Sound Science From the 10DOWN Laboratory

As another long, cold winter begins to ease it's icy grip from the northeast, our team of aerochemists are on a mission here at 10DOWN headquarters.




We want to know how to be the best. We want to share that knowledge with you. We're running the numbers, testing solutions, and dialing our trajectory into the 2011 season.

Being aerochemists, we of course study the brain chemistry of disc golfers during heightened awareness in the cerebral cortex, or while "in the zone".


Years of research led us to one important question. How does one achieve this state on a consistent basis?


Natural ability can only get you so far. Is it superior strength? A knack for eluding mental tangle? Divine intervention? And then it hit me...

Carl Sagan once said, "in order to make apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe".




Of course! These players have spent a long time laying the foundation for success. Gamers don't just get up off the couch and shoot 10DOWN. They pour love and dedication into building their world, their game. They win because they put themselves in position to win. That's right, I'm talkin' bout practice.

Confidence is born of repetition. Achieving "the zone" consistently is a product of practice, practice, and more practice. So, hit the field often and make it fun. If you put in the time, you WILL reap the benefits on the track this season.


It's not magic, just sound science. Have fun, go low.

Location:Science Lab

Woodland Valley's 7th Annual Ice Bowl

The first Ice Bowl was held 25 years ago in Columbia, Missouri. Since then, this great tradition of charity and winter disc golf has blossomed into a nationwide effort with more than $225,000 and nearly 56,000 lbs of food going to foodbanks and other charities last year alone.

Howard and Linda Burham, the owners of Woodland Valley have been participating in Ice Bowl since they've been open, with the well groomed Black Bear course serving as the ideal winter testing grounds. If you've never been to Woodland, you have to check out their two fun courses and huge pro shop.








Big props to Howard as the tee boxes and fairways were in excellent condition. I'd also like to give a shout out to Mother Nature.








The playing conditions were immaculate with crystal blue skies, only a gentle breeze, and temps warm enough to be comfy gloveless yet cool enough to keep the footing firm on the fairways.

Winter golf always comes with a dose of humility as skips, slips, and slide-aways can leave even the most serious golfer smiling and shaking their head. Not surprisingly, the 1st round scores reflected the season and no one broke into the 40's. The Open field saw 3 players knotted at -4 at the break while John Sellers came in with a 50 of his own and a 2 stroke lead in AM1 at the half.

Lunch break at Ice Bowl is always a highlight and this year was no exception. A deliciously hearty chili and Beefy brisket with all the fixings warmed the players' souls before the 2nd round battles ensued.








The 2nd round saw more relaxed play overall and as the day warmed up, so did Nick Gagne. Nick shot a smoking -7 front and never looked back, capturing the Open title despite a late stumble.
Jon Sellers continued his good play and took down AM1 while Tex Long grabbed the AM Masters' top spot and Arcel Molina fought hard for his 1st victory in AM2. Congrats guys!



The big winner of the day though, was Sam Pease. Not only did she best the women's field, she also took home $155 for her ace on hole 5. Great job, Sam!




A big thanks goes out to the TD's, Bryan Jordan and Jon Borenstein for a super smooth day. Also, thanks to Linda and Howard for hosting and all who attended, donated, and made this event special.








The 1st rule of Ice Bowl is that the event can never be cancelled due to bad weather, "no whimps, no whiners". Winter disc golf in Maine can sometimes be brutal, but this time we couldn't have asked for a better day.

Location:Limerick, ME

Bellamy Park Ice Bowl Feb. 5th, 2011

True to its namesake, New Hampshire's first ever Ice Bowl met its 41 participants with snow, rain, sleet, and freezing rain!


Throw in 2-3 feet of snow, including over a foot falling just a few days previous, and you've got yourself, well... Disc Golf in the middle of winter New England!


Huge ups to first time Tournament Director Rob Feeney and all the peeps who helped out with the course and the event. A warm Clubhouse, healthy players packs (including a disc to every player) dope CTP prizes, nifty Winners Trophies, hot coffee and cider, and complementary lunch = just what the Dr. ordered.

Other TD's - the bar for clearing T-pads in the icy Tundra has been raised. Time to get yourself a FLAME THROWER... both effective and Wicked Cool! Can also be used for fighting crime.

In the open division Jim Bouffard got his groove on with 4 consecutive birdies (14,15,16,17) to take a two stroke lead over Tyler Cass after the first 18.


