Third time’s the charm for von Hagel

Von Hagel disrupts Wolodkin’s plans in Men’s Advanced Division; Farris/Spradlin tie in Men’s Rec
S. Farris leads Women’s Division; J. Spradlin tops Boys’ Youth Division
The field: 25 players, 76 rounds, 313 birdies, 3 aces

* Results: Week 1 . Week 2. Week 3. Week 4 . Week 5 . Week 6 . Week 7 . Week 8 . Week 9 . Week 10 . Week 11 . Week 12 . Week 13 . Week 14
* Week 3: July 7 – July 10 at Mile Lane DGC
* Summer Youth League continues July 4, July 11 and July 18
* Scroll down for a few photos from Week 2 SFL, plus full results and division standings
* Summer Flex League rules, schedule and more

FROSTBURG — Sam Wolodkin laid the foundation for a successful weekend.

The 21-year-old from Frostburg threw down a 10 under par 44, matching the Allegany County Disc Golf Club’s course record at Hoffman Park Disc Golf Course in Frostburg set in May by David Warder. He carded 10 birdies, the most among 25 players who competed between June 30 and July 3 during Week 2 of the Summer Flex League.

On Monday, however, Ethan von Hagel had some time off from work to participate in Week 2 of the club’s second annual Summer Flex League. He played one round and was dissatisfied. He played another, and felt about the same. As the beginner-friendly course at Hoffman Park does not require the same intensity and strength of some of the longer courses, von Hagel decided to play a third.

Boy did that work out for him. For Wolodkin? Not so much.

Sam Wolodkin on No. 7.

Von Hagel posted a blistering 11 under par 43 in his third and final effort on Monday — including an ace on No. 2 — establishing the club course record by one stroke. Wolodkin finished in second in the Men’s Advanced Division, a single stroke back with a 44. Colby Mallery, 20, of Mount Savage, placed third with a 47. Bill Shreve, 47, of Cumberland, and Scott Mallery, 55, of Mount Savage, finished in a two-way tie for fourth (48) while Gordon Cox, 49, of Hagerstown, rounded out the six-player division with a 49. It was Cox’s first time playing at Hoffman Park.

Von Hagel, who struggled during two previous rounds with a 52 and a 55, posted an eight under par 19 over the front nine, including his first club ace. He finished with a comparatively pedestrian 24 the rest of the way, and birdied four of the final five baskets.

With the win, von Hagel leaps into a three-way tie for third in the Men’s Advanced Division standings after two weeks of Summer Flex League play. Von Hagel, Shreve and Scott Mallery each have seven points, while Colby Mallery and Wolodkin are tied for first with 11 points apiece.

Players are able to complete as many rounds within the specified four-day period as they wish, and the player’s best round counts. Twenty-five players completed a total of 76 rounds this time, breaking the previous Summer Flex League record of 22 players set one week ago. The top turnout in 2022’s Summer Flex League was 18 players in Week 2. This week, 15 players completed at least two rounds each. There were three aces, including one by von Hagel and two by Kevin Spradlin. However, one of those aces did not make it into the round that counted. More on that below.

Among each of the 25 players’ best scores, the 25-player field carded 108 birdies and two aces. In the 51 duplicate rounds, the field carded another 205 birdies and one ace.

T. Farris, K. Spradlin tie atop Men’s Recreation Division

Kevin Spradlin needed eight rounds to score a nine under par 45, and he added a ninth round — another 45 — for good measure. Tim Farris, meanwhile, needed only one.

Farris, 27, of Wiley Ford, W.Va., and Spradlin, 44, of Frostburg, finished in a two-way tie atop the the Men’s Recreation Division as they each posted a 45. It was both players’ best marks during a club round at Hoffman Park Disc Golf Course, which opened on May 14 as the first public disc golf course in Allegany County. It was Spradlin’s best mark at Hoffman since his 47 on June 16 during a solo practice round.

Farris took the early lead — over all players in any division — early in Week 2. He tallied nine birdies and was one of eight players to post a bogey-free round (including six in 25 rounds that counted as the players’ best marks).

Noah Spradlin, 23, of Frostburg, finished third with a personal best of 48. His previous best of 50 was thrown on May 27, and Spradlin figured he was done setting any personal records on the short course. He was wrong. Spradlin carded seven birdies and only one birdie on the first day of Week 2, beating his father by eight strokes. One week earlier, the dad had edged the son by a stroke or two during a club-facilitated private flex event. The younger Spradlin played again and again and again — a total of seven rounds — before finally beating his father.

