| Name |
Mason McLean |
| PDGA Number |
140551 |
| Division |
JR |
| How long have you been playing disc golf? |
2 years |
| How did you get your start in disc golf? |
I began playing in March of 2020 when my middle school baseball season was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic. My dad had been playing for about 6 months, and asked me to go play with him. After that round I was hooked! My birthday is in April, so that year I asked for a bag, practice basket, and discs. |
| What do you love most about the sport? |
I have always played team sports, so the thing I love most is that it is an individual sport. In team sports, you can be the best player and still lose because the team didn't perform well. I know in disc golf that I am only limited by my own desire to improve and perform. There is no one to blame but myself. That drives me to be the best I can be on and off the course. |
| What makes disc golf better than the other sports you have played? |
I grew up playing baseball and basketball, but there is nothing like watching a disc fly! To be able to shape a shot in my mind and then execute that shot is amazing. In these other sports you are dependent on so many other things, but in disc golf it is just you and the disc. |
| How do you approach a new course? |
I try to approach a new course with no expectations. When I have played a course before, I will compare the current round to a past round. That can cause stress and make a person play too aggressive on the course. With a new course, you take what the course gives you and play the percentage game to give yourself the best opportunity to score well. |
| What motivates you to continually improve your game? |
My dream is to become a profession disc golfer one day, and to do that I need to be constantly improving. It seems that the competition is getting better and better, so I need to practice more or be left behind. Allen Iverson said, "When you are not practicing, someone else is getting better." These thoughts are what drive me to practice every aspect of my game no matter how I am feeling that day. |
| What do you do to stay focused playing in tourneys? |
I try to take it one shot at a time. This is very hard to do, because it is easier to focus on what you did wrong or how you could have done better, but the reality is there is always another shot. So, make that shot the best it can be and put it in the basket. |
| What’s your most memorable win? |
My most memorable win was the 2021 Discraft Ledgestone Open. I was playing in MJ15 that weekend. I didn't start out well in the first round at Washington Park in 4th place, but 6 shots out of first place. The second day was better at Bradley Park where I shot the hot round, but again I was 4 shots out of the lead. That afternoon, my dad and I went to Camp Kearneythe location of the third round for a practice session. I spent 3 1/2 hours trying to dial in each hole. The final round was amazing. Everything clicked... The lead card played pretty even through the first 9 holes, but I knew once we got to the woods section that I had the best chance because of the work I had put in the day before. That day I shot -12 (1015 rated) round, including an ace, to win my division by 4 strokes. That was an 8 stroke swing in the final round. |
| What’s your most memorable disc golf moment? |
My most memorable moment happened at my home course in the fall of 2021. I was playing the Ironworks Championships in my first Advanced tournament. I didn't have high hopes because I was the lowest rated player in the division, but I knew the course well since I play it a couple times a week. I ended up shooting the hot round in the first round -8 and feeling pretty good leading by 3 strokes. When the second round started I birdied the first hole and the person in second place took a triple bogey. So, I knew I was in pretty good shape and just needed to maintain the lead. As it turned out, I was in the zone. It seemed like I couldn't miss a shot. After I hit a 150' birdie on a long par 3, I knew it was my tournament to lose. I went on to shoot a hot round of -13 (1034 rated) round. I not only won my first Advanced tournament, but would have won MPO by 15 strokes. It was crazy! The walk back to the TD table was the best feeling in the world. |
| What are your top three favorite discs? |
My top three discs are the Discmania Cloud Breaker 2, Discraft Zone, and the Discmania FD3. |
| What are your top three courses you have played? |
Emporia Country Club - Emporia, KS Idlewild Disc Golf Course - Burlington, KY Peter Pan Park - Emporia, KS |
| If you could play any course in the world, which would it be? |
Maple Hill Disc Golf Course |
| Who is your disc golf hero, and how were you influenced be him or her? |
My disc golf hero is Lewis Willian. Lewis is the person that introduced me and my dad to disc golf. He gave me my first 3 discs, and took the time to explain to me the rules and how to throw properly. He has done that with countless people over the years. He loves to introduce people to disc golf. |
| Whats in the bag? |
I mainly throw Discmania, but I do have two Discraft molds in my bag. I am throwing Discmania DD3, Cloud Breaker 2, PD, PD2, FD3, FD, Splice, Mutant, MD, MD1, MD3, MD4, MD5, Tactic (soft/hard), Razor Claw 2, Shogun, and P2s. The two Discraft molds are the Zone and Raptor. |
| What non-disc golf hobbies do you have? |
I still love to play team sports like baseball, ultimate, and basketball. |
| Any superstitions you have before or during a round? |
No |
| What does #NoBadRounds mean to you? |
#NoBadRounds to me means only 1 bogey. My goal is always to go bogey free, but as long as I limit my mistakes to 1 or less, then I feel pretty good about my round. I can deal with losing, as long as I have played to the best of my ability. |
| What do you love most about your FlighTowel? |
I love the fact that I have a tool in FlighTowel to loosen up my arm before and during my round. It allows me to step off to the side and get some reps in before I step on the tee box. Not only that, but the towel portion is the best for those wet or dewey days when everything gets wet and needs to be dried. They also make the absolute best grips for your cart. |
| Facebook Link |
https://www.facebook.com/Mason.McLean.395 |
| Instagram Link |
https://www.instagram.com/masonmclean_dg |
