Team Discraft: Patrick Blazek Disc Golf Bio

	NAME:	Patrick Blazek
	TEAM:	Tour
	HOMETOWN:	Palmer Lake, CO
	PDGA #:	25325
	2009 PDGA RATING:	1005
	BORN:	1984
	STARTED IN DISC GOLF:	2000
	day gig:	Lab Services Technician (I draw blood)
	HOT SHOTS:	Cashed in 25 of 28 events in 2009 cashed in 17 of 22 events in 2008 2nd, 2009 Fountain Hills Thrills 2nd, 2008 Sunrise Showdown 4th, 2008 Colorado State Championships 7th, 2008 SoCal State Championships

Memorable disc golf moments

Actually, my most memorable disc golf moment would have to be recently. I managed to play my way to the top card at the Gentlemen's Club Challenge 09' in Vegas and got to play with some of the best golfers in the world in front of my hometown gallery. It was definitely my most enjoyable round ever, I had the biggest smile on my face. The adrenaline you get when playing in front of a gallery is just insane. Every shot is being watched and if you execute correctly the crowd goes wild! I hope to continue to make it to the top card in big tourneys more frequently and relive that experience over and over again! I also have to mention my first round at the Memorial 09'. I played almost as good as I could have, had my highest rated round to date and was tied for 3rd place after day one at the first NT of the year. After I turned my scorecard in Mike Wagner came up to me and asked me if I would like to be on Team Discraft. It was definitely a double whammy of excitement and one of the best days of my life for sure.

Patrick's Disc Golf Tips

One of the most common mistakes I see new players making is using improper form and not focusing on certain aspects of the game one thing at a time. The smoother you are and the more controlled you are with your body, the more accurate and further your discs will fly. If you haven't learned it yet, the X-Step is a must when throwing drives. Most new players try too hard just throwing the disc as hard as they can rather than focusing on throwing the disc correctly. A lot of the time players are using either too fast or too stable of discs. Make sure you try different stabilities in plastic and don't only throw drivers. Put some midranges in your bag if you haven't (I would definitely suggest the Buzzz if you don't already have one)and teach yourself how to throw with control. You can also ask for help from players you know are better than you. Most people are more than happy to help out. Also ask to play with better skilled players than you are, you will be surprised at how much this can help your game out. If you truly want to improve your game make sure you focus on certain aspects one at a time and go out and practice them. Going out and playing rounds does help but focusing on individual parts of the game and practicing them will help out more than you can imagine. Maybe one day go out and practice throwing your discs on anhyzers and hyzers. Then another day practice your accuracy, putting, sidearms, distance, midranges, etc. Just practice everything one thing at a time, and most importantly don't forget to have fun!

Want more distance? Definitely to go out to a field and just practice over and over again. Going out to a field and focusing on one part of your game can help out immensely! Try a power grip too! I would suggest to ask a local pro to maybe spend one hour or whatever they may offer of their time with you in the field teaching you the correct form and maybe even disc selection. If this isn't available to you then I would either buy a couple DVD's and just analyze how the top pros are executing their drives. you can even search on youtube for vids. I still do it every once in awhile myself. You never know what else new you might see. The Discraft distance video is a good one to watch, just remember to go out to a field and take a bunch of your main distance drivers (try new discs too) and try to emulate what you've watched or been taught. And don't forget, as everyone else says 'smooth is far'!

Patrick Blazek / Team Discraft

One of the most common questions I think I hear is how do you make putts? The main solution to this is definitely practice and confidence. Putting is probably the most key part of this game if you ask me. Make sure you find a putter that feels good in your hand. You want to make sure you feel confident when you are putting and that definitely helps when you have a putter that just feels money when you hold it. I prefer Pro D Challengers, just because I know exactly what they are going to do. They are stable putters but still have great glide to them. So the routine that I like to do to build confidence in my putt requires 5 putters and just a lot of repetition and practice. Start at 10 feet and throw 5 putts and then move back 5 feet and throw 5 more and keep doing this until you get to 35 feet. This will build muscle memory and confidence. I honestly prefer to practice putt mostly inside of 25 feet seeing as how most of the time when you are putting you will be around the 15-25 foot range. Definitely still practice outside of this range just don't get too crazy on the distances. Mainly focus on putting from where you normally would have to and try to keep it inside of 50 feet for the most part.

I'm a really big fan of throwing trick shots. One that I like in particular is the skip shot. This can come in handy in multiple situations. You just need to make sure the ground is fairly dry or really slick to try and pull it off. For skip shots I like to use something really stable like a Force or a Pred depending on how much skip I want. If you want a lot of skip that goes forward more than left then you will want to throw with just slight hyzer really hard and aim at a spot on the ground (you'll have to guess to get the hang of it). If you want a high skip that goes mainly left and not too far forward then you will want to throw with a ton of hyzer also very hard. These shots come in handy when you have to throw around trees and then go directly left or even throwing under the trees. Sometimes it's a great way to give a run at the basket on upshots without having to blow past and still have to make that big putt. There's so many different situations that skip shots can get you out of trouble that it's a great trick to have in your bag. It's also a fun shot to watch.

