NauticalUrge

NauticalUrge.com is now NauticalUrgeMedia.com!

2009-09-09T17:12:00.003-04:00

www.NauticalUrgeMedia.com

2009-09-03T10:09:00.001-04:00

RT @TIMA_NC: Progress Energy receives national award via Triangle Business Journal - http://bit.ly/4kai0V

Internet Strategy Forum - Summit West 2009

2009-07-30T11:03:00.007-04:00

Internet Strategy Forum
Summit West
Portland, OR ~ July 23-24th

Executive keynote presenters from Forrester Research, Hewlett-Packard, Intuit, Xerox, Intel, Welchman Pierpoint, Portland Trail Blazers and more; sharing their insights and ideas about Internet strategy -- How to best leverage the Internet & integrate it into business strategy.

Having attended this conference last year, I had huge expectations for the 6th Annual Conference, and to my delight, all my expectations were once again satisfied in excess.

Featuring highly respected speakers from some of the world's most established brands, the Internet Strategy Forum has once again provided a highly detailed and thorough conference which allowed these business giants to share their unique insights into how their organizations have been able to leverage the power of the internet, and to develop their brands and following while decreasing overall marketing expenses through Social Media strategies.

The Featured Speakers & Keynotes Included:
Jeremiah Owyang
Sr. Analyst, Forrester Research

Katherine Durham
VP of Marketing (Imaging & Printing Division), Hewlett-Packard

Johan Jervoe
VP of Creative & Digital Marketing, Intel Corporation

Sheila Tolle
VP of Marketing Small Business, Intuit

Duane Schulz
VP of Interactive Marketing Xerox

Lisa Welchman
Founding Partner, Welchman Pierpoint

Chris Dill
Chief Information Officer, Portland Trail Blazers

As was the case last year, and which I hope to continue in years to come, I posted many of the key points to my Twitter Stream (@CommunityMGR), and the following are the key points which were included in my stream...

Amazingly, my @BrightKite posts from #ISF 2008 are still on PG #1 of the Portland Governor Hotel: http://su.pr/30bHmM - #ISF09

Katherine Durham, VP of Marketing, Hewlett Packard. 50% of Top10 sites are Social Media related. #ISF09

Mobility Trend: 85% of Consumers have Mobile Access. Video Trend: 77% of Americans watched a video last month... #HP #ISF09

Review Trend: Instant Credibility via peer reviews. Negative Reviews can actually convert at higher rates due to ALT Peer POV. #HP #ISF09

RT @caseorganic People spend 14 hrs/wk or 40% of time online, whereas advertisers are spending 5% of budget online. @KatherineDurham #ISF09

HP Success Factors: Maximize Online In-Store Integration, Integrate Social Media, Commit, & Experiment. #HP #ISF09

HP Consumer Data: 96% of Consumers Research Online, but 79% of those Consumers still purchase In-Store! #HP #ISF09

Social Networking at HP: Listening is good! Talking is good! Collaboration, Sharing, Developing FRIENDS: Trust, Context, Ideas. #HP #ISF09

Social Networking: Make it easy...Give to your friends...Tell a story...Share the spotlight...Be a good friend! @KatherineDurham #HP #ISF09

Neg. Reviews can drive conversions because what doesn't work for one consumer, may be PERFECT for another consumer. #HP #ISF09

Measurement: Targeted Auduence, Blog Mentions, Tweets, Social Bkmrks? Est baselines and rank. What's the current tone? Be innovative! #ISF09

PPL have always talked about your products, but now what they say is permanent and worldwide. Power shift from Company to Individual. #ISF09

CEOs and Journalists are some of the LEAST trusted. Only 30% Trust what Companies say, and are more inclined to trust peers. #Intuit #ISF09

New Norm: Voice of Individuals is unleashed. Cost of publishing is $0. Individuals about belonging, self-esteem, self-actualization. #ISF09

Fastest growing group on Social Networks (ie: Facebook) are over the age of 45! Social Equillibrium from young to older. #ISF09

