final leg home and back to Oklahoma for the winter. We traveled over 14,000 Miles in Arian’s 1st Road Trip visiting 36 States and 1 International Country, he’s off to an excellent start for not yet being a year old.

Future Goals

I’ve set several goals for 2016. They include:

• Take the Disc Golf World Tour to the next Level
• Play my best at every Event that I attend
• Bring Disc Golf to the Mainstream Media
• Hosting 20+ Disc Golf Instructional Clinics
• Promote all my sponsors to the best of my ability
• Travel the world teaching and playing the sport I love

During the 2016 season, I will be playing a few less events but really focusing on the overall promotion of the sport through my new position as the commentator of the Disc Golf World Tour. It seems to be the natural progression of any top athlete as I will be concentrating more on the Disc Golf Business side of things this season and trying to really grow the sport in the most effective ways possible. I have always felt that I could provide the sport with a lot by being a proactive player but I now realize that I can offer this sport so much more as a promoter.

I also now share the duties of a DiscGolfPark Representative which has taken up a majority of my efforts lately as of right now in the early stages it’s a very time consuming position. I throughly appreciate and value the proper Disc Golf course design as I’m now responsible for selling the DiscGolfPark concept to city parks, state parks, golf courses, schools, etc… I’ve so far found it to be a very rewarding experience as it has definitely allowed me to utilize my Disc Golf experience and the business side of our sport. Overall, the installation of more Disc Golf Courses throughout the country is going to produce more player which in turn will grow the sport by leaps and bounds.

I will also keep myself very busy helping to organize the Discmania Combine Tour in cooperation with the existing Discmania Tour and the Flying Circus Events with Simon Lizotte, Eagle McMahon and Eric Oakley. It’s going to be an entirely new tour concept giving talented players a chance to earn a roster spot on Team Discmania by qualifying through a series of skilled events to prove their professional abilities. I’m really looking forward to this tour and it’s going to be a lot of fun getting back on the road again!

And lastly, I’ll be traveling over to Europe on three separate trips this summer for the Disc Golf World Tour. We’ll be taking advantage of having me over there again by hosting several Deep in the Game Disc Golf Instructional Clinics throughout the Czech Republic, Estonia, Sweden and Norway! I’m really excited that the Deep in the Game Clinics are still very highly demanded and I’ll be exploring to some new international markets as Simon and McBeth will be traveling exclusively throughout Finland this summer. The European Disc Golf Scene is truly exploding right now!

I plan to certainly play a lot less than in years past due to many of my other responsibilities consuming so much more of my time plus I don’t want to be away for longer than I have to these days. I recently completed my 2015 tour schedule and I have around 5-7 tournaments planned, traveling throughout the west coast this spring, traveling to Europe in early summer for the Czech Republic and Estonian Events, then back in the US for a few events to be named during the fall. This season’s tour will be structured around the Disc Golf World Tour Events and several Deep in the Game Clinics throughout Europe this summer. I’ll be making lots of trips back home in between events instead of staying out on the road as I have in the past, the priority is family these days.

The 2015 was an unforgettable season but I couldn’t have done it without the ones that support me the most. Special thanks to Leah and Arian for giving the opportunity to get back on the road again to live that Tour Life that continues to drive my soul. It means the world to me that Leah likes to travel just as much as I do and it was extra special to be able to take Arian on the tour with us at such an incredibly young age. We look forward to taking back out to all of the places that he’s been before so he’ll get the chance to experience that for himself.

It’s been a passion of mine for a long time as I enter into my 17th year as a Touring Professional, it’s going to be a tremendous 2016 season. I will continue to promote Disc Golf as one of the best sports on the planet in hopes to gain even more exposure this year. I am looking forward to another exciting and successful season on the Disc Golf Tour, I will do my best to make the most of it every single day.

Thanks to all of my sponsors: Innova Champion Discs, Discmania Discs, Keen Footwear, Grip Equipment, Clif Bar, Huk Lab and Team Jenkins, I couldn’t do what I love without everyone’s support and assistance along the way!

Thanks to all my friends, family and travel companions throughout the year that have made my world travels possible and my disc golf dreams a reality. Here’s to an incredible 2016 Season!

2015 Disc Golf Tour by the Numbers:

40 (Arian visited 36) – US States Visited
3 – Countries Visited
70 (885 Total) – “New” Disc Golf Courses Played
3,100+ – iPhone Photos Taken
18,162+ – Ground Miles Traveled
15,451+ – Air Miles Traveled
33,613+ – Total Miles Traveled

Jenkins, who was named DGWT co-commentator early this season, brought his 18-year pro career to the World Tour mic with commentating duties that include Facebook Live sessions, DGWT Wrap Up Shows, player interviews, and more.

Through Jenkins’ experience he’s found his own style.
“I try to create excitement of the action and relay that energy into the coverage. I think that spectators want to know as much as possible about the match up on the card, the battle between the players, the history of the course and/or event – aside from the obvious action on the course,” said Jenkins.

Jenkins’ Winthrop playing days likely over
Expect to see Jenkins all over Winthrop Gold as the tournament continues through the week. Being so close to the action and not playing won’t be easy for Jenkins who’s had some great USDGC outcomes like back to back second place finishes in 2007 and 2008. But, he realized during the USDGC’s final round last year that it would be his last as a player even as he was one of six players to finish under par during tough wet conditions.

“Even though I qualified for this year’s USDGC, it’s just special being here again,” said Jenkins.

Jenkins is able to tap into the minds of players
For Jenkins, commentating was never something he thought he’d do, but it fits nicely. His disc golf experience, including three major wins, allows him to describe the situations disc golfers find themselves in and how it affects them mentally. Plus, the 2009 World Champ is able to add unique details like how a player may be reacting to recent finishes.

1. Given that you’re eligible to play in the USDGC, is it hard to resist the urge to try to play and commentate at the USDGC?

It’s always difficult to resist the urge of playing a tournament especially when you’ve been playing for as long as I have. A tough situation when you’re on location with all of other players and the action happening around you, it always provides an awesome energy that that seems drive me. The USDGC is one of the premier events that sets the standard for the professional organization of a world-class event, a tournament that makes the players feel like true professionals in the sport.

I’ve had some incredible finishes here over the years with a pair of 2nd place finishes in back-to-back seasons in 2007 and 2008. I play good on this style of course as really fits my game with the good mix of challenging Par 4’s and some open holes with room to really air out some drives. But during the final round of last year’s event, it truly felt like my last round on the Winthrop Gold Course. I was one of eight players to shoot under par that round in the rain but I felt it in my heart that it was my last go on this track and I’m fine with that. Even though I qualified for this year’s USDGC, it’s just special being here again.

