Creekside Swamp

Inconceivable Weather, Conceivable Carnage 🌡️

adjusts broadcast headset with the weary efficiency of someone who's given up questioning the weather algorithms Twenty-two players navigated Creekside Park's "Creekside Swamp" episode on January 5th, where the forecast system predicted 0.0°F and actual conditions delivered a balmy 40-42°F—because apparently meteorological competence is as inconceivable as Vizzini's battle strategies. The Fire Swamp promised R.O.U.S. (Rodents of Unusual Spin) lurking in the rough, maximum OB across eighteen holes, and survival through perfect form. Some players delivered exactly that. Others discovered why the swamp has a reputation. Ben Marolf posted a 1004-rated wire-to-wire masterpiece that suggests he either befriended the rodents or they simply couldn't catch him. Week 6 of 9 in The Princess Glide saga, and the narrative turn is here—Vizzini's out, Humperdinck knows they're coming, and the castle looms. Let's see who survived the swamp and who became its latest statistical casualty.

Three-Way Tie for Second Is Still Losing 🥈

Ben Marolf ran the RPA division like a farmboy who'd already read the script—wire-to-wire -11 (1004-rated, +54 above his 950 baseline) with zero bogeys and eleven birdies scattered across a round that never gave anyone else a chance. He led from hole 1 and never looked back, which is the kind of dominance that makes second place feel like a participation trophy. Speaking of which: Brian Hansen, Casey Turner, and Jared Lang all tied at -9 (977-rated) for that silver medal podium, each posting genuinely excellent rounds that would've won most weeks. Hansen's back-nine surge (6 birdies across holes 10-18) and Jared's closing stretch (6 birdies from holes 13-18) provided drama, but when the winner posts bogey-free golf eleven under par, you're playing for runner-up honors from the first throw. Houston Turner rounded out the top five with -7 (949-rated, +56 above baseline), also bogey-free, proving the swamp sorted RPA by who could avoid mistakes rather than who could chase heroics.

Jared's Tag Defense Was Technically Showing Up 🏷️

Jared Lang retains the #1 Cliffside Duel bag tag after tying for second at -9—technically a defense, realistically just competent maintenance. His 977-rated round was solid but the 1012 fireworks from Week 5's -12 performance have cooled to a more mortal temperature, which is what happens when you post three fewer birdies and the field catches up. Casey Turner earned the Hard Mode achievement (6 consecutive events) with his -9 finish, and the +75 rating swing from last week's 902 suggests someone found their disc selection rhythm in the swamp. Houston Turner posted a personal best -7 with a bogey-free card, his 949-rated round marking a +19 improvement week-over-week. The farmboy's grip on the tag loosens slightly, but three weeks remain to prove whether quiet competence or swamp chaos will define the castle siege ahead. 🎯

Eric Pearson's Front Nine Lied to Him 🌲

Nicholas Jennings (-6, 936-rated, +33 above his 903 baseline) won RAD after taking the lead on hole 11 and never relinquishing it, which is the kind of mid-round takeover that defines swamp survival. Eric Pearson ran a clean front nine and held the lead through hole 10, then the back nine had opinions—a hole-13 bogey ended the dream, and his -5 finish (922-rated) was excellent but not excellent enough. Chris Fox posted -3 (895-rated) for third, his seven-hole par train from holes 11-17 showing the kind of steady golf that keeps you in contention even when the birdies dry up. The division saw genuine lead changes and competitive pressure, which is refreshing after RPA's wire-to-wire coronation. Skyler Kunz finished -1 (868-rated) and Marvin Atene at even par (855-rated)—both respectable swamp exits that avoided catastrophe if not glory.

Vizzini's Division of Inconceivable Lead Changes 🔄

Christopher Hamby and Stephen Dunton tied at even par (855-rated, +11 above their respective baselines) in RAE, with Hamby claiming the top spot after taking the lead on hole 18—because apparently this division believes in maximum drama per capita. The swamp couldn't pick a favorite: nine lead changes across eighteen holes, four different players holding the lead at various points, and more positional chaos than Vizzini's iocane powder gambit. Dunton's front-nine momentum (three birdies through hole 9) evaporated with a hole-13 bogey that opened the door, and Hamby walked through it with a closing birdie. Peter Haws finished third at +1 (841-rated), his five birdies spread evenly suggesting someone who found rhythm but couldn't sustain it through the swamp's back-half grind. Brian Bowling and Matt Berman rounded out the division at +4 and +8 respectively—solid outings in a bracket that demanded perfect timing as much as perfect form.

Eighty-Nine Points Above Rating Is a Statement 📈

Kevin Koga dominated RAF with -3 (895-rated, +89 above his 806 baseline), posting the night's biggest single-round rating jump and a personal best that suggests someone unlocked the swamp's secret passages. His five birdies included sole captures on holes 12 and 17—the kind of tough-hole conversions that separate survivors from casualties. Matt Berman earned second at +2 (774-rated) despite finishing 20 points below rating, which is the statistical equivalent of "showed up, played honest golf, left with dignity intact." The three-player division saw Koga lap the field by five strokes, a margin that would be embarrassing if his performance wasn't genuinely excellent. New series competitor Berman joins the "Back to the Chains" 80s action cinema universe—welcome to the VHS tape, recruit. Craig Mccrary finished +5 (787-rated), his round anchored by fourteen pars and the kind of steady play that avoids disasters but doesn't chase glory. 🔥

Wire-to-Wire When There's No Wire to Cross 🏆

Samuel Smith led RAG from start to finish in a one-player division—technically wire-to-wire, technically meaningless, but the +7 (760-rated) finish represents a +91 rating swing from last week's 669-rated disaster and a 6-stroke improvement that signals genuine progress. His front nine posted 5 strokes better than the back, suggesting the swamp's second half claimed its toll even in a bracket of one. The solo outing doesn't diminish the improvement—Samuel's birdie on hole 4 and steadier par rate through the opening stretch show someone learning course management rather than just launching plastic and hoping. Next week's "Miracle Monday" episode promises a disc doctor who can revive shanked rounds, which might be exactly what the back nine needs. Keep showing up, Samuel—the swamp respects persistence even when it doesn't respect scores.

