Team Discraft: Barrett White Disc Golf Bio

	NAME:	Barrett White
	TEAM:	Womens
	HOMETOWN:	Forest Park, IL
	PDGA #:	16737
	2009 PDGA RATING:	929
	BORN:	1968
	STARTED IN DISC GOLF:	1999
	on vid:	Chicagoland News
	day gig:	Billing Group Manager, FMC-NA
	All THAT GLITTERS:	1st, 2008 2009 USWDGC Pro Masters 1st, 2009 Greater Peoria Open 16 2007 victories 1st, 2006 St. Louis Open 1st, 2006 IL State Championships 1st, 2006 IL Open Series overalls 6th, 2006 Women's US Nationals 2nd, Am Worlds 2000 co-Rookie of the Year 2001

MEMORABLE DISC GOLF MOMENTs

La Vie en Rose 2009. Juliana Korver & Denny Ritner put on this great tournament at a beautiful course in Florida over Valentine's Day weekend, and it was amazing. Women from everywhere came to compete, and after a gorgeous, sunny day to warm up and play doubles on Friday, we ended up with this drenching rain for most of Saturday play. The masters group was so helpful and supportive, which was good, because between Friday and Saturday I broke one tooth and had a crown pop off (the payoff to a lifetime of Skittles consumption). Had it not been for Peggy Berry, Lisa Warner, JT Rosenthal, Allana Kohler, and Frank Luce, I would have been unable to compete. Lisa, Frank and Allana also kept me able to play at 2009 USWDGC when I blew out my ankle on the last hole of day 1. Peoria Open 2009. Liz Lopez and I were tied after Saturday, then again after Sunday's round, necessitating a playoff (which was exciting for me, because Liz had been playing phenomenally in 2009). We started at the first hole at Eureka, which had been our Sunday round, and which I had foured after running a long deuce putt, missing, and rolling down the hill during the normal round (Liz had gotten a 2). Roles reversed during the playoff, and I was able to win on the first playoff hole. Also, 2009 USWDGC warmup at Camden II was something I will always remember. The course had been doused with some odd chemical combination to kill the poison ivy (two days before tournament play), and the fumes were making us all dizzy and watery-eyed. Lisa Warner took a great group picture, which should help us when we all have some odd, never-before-seen cluster of disease 20 years from now.

Barrett's Disc Golf Tips

Look At Your Options:
Take the time to look at all the shot options you have, instead of over-focusing on one choice when looking at a hole. This means exploring and playing with your discs off the course, too. A disc will fly in almost any position, which is useful when you have thrown yourself into a sticky situation. Experiment, play. Also, play catch as much as you can. Get to the point where throwing discs is fun and feels natural, so you don't put so much pressure on yourself and get into your head so much in pressure situations.

Check Your Stance:
So many players throw from an awkward position to keep their 'front' foot behind their marker. I'm always surprised by how many experienced golfers I will see throwing from the rough, with their center mass less than three feet from clearer throwing zones. I have worked with players to explain the 'pivot foot' concept (carryover from Ultimate), which allows for more reach when an initial shot does not land in a clear area. If you use the pivot foot as a starting point and step out from there, without feeling obligated to keep your toe pointing directly towards your mini, you have the full 180 degree rotation available to you behind the line of your mini, which opens up your options a lot.

Isolate and Hone:
Barrett White / Team Discraft

The big jump in my distance came with my first reconstructive ankle surgery. It forced me to stand up on my release rather than stepping down and around my marker, as I was accustomed to doing from Ultimate. While I don't recommend surgery as a distance-adding strategy (playing 18-54 holes on crutches is a bit tiring), it does reinforce the need to occasionally slow down and evaluate the components of your approach. Work on driving from a standstill and really focus on your arm and trunk motion; this will allow you to isolate and hone the motions that really work for you. Do the same with your footwork, slow down your steps and see if your footwork is helping or hurting your throw. If you can learn to isolate the different components of your drive, it will be easier to tune up your throws, if you find something is working or not working for you. A fabulous takeaway from playing multiple times on crutches is that I can drive with little to no approach as conditions dictate. Don't be too over reliant on a high-speed, high-power approach; sometimes one or two steps and a bit more control will do just fine.

Experiment (Just Not During The Tourney):
Often you hear players say from the rough that they don't have the throw they need to get out of where they are. Even more, they'll find themselves in an awkward lie and try a throw they have never tried to get out of where they are. A tourney round is the worst place to practice new throws--you're nowhere near as relaxed as you should be while you're learning. In non-tourney time, learn all the throws you can. Grab a buddy and a putter or an UltraStar and go to an open field and play catch. Try different throws. Try odd throws that might not work--you could be surprised when it is a better idea than you thought. If someone in your group has a really great forehand, and you can't quite get yours down, ask them about theirs when the round is over. Then take what they tell you to that open field and practice it until it feels natural. Learn your new throws in low-pressure, fun situations so that when you break them out in a tourney, it's just more fun for you and your disc.