Jimbo continued the charge with back to back birdies to start round 2. After an early second round DNF by Cass, Josh Connell put some solid pressure on Bouffard shooting the hot round of the day with a 51. With dueces on 16 & 17, Connell managed to bring it within one. In the end Jimmy B kept it together on 18 and secured his first PDGA victory.

The AM I division also saw a nice second round comeback as Jason Toothaker outlasted fellow Mainer Brendan Johnson for the win


Full Results Here

Bellamy Park's second ever Disc Golf tournament no doubt lived up to the ice bowl spirit of fun, community, and charity. Much thanks to the TD, volunteers, and all the sponsors.



The course has def come a long way in recent years and it's fantastic to see more New Hampshire Disc Golf action.
Looking forward to the 2011 NH NEFA 2x Event this Summer (06/26/2011)!!

Also of Note:
• $624 was raised for the New Hampshire Food Bank
• Advanced Master's, the only age protected division, was also the only division without a DNF.

2010Down Vibram Open Polo Week

News release: Steve Dodge, Vibram Disc Golf

Vibram Open polos are available for one week each year.

Wear what the pros wear.

Every shirt is custom embroidered with your name.

Special thanks to 10Down for co-branding their top polo for this year's shirts.

Help make 2010 our best shirt fundraiser year ever!

Order yours today: http://www.maplehillopen.com/10vopolo.html

MPT - Blowing Up!!!

A record setting 104 players showed up to play at the 2nd MPT event of the 2010 season!


Straight up crazy how much this sport had grown over the past few years in Maine. Wouldn't be suprised to see TD's using Pre-Registration to accommodate masses. That being said... Good vibes, beautiful weather, good peoples, and a fun day of disc overshadowed the grind of a Really long challenging day.

In classic Dave Enman fashion, every well-manicured fairway is carpeted with a healthy layer of wood chips. The course features a mix of shorter putter shots, a few longer deucable holes, and a handful of challenging Par 4 holes. Orrington rewards a player who is heady, clean off the T, and has a variety of shots in the bag to get outta trouble, if need be.

After 36 holes, three players (Billy Schreiber, Matt Enman, & Bobby Brooks) stood tied with a 115 total. Highlight of the day included B. Brooks smokin 53 2nd round, setting a new course record... Nice shootin Bobo!

In the end, Matt Enman took care of Bizness, defending his home turf with a birdieon the first playoff hole for the win. Good to have ya back!
A Fat Ace Pot of $650 was split between Ryan Bourque (hole 18) and TD Ryan Enman (hole 16)Huge props to Dave for the added cash to the pot!
Check Results Here http://www.mainediscgolfers.com/phpBB3/page.php?p=orrington-results&sid=289317fc85d25428c833ad906b7ebdb5
Thanks to all involved in securing a course in the greater Bangor area... Much needed!Next Stop on the MPTour... Creative Rec.

Brinster TDs, Wins NY State Championships

The promise of a stunningly challenging Disc Golf setting and some of the top Disc Golfers in the Northeast landed us in Warwick, NY for the 2010 NY State Championship. A far cry from the hustle of Manhattan, Warwick has a country stillness that was unexpected.
Although the course overflowed with plenty of beautiful vistas & serenity visually, the playing experience was anything but.



The multiple tees created distinquished layouts while using essentially the same land, just more of it. The short tee to alt. baskets was ripe for many deuce opportunities with precise drives while the long tee to alt. baskets demanded considerably more distance with similar precision.


10Down's J.Dore finished 11th in a very stout 38 person Pro Open field with a two round total of even Par. The PDGA C-tier event was also the USDGC qualifier for NY and was won by Bobby Jones from the Rochester area. See you in South Carolina Bobby!
Results: http://www.pdga.com/tournament-results?TournID=10222&year=2010&include_ratings=1#Open

Mainahs climb Mighty Gaw

Sixty-three Disc Golfers from all over the Northeast converged on rainy Campgaw Mountain Reservation to compete in the 2010 Mighty Gaw PDGA C-tier.



The famed Mighty Gaw layout which is only in the ground for the spring & fall season offered everything you'd ever want in a snow mountain Disc Golf course.



Extreme elevation changes, long challenging woods holes, & tricky basket placements made for a terrific Disc Golf challenge. The 6365 ft. par 57 white layout and the 9283 ft. par 70 blue layout left everyone begging for an advil after the day's competition.
Results: Results: http://www.pdga.com/tournament-results?TournID=10079

10Down's own Ben Dunlap continued his comeback from knee surgery last season with a very respectable 3rd place finish. Three Mainahs cracked the Top 10 in Pro Open and everyone slept well on Monday, we didn't get back to Maine until 3:45am.