In The Disc Golf Bag: Drivers
Disc	Comments
ESP NUKE (172 - 174)	Instantly added 30 - 50 feet to my drive! NUKE is so fast and still has an insane amount of glide. For the amount of speed this driver has, it is amazingly predictable and super easy to control. This disc is unlike any other!
Z Predator (172 - 174)	Looking for a disc that you always know what it's going to do? Well in my opinion this disc is one of the best drivers made. I can use this disc for almost any shot. It is fast and overstable, perfect for those hyzers between 300 and 400 feet. I definitely contribute a lot of the improvement in my game to the pred. It's the most consistent disc made, so 'PRED'ictable!
Z Force (172 - 174)	This disc is amazing! They are so fast and overstable, and the new Z line versions are awesome. It's like a Pred that goes an extra 100 feet! I prefer the pink or orange ones that have a slight dome to them. These things go forever and are super predictable. Definitely my disc for the 400 to 500 foot range. I also use the Force for my longer sidearms over 350 feet. It's insanely consistent and just goes for ever.
ESP and Z Avenger SS (172 - 174))	For those boooooooming rollers! Man does this thing roll forever! I use this disc for my longer rollers around 500 to 600 feet. This is the perfect roller disc and great for beginners to thrown anhyzers with. I just bomb this thing in the air with a little bit of anhyzer and it does the rest of the work for me. I also throw the ESP version. It's a flippier version of the Z. The ESP SS Avenger is perfect for those rollers that you need to get down on the ground quick and still have roll for a mile. This is also a great disc for beginners to learn anhyzers with or to even learn a roller with. I can almost thrown this thing flat and let it ride in the air for 300+ feet and have it flip perfectly into the ground into a humongous roller!
ESP Surge (172 - 174)	I love this disc! Do you need something that goes straight and just goes forever? Well this has got to be the straightest driver with the most glide out right now. Surge is the disc to use for those shots that you have to hit the perfect line with. Definitely my 400+ foot straight-as-an-arrow driver.
Z Stalker (172-174)	Perfect for hitting those longer tunnel gaps. The Stalker holds the same line and glide as a Buzzz but is a tad bit faster. Basically when I don't know if I should throw a driver or my Buzzz I immediately turn to the Stalker.
Z Flick (169 - 174)	Perfect disc for sidearm shots... It is super fast and super stable! I use this disc for my sidearms under 350 feet. It is flat as a pancake and also skips a mile. I use this disc for multiple side arm shots and sometimes spike hyzers. Definitely try the Flick if you like to flick!

In The Disc Golf Bag: Midrange
Disc	Comments
Z Buzzz (177+)	The best disc ever made! This has got to be the most consistent midrange ever. They glide forever, and I mean forever! I have 4 Buzzzes in my bag and I love each and every one of em'. I have a slightly flippy, straight, slightly stable, and stable Buzzz. I rarely use any other midrange, these just about sum up everything I need to do from the 200 - 350 feet range. Trees or no trees, wind or no wind, downhill or uphill these things do it all.
Z Drone (max wt)	I didn't know a midrange could be this overstable... this thing is crazy! It is a Pred turned into a midrange, great for those windy days too. If you want a midrange that will never flip over than this is it. A must have in your bag!
ESP Meteor (170+)	One fast, understable midrange! The Meteor is a great disc for players of all levels. I love this thing for the hyzer flip shots, it just keeps gliding too! Great for playing in the woods and higher elevations.

In The Disc Golf Bag: Putt and Approach
Disc	Comments
ESP Zone (174+)	Now this is one overstable putter! I use it for my approach shots between 100 and 250 feet. This thing is beyond amazing! It's always going to hyzer off at the end and it's a perfect disc for the 'do I use my putter or midrange?' question that we always seem to come across on a few holes. It also feels really good in your hand too.
D Challenger (172 - 174)	Best putter on the market hands down! I use the Pro D Challengers and these things are stable and have great glide. Super predictable, which is great for helping out with that putting confidence! I also like to use the for upshots inside of 200 feet.
D Magnet (max wt)	Straight as an arrow. I use it for my longer putts around the 40-100ft range. Gets great glide with little effort. Also great for shorter anhyzer upshots.
ESP Banger-GT (max wt)	Overstable putter that is super durable and you always know what it's gonna do. Perfect for 200 feet and when you're throwing straight or hyzer upshots. Also great for windy days.

COURSES YOU SHOULD PLAY:
Course	Comments
Maple Hill Leicester, MA	I fell in love with this place the moment I stepped foot on the first tee pad. By far one of the best courses ever. Natural OBs and Obstacles. Couldn't asked for anything more!.
Winthrop Gold Rock Hill, SC	Just amazing, asks for ever shot possible. One of the most challenging and professionally designed courses in the world.
Waterworks Kansas City, MO	How can you not love this course? Elevation galore! Very well designed!
DeLaveaga Santa Cruz, CA	One of the most challenging courses ever. Will test every part of your game. Constant changes is elevation, drop offs everywhere, tunnel shots. It's got everything you could want. Frustrating course but for some reason you always want more!
Milo McIver Estacada, OR	All I have to say is WOW! This place is just beautiful! Challenging, long, and massive amounts of trees! A must!

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