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2019 Solstice Soirée Sponsored by Latitude 64Disc Golf Tournament
June 15 - 16, 2019 Sundance Trail Guest Ranch Red Feather Lakes, CO
Friday, March 15, 2019 7:00pm MST
All Women and Junior Divisions Registration Opens
Monday, March 18, 2019 7:00pm MST
Registration Opens for All Other Divisions
The Solstice Soirée disc golf tournament started in 2015 as a
celebration of the summer solstice and the fun & camaraderie of frisbee events.
Tournament Starts In
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NEWS / UPDATES
Prepare for an incredible weekend in the northern Colorado mountains. Celebrating the summer solstice we'll be starting later on Saturday afternoon and providing multiple frisbee events for maximum fun and camaraderie. Lodging and food is available on site and everything should wrap up at a reasonable hour Sunday afternoon.
In addition to a two round disc golf tournament, there will be an extra fun Glow Round, Accuracy Challenge and Putting Competition with half of those entry fees going to charity. We've always believed that the fun of frisbee events can also support the local community at the same time.
The event is hosted by Sundance Trail Guest Ranch at Red Feather Lakes, located about 45 minutes northwest of Fort Collins and about 2 hours north of Denver. This gorgeous area is a little remote and does not have great cell service. There is a large campfire ring and at least one guitar so bring your singing voice and be ready to make some great memories!
All events and lodging are only available via the online registration on the Disc Golf Scene page. There will not be any day-of tournament registration nor payment of lodging unless previously authorized. Extra event entry fees (Glow, Accuracy, Putting) for players already registered in the tournament can be paid during event check-in. Additional breakfast and dinners can be purchased for additional family members not playing in the event.
Everyone will only get one chance to participate in each event. You can sign up for the Glow Round, Accuracy Challenge and the Putting contests during the online registration or with correct change during event check-in. Glow, Accuracy and Putting Scorecards must be turned in to specific location before Sunday morning to be counted. The Glow Round and Accuracy Challenge are only open on Saturday. The Putting Contest will have first round on Saturday as well as a finals round to determine the winner on Sunday afternoon, just before the awards ceremony.
Dinner
will be served after Saturdays round and is included with everyones entry fee. It will be their traditional BBQ dinner with pulled pork, potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans and cookies. Beer will also be served with dinner.
Camping / Lodging - Only Available on DG Scene Registration
Camping only $10
Camping with Breakfast $15
Bed with Breakfast $100 (shared room, limited quantity, first come first served)
Tournament
PDGA Sanctioned B-Tier singles tournament with one round per day, starting later than normal with a literal shotgun start. This will be a 'True Amateur Event'
where the players packs, trophies and tournament experience for all amateurs will equal more than 100% of entry fee. For the professionals at least $750 added cash will be added to pro payout. Course layout will be determined closer to event date, most likely 20 holes per round. This is a mountain course with some open and some tight holes. But all are on raw ranch land with natural tees. We suggest drinking lots of water while playing at the approximate elevation of 8000 feet and wearing supportive footgear for the uneven terrain involved. Most divisions are offered upon opening, but may consolidate divisions closer to the event.
Glow Round
If you haven't tried to throw frisbees in the dark, you haven't lived yet. It's amazingly fun and will be safe too. We'll make sure to choose a fun course with least resistance. Bring your own glow or led discs to use in the glow round and we'll have lights on the baskets. Glow in the dark discs are included in the amateurs players packs and will be available for sale for the professionals. This will be an extra fee to be paid during registration with half of the entry fee will go to charity. The other half will go to payout.
Accuracy Challenge
There will be a course where you'll attempt to throw different size frisbees through designated areas from designated tees. This is just one of the old school 'frisbee overall' events, re-invented for new discers. All amateurs will receive both the large and small discs required for the Accuracy course in their players pack. All professionals will have to purchase the 2 accuracy discs separately, therefor there will be separate am and pro pools. This will be an extra fee to be paid during registration with half of the entry fee will go to charity and the other half to payout.
Putting Competition
Using your own favorite two putters, this putting competition will consist of two rounds, one on Saturday where everyone will compete and a final round on Sunday where only the top competitors from Saturday will continue on. There might be a semi-final round depending on number of competitors and scores. But there will be separate am and pro pools and the putting finals on different courses will be just before awards on Sunday afternoon. This will be an extra fee to be paid during registration with half of the entry fee will go to charity and the other half to payout.