I recently realized that the thing that I’ll miss most is something that I’ve grown accustom to over the past 15-years of competing at this event starting from a rookie pro to becoming a veteran World Champion. I will truly miss the is the sound of Andy Green’s voice making the teetime announcements, calling out my name and accolades, that always inspired me at the beginning of every round at the USDGC.

2. What are all of your commentating duties? At DGWT events, I’ve seen you do live commentating on the course on DGWT’s Facebook page. And I’ve seen you commentate for the post round wrap up shows.

I’ve done a variety of media duties at the Disc Golf World Tour Events from live commentary to post round commentary to wrap-up/highlight shows. I’ve also done lots of pre-round and post-round interviews with the players. On the social media side, I have done lots of Instagram Videos with Janne Lahtinen and Hannu Hentilä along with some very popular Facebook Live sessions that have peaked over four thousand viewers at once during some of the Final Rounds in Europe.

I have always respected those that do sports commentary and the professionals that do it for a living are outstanding. It also looks a lot easier than it actually is. I think that I do a pretty good job at describing the action and making the viewers feel like they are on location enjoying the round themselves. I do my best to use my experience in the game throughout my 18-year professional career, I also try to utilize my personal relationship with the players that are my close friends and many that were my competitors not too long ago.

3. When you do live commentating during the round, is it for the entire round or for a few holes at a time?

The fist live commentary that we did for the 1st Disc Golf World Tour Event – The La Mirada Open with Jamie Thomas proved to be a very demanding gig especially during our fist attempt in the down pour rain. We did live coverage for the final two rounds of the event and I think that overall it turned out pretty good but we’re always looking to improve on many levels.

I’ve been doing a lot of Facebook Live broadcast at the last three European Disc Golf World Tour Events and they have been very successful in viewer numbers and spectator engagement. It’s a very casual form of doing live commentary that allows me to do a more of a free-flow broadcast jumping around the course talking with players and showcasing sponsors of the tournaments.

As much as everyone wants to see live broadcasting at all of our biggest Disc Golf Events, they never realize the overwhelming cost of putting together such a production with very little return in the amount of viewers that watch the show. It’s unfortunate there aren’t more players, fans and spectators watching but it’s the reality as our sport continues to grow. I can see Professional Live Broadcasts becoming more frequent at the Disc Golf World Tour Events because we want to bring our audience the very best!

4. What’s your approach to commentating?

I try to create excitement of the action and relay that energy into the coverage. I think that spectators what to know as much as possible about the matchup on the card, the battle between the players, the history of the course and/or event aside from the obvious action on the course. These are things that are very important to me when watching other sports, I’m a numbers guy and I absolutely love to hear about the relative stats.

I have to be very versatile as a sports commentator doing play-by-play to player interviews to doing live broadcasting, those are all very different styles. As a player, I try to utilize my personal understanding of the situation at the event and set the stage for the drama that will expectedly unfold.

We discuss a lot about the breakdown of the story being told at each event. Jussi Meresmaa and I sit down before the start of each tournament day to analyze the battle that is taking place and try to visualize the narrative as it presents itself. There’s always some incredible suspense coming down the stretch and we want to be able to capture that amazing moment, that’s what the viewers really want.

4b. What are some examples of how you can tap into your many years of pro playing experience while commentating?

My Disc Golf Experience allows me to describe the situation and quite possibly the current emotion level that the player might be dealing with at the moment being that I’ve been in those positions many times throughout my career. These moments are very relatable in Disc Golf and many other professional sports as well.

I’ve played all of these events throughout the world for over a decade, I realize the toll that it takes on the player trying to adjust to the time change and different environments. It can be very overwhelming at times but it’s interesting to see how these players can acclimate to these changes and preform at the highest levels.

I want to use my experience as a player to not only bring spectators the tournament action but to also describe certain observances of the players based on their finishes at other tournaments leading up to the event and possibly their current approach on how they plan to attack the course. These are the interesting things in sports that can’t be seen but only reported on by those that have the inside knowledge, that’s the stuff that I personally find the most intriguing and what I really want to bring that into my commentating.

5. What’s it like to be a part of the media instead of playing in the event?

It’s very different but I really like it! It’s something that I never really thought of doing but a role that definitely fits my personality and current position within the sport. It’s actually easier being a player as you are just responsible for your round of play, the pressures of each situation on the course and it’s only demanding for a few hours per day.

Whereas, the media side has a lot more responsibility, not just for ourselves but for the entire production as a whole. We need to preform at a very high level being very critical of our work and working some late hours long after the players have left the course. It’s a very different kind of pressure but we expect the very best at these Disc Golf World Tour Events.

The Disc Golf World Tour Media Team is the best in the sport and that’s because everyone that is a part of the crew is a true professional in what they do. Jussi Meresmaa, Janne Lahtinen, Esa Arokki, Hannu Hentila, Jukka Teras and Jamie Thomas are a huge reason for the overall success of the tour, I’m very honored to be associated and working with such talented individuals.

As much as I’ve tried to progress the sport over the years as a player, I feel that I have almost a greater effect by helping to broadcast the sport to the masses and truly grow the sport on another level.

Check out Jenkins in action during a lead up video to the USDGC.

“My disc golf experience allows me to describe the situation and quite possibly the current emotion level that the player might be dealing with at the moment, being that I’ve been in those positions many times throughout my career,” said Jenkins.

So when Eagle McMahon or Ricky Wysocki or any number of players find themselves in a pivotal situation, Jenkins will be able to share with the audience what’s likely going on in their head.

Here’s the Complete Article at USDGC.com: As a Commentator, Jenkins Relies on Playing Experience

The La Mirada Open was a huge undertaking for Event Manager, Jussi Meresmaa, as he had planned for this event for over 6-months. He has organized events on several continents including Europe, Australia and now North America. It wasn’t easy by any means, stating that this event was 10-times more difficult than hosting any other tournament back in Europe for the fact that it was a temporary course with lots of local park restrictions on media coverage and accessibility.

The amazingly supportive tournament staff headed by Jeff Spohr and many local event volunteers made it a bit easier for everyone involved. It’s always a challenge when tournament central and the course equipment had to be set-up and broken down on a daily basis. It adds another level of event organization. The local volunteer staff provided lots of assistance in bringing this event together by helping with group scoring and daily course preparations.

The La Mirada Disc Golf Course was extended and transformed into the La Mirada Gold Course, a challenging 9,000+ foot, Par-63 layout. It properly used much of the existing layout by stretching out some longer Par-4’s for the World-Class Competitors. This course has never looked so good with the lush green grass on the rolling hills, the erythrina trees in full bloom and all of the Disc Golf World Tour banners to make this look like a truly professional event. It’s a lot of hard work putting together a top-tier tournament with lots of back end organization but the one thing that stands out in the eyes of the competitors, spectators and fans is the course itself. The course designers, Austin Montgomery and Jussi Meresmaa, did an excellent job of dialing in this beautiful course.

