I see a lot of talk in the disc golf magazines about building a “disc golf mecca,” a place to go for the perfect disc golf experience. A place with a country club atmosphere, a beautiful course, onsite lodging and camping, perfect weather and all around beauty. This is the place. We don't need to build it. Mike and Michelle Cozzens have totally created a slice of disc golf heaven on earth at Sandy Point Resort and Disc Golf Ranch, where we have arrived for the Sandy Point Team Invitational (formerly known as the "Upper Midwest Team Challenge").

Lac Du Flambeau means "Lake of Torches." I don't know the story behind the name, but I'll investigate.

Our 'cabin' won’t be ready until tomorrow, but I snuck in and checked it out this morning. It has about 14 beds in 9 bedrooms. A huge living room, gigantic kitchen, 4 bathrooms and showers, a new 300 sq. ft. balcony. The view overlooks a sandy lakeshore. Hole #16a plays from our walkout basement downhill 190 feet to a basket 25 feet from the water line. There is a 40 foot pine on the right side of the fairway so the ideal shot is to throw a sidearm or turnover down and to the right. Al, of course, chooses to toss a backhand thumber 50 feet up and over the tip-top of the pine that flips and sticks into the ground near the basket. Totally dangerous and a shot that only Al can throw. It's a cool shot. Anyone playing against him will be intimidated when the see him throw here.

Let’s catch everyone up on the last few days of excitement. We left Dave McCormack’s house Tuesday afternoon, the Cali-boys had left about 4 hours before us. They wanted to get to Milwaukee in time for the baseball game. I took first driving shift. A shift of driving consists of 1 tank of gas. The Winnie holds about 30 gallons and gets about 8 miles to the gallon. A shift of driving burns about 25 gallons, gets us about 200 miles, and takes about 3 hours 20 minutes. We don't drive faster than 60 mph because gas mileage gets cut in half at faster speeds. We have a sign hanging on the front window that says "Don't feed the 4-barrel."

After two shifts of driving, we arrived in Pekin, Illinois, site of the upcoming Peoria Disc Golf Journal Open, June 5-6. We shot the whole course before dark. Al had one ace on #5. We threw several drives on hole #18, a 1000 footer that starts off with a 500 foot downhill drive, OB on the left, woods on the right... real cool. Lovely course. Big ole trees, grassy mowed fairways... it'll be a good tournament.

We left Pekin and after about two more shifts of driving, Al pulled into a lonely gas station in the middle of nowhere in upper Wisconsin. We waited for about 30 minutes for the gas station to open... filled up and I drove the rest of the way to Sandy Point. We stocked up on groceries and went over to the resort. Upon our arrival Michelle said we could camp by the cabin until Friday when the rest of the team would show up and the cabin would be available. We parked, slept awhile and played the course. This year the course was expanded from 18 to 24 holes to accommodate larger teams. Last year each team had 8 members and we played 9-hole matches. This year each of the 8 teams has 12 members and we play 12-hole matches.

The Cali-boys showed up a few hours later. We all went out and shot the course in a friendly informal singles fashion. Lots of extra shots, and a bit of razzing along the way.

Harold Hampton and Barry Schultz will be playing for the home team this year. Steve Rico and Roger Canselor will be playing for Northdog. Team Michigan’s opponents seem to be stocking up on national talent in hopes of beating us this year.

Editor's note - After reading this, Sandy Point's Michele Cozzens chimed in: "Barry Schultz played for Madison (the Bombers). . . the home team (i.e. Sandy Point Ranch Team) called in Harold Hampton, Scott Riley and Peter Sontag. I would have lined up Stevie and Roger had I known THEY WERE COMING!!!!! I had to "give" them to Matt Koerner when he called a few days before the tournament after some of his players dropped out."

Later that day Al and I cooked up some pork back ribs on the grill. Al really knows how to BBQ! I made some broccoli and cheddar noodles on the range inside the camper. It all made for a delicious dinner. Hyzer got all the bones and still has some BBQ sauce on his face this morning. After dinner Al and I played three 12-hole matches. Al won the first match 5-4 despite my hitting an ace on hole #1. (Other tally updates include one more lost disc for Al and one lost disc for me. Al threw one of my Aviars into a lake while we were playing catch in Waco, Texas.) Al won the second match 4-3. I won the 3rd match 2-1. Al built a campfire down by the lake and we sat there until bedtime.

Big update: Disc golf groupie #1 has been identified!!!! More info on her when I get the pictures developed.

My webmaster, Brian Sullivan, has suggested some additional information for me to write on... here it is:

Q: How do you approach the mental game? What works, and what are you trying to improve on?

The mental game... the game within the game... My mental game has changed somewhat since I've become a touring pro. It's a little harder now. Before, when I was working and making a bunch of money, I just wanted to play well and improve. Now I have to perform in order to keep the funds rolling in. Mostly my mental game is attempting to keep my confidence up. Usually when I don't think I am going to make a shot, I don't. When I feel that I know I will make a shot, I do. The more times I can play a hole before hand and make some good shots the more confident I feel when I step up to that hole in tournament play. This is why most people shoot better at their home course. They know that if they throw disc 'X' in direction 'Y' at angle 'Z.' they will be close to the hole. It takes me 10-15 experimental shots on a new hole before I feel that I have all the right XYZ's to make a good shot. That's the benefit of showing up for a tournament a few days in advance.... I can get my XYZ's straight in my head.

