Paul McBeth #27523

[gammaxgoblin]

So he hasn't been in serious contention for more than a good bit now...anyone know what is the deal...did Conrad break something in his brain?

 

[Hampstead]

I'm guessing injury, financially comfortable, domestic bliss, and hanging out with Brodie too much. Not necessarily in any order. At this rate, I don't foresee another World's in his future. Too bad. When he was great, he was damn near unbeatable.

 

[txmxer]

Correct me if I'm wrong. Over the last 20 years, the sport has gone from the top players being basically hobbyist that happened to be really skilled--meaning Climo and his competition generally worked full time jobs and used free time to play DG.

Then we had the "living the dream crowd"--basically how McBeth started. Living out of an old beater and driving around playing DG full time living off what ever they could make winning tournaments.

Today, we have the "touring pros". Between sponsorships, tournament $s, and outside $ earned from social media and probably a fair amount of family support, these folks are making a living as a professional athlete. They are able to focus on training and maintaining a healthy lifestyle in support of playing DG.

McBeth kind of led the sport from living the dream to professional athlete.

 

[brutalbrutus]

So he hasn't been in serious contention for more than a good bit now...anyone know what is the deal...did Conrad break something in his brain?

That's a great theory you got going on there... Only thing wrong with it, is that he won the next tour event after Worlds...


...and i guess 3rd at The Preserve and another 3rd at GMC 2 wks ago... not to mention he was the leader entering the final round at Idlewild... but i guess those don't count in your precise time frame of "a good bit now"


The man has 2 tour wins, a win at The Memorial(which might as well have been a tour event considering the field), 2nd place at Worlds(and only lost because of an historic shot and a bad bounce), and is only behind Paige and Ricky in tourney winnings this season.


He hasn't gotten worse... Everyone else is just that much better.

 

[Moose33]

Watching him play a bit, he's doing well and you can tell his killer instinct is still there.

As an oft injured athlete myself, I do think he may have a hip or knee injury that could be holding him back from being at his absolute best.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

I dunno if I'm ready to say he's done. He's not as dominant as he used to be. Some of that's because the field's just gotten that good: Ricky, Eagle, Calvin, KJUSA, Conrad, Dickerson, Klein... any of them can win eny event they enter.

But McBeth has always been someone who's had the mental toughness to both lead from ahead, and climb out of a hole to win.

Just 3 months ago, he looked like he was gonna get #6. If not for the most unbelievable shot most of us have ever seen, he would have. He's finished 1st or 2nd in World's for the past decade or so.

I'm not ready to write him off quite that easily. It would be more surprising if he wasn't on the lead card the final round of 2022 World's, and within striking distance of the lead, than if he was.

 

[rjnoodlearm]

I wish that I had had McBeth's lousy year!

So he hasn't been in serious contention for more than a good bit now...anyone know what is the deal...did Conrad break something in his brain?

I think you are exaggerating a bit. McBeth had a great year for anyone not named Paul McBeth.

While much of the difference in his win total is due to more and better competition, I do think he is off just a tad perhaps from the lingering effects of an injury, or maybe just a skosh less concentration due to a lot more distractions (a wife, a business to run, a huge new contract to fulfill, etc) .

Athletes at his level have occasional down (for them) years and then they come roaring back when things settle down and they refocus all of their energy on winning.

If McBeth is half as savvy as I think he is, he is likely plotting his "comeback" as we debate.

 

[davetherocketguy]

Is it just me or every time McBeth tweets anything about the PDGA or DGPT he has something to whine about? It's getting tiresome. I know I can just unfollow him but geez it really that bad Mr. Debbie Downer?

 

[oldmandiscer]

Is it just me or every time McBeth tweets anything about the PDGA or DGPT he has something to whine about? It's getting tiresome. I know I can just unfollow him but geez it really that bad Mr. Debbie Downer?

I give him credit for speaking out and being "critical" of things when they are not up to standards. It's a lot easier to go with the flow, not make noise and just accept what is.

Change is hard and standing out in the crowd is as well. We need more people like McBeth, not less. Keep it going man. (not that he reads this site anymore).

