I would like to address a few things;
First the North Texas Series Final
Second the future of myself and the events
Third the state of the business of Disc Golf

The North Texas Series Final Weekend

The NTS Final Skins Match has been postponed from September 7, 2008 to October 12, 2008 at Z Boaz. I apologize for any issues that this change may cause. It is the weekend following USDGC and I will have a much more complete selection of gear at that time.

This event is very unique in the fact that everyone on every card has the opportunity to "cash". The first round is regular stroke play to seed you in your division. The second round is skins on every card. If you are on the bottom card in your division you will obviously be playing for less than the top card, but each hole will have a value for every player on every card.

This event is open to everyone, even if you didn't play the minimum number of events. That only gets you into the event nearly free. If you didn't play the min, you can get in for the regular NTS one day entry fees, Rec $30, Int $35, Adv $40, and all Open divisions $45. If you did play the min, you get in for $9!!

Flex Start Pick Your Partner Doubles from 10 am until 2 pm on Saturday October 11 at Z Boaz. Entry fees are $20 per team for all Am Teams and $30 per team for all Pro Teams, and you can play more than once if you like.

Good Times Picnic will take place starting at 4pm until whenever on Saturday October 11 at Z Boaz. This is not a competition; it is a reminder of why we all started playing disc golf in the first place, Good Times.

The Good Times get started with a one disc round with some friends. Grab the one disc that will get you all the way through 18 Shorts on the Mighty Z and put your bag in the car. No bags and no spares, only the one disc and your friends. After the round the fun continues with a "pot luck" picnic for all participants.

We will provide the meat (part of your entry fee goes to cover the briskets and etc's with the BBQ), and you bring something like beans, potato salad, slaw, jello etc…..this is part of your entry fee so please don't forget. This is followed by much socialization with friends old and new. This event, as always is open to the entire family.

The entry fee for this event is $18 and a side of some kind for the picnic. Everyone will receive a 100% cotton long sleeve Good Times t-shirt, food and drink, a fun reminder of why we got hooked on this in the first place, and an opportunity to make new friends. Everyone is welcome.

The Future and all that other stuff

At this point in time I have made the decision to discontinue operation of The North Texas Series. I will continue to run some of the events that I have run in the past, but the number will be down significantly from years past.

I will no longer be working in Disc Golf as a means of support effective immediately. I will be doing some stage work again, as well as exploring other business opportunities. I have put myself second for far too long and that will not continue. I will split my time in a manner that is more beneficial to me from now on.

Thanks to all that have supported me, and gone the distance with and for me. I am truly grateful and I can't thank you enough. Anyone who put me up or set me up with a friend to stay with along the way, I wish I had made a list so I could send you a thank you letter. But those of you who really know me know I would not get around to it. So I will thank you here. I could not have done all of the things I have done in the last 14+ years without your help, thank you very much. The countless friendships and good times that have come my way through out all of this are the great reward that I will always cherish. Thank you all so much.

I will continue to run PIO (January), Cedar Hill (post Super Bowl), Z Boaz Open (late April), A to Z Doubles (late Feb or early March, in a similar time frame as other doubles events in TX), and Waco Charity Open (late May or early June). There will not be a Big Show series again any time soon.

In the future I will run these events in very different manner, with a completely different approach. That approach will be based firmly in reality. You want a big event? You want to receive the benefits of a big event? You have to pay for it. I am certianly not going to pay for it any more. Nor will I go out and beg people in the local community to give us money because our sport is so cool and we are even cooler than that. You want to see a big event than buy a fundraiser disc. You want to see an even bigger event than help me sell some fundraisers in your neighborhood or town. You want more? Are you a top player? Than allow me to sell a round, a half day, or a full day with you on and around the course. It only makes sense. You want more than do more. I currently have around 40 CFR Destroyers that I will ship for $25 ea, that money will go to PIO and generate more support for subsequent events. Email me brian@maceman.com

You may not want to hear this, but we are not that cool and we are not going to get there any time soon. We do not have any power in the advertising market, and we are not capable of generating anywhere near the attention necessary to pull down the sponsorship that many of us demand. I am going to let you in on a secret, sponsorship is advertising. Advertising is done to generate business, not to make beggars happy.