The Disc Golf World Tour is strong set on advancing the professionalism by providing the very best to the players and making it more entertaining for the spectators watching from all over the world. The Disc Golf Metrix System was also introduced to allow Disc Golf Fans to follow their favorite players by not only watching hole-by-hole live scoring but by providing player statistics to tell the story of their round. Statistics is an intricate part of all sports but something that has been missing from Disc Golf for many years…until now.

The implementation of Disc Golf Metrix is critical to the growth and image of our sport, as it’s by far my favorite addition to the Disc Golf World Tour. Disc Golf Metrix tracks four separate components to a players round: Green Hits, Inside the Circle Putts, Outside the Circle Putts and Penalties. Since in Disc Golf we don’t have a true fairway to dictate fairway hits like in traditional golf the statistics involve our 10-meter circle putting green. Here’s a great article describing the Disc Golf Metrix.

Green Hits: Shots landing inside the 10-meter putting circle increases a competitors odds of recording a birdie on a hole. In the Disc Golf Metrix, green hits are recorded as a single element. Much like greens in regulation in traditional golf, a successful tally for green hits on any hole that is a par three, the drive must land inside the circle. On a par four, a successful green hit is recorded if the drive or second shot lands inside the circle. Green hits are recorded as a green circle on live scoring.

Inside the Circle Putts: Drives or upshots landing inside the circle is only half the battle. You still need to convert the putt from within the 10-meter circle and this is where the next Disc Golf Metrix statistic comes in. This will be a tally of all putts from inside the circle. If a drive lands inside the circle, but the first putt is missed leaving a simple drop-in to complete the hole, a total of two is recorded for inside the circle putts for this hole.

Outside the Circle Putts: One could easily turn a good round into a great round with conversions of putts from outside the circle. This could be from just outside the 10-meter circle or from the middle of the fairway on a 600 foot hole. While inside the circle putts are counted, outside the circle putts are treated as a checked box. If the hole is completed from outside the circle it will be recorded with a blue star on the live scoring.

Penalties: All out-of-bounds throws, lost discs and player violations will be recorded as penalty strokes which in turn will effect the final score. The player may be having a great round but due to a few errant shots those can be devastating to the score. Those will show up on the scorecard to be viewed by all and obviously altering the total score.

It is a totally new experience for me as I transition from a full-time touring player to a disc golf promoter and world traveling ambassador. I recently took on my new role as Co-Commentator of the Disc Golf World Tour along side of Jamie Thomas. It’s very exciting, but challenging at the same time. It is a demanding position being on the media side of a disc golf tournament as opposed to being a player. It requires long hours of preparation and scripting of highlight voice-overs for videos after the round.

It’s a great opportunity being a sports commentator for the Disc Golf World Tour and it’s a lot of fun being an intricate part of the event broadcast. We had our difficulties with the elements starting out with our first live broadcast in the downpour rain on Saturday as we huddled under an umbrella to keep the microphone and the production equipment dry. It was much different doing live color commentary as opposed to the post-production voice-overs that I’m use to after all of these years of making Disc Golf Instructional Videos. There is only one chance to get it right and there’s a lot of pressure to perform but I welcome the challenge.

Jamie Thomas did an amazing job throughout the weekend organizing the entire media crew from the editors, cameramen, production assistants and broadcast directing. He was responsible for a majority of the live broadcast and the daily highlight videos as well as being the lead commentator for the Disc Golf World Tour. Jamie is incredibly well-spoken and very educated on the game. I myself bring the player perspective with my decades of being a Professional Touring Disc Golfer. I think that we made an excellent team. I was really happy on how the live broadcasts went on the final two days as we’ll only get better. I’m looking forward to the Disc Golf World Tour Events ahead!

All of the Disc Golf World Tour events are one division, one champion format focusing on showcasing the best players in the world regardless of their division. It was a difficult decision for all of us going to this format but it made a lot of sense. When you look at it from the disc golf business side, it’s more effective to promote a single division as a product to the potential sponsors in these international markets. We are not just accessing the US market with this type of tour but four separate business markets in which these events will be hosted. This is truly a International Global Disc Golf Tour.

There were some players upset about the one division format but they need to see the bigger picture of the initial importance of producing a successful, self-sustaining tour. The Disc Golf World Tour has a huge potential for massive growth and these players need to avoid thinking about just themselves because they feel that they should play in their own division. Everyone needs to look at the big picture and the possibilities. This is a tour that breaks the mold and does things differently in order to progress the sport in a positive direction. We’ve seen similar structures in other sports that have been very successful. We all need to be accepting of something new and different as the Disc Golf World Tour is doing everything possible to grow the sport. The divisional situation will be revisited and then reevaluated in the future to see what is truly best for the advancement of the Disc Golf World Tour.

The promotion and marketing of the Disc Golf World Tour in unlike anything that I’ve ever seen for any Disc Golf Event I’ve been a part of throughout my career. There’s not a single Disc Golfer on the planet that is tuned into social media that didn’t know that the La Mirada Open was taking place that weekend. It had extensive coverage throughout all social media outlets including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube along with the Live Scoring/Metrix and Live Broadcast of the event. It’s this type of promotion that’s going to really get Disc Golf noticed. It’s not only about the 400+ players, spectators and fans at the event. It’s about broadcasting this to the masses of Disc Golfers world-wide that want to follow all of the action from the event.

Congrats to Paul McBeth on his victory at the Inaugural Disc Golf World Tour Event, the 2016 La Mirada Open! He played outstanding throughout the entire weekend and lead from wire to wire. Although a few players got within a stroke of him at one point or another, he never lost the lead even through the less than ideal conditions on the second day playing through the rain. He is a true Champion and deserves this victory because no one thoroughly prepares for Disc Golf as much as him.

Thanks to Jussi Meresmaa, Jeff Spohr, Erno Vayrynen, Austin Montgomery, Ryan and Jennie Rintala, Chris Finn, Terra Firma Media, the Disc Golf World Tour Production Team, Jamie Thomas and all of the Disc Golf World Tour Volunteers. Special Thanks to the Disc Golf World Tour Sponsors: Innova Champion Discs, Discmania Discs, DiscGolfPark, Grip Equipment Disc Golf Bags and DUDE Clothing.

The Disc Golf World Tour is in full swing and I’m really looking forward to the upcoming events. Next up is the 2016 Konopiště Open at Zámecký Park Konopiště in Benešov, Czech Republic! I’ll be there to keep you posted on all of the incredible Disc Golf action from Europe!

For all updates on the 2016 Disc Golf World Tour check out the Disc Golf World Tour.