Serving people who are homeless or near-homeless in Northern Colorado
Homeward Alliance operates a continuum of programs and initiatives, ranging from critical survival gear, to employment services, to homelessness prevention. We are not only an alliance of services, but also an alliance of volunteers, donors, agency partners and other community stakeholders. We envision a community in which homelessness is rare, short-lived and non-recurring.
$382 Total Donated
Glow Round Final Tabulations
Bring your own glow or led discs to use in the glow round and we'll have lights on the baskets. Glow in the dark discs are included in the amateurs players packs and will be available for sale for the professionals.
PAYING OUT 4 PLACES IN CASH
PLUS TROPHY FOR FIRST!
There will be a course where you'll attempt to throw different size frisbees through designated areas from designated tees. This is just one of the old school 'frisbee overall' events, re-invented for new discers.
PAYING OUT 3 PLACES IN CASH
PLUS TROPHY FOR FIRST!
Putting Competition Final Tabulations
Using your own favorite two putters, this putting competition will consist of two rounds, one on Saturday where everyone will compete and a final round on Sunday where only the top competitors from Saturday will continue on.
PAYING OUT AMS 3 PLACES IN CASH
PLUS TROPHY FOR FIRST !
TROPHY FOR PROFESSIONAL 1ST!
PLAYERS UPDATE #1 05/12/19
Hello! Thank you so much for registering for the Solstice Soirée Sponsored by Latitude 64. The tournament is about a month out and I wanted to reach out and say hi. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. There are separate notes for our fresh tournament players at the bottom of this email that might be a good refresher for everyone else too. Happy to have 23 players with less than 5 tournaments under their belt and that this is the very first event for 5 players so far. We have a few PDGA numbers in the 122,000’s and also honored to have one four-digit PDGA member.
Prepare to make some wonderful memories in the gorgeous northern Colorado mountains. It’s not that extreme, except maybe a hole or two. More on that after next weeks visit. But it is raw ranch land and natural tees. So please bring appropriate footwear and reusable water bottles. I’ll have 5 gallon water jugs out for everyone to keep hydrated all weekend. Since about 50 of you are camping I will also be renting a port-a-let or two for you too. Also please keep in mind that there is very little to no cell service up there. I’m told Verizon has a little bit. I will be using the personal satellite signal from the ranch staff to upload scores to the PDGA after each round.
For those of you who are super duper excited there is a countdown on the event website to track it down to the minute.
There will not be any Friday night lodging or camping. There is a group who has the ranch booked that entire week through Friday. I have the ranch booked Saturday and Sunday. Please let me know if you have any special requests like a camper or RV instead of tent camping. I don’t want a bunch of people to just show up with large rigs and not be able to accommodate everyone.
Extra fun events registration is posted on the event website. No pro’s have entered the Glow or Accuracy so those will probably payout 2nd and maybe 3rd place.
Divisions may be consolidated before trophies are purchased in next few weeks. Looks like just the more seasoned gentlemen at this point.
Registration closes Tuesday, June 11 at 10pm MST. There will be absolutely no on-site tournament registrations. Please try to save everyones time during check-in by paying for everything on the Disc Golf Scene Registration page before the event. I might have told some people that it would be ok to sign up for extra fun events during check-in. But I prefer everything to be done online prior.
If you would like to add any additional breakfasts or dinners for family members staying in your tent but not playing, purchase an additional glow disc or entire players pack or the beautiful Limited Edition Full Color Fundraiser disc, just click on ‘Modify Registration’ in the email confirmation you received from Disc Golf Scene. This lets you add anything without changing the rest of your registration.
You guys have raised $260 for Homeward Alliance so far and the event hasn't even begun. Please give yourself a pat on the back! Also bring cash or check to the event as there will be a charity donation jar at tournament central all weekend for them. In case you weren’t aware half of the extra fun events and half of the ace pool will be donated to this Ft. Collins charity. There is a link to them on the event website for more info.