The Traditional News Cycle is too slow. News outlets are picking up stories days to weeks behind emerging Social Media Channels. #ISF09

Channels like Twitter allow companies to help customers WHERE THEY ARE. Personalize with indiv photos, NOT logos as avatars. #Intuit #ISF09

"Crashing" other peoples Communities without engaging = FAIL. Choose the SM Communities which contain your audience and engage! #ISF09

Top 5 Challenges: Low Budget, Lack of Staff, Lack of Career Path Opportunities, Not High Enough Management Level, Competitive Salary. #ISF09

Businesses which fail to realize the importance, role, and potential of the Internets' impact on business are subject to dying off. #ISF09

"Without STANDARDS, Wikipedia would look like most of your websites..." quote by Lisa Welchman ~ Ouch, and yet so true! LOL #ISF09

Ice Breaker: "Cursive is a dinosaur language. It's all about DIGITAL today!" (ie: "idk") #ISF09

Power continues to shift to communities over brands- ultimately resulting in institutions. @jowyang #ISF09

Technology Changes > Drives Consumer Behavior > Business Adoption... #ISF09

5 Eras of Social Web: Relationships, Functionality, Colonization, Context, & Commerce #ISF09

Linkedin's Application Framework: The Intranet has been outsourced to Social Networks. "Fishing where the Fish Are..." #ISF09

Trend of applications becoming more important than traditional websites. Corporate websites continue to fragment into Communities. #ISF09

The Era of Social Context: Social Contracts will emerge. Consumers will share info in exchange for improved experiences. #ISF09

Social Networks will become next-generation CRM Systems. Advertising Agencies could flip to representing the Community to Brands. #ISF09

SM Challenges to Consider: Privacy, Social Network Burn Out, Legal Issues, Noise from Ambient Intimacy, and Extremism. #ISF09

Era of Relationships: Join the conversation where it exists; Fish where the fish are! #ISF09

Era of Functionality: Shatter your corporate website; let it spread to the Community. #ISF09

Era of Colonization: Focus on advocates, and aggregate the conversation. #ISF09

Era of Context: Flexible Websites, and more content inventory. @jowyang #ISF09

GI Gen (84+) and Baby Boomers (44-63) are both Generations concerned with things GREATER than themselves... So what happened? #ISF09

28% of the typical workday is interrupted by unwanted info. Most B2B Companies waste the bulk of their digital marketing investment. #ISF09

Chris Dill, CTO of the Portland Trail Blazers agrees... there are SERIOUS problems with the C-Level Execs not getting it [trends]. #ISF09

When Marketing and IT Departments don't collaborate on initiatives, you ultimately set your business up for failure... #ISF09

Amber Case's Visualization of the ISF Summit 2009

2009-07-30T09:57:00.008-04:00

Shortly after the Internet Strategy Forum Summit West in Portland, OR last week, I stumbled upon an excellent article written by Amber Case that visually graphs the Twitter trends, volume, and buzz from the ISF Conference.

Not surprisingly to myself nor @TaylorBarr, quite a few of my tweets were picked up in this blog post, and I wanted to share it with those interested in tracking and visualizing Twitter trends, volume, and "buzz" resulting from events.

Visualizing the ISF Summit 2009
By Amber Case, a cyborg anthropologist, internet marketer, and speaker from Portland, Oregon.

You can contact her at CaseOrganic[at]gmail.com, or on Twitter at @CaseOrganic.

Social Media Club Portland's Summer Social

2009-07-27T10:35:00.000-04:00

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the Social Media Club (Portland, OR) Summer Social which featured Jeremiah Owyang (@jowyang), an analyst at Forrester Research.

I couldn't help but see the humor in the fact that when Jeremiah arrived at the SMC Meetup which was held at @WebTrends, the crowd was energized like the scene from Intel's creative commercial featuring Ajay Bhatt, the co-inventor of the USB.