The 2015 Disc Golf Season has proven to be one of the most eventful and spontaneous years to date as I got the opportunity to travel the country on the PDGA Tour with a 3-month old baby. Now seriously, who does that? Who has ever taken a baby on tour with them traveling coast to coast playing Disc Golf tournaments along the way?

I continue to be a perpetual road warrior and a present mainstay figure on the PDGA Tour on my 16th season as a Touring Professional Disc Golfer. But now that was a much different scenario with the ability for Leah and I to take Arian on his first road trip to the West Coast at 3-months old. Typically when I’m gone, I’m usually gone for weeks or months at a time but now I no longer wanted to stay on the road for too long because I didn’t want to miss him growing up. It was a chance of a lifetime to bring them on tour with me and to not miss a single waking moment with my Baby Boy.

Disc Golf Adventures

Our first official road trip started at the Glass Blown Open in Emporia, KS taking us all the way to Santa Cruz, CA for the Masters Cup and the St. Jude Disc Golf Charity Invitational in Monterey, CA. It was great to be able to play throughout the day and no matter how it went on the course I had my beautiful girlfriend and smiling Baby Boy waiting for me after every round. It was obviously much different for me for the fact that being a father was so new for me but I could definitely feel an overall shift of priorities.

We ended up spending over 3-weeks in the Bay Area, soaking up some sun and visiting some epic scenery up the Pacific Coast Highway on our way north to Oregon. I also got the chance to play a bunch of new courses that I’ve only driven by in the past. I enjoy playing as many courses as possible no matter how easy, difficult, short or long…I like to take the best aspects of every course that I play as I believe that it truly makes me a better course designer because of it.

I only participated in 15 PDGA Events including two top-5 finishes. I played in all 4 PDGA Majors (Scandinavian Open, European Open, World Championships and the United States Disc Golf Championships) and had two Top-20 finishes. I also had several strong finishes at the Green Mountain Championships, European Open and the United States Disc Golf Championship Major Events. I know that I could have played a lot better at many of the events but I was also really focused on living on the road as father.

It was a lot of fun still traveling the country on the Disc Golf Tour, spending time with the family and of course taking in as many awesome experiences as possible. That’s definitely what the tour has evolved into for me over the years and I’m not one to drive to destinations without checking out all there is to experience along the way. I’ll tell you that taking the roads less traveled will really open your eyes to how truly beautiful this country is.

Teaching the game

The Deep in the Game Tour Finland Clinics with the Hat Guy made a huge impact in the local disc golf communities that we visited bringing some more education and excitement to the sport. We set out on a 2-week tour throughout Finland again last summer going to a few new locations as well as visiting some locations in high demand. It was amazing to meet many of the participants that traveled hours to attend the closest clinic to them, it showed real dedication on their part as they really want to take part in the events and improve as players. And that’s really what it was all about, learning and progressing as a player through proper teaching and the great opportunity for the chance to get one-on-one instruction.

We really hope that everyone had an enjoyable time and at least received some solid information to take away from the event to apply to their games. But it all comes down to this, if the players want to really improve their game, then they really need to take what they’ve learned and commit to practicing this proper technique instead of going back to their same throwing habits. Dedicated time to practice and constant repetition of correct form will go along way into producing some really great Disc Golfers in years to come. Special thanks to the Antti Vuento (The Hat Guy) for being a great tour partner and for the awesome adventures along the way!

Traveling

It was an amazing tour with so many great experiences that I got to share with my family as we went out of way to visit as many National Landmarks as possible along the way. We started with a fun 2-month road trip to the West Coast and back, traveling through 11-States and covering over 7,300 miles. It made it incredibly fulfilling to be able to make that trip again as I absolutely love getting back to California whenever possible.

After we returned back to Oklahoma, I got about a week of down time before traveling to the East Coast, then flying to Sweden & Finland for the Deep in the Game Tour and the European Majors. It was 40-days before I got to see Leah and Arian again as they both flew to Pittsburgh, PA for the 2015 PDGA Professional World Championships. We then continued on back to my parents house after that event.

We made plans to do another huge road trip throughout the Midwest through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan only to pass through to the Upper East Coast and Quebec, Canada. I got the opportunity to play one of my favorite events, the Green Mountain Championships in Jeffersonville, VT and finishing my year by playing the 2015 United States Disc Golf Championships in Rock Hill, SC. Shortly after we started on our final leg home and back to Oklahoma for the winter. We traveled over 14,000 Miles in Arian’s 1st Road Trip visiting 36 States and 1 International Country, he’s off to an excellent start for not yet being a year old.

Future Goals

I’ve set several goals for 2016. They include:

• Take the Disc Golf World Tour to the next Level
• Play my best at every Event that I attend
• Bring Disc Golf to the Mainstream Media
• Hosting 20+ Disc Golf Instructional Clinics
• Promote all my sponsors to the best of my ability
• Travel the world teaching and playing the sport I love

During the 2016 season, I will be playing a few less events but really focusing on the overall promotion of the sport through my new position as the commentator of the Disc Golf World Tour. It seems to be the natural progression of any top athlete as I will be concentrating more on the Disc Golf Business side of things this season and trying to really grow the sport in the most effective ways possible. I have always felt that I could provide the sport with a lot by being a proactive player but I now realize that I can offer this sport so much more as a promoter.

I also now share the duties of a DiscGolfPark Representative which has taken up a majority of my efforts lately as of right now in the early stages it’s a very time consuming position. I throughly appreciate and value the proper Disc Golf course design as I’m now responsible for selling the DiscGolfPark concept to city parks, state parks, golf courses, schools, etc… I’ve so far found it to be a very rewarding experience as it has definitely allowed me to utilize my Disc Golf experience and the business side of our sport. Overall, the installation of more Disc Golf Courses throughout the country is going to produce more player which in turn will grow the sport by leaps and bounds.

I will also keep myself very busy helping to organize the Discmania Combine Tour in cooperation with the existing Discmania Tour and the Flying Circus Events with Simon Lizotte, Eagle McMahon and Eric Oakley. It’s going to be an entirely new tour concept giving talented players a chance to earn a roster spot on Team Discmania by qualifying through a series of skilled events to prove their professional abilities. I’m really looking forward to this tour and it’s going to be a lot of fun getting back on the road again!

And lastly, I’ll be traveling over to Europe on three separate trips this summer for the Disc Golf World Tour. We’ll be taking advantage of having me over there again by hosting several Deep in the Game Disc Golf Instructional Clinics throughout the Czech Republic, Estonia, Sweden and Norway! I’m really excited that the Deep in the Game Clinics are still very highly demanded and I’ll be exploring to some new international markets as Simon and McBeth will be traveling exclusively throughout Finland this summer. The European Disc Golf Scene is truly exploding right now!

