Team Discraft: Barrett White Disc Golf Bio

	NAME:	Barrett White
	TEAM:	Womens
	HOMETOWN:	Forest Park, IL
	PDGA #:	16737
	2007 PDGA RATING:	931
	BORN:	1968
	STARTED IN DISC GOLF:	1999
	on vid:	Chicagoland News
	day gig:	Bill Review Team Manager, Zurich Services Company
	All THAT GLITTERS:	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

There have been so many. Skip ace at Michiana on Oxbow 23 with Des and Angela in the group--talk about great company! In the same vein, round one at Nationals, 2007, grouped with Des, Elaine and Jen Ketz, wonderful group. The hospitality extended by the local players at just about every tournament makes it fun. Finishing -10, which would have been tied for 14th in the Open Division @ Illinois States.

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.

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.

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.
Toboggan Milford, MI	This is a course that I will take sick days from work to play. It is only brought out for rare occasions. The scenery is lovely, and the course is beyond challenging. Multiple fun shots off hillsides.
Spring Valley Houston, TX	This course is on a ball golf course for 9 holes, with 18 holes independently winding through the woods that surround the ball golf course. The 9 shared holes are fun to throw, big and open. The 18 woodsy holes are technically challenging and gorgeous. The pro shop people are amazingly supportive.

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)	Quite possibly the most fun disc to throw ever! I can use this disc in almost any situation, and I trust its reliability more than any other. I can steer it in the woods, it's amazing for a spike hyzer, and it is a brilliant skip disc. Have I mentioned versatile? I can plug and play this disc in nearly every situation and distance. In a two-disc challenge, this is one of the two, every time.
FLX Surge (167 - 169)	Same upsides as the ESP Surge, with more steerability and loads of resilience. I use this for Surge shots where I need an anhyzer flight on a large scale.
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).
Z Comet (170 - 172)	This disc is a tremendous role player, with a fabulous glide, and a consistent, straight flight path. I can use it for shorter anhyzer throws, and for wooded shots where I have less margin for error than I do with the Wasp. With a tail wind and big open spaces to fly, this disc will float nearly forever on the wind in an almost perfect line, with little to no fade at the end.
X Comet (170 - 172)	Mr. Reliable. This disc is an Ultimate player's dream. Flies the line you put it, goes forever, and has a great glide. When I have a bit more room to play with, I love putting this disc up on a big anhyzer roll curve, and letting it float down towards the hole. Really trusty disc to have in a lot of situations.

In The Disc Golf Bag: Putt and Approach
Disc	Comments
D Banger-GT (170-172)	I love this putter! It has such a reliable line, and enough stability to hold that line upwind, which is huge. And I love the feel of this plastic in my hand. Grippy, yet velvety soft. In the past year, the trust I am able to put in this disc has increased my putting range, and my putting success dramatically.
X Soft Banger-GT (170-172)	For those times when you need just a little softer landing than the D Banger, this guy is perfect. It has a little less stability, and more margin for error, and again, the feel of the plastic is great! In winter golf, where everything gets a little bouncier, this guy hangs onto the chains nicely.

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