I’m going up to Sundance Trail Disc Golf next Friday and will have more info and updated pictures coming the week after that. Feel free to contact me with any questions.
http://dgscene.com/solsticesoiree
https://www.peacejames.co/solsticesoiree
Thanks again,
Matt James
Tournament Director
720-837-3474
peacejames@mac.com
www.peacejames.co
BEGINNER TIPS:
First of all welcome and feel free to ask questions as I am more than happy to help. Here are links to the PDGA Official Rules and Competition Manuals. You should know these rules and carry these manuals with you or have it on your phone with offline access during events. Most things come down to a group decision with benefit to the player. However if there is ever a problem or question or disagreement at all, we have a fantastic rule that lets the player throw both ways then let the TD decide after the round called Provisional. Its the best rule in disc golf!
PDGA Official Rules: https://www.pdga.com/rules/official-rules-disc-golf
PDGA Competition Manual: https://www.pdga.com/rules/competition-manual-disc-golf-events
This is a shotgun start event, where we all gather at the players meeting first then I’ll announce each player in the order of their card/hole they’re starting on, starting with the farthest walking holes. Please make sure you have all players on you card before walking to your hole. You can practice up until the 2 minute warning. That warning is usually shouted throughout the course from hole to hole. Nobody can throw at all once 2 minutes is called! Then at a set time everyone starts all at once. There will be a literal shotgun blast by one of the proprietors but we’ll also probably scream start throughout the course as well.
I will try to have at least one experienced player on every card for the first round. Everyone on the card should take score once throughout the round, sharing equal number of holes. When scores are written down make sure to announce your score for every hole, especially if you’re the score taker at the time. After the round, every player must verify his/her score and the score of every player on their card. Once the card is turned in it becomes official and will ensure penalty strokes for any mistakes.
An OB or Out Of Bounds line is a vertical plane that doesn’t take up space. If a rope is the designation, the very front of the rope touching the in bounds line is the OB line. The thickness of the rope doesn’t matter at all. A disc has to be touching in bounds to be declared in. 99% of it can be OB but if any part of the disc crosses that plane, it is in. In our case I will be using flags scattered down a line and the players will need to determine an imaginary line between the flags as a designation. I’ll describe more at the players meeting. Phone cameras make it easy to declare a Provisional in these situations and play both ways if there is every a disagreement, record both scores then let the TD decide after the round.
The schedule on the DG Scene page is what we will try to follow and I’ll have posted around the event. During the round please be conscious of the other 90 players on the course. Make sure it’s clear before you throw and keep aware of your cards speed of play. Everything should flow smoothly but if the card behind you is always meeting you at the tee pad, there is a problem.
COURSE MAP AND DETAILS
These will be printed as a double-sided page at the event or download to your phone.
Parking will be limited to 10’ off the road out in the back meadow where camping will be. Please try to park as close as possible to each other to maximize the space.
The 2 meter rule will not be effect.
OB (Out of Bounds) is the fence-line surrounding property and behind fence-line hole 21 too. The property barrier fence is barbed wire so retrieve your disc at your own risk. Lake on hole 15 is also OB.
One Mando (Mandatory) on hole 12. Must throw left of marked tree. Re-Tee if missed with penalty stroke until Mando is passed.
WATER Stations available at holes 1, 7 and 15. Please bring your own refillable water bottle.
This is a real working ranch with horses and other animals so please close each and every gate behind you.
NO SMOKING ON THE COURSE! Designated smoking areas with butt buckets are as follows:
-In parking lot between holes 21 and 1.
-In Archery Range by camping and hole 9
-In Fire Pit / Tournament Central Area
-On deck of lodge
PACK IT IN PACK IT OUT! I will be charged for every single cigarette butt found after we leave.
COURSE NOTES:
Hole 1 - 367’ WATER STATION Fence-line on right OB
Hole 2 - 202’
Hole 3 - 208’ Tee moved forward from normal
Hole 4 - 222’
Hole 5 - 212’
Hole 6 - 242’
Hole 7 - 226’ WATER STATION
Hole 8 - 465’ Fence-line on right OB Trash bin in fairway; Go for that award!
Hole 9 - 557’ Fence-line on right OB, Smoking Butt Bucket across road in Archery Range
Hole 10 - 202’
Hole 11 - 295’
Hole 12 - 272’ Mando Left of marked tree. Re-Tee if missed.
Hole 13 - 343’ Fence-line on right OB
Hole 14 - 282’
Hole 15 - 429’ WATER STATION Lake is OB Stay uphill going to 16 to avoid wetness.