Remove Your Distractions
Early on in the season a couple of years ago, I realized that I was exceptionally distracted at tournaments, especially towards the end of the day, and it was not just the glacial pace of tournament play. I was asking to see the scorecard multiple times, and spending a lot of mental energy wondering where I was in relation to the group--then speculating where I was in the division. I changed a couple things, and have seen a major improvement in my tourney play. First, I got an iPod. The shuffle has really cut down on my negative mental chatter, kept me on the hole I was playing, and helped me keep my mood consistent and upbeat. Second, I realized it doesn't matter how other people throw--it's my play that I can affect; in everyone else's game I am a spectator. Once I got out of my head, off the scorecard, and into the moment, I found my distractibility had dropped nicely, and my scores improved.

Putting is fun. Repeat. Putting is fun.
Until you are just outside your comfort zone in a close, every-stroke-counts match and you are staring uphill and upwind at a basket that couldn't look less receptive. Then, putting can be less fun. Unless you have developed a routine and made it become more fun in your mind. Here's how: play putting games with yourself and with others. I play horse and point putting games against friends when we want to play, but don't want to play a full 18 holes. It helps make putting more fun and gamelike, while making it competitive. When I am by myself, I leapfrog my putters -- I spray a bunch of shots and then line up groups of putters. Starting with the close ones, I shoot from each close shot, then bring the discs to each next shot and putt from there, etc. Not woo hoo fun, but add in an iPod, and I find myself spending 20 minutes putting and getting in rhythm pretty nicely. I also play 'Darwin' with my putters to keep them hungry. Before a tournament, I will take a bunch of the putter out to the course (again, this is where an iPod shuffle is fantastic--I find that most things don't distract me since I have been putting to the Ramones) and progressively putt all the putters, see which ones made it into the basket, eliminate those that didn't, add 3-5 feet of distance from the basket and repeat. Keep repeating and eliminating until you have the number of putters you need for the tournament. When the weaker putters have eliminated themselves, the strongest few get to be in the bag for the tournament. Survival of the fittest. Plus, it lets all the putters have a chance to be in the rotation, which keeps them fresh and happy.

Adapting to Negative Weather Conditions
If you are going to play in less than perfect weather, you cannot possibly be too prepared. Start with cold. I cannot tell you how many times I see people in jeans and flannel shirts playing in sub-freezing weather, then saying how cold they are. Duh. Layers are the key to cold weather golf, and if it is cold and wet, you'll need extra sets of all layers. Inner layer should be something heat-conserving and wicking. Underarmor is great for that. Second layer, light cotton, heat-retaining. Third layer, another light cotton layer. Fourth layer, light fleece, possibly wind-lined. Fifth layer, Gore-Tex. Liner socks under waterproof socks, waterproof boots, gloves, and head/ neck covering. And multiple extras for all layers if there is any hint of precipitation. I have seen many golfers dress perfectly for the weather, but suffer through round two because the first round was rainy--it's surprising how little heat you retain when you are soaked to the skin. Discomfort, let alone frostbite, are huge mental drains to your tourney game. Dress appropriately, and bring loads of towels (or chamois, they last longer), and you'll be able to keep your mental energy where it belongs, on your game.

Play Catch
Play catch whenever you can--the more you can do this the better. If you are new to throwing discs, grab a soft putter (I recommend the Banger or Challenger) and a friend and play catch. If you are just starting, get 20-30 feet of distance between you and toss the disc back and forth. You can gradually increase your distance as you become more comfortable. When I was learning Ultimate, our captain gave us 'homework' of making and catching 100 throws a day. Our throws got better, and we became more comfortable making the throws in pressure situations. If you can practice throwing and catching with your putter, it becomes a natural, comfortable motion, a fun activity, and something you can do by muscle memory. It is also a great way to warm up before a tournament.

COURSES YOU SHOULD PLAY:
Course	Comments
McNaughton Park Peoria, IL	This course is mentally and physically demanding, if you bring your brain game and consistent throws, the course is delightful. Even when I shoot it poorly, it is scenically marvelous. Usually can count on wildlife encounters.
Sioux Passage St. Louis, MO	This course has been redone, and there is a local club that takes wonderful care of their parks. While the course is bigger than my arm is, it is challenging, and forces smart golf. Again, a beautiful course, scenery wise.
Hiestand Madison, WI	It's not only that the course was put in with money raised from the 1993 Ultimate Worlds in Madison, but the course is gorgeous, with holes that look like they were taken straight out of Lord of the Rings. Challenging pro tees, with a great view of the capitol from the hilltop.
Camden II Milan, IL	Another mentally and physically challenging course. The holes are well-designed, the course flows well, and every hole looks like a scene from Lord of the Rings. Also, it is exceptionally dog-friendly.
Lemon Lake Silver Cedar Lake, IN	This is a challenging course that makes great use of the terrain. It allows the use of a variety of shots, and is scenically amazing in the fall. This is also one of the most dog-friendly courses in my area.