This was a particularly interesting SMC event for me personally, because while we were gearing up to start @SocialMediaPDX (SMC Portland, OR), I was feverishly tweeting away in the #SMCTriangle SMC-RDU Tweetup in Raleigh, NC.

Nonetheless, once @SocialMediaPDX began, I was solely focused on our featured guest speaker, Jeremiah. The following are just a few of the key points (and tweets) that I took away from the Q&A Presentation...

SMC Portland's Summer Social, feat. @JOwyang, and moderaterated by @UncleNate. #SMCPDX - Photo: http://bkite.com/09TJX

POST = People Objective Strategy Tools... Methodology to a successful Social Media Campaign. @jowyang #SMCPDX

"Should my small business be on Twitter or SM Channels?" - Is your target audience on the SM channels you're planning on utilizing? #SMCPDX

Social Media doesn't scale - 1:1 Relationships don't scale! Focus on word of mouth; also encourage audience to support each other! #SMCPDX

"The biggest Social Network is EMAIL... fairly untapped resource..." by @jowyang #SMCPDX @iContact FTW!

Yahoo is typically a yr behind the "ball," but their new platform integrates enough SM tools to be a potential "player." @jowyang #SMCPDX

SM Trend for 2010: Social Pollinating and Aggregation... Integration of various trending SM tools into a centralized application. #SMCPDX

Most brands are just spewing content, but aren't ENGAGING their clients. This is a MAJOR mistake. SM is a dialogue, NOT a monologue. #SMCPDX

CRMs are starting to integrate SM tools to log SM data about clients. Challenges: Mapping of Identity & Companies are NOT ready! #SMCPDX

In Asian cultures they only use their mobiles for calls 4% of the time! Mobiles are used more for SM, Data, and Community. #SMCPDX

As this Virtual Generation ("Digital Natives") enter the workforce, Email becomes essential to Online Communications. @jowyang #SMCPDX

#SecretAsianMan Featured in Ford Fiesta Movement - Mission 2

2009-07-01T13:27:00.005-04:00

Rocked some serious #AsianPride in @TaylorBarr and @DParsons22's #FiestaMovement Mission 2: Mobile Gaming! http://digg.com/u17A1e

2009-06-09T20:28:00.001-04:00

Celebrating our 2 yr Wedding Anniversary with @LaurenWong. Champagne, Filet Mignon, Lobster Ravioli, and Beef Bricoli at Maggiano's Italy.

The Darwism of "BIG Media"

2009-06-09T10:32:00.007-04:00

As the world becomes more and more technologically interconnected through various social networking and micro-blogging services like Twitter, the traditional concept of receiving news from trusted sources has migrated from the so-called "big media" news organizations, and has been reassigned to local and regionally known bloggers and tweeple (individuals that use Twitter).

CNN, like all major news media organizations has but one primary purpose, and that is to report the news. Social Media channels like Twitter, Plurk, and Facebook are meant to allow individuals to connect, network, and speak their minds in an open and un-moderated channel. Integrating these two concepts may prove fatal to both agendas.

The problem facing the big media organizations is that it is very difficult to draw the line between having one sided broadcasts, and being too transparent to your viewers by allowing the untrained public to dictate the opinions and news to the viewing audience. Another heavy barrier to true transparency is the fact that in reality, news organizations like CNN filter through each and every comment while cherry picking only those comments and statements which coincide with CNN's political and social points of view.

News organizations are businesses, and advertisers can be considered sponsors. These sponsors (like Starbucks for CNN) expect certain levels of content consistency and control over what is broadcast. Therefore, it's unlikely that any news organization will ever be able to provide a true level of transparency and follower comment integration as pure SM channels such as Twitter and Facebook can provide to their audiences.

Now to clarify my stance on the integration of social media and big media; I want to make truly clear that I support and encourage any media outlet to integrate social media strategies into their operations, but I do not feel that traditional television viewers are interested in having the opinions of individual tweeple narrated to them via CNN reporters. It's all a matter of perception, and CNN for example is integrating social media strategies in a way that I feel is hurtful to their true purpose, which is to report the news.