Q: Outside of competition, you haven't given much insight into Al. What are some of the things he says? What is he like to hang out with?

Insight into Al? Hmm.... don't know what to write. I'll try. Al is very very very laid back. He doesn't show any emotion on the course. Al has perfect form after over a decade of playing. He has in inexhaustible arsenal of trick shots. He performs best under pressure. Al and I are both of the philosophy 'Go with the flow and everything will work out on it's own.’ Al loves the dog... he calls him 'The Monster.' He spends as much time playing with Hyzer as I do. More on Al later... I'll try to get him to type in some updates later in the tour.

Q: Be sure to give good details of the Team Challenge. How does an aspiring player get on? Who's on team mich this year, talk about the top challengers and spotlight some key players.

Next year’s team will be comprised of any member from this years team who wishes to return. Any player not able to return next year will create an open slot for a new team member. Anyone wishing to fill a vacant slot must be eligible to play in the vacant division. Pad Timmons of Inflight Sports is the team captain. Aspiring team members must appeal to Pad.

Michigan's 1999 Team InFlight is:

5 open players:
Todd Branch (returning)
Al Schack (returning)
Gary Laura (played 2 years ago, now filling Mike Forton’s spot from 98)
Mike Raley (returning)
Drew Bray (new, not sure yet... last I heard he was trying to get vacation time)

3 Masters:
Pad Timmons (returning)
John Ferry (returning)
Mark Ellis (returning)

2 Amateur Males:
Mike Carey (new)
Steve Hultquist (new)

1 Grand Master:
Red Whittington (new)

1 Woman:
Sue Stevens (new)

Here's a recap of my final 18 holes, Waco, TX:
It was a threesome: Todd Branch (-20), Harold Hampton (-19), Eric Marx (-21). We started on hole #6:

#6 T(-20), H(-20), E(-21)
#7 T(-20), H(-21), E(-21)
#8 T(-20), H(-22), E(-22)
Three holes in and I'm down 2 strokes to both Eric and Harold. The three holes were not difficult and I missed a makable putt on all three. I wasn't too happy.

#9 T(-20), H(-23), E(-22)
Now I'm down 3 strokes. The winner of our flight will take 6th place. A bad round could take you all the way down to 22nd (no cash).

#10 T(-21), H(-23), E(-22)
got one back on a difficult hole... feeling better

#11 T(-21), H(-23), E(-20)
Eric has a bad hole and now mentally gives up... I won't report on the rest of his round, but needless to say he shoots +2 for a total of -19 and drops way off.

#12 T(-22), H(-24)
#13 T(-22), H(-24)
#14 T(-21), H(-23)
Harold and I both bogey a difficult hole.

#15 T(-21), H(-23)
Hole #16 is the turning point for my round. From here is was make or break. Harold had me by 2 strokes and I was shooting -1. The top 4 pro's shot -8 on the final 18. The average score for all the cashing pro's was a -2 on the final 18.

Hole #16 was 700 feet long with an OB road on the right and dense woods to the far left. Low overhanging trees made for a tricky air shot off the tee. Most players opt to roll. Harold threw a lovely drive right down the middle about 350 feet. I tried for the roller and grazed my left hand on my backswing. I turned the roll over too much and it was headed straight for the OB road. The roller hit a fairway tree trunk and remained in-bounds about 400 feet from the pin. We stepped up to my lie and looked over the situation. It was grim.

I was lying next to a large tree trunk and there were more low branches that made an airshot nearly impossible. Harold suggested that I could either try another roller or 'suck up' a bogey and move on. I thought about taking the bogey for a millisecond, and then noticed that there was a path for a roller if I threw it out to the left with the same XYZ that I had on the previous shot. I duplicated my earlier throw (without hitting my left hand) and the disc flew about 150 feet, hit the ground, rolled just by another tree trunk, made it pin high 50 feet left then curled to the right and came to rest directly under the pin. A drop in 3. I felt relieved and after a relatively lucky hole #16 I felt that fortune was on my side. Harold, being the pro he is, got his par also.

#17 T(-21), H(-23)
#18 T(-21), H(-23)
#1 T(-22), H(-23)
#2 T(-23), H(-24)
#3 T(-24), H(-24)
#4 T(-25), H(-25)
#5 T(-25), H(-26)

Harold deuced the last hole and I didn't. I didn't beat Harold, but we both shot great rounds. Harold was 6th and I was 7th. I was pleased.

That's it for now... more after the team challenge.

-Todd

June 1 1999, Ann Arbor, MI

We are back in Ann Arbor for just a few hours after playing in the Sandy Point Team Invitational. I have to grab some money and see Jaybird about buying some more plastic to sell.

Quick recap. Team Inflight/Michigan goes undefeated and wins the Team Challenge for the second year in a row. Other teams brought in ringer players such as Steve Rico, Scott Riley, Roger Cansellor, Harold Hampton, LaRon Harris, Barry Schultz, Ed Burde, and Peter Sontag. We still stood up to the challenge and repeated as champions.

Thank you Inflight Sports for being our team sponsor. More on this later.... when I have more time.

-Todd