I plan to certainly play a lot less than in years past due to many of my other responsibilities consuming so much more of my time plus I don’t want to be away for longer than I have to these days. I recently completed my 2015 tour schedule and I have around 5-7 tournaments planned, traveling throughout the west coast this spring, traveling to Europe in early summer for the Czech Republic and Estonian Events, then back in the US for a few events to be named during the fall. This season’s tour will be structured around the Disc Golf World Tour Events and several Deep in the Game Clinics throughout Europe this summer. I’ll be making lots of trips back home in between events instead of staying out on the road as I have in the past, the priority is family these days.

The 2015 was an unforgettable season but I couldn’t have done it without the ones that support me the most. Special thanks to Leah and Arian for giving the opportunity to get back on the road again to live that Tour Life that continues to drive my soul. It means the world to me that Leah likes to travel just as much as I do and it was extra special to be able to take Arian on the tour with us at such an incredibly young age. We look forward to taking back out to all of the places that he’s been before so he’ll get the chance to experience that for himself.

It’s been a passion of mine for a long time as I enter into my 17th year as a Touring Professional, it’s going to be a tremendous 2016 season. I will continue to promote Disc Golf as one of the best sports on the planet in hopes to gain even more exposure this year. I am looking forward to another exciting and successful season on the Disc Golf Tour, I will do my best to make the most of it every single day.

Thanks to all of my sponsors: Innova Champion Discs, Discmania Discs, Keen Footwear, Grip Equipment, Clif Bar, Huk Lab and Team Jenkins, I couldn’t do what I love without everyone’s support and assistance along the way!

Thanks to all my friends, family and travel companions throughout the year that have made my world travels possible and my disc golf dreams a reality. Here’s to an incredible 2016 Season!

2015 Disc Golf Tour by the Numbers:

40 (Arian visited 36) – US States Visited
3 – Countries Visited
55 (815 Total) – “New” Disc Golf Courses Played
3,100+ – iPhone Photos Taken
18,162+ – Ground Miles Traveled
15,451+ – Air Miles Traveled
33,613+ – Total Miles Traveled

The 2016 disc golf season is shaping up to be one of the biggest in history and a big part of that is the new Disc Golf World Tour (DGWT). What were your thoughts when you first heard about the DGWT?

Disc Golf World Tour“The 2016 World Disc Golf Tour is something that we as touring professionals always wanted. A tour that focuses on being truly professional in all aspects. It’s something that is needed if we want to progress as a professional sport. We’ve been on the brink for way too long and I believe that this tour is going to be a huge step in the right direction. In all my years of competing, I have only dreamt of such a tour that will truly take Disc Golf to the next level of world-wide media coverage giving Disc Golf mass exposure.”

“To bring everyone up to speed, the Disc Golf World Tour is a series of professionally run Disc Golf competitions around the World. The DGWT will showcase the best players, the most exciting courses, and the most prestigious events in one global pro tour. The DGWT will exclusively feature ‘Open’ tournaments. All players regardless of age or gender are eligible to earn qualifying points, and once qualified, compete in DGWT events.”

“All DGWT events will have upgraded event productions where we are focusing on the fans. People will be able to follow all of the DGWT events through the internet and/or local and national TV stations. Unprecedented professional media coverage is the top priority of the DGWT. Each event will be painstakingly planned and executed to give the viewers the best experience.”

You’re going to see the 2016 DGWT from a front row seat thanks to a new position for you. You’ve agreed to be the new disc golf commentator for the DGWT. Congrats on the new role! Tell us about what you’ll be doing.

“Thank you so much! I will be commentating for the Disc Golf World Tour events in US along side my talented co-host, Jamie Thomas. I will hopefully also be available to do more commentary for the European events this summer as well but we’re currently discussing the scheduling for that portion of the tour. It’s something that I’ve always appreciated when spectating the sport, the incredible action of Disc Golf but this time on a high end media production. It’s extremely exciting!”

“I will be able to utilize my Professional Disc Golf player expertise to give the audience the full experience of the event by analyzing the play-by-play action of these world-class competitors who will be playing some of the best courses in the world. I will also be marketing and promoting the Disc Golf World Tour events throughout the season as well as elevating the sport of Disc Golf.”

You’ve worked in front of the camera before, most notably with the Deep in the Game series you did with Discmania a few years ago. Many don’t like being in front of the camera like that. Have you always had a desire to get into the media side of things?

“It’s something that I have definitely grown accustomed to with all of the Deep in the Game Instructional Videos, along with other various video projects that I’ve done with SpinTV recently. Being in front of a camera is something that I’ve gotten used to as a player for many years and it is something that I have to get comfortable with as I realize that the spectacular action of our sport is best viewed in video.”

The working relationship between you and Jussi Meresmaa runs deep. It certainly must be exciting to join forces again with Meresmaa’s Spin18, the group behind the DGWT. Talk about your relationship with him.

“Jussi and I have been great friends and competitors for many years. We share the same great obsession for growing Disc Golf and we both have dedicated our lives to it so far. No one can ever question the passion that we have for this sport. Jussi has an incredible vision for the future. His persistent drive and relentless pursuit will make Disc Golf the best that it can be in years to come. The sky is NOT the limit for Jussi.”

“We have shared countless ideas on a variety of Disc Golf topics in order to find a way to make it better regarding product advertising, project marketing, event promotion, etc. It’s something that he excels at given his previous career in the business. His extensive knowledge of the Disc Golf Industry has made him the successful Disc Golf Businessman that he is today. I believe that our comprehensive understanding of the game combined with our overall Disc Golf experience has made us a phenomenal team as I look forward to many more exciting ventures in the future.”

With the announcement that you’ll be working as a commentator, does this mean you’re stepping away from the competition side of professional disc golf?

“I have played Disc Golf for the past 30-years of my life and I’ve competed as an Elite Touring Player for the past 16-years. It’s been a great run but things will be slowing down a bit as I plan on dialing back the tournament schedule. I still plan on a playing a few sentimental events and other extraordinary tournaments including the World Championships to keep my streak of 18 consecutive appearances. I will no longer be traveling as much on the PDGA National Tour now that I have started a family and the business side of Disc Golf is starting to prove successful. I will continue to be present at many of the Major Championships and the Disc Golf World Tour events as I want to see those become more professional.”

Looking back at your playing career, you’ve certainly accomplished a lot and have a lot you can be proud of. Is there anything you wish you would have done differently or are you pleased with how things played out?

“I’m very happy with my career as a professional so far and I’ve definitely accomplished a lot throughout that time. I could always look back at shots that I could have made or tournaments that could have won but my overall performance has gotten me to my current position within the sport. I never would have thought when I first started playing that I would be traveling the world playing competitively. I attribute so much of my success to this incredible sport. I always like to reflect and take in these amazing life moments as I’m very gracious for the many opportunities that I have been presented throughout my career. I truly appreciate what Disc Golf has given me. I will be associated with Disc Golf and it will always be a part of me for the rest of my life.”