 

[scooby snack]

Correct me if I'm wrong. Over the last 20 years, the sport has gone from the top players being basically hobbyist that happened to be really skilled--meaning Climo and his competition generally worked full time jobs and used free time to play DG.

Then we had the "living the dream crowd"--basically how McBeth started. Living out of an old beater and driving around playing DG full time living off what ever they could make winning tournaments.

McBeth kind of led the sport from living the dream to professional athlete.

Al Shack, Todd Branch, and Dave Feldberg toured full time when McBeth was just starting primary school.

There were more than a few players touring full time over 20 years ago. The difference was that the payouts were so low, they had to share expenses or they couldn't have made it work.

 

[gammaxgoblin]

That's a great theory you got going on there... Only thing wrong with it, is that he won the next tour event after Worlds...


...and i guess 3rd at The Preserve and another 3rd at GMC 2 wks ago... not to mention he was the leader entering the final round at Idlewild... but i guess those don't count in your precise time frame of "a good bit now"


The man has 2 tour wins, a win at The Memorial(which might as well have been a tour event considering the field), 2nd place at Worlds(and only lost because of an historic shot and a bad bounce), and is only behind Paige and Ricky in tourney winnings this season.


He hasn't gotten worse... Everyone else is just that much better.

Yeah those are good points...I considered checking the results prior to posting but since this dgcr and its not a life or death matter of needing to cite sources, etc...i skipped that...like I said good feedback on my comment and I appreciate that!

On another note, yeah I suppose I only compare him to him and not against the average expectations. I pay attention to nearly all the events and I dont remember him recently being in a position, regardless of tourney ranking, where he was within a number of strokes to contend for the win. I understand his standard for himself to be that he wants to win every tourney and anything else is not success. So i suppose I am interpreting his performance based on his standards as I understand them. I doubt he thinks much of 3rd place finishes, especially ones where he isnt even close to the top spot. He seems to have the Ricky Bobby mindset about winning =)

 

[dehaas]

For what it's worth, this is how it comes across to me.

I honestly don't think he's making public statements, complaints, or whatever you want to call them because he's a whiny dude. When asked about his thoughts on putting being to easy and making the baskets smaller he's said he's all for making the baskets smaller…knowing it'd impact his competition more than himself.

I think statements are made calling out subpar tournament planning with the intent that either the DGPT, PDGA, or whoever develops a gold standard for higher profile events. I also think that creating certain standards would be an opportune time to try to form some sort of organization or players union as part of that discussion. The dude moved east, bought a bunch of land, and is in the process of developing his own championship level course. He knows what direction the tournament scene is moving, and all of these "statements" are small baby pushes moving things in that direction.

Dude is a stone cold killer. He was the first to bring in a huge sponsorship contract, and pretty much immediately showed the world his name moves plastic and the big money was worth the gamble for DC. Calculated move that he knows will stir the pot a bit.

 

[txmxer]

Al Shack, Todd Branch, and Dave Feldberg toured full time when McBeth was just starting primary school.

There were more than a few players touring full time over 20 years ago. The difference was that the payouts were so low, they had to share expenses or they couldn't have made it work.

And those are the guys that I'm saying were "living the dream". They were sacrificing everything to play disc golf on a minimalist budget. While they were committed to it, they didn't have the resources that the top touring pros have today.

And that's where McBeth fits in. He started out "living the dream" and helped usher in the era of touring professional disc golfers that are making a decent living playing the sport.

And that kind of goes back to the original subject. Looking at the national tour rankings:

https://www.pdga.com/national-tour/2021/standings

The top 50 or so are all guys that have breakout rounds and we regularly see on lead, chase or feature cards. The competition is deep this year. I don't know, but I'd guess we are seeing more different winners this year than in the past. Every event seems to have several players playing exceptional DG.

 

[elmexdela]

i thought it was macbeth was supposed to dominate every weekend and it was up to who ever the other random flavor of the weeks turn it was to have a hot round was supposed to beat macbeth

 

[BogeyNoMore]

i thought it was macbeth was supposed to dominate every weekend and it was up to who ever the other random flavor of the weeks turn it was to have a hot round was supposed to beat macbeth

I think even Paul realizes that's just not the case anymore.

