Bluff Briefing

Adjusts aviator sunglasses and checks wind readings Well, well—seven whole humans showed up to play disc golf, which means I finally have actual characters for this elaborate military academy fantasy I'm contractually obligated to narrate.

Attendance: Technically Plural

Week 2's "Bluff Briefing" at The Fort Buenaventura delivered everything the registration email promised: perfect 46°F conditions, barely-there 3.2 mph winds, and enough players to constitute an actual league event. Seven recruits reported for duty under cloudy skies that couldn't have been more cooperative if they'd been ordered to stand down. The headline acts? Malachi Vazquez throwing an albatross on Hole 10 like it was routine paperwork, and Stephen Dunton somehow launching 100 points above his rating while making it look effortless. The Fort's notorious coastal challenges were reduced to gentle suggestions, but these pilots still found ways to make things interesting. 🎯

One Hundred Points Above Sea Level

Stephen Dunton claimed wire-to-wire victory in RAE with a -7 performance that rated 944—a full century above his 844 baseline that had everyone checking their calculators twice. His front nine blazed at 9 strokes better than his back nine, featuring an eagle on the 700-foot Par 5 Hole 14 and sole birdies on three holes that had other players reaching for excuses. Caleb Taylor recovered from a brutal front nine with a back-nine surge that was 6 strokes better, turning a +2 on Hole 9 into an immediate birdie on 10. Earl Taylor shared the early lead after Hole 1 but watched it evaporate with a bogey on Hole 2, his front nine outpacing his back by 4 strokes in a classic case of starting strong and fading gracefully. 🔥

Solo Flights Over Friendly Skies

Three divisions featured lone wolves competing against The Fort itself, and the results were as varied as their approaches. Kent Moos navigated RAD to an even-par 879-rated round that sat 34 points below his 913 form—respectable at this venue, with his sole birdie coming on the iconic Hole 5 tunnel shot. Kevin Koga stole the show in RAF with an even-par performance that somehow rated 879, a whopping 81 points above his 798 baseline, highlighted by an eagle on Hole 10 and a clean back nine. Austin Taylor bounced back from a +3 disaster on Hole 1 in RAH, immediately birdieing Hole 2 and riding hot streaks through holes 10-13 to finish at -5. When your only competition is par, these pilots proved The Fort grades on effort, not curves. ✈️

The Rarest Bird at The Fort 🦅

Malachi Vazquez dominated RPA with wire-to-wire control, posting -8 in a performance anchored by the evening's statistical impossibility: an albatross on Hole 10's 669-foot Par 5. Three under par on a single hole tends to make the rest of your round feel like a victory lap, which is exactly what happened as he maintained his lead from start to finish. His clean front nine included being the only player to birdie the brutal 310-foot Hole 1, which played +1.0 average and left everyone else scrambling for pars. Hot streaks through holes 9-11 and sole birdies on three holes completed a round that looked routine until you realized he'd just claimed the #1 bag tag through pure execution.

Some Flew High, Some Flew Into Trees

The rating differential report reads like a tale of two academies: Stephen Dunton and Kevin Koga soared 100 and 81 points above their baselines respectively, while Caleb Taylor and Earl Taylor found themselves 83 and 67 points below theirs. Hole 10 emerged as The Fort's ATM, dispensing an albatross, an eagle, and multiple scoring opportunities to anyone willing to attack the 669-foot Par 5. Meanwhile, Hole 1's 310-foot Par 3 played like a pop quiz nobody studied for, averaging +1.0 with only Malachi finding the birdie solution. The clean stretches told their own stories: Stephen and Kevin both managed bogey-free back nines, while Malachi's front nine perfection set up his evening dominance. 📊

The Compass Points to... Average?

Malachi Vazquez now carries the Crisp Vector, that chrome-and-leather navigation specialist whose mathematical precision supposedly cuts through coastal chaos like a laser through fog. The tag historian's assessment? Brutal: his 953-rated round sits 8 points below his 961 form, described as "a disappointment-with-sting performance" featuring a "perfectly median 59" that matched both field and personal averages exactly. The albatross apparently wasn't enough to silence questions about whether he earned the #1 position or simply didn't lose it. The Crisp Vector's lore speaks of calculating optimal trajectories through chaotic conditions, but the data suggests this particular navigation specialist might be better at maintaining course than breaking new ground. Still, someone had to claim the tag that sat orphaned after Week 1's ghost town, and an albatross beats an empty cockpit every time. 🧭

Hole 16 Keeps Its Secrets

The Fort's treasure chests remained sealed this week, with no CTP winners emerging from the cloudy calm and no aces lighting up the chains. The $731 Super Ace pot on Hole 16—that elevated platform surrounded by foliage where legends are made—continues its patient wait for someone willing to risk everything on 230 feet of signature hole perfection. The regular ace pot at $60.46 also survives another week, proving that even under ideal conditions, The Fort demands respect for every throw. Sometimes the most dramatic story is the one that doesn't happen, and these pots are building toward something special. 💰

Dogfight Protocols Standing By

The optional skins format remains ready for pilots willing to add some card-level warfare to their rounds, though this week's focus stayed on individual excellence rather than head-to-head chaos. Future recruits looking to turn their rounds into tactical engagements can opt into the dogfight during registration. Learn how to set up skins and bring some extra drama to your next sortie over The Fort's notorious landscape. 🎯

The Script Called for Wind, Got Calm

Episode 2's "Bluff Briefing" was supposed to feature doubt creeping in as signature sky-annies caught unexpected gusts, but 3.2 mph winds made philosophical divides academic at best. The promised moment where rivals discover shared history will have to wait for actual turbulence—this week's perfect conditions meant everyone's techniques worked exactly as advertised. Meanwhile, the academy's operational fund grew by $7.50 this week ($7.00 automatic from our seven pilots plus $0.50 in additional contributions), pushing The Fort Course Fund to $54.50 of its $1,000 goal. With no current improvement requests pending, this might be the perfect time for recruits to suggest what The Fort needs most. 💸

Next Week: Actual Competition Begins

Week 3's "Coastal Sortie" promises the first full competitive outing where points accumulate, rankings emerge, and the philosophical divide between throwing schools finally matters. With multiple players now in each division and Malachi's tenuous mathematical hold on the #1 tag, we might finally see the academy schism the theme keeps promising. Stephen Dunton's dark-horse emergence in RAE and Kevin Koga's breakout performance suggest the recruitment class has more depth than initial assessments indicated. The Fort awaits, wind patterns pending, ready to separate the sky-annie dreamers from the frozen-rope realists when conditions actually demand a choice. ⛈️