Hole 16 - 515’ Alternate Tee to right of normal. 400’ Fairway Marker flag near tree.
Hole 17 - 305’ Please be careful on hillside and police yourselves for players on hole 18.
Hole 18 - 233’ Please be careful going downhill and watch for throws from hole 17.
Hole 19 - 376’
Hole 20 - 445’
Hole 21 - 510’ OB fence-line on right AND Behind basket. CLOST GATE BEHIND YOU AFTER HOLE 21! Take path to driveway then parking lot to the banner on gate by hole 1. Smoking Butt Bucket, Trash, Water, Restroom between 21 and 1.
PROVISIONAL is the best rules disc golf! If there is ever a disagreement or or problem, declare a provisional, throw both ways, writing both on the scorecard and bring it to the TD who will make the final decision.
LIGHTNING SHELTER FOR EACH HOLE:
1 Carriage House at Aspen Grove
2-3 Barn up and over top of hill left
4-5 Lodge up and over top of hill left
6-7 Lodge down road left
8-9 Your Vehicle parked off road left
10-14 Lodge road leading north at junction / Tournament Central
15-21 Carriage House at Aspen Grove
Since I don't have a drone I captured some GE aerial images so you can get a lay of the land.
PLAYERS UPDATE #2 06/01/19
IMPORTANT: PLEASE CONTACT ME IF ANY SPOUSES WOULD LIKE TO GO HORSEBACK RIDING! There was a few significant others coming who were just going to hang out during our golf rounds. After talking with the events manager and the barn manager, they can allow horseback riding for those not playing BUT ONLY if they know about it ahead of time. I was told it’s normally the ranch hands’ day off, but they could make an exception if there is enough interest. So please contact me ASAP if anyone is interested in that. The normal riding rates apply, whack out their website for more horseback riding information.
DIRECTIONS:
Sundance Trail Guest Ranch
17931 W County Rd 74e
Red Feather Lakes, CO 80545
(970) 224-1222
https://www.sundancetrail.com/
110 Miles from I-25 & Hampden in Denver Exit #201
From Fort Collins go north on US-287 toward Poudre Canyon and Laramie, WY.
34.5 miles from new Laporte circle at 14/287/54G junction
Turn left on 74E at mile marker 367 on US-287 at the historic Forks
74E is also called Red Feather Lakes Road
17.25 miles on 74E from exit/ historic Forks
1.25 miles west of Boy Scout Road.
Sundance Trail sign in meadow on left and at driveway on left side of road, look for Aspen Grove sign.
This is a real working ranch with horses and other animals so please close each and every gate behind you. Please keep in mind that I am being allowed to push the bar forward and do things at Sundance that hasn’t been done before. So please help me by being on your best behavior and always remember that we are a guest on this gorgeous property which could hopefully host a lot more events like this.
Player check-in will be at the Aspen Grove center right off 74E. Please park in that lot, come grab your players pack which will contain multiple passes for you as well as your vehicle for the weekend. Yes, even the professionals will receive a players pack. You’ll need to carry the individual passes with you at all times all weekend as a security measure.
Parking will be limited to 10’ off the road out in the back forty meadow where camping will be. Please try to park as close as possible to each other to maximize the space.
Camping will be primitive raw ranch land. I believe we can also camp in the woods on the north side of the road, I’ll confirm. But there isn’t any ‘sites’, you’ll just find a nice piece of ground and call it yours. Please try to minimize your impact.
I know about 2 RV’s and 2 trailers coming. the ranch is having me manage all the lodging and logistics for campers too. So please let me know if you are planning on bringing anything other than a tent. They do not want us driving more than 10’ off the road, including trailers. However we can accommodate trailers if known in advance.
PACK IT IN PACK IT OUT! I am going to be charged for every cigarette butt left after our event. In addition, I am giving an award for the person who picks up the most trash during the weekend. You must make photos or video of what you’ve picked up and then proof of who is throwing it away. Then make sure I see the proof before award ceremony Sunday afternoon.
Please bring your own refillable water bottle, hiking shoes or something you feel comfortable walking around in the mountains in and sunscreen. We’ll provide the rest of the fun.