There should be more of a separation between the televised broadcast, and the online interactions made between CNN and their followers. If individual anchors or reporters want to build their follower base, they should simply display their Twitter usernames on the screen, but don't sit there and tell us to follow you. Actions and requests like that remind me of the days back on the playground on your first day in school, begging to make new friends and not feel like a complete outcast.

Big media like CNN should really stick to keeping their SM conversations on SM channels, while allowing their staff to continue to provide a two-way transparent conversation with CNN fans. However, I don't feel that it's beneficial to showcase cherry picked comments from Twitter followers to share on televised broadcasts, especially since only a small percentage of the US population even understands and uses such technology.

If news organizations truly want to showcase true viewer opinions, then they should follow the CurrentTV model and display the comments LIVE on their broadcast at the bottom of the screen, but only after developing some highly efficient filtering protocols (for language, not content). This would allow for the truest levels of transparency, and would allow for a truer form of News Media and Social Media integration, though I still doubt the value of such an integration.

I personally, like most of my colleagues that understand and use Social Media technologies, tend to expect my Social Media conversations to remain in the SM realm, while keeping my real world news, activities, and personality in the "real world."

Continued censored integration of SM channels and traditional news broadcasting channels will, in my personal opinion, expedite the continuing degradation of today's news organizations (Big Media Darwinism).

People like to gather the opinions of their friends and family, but they still need a TRUSTED news source that still practices the key fundamentals to true journalism: Truth, Research, Integrity, and Knowledge. Don't allow Big Media Darwinism to kill the true purpose of American Journalism and News...

2009-06-04T22:30:00.001-04:00

I'm off the plane! I'm off the plane! Take a good hard look at the ASIAN off the plane! LOL! #WelcomeBackToNC

2009-06-04T08:59:00.001-04:00

Last day of the eCommerce Merchants Trade Assoc. #ECMTA Summit. @ChuckHester to keynote at 9AM. I'll be speaking on the SM Panel at 11:15AM.

2009-05-24T00:03:00.001-04:00

6hrs of yard work and landscaping on the new rose garden. I thought I promised myself I wouldn't do yard work again after I turned 18, LOL!

How NOT to Encourage SM Success

2009-05-07T13:42:00.015-04:00

With literally hundreds of emerging Social Media related communities populating the internet on a daily basis, you almost always find a handful of organizations attempting to forcefully tap into the traffic, reputation, and resources of those communities.

Now please don't misunderstand my true message in this blog post. I truly believe in the core benefits of social media branding and marketing, such as "viral" and "grassroots" marketing, but I do not agree with marketers that take the "Guerrilla" part of "Guerrilla Marekting" too far, and ultimately turn their campaigns into more of a blitzkrieg type of "warfare marketing" campaign.

The Problem:

I ran across one such Marketing Group on Twitter this week. They had created a Twitter profile and dressed up the page in such a way that even Heinrich Himmler (Leader of the Nazi SS) would be proud. Posing as an entity from the NC Division of Tourism, and complete with the http://www.VisitNC.com URL in the Twitter profile, this "Guerrilla Marketing" Group has been luring Twitter members into following their account for a few days.

Earlier this week, they attempted to follow one of my Twitter accounts, and at first I was almost sold into the idea of following and supporting the State which I now call my home. However, after looking at their redundant and trivial posts, I realized that none of the posts up to that point had anything to do with anything outside of their goal of reaching one million Twitter followers.

Reaction:

This immediately signaled caution flags, and so I send a tweet to this Twitter account asking them why they were following in the footsteps of recent media drama over celebrities asking for 1M followers. I just couldn't see North Carolina as being one of those types of organizations that would do something which defys the very purpose of services and communities like Twitter.

After confronting this Twitter user about their true affiliations, they immediately became very defensive and even become offense in their public posts, attacking each and every person that dared to challenge their true affiliation. Ultimately, they eventually revealed their true affiliation with a Marketing Group based in Fayetteville, NC.