In many professional sports, we see many top level competitors move into a TV/radio analyst role in their respective sport. Just a few years ago, an opportunity like this in disc golf wasn’t possible. Where do you see the sport heading in next three to five years?

“It’s the natural progression in sports from competitor to sports analyst. I’m thrilled at the chance to deliver the best in Disc Golf broadcasting with the premier leader in Disc Golf media, Spin18 Productions. This sport has always been on the 5 to 10 year plan of some catalyst really sparking the massive international expansion but in my 30-years, it’s been a very gradual growth. I see two of the following main goals of DGWT making a huge impact on the sport as we know it today: (1) To manage the global Disc Golf tour (DGWT), where the elite disc golfers compete and (2) To expand the reach of Disc Golf by increasing its mainstream appeal through continually improving the quality of the events and increasing media visibility.”

“I have full faith that this unprecedented DGWT will build Disc Golf up as a globally legitimate sport around the world as it proves to be a very viable and business model to increase our overall exposure. Of one of my many goals, I want Disc Golf to one day be a household name.”

Have any predictions for the 2016 DGWT?

“I predict that the first year of the Disc Golf World Tour to be a successful one. Everything has been thoroughly thought out and accounted for including the tournament locations, the addition of players statistics, and extensive media visibility with the support from several international commercial partners. This tour will be a chance to advance the sport of Disc Golf with a professional world-wide tour that will showcase the best players in the world while providing extensive coverage for Disc Golf fanatics throughout the planet. I’m very excited for what DGWT is going to produce, this year and in many years to come. I’m so very grateful to be part of it all!”

Here’s the Complete Article at AllThingsDiscGolf.com: Avery Jenkins named commentator for Disc Golf World Tour

Average Disc Golf scored a 10 Questions interview with 2009 World Champion and one of the games greatest ambassadors, Avery Jenkins.

1. When and how did you start playing disc golf?

It was in the Spring of 1985 when I was 6 years old when I threw my first disc, growing up in Northeast Ohio, there were plenty of courses to choose from. My Home Course, Roscoe Ewing Park, is the Oldest Disc Golf Course in Ohio designed and installed in 1978 the Godfather of Disc Golf, Ed Headrick. I would go with my parents to the course on a regular basis at least 3 times a week. I wouldn’t always play complete round of golf and maybe just a few holes at a time before I would get distracted and go play in the creek looking for discs.

I gradually started playing more as I got older and started playing much better from year to year. One thing that my parents told me was that I would always throw in a long putt at least once a round and many local players would always threaten to quit the game if I got any better. They somehow knew my potential at a young age and knew that I was capable of so much more in this sport long before I ever realized it.

2. What were your very first discs?

My first disc, it was a White Wham-O 86 with a Red Circular Hotstamp that my father had given to me. I believe that I still have that disc sitting in a box somewhere back at my parents house in Ohio, at least I hope that I do. I also remember throwing lots of Phantoms and Eclipse back in the day, it didn’t really matter to me much about what I was throwing at the time as it was all about just playing Disc Golf.

3. How many aces do you have, or have you lost count?

I actually have no clue the exact number of aces that I have throughout my 30-years of playing Disc Golf. It seems odd since I keep track of so many other things in life including states & countries that I’ve played Disc Golf, the number of courses played in the US and throughout the world, yet I never kept a total of the number of aces. If I were to guess, it’s over 100+ Aces for sure including all of the practice and tournament rounds throughout my career.

4. What is the best and worst thing about traveling for the sport?
The 2014 Discmania Deep in the Game Tour was definitely one for the ages as we got the opportunity to host 58 instructional clinics and workshops throughout the US and Europe this year. It’s something that we as players do that is very unique, not only did we teach like other professionals, but we taught Disc Golf on such a enormous scale on a weekly basis in over 100 cities, 44 US states and in 8 countries. It was the first Disc Golf Instructional Tour of its kind of this size and magnitude with over 900 participants in attendance throughout the year!

The absolute least favorite part is the cease of the tour at the end of the season, as I wish that the year could have continued for another few months at the very least. Myself knowing that with the arrival of my child that Disc Golf Touring would never be the same as I’ve known it to be over the past 15-years. It was an absolute blast the entire time as for me it was reliving the Disc Golf Tour that I knew so well, but this time it was all about providing the guidance for the young 22-year old German Phenom, Simon Lizotte, as it was his first time traveling as a Professional Touring Disc Golfer. It was a continuous adventure traveling, playing and teaching but most importantly having a lot of fun doing what we love to do!

So with my responsibilities of fatherhood, Simon will be taking to the road again on the Flying Circus Tour along with Tour Manager and SpinTV Director, Jamie Thomas. They are going to take the instructional tour where we left off last season meanwhile putting a new twist on it by offering some highly sought after Distance Clinics with the World Record Distance Champion. Every player that I know is always asking how they can add more distance to their game, now Simon will be showing them just that and bringing an action-packed entertaining learning experience.
For more information of the Discmania Flying Circus Tour go to: http://www.discmania.net/2015/03/20/discmania-presents-the-flying-circus-with-simon-lizotte/

5. What piece of advice would you give an amateur player to improve their game?

The best advice that I can give to an upcoming player is to develop a solid practice routine and engage yourself with full commitment you got, convincing yourself that it’s something that you want to do more than anything. You also need to develop a strong sense of self confidence in your skills and abilities believing that you can play any hole with anyone. One thing that I’ve constantly done throughout my career, “Play, compete and do things like a champion” and I did this way before ever becoming a Champion. Be patient, have fun and enjoy the competition.

When going into any tournament, you need to reflect on what you have practiced and the time spent doing so. Don’t overthink or force shots that they are not comfortable with, just rely on the muscle memory that you’ve developed through dedicated practice. Mentally you want to remain calm with little inflection in emotional highs or lows, keep a steady mindset and be patient throughout the rounds. Focus only on the shot that you’re currently being presented with, don’t think ahead of yourself, one shot at a time…one hole at a time.

6. In your bag currently, what is your absolute “Go-To” disc?

My Star Destroyers have and continue to be my “Go-To” Discs of choice as they have definitely made me a better distance thrower off the tee and they have given me many birdie opportunities throughout my professional career. It’s the one disc that I carry various multiples of from overstable to straight stable to understable with different stages in between to have the ability to throw a multitude of angles and distances. The Star Destroyer is not the fastest disc on the market but it’s by far the most controllable of all of the distance drivers that I’ve ever thrown.

It’s great to see how well received these discs throughout the Disc Golf Players as well, I know lots of players that carry up to 4 or 5 Star Destroyers at all times including the 3X Disc Golf World Champion, Paul McBeth!