In The Disc Golf Bag: Drivers
Disc	Comments
ESP Surge (167 - 169)	This disc goes much farther, with less effort, than anything I have ever thrown. It holds a line, where you put it, and has a terrific glide. I am throwing this disc for over 75% of my drives in open and/ or large courses.
Z Flick (150 class)	Still nutty about this disc. It is the most steerable, land on a dime disc I have (it makes sense, once you figure out that the Flick will skip on landing, and adapt to that). The Flick was the disc that threaded through the pines on hole 24 at Ox Bow (Goshen, IN) during the Michiana Open to give me my only tournament ace -- a skip ace at that.
ESP Avenger (150 gm)	This is another disc I am working into my bag. The X Avenger is such a great all-around disc, and I have such love for the 150 Flick that I had to try. Downwind, this disc glides forever, and it has the steerability of its larger sibling. It tends to be very understable in a headwind, but is great for a long, gliding anhyzer. This is another disc I am giving to newer women players I see on the course. Easy to throw for a beginner, and steerable, great distance for experienced players.
ESP Flick (150 class)	This is one of the fastest discs I have ever thrown. Same flight pattern as the Z Flick (extremely overstable), but a little less zany on the skip on most terrains. Because it is so light and so stable, it is easy to throw uphill, giving a lot of distance with relatively little effort. When I need a disc to hang a sharp left into a headwind and land on a dime, the Flick is the perfect choice. I have also found that for sharp right to lefts with tree action and a landing zone where I don't want to roll, that the Flick will settle back right to left nicely, after a sharp left to right turn.
FLX Surge (167 - 169)	For anyone who plays during the fall and winter, this is an amazing disc. I have seen lesser plastics explode when thrown into a tree in the cold, and the FLX Surge just bounces off. It is like throwing a super ball. Where the ESP plastic is a little skippier on dry ground, the FLX plastic is grippy, and hangs on when it lands.
FLX Surge SS (167 - 172)	Where the Surge is an amazing distance disc, which can be thrown with relative ease for huge yardage, the FLX SS edition gives all the distance, with a slightly gentler flight pattern and less of an overstable finish. I have also found that I can use it for longer left to right curves, which makes it a great addition to the bag that didn't require adaptation to an entirely different profile and flight path. I am also finding that the SS version of the Surge finishes amazingly fast. So far, I am loving the distance this disc has with a tailwind.
X Avenger (164 - 169)	This is such a great all around disc. I use it for poppy anhyzer drives. It holds a straight line through a ceilinged tunnel shot like a dream, and it is great for steerability as well.

In The Disc Golf Bag: Midrange
Disc	Comments
X Wasp (167 - 172)	This is my go-to upshot disc. It has a great range, and I can use it in almost any situation. I keep an older one for my glide-y anhyzer shots, a less beaten one for arrow-straight lines through wooded tunnels, and a newer one for upwind/ hyzer shots. This disc is steerable, and I can rely on it to do the job of the upshot disc perfectly (de-necessitate a difficult shot for Mr. Putter).
ESP Wasp (170 - 172)	All the benefits and steerability of the X Wasp, with a little more stability for those upshots with a little more wind. I can bend the ESP Wasp on a right to left curve through trees, and know that even in the nastiest headwind, this disc will hang on and finish left, without rolling.
Z GLO Buzzz (167 - 172)	For a line drive tunnel shot, or a shot you need to have glide through the direction you steer it--this is the disc. It has all of the glide and steerability of the Buzzz ESP with a tendency to stay on target that is off of the charts. It also has a great scalability in being able to stay on target for a longer flight. I have given the GLO Buzzz to people who have been hooked on other upshot discs, and they have loved what the GLO Buzzz brings to their bag.
ESP Buzzz (167 - 172)	With a little more finish stability than the Glow Buzz, this is a disc I am working into my bag. Thus far, I have been pleased with the consistent flights, and this disc's ability to follow directions. It is a steerable cousin to the Wasp with less action on the finish.
X Comet (170 - 172)	This is the primary disc I have on hand to give to newer women players when I see them. It is straightforward, and can be trusted to go where you throw it. I often see women players out with their guy friends throwing 175 Predators or Venoms, or whatever their friends are throwing. These discs are fabulous discs if you have the power and experience to control them, but are not beginner-friendly unless you are built for them. I love seeing the players immediately get the straight, directed distance the wicked overstable discs were not giving them.

In The Disc Golf Bag: Putt and Approach
Disc	Comments
D Banger-GT (170-172)	I credit the reliability of this disc with the vast improvements I have seen in my putting game, most of which is from the confidence I have in this disc. Unless it encounters thrower error, this disc will hang on to the chains and settle into the basket nicely. It knows where its home is, and definitely wants to go to its home.
X Soft Banger-GT (170-172)	The more I get used to this disc, the more I love it. Soft landings, gentleness with the chains -- especially during the cold months, this disc is velvety smooth, and fun to putt with.

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