The Art of the Ace
There are many milestones that we experience as we grow in disc golf. I remember the first time I was able to throw a driver ‘nose down’ and get a full flight out of a disc. The first time I dropped a C2 putt. Throwing forehand. My first roller. I could go on and on, but the one real accomplishment we all covet most is the ace. No matter the distance, throwing a disc once and landing it in the basket is one of the greatest feelings in the universe. If you have made an ace, then you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, hang in there, someday you will.
But are aces ‘good shots’? There are many aces caught on video, and if we’re being honest, most of them would have been horrible shots if the basket hadn’t got in the way.! I heard early in my disc golf journey that, “An ace run is just a bad shot.” I think many times this statement is true. For example, if I’m looking at a 320-foot par 3, my goal is to throw a shot in such a way that the disc will land around 40 feet from the basket to allow the disc to skip up to the target. If I were to throw a higher line with the intent of the disc crashing into the chains and I miss, then that same skip angle will put me in a bad position for the birdie putt. Or worse, I buzz the tower and end up way out in circle two. For a real-life example, let’s examine Garret Gurthie’s impressive hole-in-one on at the LVC. Was it an amazing ace? Yes. But if he misses the basket? Tragedy! Do you agree that his tee shot was in fact a bad shot?
Okay, okay, I hear you. “Not all ace runs are bad shots dude!” And I will agree with that. Certain hole designs are made for the ace run. I think of a nice uphill shot with a great backstop that allows you to really run right at the basket without much consequence if you miss. A prime example of this is the JohnE McCray 302-foot uphill ace at the 2022 Pro Worlds. In this case, he was right to run right at the basket because if he misses, his disc won’t flare out too bad. And there are also downhill shots that beg for the ace run. And for this example, I will toot my own horn. Hole 11 at Meyer Broadway North DGC in Three Rivers, Michigan is a short but tight slightly downhill shot that begs for a gentle floating shot, and when executed correctly, can find the basket in one.
So, are aces good shots or bad shots? Or are they just ‘Happy little accidents”, as my wife says? Maybe they are both, depending on the situation. Is throwing an ace a skill, or just luck? I think if you gave any top 50 pro ten shots at an ace-able hole, they would hit it at least once, or come very close. Can a pro call an ace before his throw? Seems impossible, but I want to close with what must be one of the most epic aces in disc golf history. I’m talking about Eagle McMahon’s incredible roller ace at Hammond Park in Emporia, KS, caught on film during Simon Lizotte’s Discmania Mystery Box Discmas Vlog. It’s hard to fathom a more impressive and epic shot not only in execution, but because he called it out beforehand. Eagle has many accolades and will certainly go down in history as one of the best, but this may be his best highlight when it’s all said and done.
Do you have an ace? Was it a good shot or bad shot? Were you lucky enough to get it on film? Let me know! I’d love to hear from you in the comments. Thanks for reading and see you next week.