Unfortunately we are not that good at supporting our sponsors, and we are seen as a group that receives but rarely gives in return. Besides all of that we are just us, no spectators' just players. We aren't even drawing a crowd that is large enough to pull down the dream sponsor money at the biggest and greatest event in the game why would the XYZ Open suddenly be the one to make it happen?

This sport has a lot of good people that have the bad habit of talking really loud about a topic they have little to no knowledge of. It is amazing how many people there are in this game that know more about running a business and or events than the person that actually does it. Then lets throw in some unrealistic expectations and demands on top of it all. The end result is a person giving it his all, and the reward is a sound beating in one form or fashion from the main beneficiaries. Not to mention the bonus end reward, the reputation that comes from all the kind words of all the winners that hauled home the inadequate payout at the end.

Have you ever heard of the bucket crab mentality? If you take one crab and a bucket, put the crab in the bucket. He can easily reach the top and pull himself up and over the edge to freedom. But if you put a few crabs in the bucket, the one on top can easily reach up and pull himself over the edge to freedom. The problem is that the other crabs see the one "getting ahead of them" and they reach up and grab the crab and try to pull themselves up as well only to pull the first crab back down on top of them again.

Unfortunately disc golfers are a lot like bucket crabs. The local promoter is the first crab, and the players are the other crabs in the bucket. Most bucket crabs don't know or even care what is going on. But there's that one super sleuth crab that has appointed himself as the local watch crab. He's on the job keeping anyone from "getting rich" or gaining freedom, and if there is the hint of progress or something appears slightly out of line he will be on the scene. But not really, he will be out there somewhere talking really loud, but never taking the time to do all of the home work. Preaching in his outside voice about the perceived injustice but never really doing a complete investigation on the situation. Gathering all the facts "I need" as proof, and then pushing through the conviction without a trial and moving straight to the punishment.

If that local promoter isn't entitled to anything for his efforts, why should he do the work? Who among you will work this week for free? I know the answer is a resounding no from all, so why then should this or any local or national promoter do any of this for you with no pay? It is work, it takes up time, and it should be rewarded. The thing that is sad is that it goes on in every town in every state in the game. The names are different but the game is the same.

In case you didn't read the paragraph above I ask again, if you are not willing to work this week for free, why should your local disc golf promoter work for you for free????

Wake up you local promoters. Your merch has a value and in order for the game to move forward and you to succeed you need to realize that value. Otherwise we are just moving the same money around over and over again. All of the basic equipment is so cheap even at full retail compared to other sports equipment. It is so counterproductive to try and work a promoter for a dollar or two on a disc price, when that is the actual growth of the sport.

This is all so simple and so stupid all at the same time. Here are my recommendations as of September 2008.

Players wise up and enjoy what you have. Stop beating on your local promoter unless you are willing to do what they are doing, and if so you must do it better than the person before you or why get rid of them dumb ass? You keep throwing stones at that guy or gall doing all the work for you, and they will go away after they get hit enough times. Then who will you have to throw stones at???

Promoters take the time and learn what you are doing. You and the game really need to get the full value from your products; it is the only thing that the economy of the game can count on year after year. You are not Sam Walton, and the sport is not Wal-Mart. We are all the sport has, no sponsor is going to come along anytime soon and take us to the next level. We have to wise up and become real business people or get out. If your not swimming your treading water and you just as well get out of the pool. DO something original, gain an edge and compete with that. Don't hide behind a cut rate price because you aren't really bringing anything to the plate in the first place. Don't exist in this business just to rape the market and the game, do it some good or move on.

You can agree with me or disagree I don't care and I wasn't asking. I am telling you what I think and how I feel. Disc Golf used to be my passion. That was taken away little by little over time, and now I don't know what to say. I feel like I have been robbed in many ways. I can't afford to give my life away for free any more.

You can send me an email or we can discuss any or all of this on the discussion board here on maceman.com when I get around to it. brian@maceman.com

To those of you who have gone out of your way to undermine me and my efforts, you can fill in the blanks _ _ _ _   _ _ _.

Sincerely
Brian Mace