Mark Hill

Name

Mark Hill

PDGA Number

92543

Division

AM

How long have you been playing disc golf?

August 2022 will be 6 years

How did you get your start in disc golf?

I bought myself and my wife a driver, mid and putter at the General Store in Spokane, WA as Christmas gifts thinking that it was something we could do together. The first time we went out, everything was fading left quickly (didn't know at the time that I bought completely wrong discs for beginners) and we didn't enjoy it, so into the back of the closet the discs went. When I re-located to Olympia for work, I had a lot of free time on my hands on the evenings and weekends because my wife and daughter were still in Spokane. I had noticed a couple DG courses in the Olympia area, so I grabbed the discs one weekend when I was home and hit a course the following week. An experienced player saw me and mentioned that if I was a beginner, the discs I was throwing were completely wrong for me. He gave me an Escape and a Roc and I was hooked.

What do you love most about the sport?

Multiple things. Getting out in nature, exercise, introducing new people to the sport and of course, the competition!

What makes disc golf better than the other sports you have played?

I played team sports growing up as well as in adulthood and in those, you were a piece of the machine. You had to at least partially rely on other people for your success. With Disc Golf, it is just me against the course. My successes and failures are all within my control.

How do you approach a new course?

I play placement golf. Look for the landing zones and hit them. I actually had my highest rated tournament round ever playing a course blind because I stayed within myself and didn't try to force anything.

What motivates you to continually improve your game?

I want to be the best that I can. I also want to be able to compete against the best players in my division and be able to challenge them and to do that, I need to continue to improve all aspects of my game.

What do you do to stay focused playing in tourneys?

Take one shot at a time. It doesn't matter if the previous shot was good or bad and I don't know what the next shot will be, so I focus on the current shot. In between shots when I'm walking or when I'm waiting for my turn to tee off on a hole, I think about non disc golf things like my kids, grandkids, dinner, etc. Doing that helps me to be more focused when the time comes for me to take my throw.

What’s your most memorable win?

My first win! It was last fall at the Farragut Open in Idaho and it was an A-tier. I struggled the first round and then came back and shot the hot round in rounds two and three to get the win!

What’s your most memorable disc golf moment?

Probably that first win or my one and only Ace which came during a tournament.

What are your top three favorite discs?

Goldline Sapphire, Lucid-X Maverick, EMac Truth

What are your top three courses you have played?

AWOL at Farragut State Park, Milo McIver BSF Layout, Shelton Springs DGC

If you could play any course in the world, which would it be?

Tough to say. Probably something in Finland.

Who is your disc golf hero, and how were you influenced be him or her?

Nate Sexton. I had the opportunity to spend a brief amount of time with him away from disc golf and he is very humble and down to earth and I like his approach to the game and to how he plays tournaments.

Whats in the bag?

All Trilogy! Almost an even split between Dynamic Discs and Lat64 and a couple Westside.

What non-disc golf hobbies do you have?

Geocaching, Kayaking, hiking

Any superstitions you have before or during a round?

Don't want to know my score at all during rounds.

What does #NoBadRounds mean to you?

Whether your struggling or having a good round, there is always something that you can take away from it at the end and learn from.

What do you love most about your FlighTowel?

It is always right there in my pocket or on my Zuca and it helps me keep loose between holes!!