7. What was your mind set and thoughts going into sudden death when you won your world championship?
I believe that trust in my ability and skills have been very important during rounds to keep me in the right frame of mind. I trust that I have the shot for any situation and have confidence of throwing the best shots on any hole on the course. Having trust and confidence in your abilities has proven to produce positive outcomes, just knowing that can take you a long way in this sport.
I look back to a recent situation during the World Championships this year when I threw what I believe to be the most clutch shot of my career at the most crucial time. It was during the 5 hole playoff between Josh Anthon and myself which took place on the 4th hole when I was faced with a difficult upshot behind an island of trees. Josh had already thrown his shot under the basket and I was forced to make the shot or lose the Championship. I had to make the decision of throwing a backhand shot uphill around the trees with a left to right crosswind, which had the chance of knocking down my shot. Or throwing the more difficult and longer forehand shot around the lower left side of the trees.
I kept my composure and dug deep within myself to have the confidence to make the shot in the most crucial of situations by throwing the forehand out and around using the left to right crosswind to bring the disc to the basket for the par save. That shot alone pushed the playoff to the next and final 5th playoff hole where I made the final putt for the World Championship Title.

8. When you practice, what do you focus on most?

The area that I focus on most when practicing is concentrated focus and commitment to the discipline. It’s very easy to get distracted or bored when practicing, especially when I’ve been doing it as a Top Professional for over 15 years. I like to go out to the fields and throw a multitude of shots from distance then dialing it back to fairway drivers, getting in lots of throwing repetitions.
When practicing the course, I recommend giving yourself enough time to properly play the course, throwing multiple tee shots to assess the situations and certain outcomes on throwing different routes on each hole. Be sure to analyze each fairway to where you want to be and the places to avoid landing, taking the high percentage routes to the basket that result in the least amount of risk. And survey the greens and area around the basket to determine the best places to land upshots and what areas provide the most open putts to ensure a good chance at scoring.

A good practice session will increase your advantages when it comes to the tournament rounds, do your Disc Golf Course homework and you will be rewarded.

9. Which is worse when putting? Hitting the cap, hitting the cage, or the Airball?

Well, obviously hitting absolutely nothing on an airball putt is by far the worst. An airball can lead to much greater risk and stroke loss if the disc was to go out-of-bounds, off the side of a cliff or into a lake to be lost forever. You have to make sure that at the very least that you hit the basket if you’re not going to make the putt, that way the Putter typically stays closer to the basket…typically.

10. What are your plans and goals for the 2015 season/year, especially now that you are a father?

The most recent birth of my son, Arian Jenkins, will definitely change things up quite a bit this year as my priorities have obviously shifted to the family life. I still plan on playing a good amount of tournaments this season but making many more trips back to see him throughout the week. In years past when I would travel to events, I would play those tournaments and stay on the tours for months. Now with the Baby Boy in my life, I’ll be making frequent trips back and forth throughout the season even though I will have the opportunity to bring him out for a few short mini tours this year.
I realize that I can’t tour forever as I’m the last of the original Disc Golf Road Warriors but with life’s responsibilities along with looking for a change of direction within the sport will have me making some critical decisions sooner or later. Trust me, I absolutely love traveling and playing Disc Golf for a living as I’ve done for the past 16-seasons but with my experience that I’ve gained along the way I’m really looking forward to diverting my focus to helping to progress the sport much further.

Avery would like to give a shout out to his sponsors.

Innova Champion Discs, Discmania Discs, Grip Equipment Disc Golf Bags, Keen Footwear, Huk Lab Disc Golf Apparel, Clif Bar & Company Energy Bars and all of my AJ Fans & Supporters!

Here’s the Complete 10 Questions: Avery Jenkins at AverageDiscGolf.com: 10 Questions: Avery Jenkins

Hucking Aces was lucky enough to get an interview with one of Disc Golf’s biggest stars and greatest ambassadors. We asked him for his thoughts on the current state of disc golf, as well as the future of our sport.

1) With players getting sponsorships from many different sources at once now, when will pros start using business managers or agents to help establish more opportunity for themselves for larger endorsements/sponsorships? Do you think we’re close to that point as a sport, or is it still far off on the horizon?

It’s very exciting to see the variety of player sponsorships coming from many sources outside the typical Disc Golf companies within the sport. But it’s very much needed if we plan on breaking the mold and striving to accomplish more, I’m in total support of it as it’s proving that we are a viable athletic activity worthy of such recognition.

It’s only natural that these players will soon need some sort of management or agency to help assist in the planning, organization and scheduling. We are not far off from seeing this happen in the next few years as our sport only continues to grow and the need for such product exposure will be compensated. I myself have been my own sports agent in so many ways for the past decade or so but it’s helped me gain some very valuable business experience and critical contacts for years to come.

2) “Visibility” is a term that gets thrown around a lot in terms to growing disc golf. Besides televised events, like the ones in Europe, what do you think is the best way to increase awareness of the game to the masses? I think that your Discmania Deep in the Game tour was a great step in this direction, but do think that there are steps that other players, especially the average player instead of just superstars, can take to grow awareness? What about manufacturers?

As the sport continues to growth with the expansion of new courses and new players picking up discs everyday, the visibility of Disc Golf needs to produce some positive exposure to all that witness. Obviously, television coverage is the ultimate goal right now, Innova Europe being the reason for such mammoth steps toward the world-wide growth of Disc Golf bringing in close to 500,000 viewers at the most recent European Open and European Masters Major Events. Now that’s measurable data that can be shown to prospective sponsors in order to gain more massive public awareness.

Our Discmania Deep in the Game Disc Golf Instructional Tour throughout the US & Europe last season was monumental in doing something that was very different but obviously very demanded as well. It definitely got some great publicity and positive exposure but only within the Disc Golf Community. I was very happy with what we were able to accomplish as it’s setting the stage for many various Discmania Clinical Tours to follow.

I would encourage all of the players out there that possess the passion for growing the sport to spread the love and grow the sport, these are the ones that have the greatest chance to do something special in making Disc Golf better by teaching a friend or family member the game. The more people that know about Disc Golf and play on a regular basis is obviously going to slowly increase the overall awareness.

But most importantly, once you’re a regular player I would recommend getting involved in a local club or organization of players that helps to maintain courses, running local charity events and helping to better the perception of our sport. This is crucial in not only enhancing our image to the masses but showing that Disc Golf is a positive asset to the local community.

3) Do you think that the PDGA needs to restructure or reshuffle a bit in terms of what constitutes a “pro?” Has the term become too diluted? We already see that major events are changing registration practices to ensure that the best players have the ability to play, do you think we need a new level of “Professional” across the sport?