Personal Bests and Personal Disasters 💥

The swamp sorted everyone appropriately: three bogey-free rounds (Ben Marolf, Houston Turner, Casey Turner) proved perfect form was achievable, while four personal bests (Kevin Koga, Matt Berman, Houston, Casey) showed the course rewarded preparation and execution. Kevin Koga's +89 rating differential was the night's biggest upward swing—from 806 baseline to 895 actual is the kind of leap that makes you check the scorecard twice. On the opposite end, Brandon Reesor's -80 rating differential (921→841) was the biggest downward plunge, suggesting the R.O.U.S. found their mark and didn't let go. Sole birdies on tough holes scattered across divisions showed who mastered the swamp's demands: Kevin Koga on holes 12 and 17, Ben Marolf on hole 10, and various players threading lines that defeated the rest of the field. The Fire Swamp promised survival through perfect form—some delivered, others discovered why legends warn about the rough.

Quiet Competence Remains Insufferably Quiet 🗻

Jared Lang retains the #1 Cliffside Duel tag after tying for second at -9, because apparently this league's dramatic arc requires the guy with the steadiest hands to keep winning without a single tremor or proclamation. The tag—forged from the memory of Inigo Montoya's clifftop duel, appearing as dark slate-grey disc material with intersecting cliff-face etchings and a small clear crystal at center—demands "the courage to risk everything for a principle greater than oneself." Jared's 977-rated round was competent but not the 1012 heroics of Week 5, which is the statistical equivalent of maintaining altitude without ascending. The tag's lore speaks of vertigo, honor, and absolute presence in the moment; Jared's delivering honor while skipping the vertigo entirely, wearing enough metaphorical armor that dramatizing his consistency into epic narrative feels like polishing a disc that's already perfectly balanced. The entity thrums with dangerous equilibrium, its surface cool and smooth like sea-worn stone—much like Jared's statistical output across six weeks. Three weeks remain to prove whether quiet competence or swamp chaos defines the castle siege, but for now, the farmboy flies steady.

Kent Moos Joined the Fore Skin Club 💰

Four cards, sixteen players, $148.50 exchanged hands in the swamp's skin game economy. Kent Moos scooped a 4-skin carryover on hole 5, earning him the Fore Skin Club achievement (10 skins total, $15 banked) and the kind of statistical bragging rights that make you grin at the tee pad. Brian Hansen posted the night's biggest haul: 13 skins for $39, including an 8-skin carryover on hole 18 that turned a solid round into a genuinely profitable one. Ben Marolf's 15 skins on the 4:00 PM card came at a bargain $1.25/skin, which is the disc golf equivalent of finding money in your jacket pocket—unexpected, delightful, and technically earned through competence. Casey Turner claimed 7 skins ($10.50) across multiple holes, and Houston Turner added 5 skins ($7.50) to the family ledger. The swamp's skin drama proved you don't need a wire-to-wire victory to leave with cash—just timely birdies and opponents who can't match them. Any card can enable skins and turn a good round into a paid round—learn how to set up skins and join the chaos. 🎲

The Swamp Is Crossed, the Fund Is Complete 🏗️

Week 6's "Creekside Swamp" episode concludes the Fire Swamp arc—Vizzini is "out of the game" per the theme's plot thickens, Humperdinck now knows the heroes are coming, and Miracle Max's hut awaits next Monday. More importantly: $24.45 raised this event ($22 automatic, $2.45 additional) brings the Creekside Course Fund to $3,227.24—100% of the $1,000 goal reached! The completed stake line OB project means future rounds at Walter Fredrick Morrison Memorial DGC will feature clearly marked boundaries where the swamp once claimed discs through ambiguity. Every player who showed up contributed $1 automatically, and those additional donations pushed the fund over the finish line exactly when the narrative needed it most. The Fire Swamp has been crossed, the course improvements are permanent, and the castle siege looms three weeks away. Disc golf's romantic fairy tale continues, but now the fairways have infrastructure to match the legend. 🎯

The Disc Doctor Will See You Now 🏥

Three weeks remain in The Princess Glide saga. Week 7's "Miracle Monday" brings Miracle Max, the disc doctor who was fired by Humperdinck years ago and can "revive any shanked round, repair any damaged disc"—but he needs convincing. Players must prove their love of the game is "true love" to earn his help, which is the kind of thematic demand that pairs perfectly with January disc golf in Utah. The plot twist awaits: Max will reveal the Princess Glide was never taken to the castle—it's been hidden at Creekside all along, waiting for someone worthy to find it. The castle raid is still necessary to defeat Humperdinck and free Florin, but the disc is closer than anyone knew. Standings implications tighten, the siege preparation intensifies, and the final push toward the Princess Glide's homecoming begins. See you at Max's miracle hut, where shanked rounds get second chances and true love rides the air one more time.