Our camping problems were solved by the manager of the Mason Campground. He 'invented' campsite #18 1/2 for us, which was the entrance to a hiking trail between campsites #18 and #19. Our neighbors happened to be some disc golfers that we hadn't met yet, so we had some new friends to hang with for the next few days and an electrical box to hook into.

The MDGO Finals at Ludington are the culmination of the yearlong MDGO series in Michigan. It's where all the players meet to have a whiz-bang good time and for a lucky few to duke it out for the title of 'State Champ' in their respective divisions. Al and I had not played any tournaments in the series this year, so were not in the running for any state titles.

Ron Russell showed up, and most of the talk in Ludington revolved around whether his hand injury had healed enough for him to get back into his usual dominant form. In retrospect, I'd have to say yes indeed.

On Saturday Ron shot near the course records on both courses and had an ace to place himself in 1st... a mere eight strokes better than the next best player. Ron had 27 birdies, seven pars and one ace on the first day of play over 36 holes. He had no trouble holding onto that lead during the second day and also won a pile of skins during the 'final nine'. Al finished in 5th (one stroke out of the skins match), I finished 8th. Sue had nobody to play against in the Pro Women's division, so the TDs matched her up with the Pro 2 players as golfing partners. Sue played as well as or better than her cardmates. Dave Feldberg put up another valiant effort but the cash line was once again drawn just above his name. There was tough competition this weekend. Cashing Pros were Russell, Martin, Harper, Bray, Shack, Forton, Vaughn, Branch and Kowalski. No shlubs there.

After the Finals many of us ventured a few miles south to 'Flip City', a privately owned course. We pulled in just as the 'bring your own partner' doubles were beginning. Al and I teamed up and set the new course record at -12. Sue played with Tommy Osborne and they shot a blistering -11! In the second round (alternate shot) Al and I pulled away from the field and Sue/Tommy got caught from behind.

Flip City is a great course! Mowed fairways with a mix of short and long holes with quite a bit of elevation. I wouldn't change a thing here. Most holes had a precariously positioned basket that offered some danger to otherwise routine putts. Everyone loved it and vowed to return next year after the Finals.

We drove the Winnie back to my parents' house and spent the night. In the morning we inventoried our new shipment of stuff from Innova and packed the Winnie up with goodies to sell over the next few weeks. Al and Sue drove on to Yancee, Kentucky for the 'Lake Cumberland Open' while I spent one more night at Mom and Dad's. Next morning I drove down to St. Louis, where I'll be playing in the Creve Coeur Classic. After St. Louis I'll head to Cincinnati to pick up Dave (I don't know how he's getting there yet) and meet Al and Sue at the Eric Yetter Memorial.

More soon!

-Todd

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