The term Professional in the Professional Disc Golf Association has always been questioned as it comes from a time in Frisbee History when there was only the “Pro” Division available. I strongly believe in a restructuring of the levels of players allowed to qualify, register and compete at the Professional Level at the top level events. As tournaments are filling up quicker than ever before, I’ve heard of some events selling out in less than a minute, it’s getting to the point of ridiculousness.

Trust me, it’s a great problem to have as it’s truly showing our incredible growth at the moment but it’s also getting to the point were some players are playing in a higher division that they are not qualified for just to play the event. In turn, many times the amateur side of the tournament fills the fastest due to the over abundance with many amateur players that missed out on the initial registration deadline scrabbling to take pro spots leaving many professionals out of the event once it’s sold out.

First, we need to place a certain rating on who can actually say that they are a Disc Golf Professional, let’s say it’s a minimum of a 980 rating to be considered a Pro. Next, all of the Upper-tier events need to follow a simple, systematic ratings-based registration that allows the higher rated players first opportunity to register for the tournament. This would allow players with ratings 1000+ the first 2-weeks to register in phase 1, then players with ratings 990+ the next 2-weeks to register in phase 2 and so on. This would allow the best players the opportunity to play the best events, it’s what everyone wants to see as it has the greatest possibility to truly build the Disc Golf spectators and fans.

4) Do you think disc golf still has a public image issue?

Honestly, I personally think that Disc Golf still has mixed public image and it’s becoming less of a blame on a certain stereotype. It’s a view that is based on a new image of the individuals that participate in this sport at a very recreational level and how they are viewed by the masses that watch them play in their public parks on a daily basis. It’s probably something that all sports deal with or have dealt with at some time as it might be part of the growing pains.

In my mind the image is jaded because I surround myself with players that are very passionate about the sport and I envision a certain level of professionalism throughout. I also witness the thousands of other players out there that could really care less as they are going to continue to play regardless how they act or dress on the course. I’m done with referring to the predecessors that helped mold this great sport with the creation of the frisbee as something that holds us back, we are the ones now that need to create our own professional image for the sport.

The public image of Disc Golf in the US is very different than the public image of Disc Golf in Europe. In Europe, it’s embraced as a professional sport played by respectful athletes and sportsman, that conduct themselves in a professional manner and really appreciate the competition of the sport itself. There are dozens of new courses being installed and thousands of new players every year. They respect the courses that they play on and they create a very positive image for the sport to the local communities. They are most certainly leading by example as we continue to move forward.

5) What changes and modifications do you look for when making your signature discs? For example, what characteristics does an Avery Jenkins Tour Teebird have compared to a standard TB? Was it your idea to make so many of them swirly, or was that a factory decision?

Well, first off I’m not the one actually designing or modifying the discs during the production process but I give my requests of certain characteristics that I’m looking for in a disc that I love to throw. When I was asked what I wanted in my AJ Tour Series Star Teebird, I requested a stiff, marbled plastic that offered great grip with a predicable overstable flight. And through a few test runs, Dave Dunipace at Innova was able to create the exact disc that I was looking for!

The standard production run of Star Teebirds are typically a little softer and offer a straighter stable flight but that’s exactly what drew me to Teebirds in the beginning as the Best Fairway Driver in the game. As for my Signature Model, I wanted those to be a slightly different offering with more overstability to be able to handle more power and torque. The Swirly, Marbled plastic was a personal request as something that I’ve always preferred especially in the Star Destroyers that I throw, so I thought it was an excellent idea to use similar plastic in the AJ Star Teebirds as well.

Thanks to all of the players that enjoy throwing these Tour Series Teebirds and I really appreciate the support, please be on the look out for a new run and hotstamp to release later this Spring 2015.

6) Congratulations on the birth of your son! Now that your a father, do you see your touring changing this year? Will you tour a bit less, or is your son motivating you to get out there and continue to excel?

The most recent birth of my son, Arian Jenkins, will definitely change things up quite a bit this year as my priorities have obviously shifted to the family life. I still plan on playing a good amount of tournaments this season but making many more trips back to see him throughout the week. In years past when I would travel to events, I would play those tournaments and stay on the tours for months. Now with the Baby Boy in my life, I’ll be making frequent trips back and forth throughout the season even though I will have the opportunity to bring him out for a few short mini tours this year.

I realize that I can’t tour forever as I’m the last of the original Disc Golf Road Warriors but with life’s responsibilities along with looking for a change of direction within the sport will have me making some critical decisions sooner or later. Trust me, I absolutely love traveling and playing Disc Golf for a living as I’ve done for the past 16-seasons but with my experience that I’ve gained along the way I’m really looking forward to diverting my focus to helping to progress the sport much further.

7) What were your favorite and least favorite moments of your Deep in the Game Tour? Will there be another, and if so what can we expect from this upcoming tour?

The 2014 Discmania Deep in the Game Tour was definitely one for the ages as we got the opportunity to host 58 instructional clinics and workshops throughout the US and Europe this year. It’s something that we as players do that is very unique, not only did we teach like other professionals, but we taught Disc Golf on such a enormous scale on a weekly basis in over 100 cities, 44 US states and in 8 countries. It was the first Disc Golf Instructional Tour of its kind of this size and magnitude with over 900 participants in attendance throughout the year!

The absolute least favorite part is the cease of the tour at the end of the season, as I wish that the year could have continued for another few months at the very least. Myself knowing that with the arrival of my child that Disc Golf Touring would never be the same as I’ve known it to be over the past 15-years. It was an absolute blast the entire time as for me it was reliving the Disc Golf Tour that I knew so well, but this time it was all about providing the guidance for the young 22-year old German Phenom, Simon Lizotte, as it was his first time traveling as a Professional Touring Disc Golfer. It was a continuous adventure traveling, playing and teaching but most importantly having a lot of fun doing what we love to do!

So with my responsibilities of fatherhood, Simon will be taking to the road again on the Flying Circus Tour along with Tour Manager and SpinTV Director, Jamie Thomas. They are going to take the instructional tour where we left off last season meanwhile putting a new twist on it by offering some highly sought after Distance Clinics with the World Record Distance Champion. Every player that I know is always asking how they can add more distance to their game, now Simon will be showing them just that and bringing an action-packed entertaining learning experience.

For more information of the Discmania Flying Circus Tour go to: 2015 Flying Circus presented by Discmania

8) Finally, you have a similar throwing style to Captain America. If you had his shield and he had an AJ destroyer, who would win a fight?

I’ve been waiting for this exact question for some time now and I’m really surprised that I haven’t been asked before…but there’s not a doubt in my mind that I could literally “Destroy” Captain American in a fight. That Captain America shield is nothing less than a speed 18 and there’s no stopping that weapon on a 360-turnaround blaster to the chest…Game Over!

Here’s the Complete Hucking Aces Player Interview at HuckingAces.com: Avery Jenkins – Hucking Aces Player Interview