This is a private ranch with rustic camping. I’m renting two porta pottys for everyone and will try to maintain tp and hand cleaner gel throughout the weekend. I’ll also make sure to keep the 5 gallon water jugs filled all day and night for everyone too. I’ll be moving the water jug from holes 1 and 15 to tournament central after the first round to be closer to campers and returning them before Sundays round.
NO individual campfires! There will be a nice campfire at the fire pit / tournament central Saturday night. I’ve already confirmed that a few player/musicians are bringing their guitar. Love to have music jam or sing along or both Saturday night! Any acoustic instrument would be cool. I’m working on possibly a smaller secondary campfire for campers at the opposite end of the meadow, on one of the burn scars by hole 9’s tee.
The Putting Competition and Accuracy Challenge will be right near Tournament Central. The Glow round will have glow lights hanging in the baskets and the tees will be marked with glow sticks as well. Glow will be played roughly around holes 9-15 reminiscent of the old course and return using the putting baskets.
GLOW, ACCURACY PUTTING SCORING PROCEEDURES:
If you have registered for any of the extra fun events you will receive a scorecard for each event in your players pack. Accuracy and Putting can be played at any time you like after you check-in, though dusk. We’ll be using the two putting baskets for the Glow round, plus it will be too dark to putt. There should be enough stations for a lot of participants to play at the same time, whenever they want. The order of stations played is not important and you can play a couple stations, then go play golf and come back and finish the rest of the stations later if you want. When you finish your event please make sure the scorecard is totaled then return the scorecard to the deposit box at tournament central at any time Saturday. Payouts for the extra fun events are currently posted on the website and will be updated and posted at the event too.
ACCURACY CHALLENGE will be 12 flagged stations to throw from. You will throw the large Aviator once and the small Junior disc once each station. You will mark the scorecard each time you successfully make it through the square with either disc, for a possible grand total of 24 points.
PUTTING COMPETITION will be 12 flagged stations on two different baskets to throw from. Using your own 2 putters you will throw each putter once from each station. You will mark the scorecard each time you successfully make a putt, for a possible grand total of 24 points. Everyone’s putting score will be totaled for Saturday and the best scores will play a final putting round Sunday afternoon before the awards. These players who make it to the finals will be announced at the Sunday morning players meeting and posted at tournament central as well.
GLOW ROUND will have a quick players meeting at tournament central to make sure everyone knows the course. Each group will also be given a flashlight for safety and to activate glow discs. It will be a very casual 9 hole round with shorter holes. Please be careful and use the provided flashlight if necessary.
The first version of the course map and course notes have been published and are available on the website and on DG Scene. In addition, since I don’t have a drone I uploaded google earth photos of different angles of the property so you can get a lay of the land.
I’m hoping to put in a couple bridges over the extreme wetness between holes 15 and 16 and also crossing back over on hole 21. Stay uphill on hole 15 going to the alternate tee for 16 to avoid heavy wetness.
Tournament registration officially closes June 11, 2019 at 10:00 MST. Please make sure that you have and all of your choices and selections before then like getting in the Ace Pool if you’re not yet, signing up for the Glow Round, Accuracy Challenge or Putting Contest or purchasing one of the beautiful full color limited edition and numbered fundraiser discs with artwork by Manuel Trujillo, who has been busy creating all sorts of designs for Discmania and some of the worlds top players. By the way he is playing the Soirée so maybe you could get him to sign one at some point during the weekend.
There are 3 ways to check or modify your tournament registration. You can use the ‘Modify’ link in the confirmation email you got from DG Scene when you registered. You can login to the DG Scene website, go to the Solstice Soirée event and select the Registered Players tab, where you should see the same Modify button. Or you can ask me nicely and I’ll send you a single link to click to go to that modification page.
You may also want to bring some cash for donations to Homeward Alliance, our official charity who helps the homeless and near-homeless in Northern Colorado. There is info about them on the website. Plus there are a couple full color fundraiser discs available and a special surprise to be announced soon.
I will have more updates coming with more details about exact schedule times for check-in and food. Thinking about moving check-in up an hour to allow campers a little more time to setup since we can’t arrive until Saturday morning. We have a few first time tournament players so please feel free to ask me any questions at all. I’m happy to help.
Thank you very much,
Matt James
TD (Tournament Director)
720-837-3474
matt@peacejames.co
https://www.peacejames.co/solsticesoiree
Sundance Trail Guest Ranch