This time, the elder Spradlin accepted the challenge of coming back for the family win. His ninth round was another 45, with 10 birdies and only a single bogey. One of his 10 tries ended with a 50 but doubled as only his second bogey-free round of his disc golf life. His 10th and final round started horribly, going only 1-for-6 on putts inside roughly 18 feet and he finished the front nine with a one over par 28. On the back nine, though, Spradlin caught on a bit and threw a 24, including his second ace of the day and fourth since May 26. This time, he nailed No. 3 on the back nine, reaching the basket 185 feet from the tee pad with an Axiom Eclipse Hex. It is the second ace Spradlin has thrown with the Hex at Hoffman Park DGC.

Keith Raynor, 47, of Vale Summit, placed fourth among nine division athletes with a 51. Newcomer Brian Padovini, 42, of Frostburg, rounded out the top five with a one under par 53. Tim Lick, 32, of Cumberland, placed sixth with an even par 54. Ethan Shreve, 18, of Cumberland, tied with Ray “Hoss” Hollingsworth, 40, of Frostburg, as each player carded a 56. Samuel Lick, of Cumberland, finished with a 61.

Farris holds onto the top spot in the division standings with 13 points, with Kevin Spradlin at 12 points. Raynor slides into solo third, with Noah Spradlin in fourth and Rick Perkins in fifth.

S. Farris rules Women’s Division

Shania Farris dominated the Women’s Division for the second straight week, earning a 13-stroke advantage over runner-up Stephanie Spradlin in Week 2 action.

Farris, 26, of Wiley Ford, finished with six birdies en route to her best mark at Hoffman Park Disc Golf Course during a club round.

For the rest of the field, that’s the bad news. The good news for Spradlin, 43, of Frostburg, along with Krystal Mallery and newcomer Ashleigh Hollingsworth is that it’s all about positioning — and not the number of strokes Farris might lead them by each week.

Farris increases her division lead with 13 points, followed by Spradlin (10) and Mallery (eight). Hollingsworth earned three points with a fourth-place finish, her first 18-hole round of disc golf.

How to earn points during the Summer Flex League: 5 points for a win (within your division), 4 points for 2nd, 3 points for 3rd, 2 points for 4th, 1 point for 5th, and 1 point for participation. Further, players can each one additional point each of the six weeks that SFL is played in conjunction with Saturday Morning Tag League if the player ties or throws their best

Boys’ Youth Division

Josiah Spradlin is 13 years old. He might reluctantly agree to play a round of disc golf so long as (a) it’s not a baseball game night, (b) his friends aren’t online playing games, and/or (c) there isn’t a new version of his favorite game being released at tee time. Heck, maybe even girls are clouding Spradlin’s athletic opportunities.

Luke Spradlin-Vogelsang, meanwhile, just wants to play disc golf. The 10-year-old completed six rounds of disc golf during Week 2 and lowered his score 73 to a personal best mark at Hoffman Park DGC of 60. His previous best was a 62, thrown on both June 2 and July 1.

That put the younger boyonly three strokes behind the teenage brother, who threw a 57 during his only round. Evan Padovini, 11, of Frostburg, placed third with a 64. Liam Hutter (87), John Youngblood (99) and Ayden Hollingsworth (130) each made their Summer Flex League debuts.

Club ‘Ace Club’ Update

Players have thrown eight aces in club history, and five of them have come at Hoffman Park over the last seven weeks. Bill Shreve threw the first club ace at Hoffman Park DGC on Opening Day on May 14, hitting No. 2 only 51 minutes into the first club round at the newly opened course.

Kevin Spradlin and Ethan von Hagel combined to add three more over the weekend.

1 — Caleb Campbell, Aug. 8, 2022 at The Glades at Meshach Run (No. 4)
2 — NaTasha Scolaro during Fisher Cup, Jan. 16, 2023 at Ditto Farms (No. 5 short)
3 — Bill Shreve, March 12, 2023 at The Glades at Meshach Run (No. 6)
4 — Bill Shreve, May 14, 2023 at Hoffman Park DGC (No. 2)
5 — Kevin Spradlin, May 26, 2023 at Hoffman Park DGC (No. 9)
6 — Kevin Spradlin, July 3, 2023 at Hoffman Park DGC (No. 2)
7 — Kevin Spradlin, July 3, 2023 at Hoffman Park DGC (No. 3)
8 — Ethan von Hagel, July 3, 2023 at Hoffman Park DGC (No. 2)