As contracts, sponsorships, tourney $$$$ and YouTube earnings have improved dramatically the past few years (McBeth himself being a huge part of that development), more players are able to actually make a living as touring pros, without needing a "day job," so to speak.

More players, spending more time on tour, playing more events, and having the financial security and resources to truly to focus on their game without worrying about money... makes it that much harder for someone to dominate.

DG's pie is bigger and tastier than it's ever been before, and more people are enjoying it, and making more money from it, than ever before.

 

[brutalbrutus]

DG's pie is bigger and tastier than it's ever been before, and more people are enjoying it, and making more money from it, than ever before.

 

[davetherocketguy]

My understanding is that the DGPT and these pro tour type events are heavily dependent on volunteers to operate, run and plan. As long as that's the case, complaints from people like McBeth (who owns a McClaren don't forget) are going to sound really whiny to me.

Want to make the DGPT better? Stop relying on so many volunteers and get some professional paid staff in there. Pony up or get some sponsors for the DGPT McBeth otherwise you get what you pay for.

 

[gammaxgoblin]

I actually found the problem with his game this season:
PUTTING - CIRCLE 1, 91.46%, 974 of 1065 putts, 37th Rank
PUTTING - CIRCLE 1X, 83.24%, 452 of 543 putts, 32nd Rank

And for the record his recent tourney finishes are: LAST 2 MONTHS
Discraft Ledgestone Insurance Open Peoria, IL Aug 5-8 T18th +13
Idlewild Open Burlington, KY Aug 13-15 T7th +3
MVP Open at Maple Hill Leicester, MA Sep 3-5 11th +10
Green Mountain Championship Jeffersonville, VT Sep 9-12 T3rd +11

So in looking at the rankings in this season of 2021 his putting is reason he is not playing up to his usual standards. Any reason his putting should be this way?

 

[elmexdela]

I actually found the problem with his game this season:
PUTTING - CIRCLE 1, 91.46%, 974 of 1065 putts, 37th Rank
PUTTING - CIRCLE 1X, 83.24%, 452 of 543 putts, 32nd Rank

And for the record his recent tourney finishes are: LAST 2 MONTHS
Discraft Ledgestone Insurance Open Peoria, IL Aug 5-8 T18th +13
Idlewild Open Burlington, KY Aug 13-15 T7th +3
MVP Open at Maple Hill Leicester, MA Sep 3-5 11th +10
Green Mountain Championship Jeffersonville, VT Sep 9-12 T3rd +11

So in looking at the rankings in this season of 2021 his putting is reason he is not playing up to his usual standards. Any reason his putting should be this way?

he said on that one podcast his arms are too tired from holding all those trophies

 

[oldmandiscer]

I actually found the problem with his game this season:
PUTTING - CIRCLE 1, 91.46%, 974 of 1065 putts, 37th Rank
PUTTING - CIRCLE 1X, 83.24%, 452 of 543 putts, 32nd Rank

And for the record his recent tourney finishes are: LAST 2 MONTHS
Discraft Ledgestone Insurance Open Peoria, IL Aug 5-8 T18th +13
Idlewild Open Burlington, KY Aug 13-15 T7th +3
MVP Open at Maple Hill Leicester, MA Sep 3-5 11th +10
Green Mountain Championship Jeffersonville, VT Sep 9-12 T3rd +11

So in looking at the rankings in this season of 2021 his putting is reason he is not playing up to his usual standards. Any reason his putting should be this way?

He was the best putter in 2015, at least the best we saw on coverage. This trend isn't really new. I think simply others have caught up and he's been not as phenomenal as he once was. I think the year after 2016-2017 Ricky was out putting him and has probably been a little better ever since. Then Eagle has been raising the bar as well in the last couple years.

He's been winning by out throwing everyone, in an event two years ago he was 88th in the field in C1X percentage and Won. That's crazy to out throw everyone that much that below avg putting can win.

Then maybe the stats don't tell the whole story, does McBeth have more inside circle edge putts then avg to skew the stats? Meaning does his long game translate into more birdie looks and resulting in more 30 footers then avg? It'd be nice if the stats were more refined or accurate.