Now don't get me wrong, if your business model is based solely on trying to gain as many followers as possible, then so be it (though I doubt the ROI and stability of such a model). However, as a legitimate marketing organization utilizing Social Media channels and communities as a fundamental aspect of your marketing, you would like to think that being open, honest, and transparent would be the obvious avenue to pursue such goals.

This of course was not the case, and I transparently voiced my opinions and inquiries to this Twitter user quite openly. Of course, as to be expected I was labeled a "hater," and quite frankly I am. I am completely against any marketing campaign that blatantly uses dishonest and deceitful methods to basically trick people into doing what the marketer expects.

Had this Marketing Group been honest and forthright from the very beginning, I wouldn't have thought twice about it. However, because many of us were coaxed into thinking that we were supporting an official North Carolina Twitter project, we were outraged to find out otherwise.

The Lesson:

If you are an organization that wants to integrate Social Media channels into your eMarketing initiatives, please remember that Social Media is a two-way conversation with real people. Some of these individuals may be current clients, while many others could be prospective clients.

Never underestimate the power of people, especially in crowds. When it comes to word of mouth, digital word of mouth trumps them all. It's unwise to attempt to deceive or force people into meeting your marketing goals. The best method for successful crowd sourcing and brand evangelism is to be completely open, honest, and transparent with your followers.

Brand Reputation Management (BRM) is a fundamental cornerstone any successful SM Campaign. Building and maintaining your reputation through LISTENING and CONTRIBUTING to the community, are simple yet often over looked prerequisites to success.

By refusing to be open and honest, this Marketing Group upset quite a few community members, and while I'm sure this will all blow over in a few days, as most situations of this type will, it is inevitable that their current tactics will prove ultimately fatal to their goals. Every SM community is different, and the rules and tactics will adapt to such diversity, but the simple lesson still holds true...

Treat your audience with the respect and honesty that you would expect any organization to bestow upon you and your family.

- - -
Most Entertaining Quote from the Twitter Conversation:

Twitter member Joe Mecca (@JFMecca) stated it best when he said: "Following [@OMITTED] is like going to a party where there's no food, beer or music, just a host asking you to invite your friends."

Bio for the TABJ's Social Media Panel

2009-04-14T12:04:00.002-04:00

After attending last years Holiday Social, co-hosted by the Triangle Association of Black Journalists (TABJ) and the Triangle Association of Asian Journalists (TAAJ), I have been invited to speak this Saturday, April 18th on a Social Media Panel. The topic of this SM Panel is "The Role of Social Media for Today's Journalists."

I was asked to provide a short bio to be used in collateral for the conference, and I decided that instead of providing a typically stiff and boring professional bio, that I would write a more comical bio:

"James Wong is not your typical Boston, MA transplant. He is a dynamic figure on many online communities. At age 12 he was a System Operator of two local Bulletin Board System (BBS).

Often, you will find him scaling verses with tactical karaoke precision at your local pub. Attended NCCU and NCSU to learn the skills necessary to write code for the military application of Tactical Digi-Pet keychains.

A few years ago, he discovered the meaning of life but forgot to blog about it. He has spoken at various conferences to MBAs, CEOs, and Industry Experts; while secretly wanting to be them.

He has successfully developed Social Media strategies and initiatives that have positioned his clients as recognized Social Media Leaders. Most importantly, both Miss America and Miss Universe proudly display "I [HEART] WONG" posters in their dressing rooms."

Of course, there's a second version which I wrote, but did not submit to the TABJ. This bio I have reserved for more personal uses, such as my Facebook profile and such...

"I am a dynamic figure in American society. Often, you will find me scaling verses with tactical karaoke precision. Disc Golf isn't just a passion, it's a key to the secret of life itself.

Years ago, I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to blog about it. The CIA is afraid of my Asian Persuasion. The FBI has a poster of the 'WONGINATOR' on their wall. I have spoken at Conferences to MBAs, CEOs, and Industry Experts. I want to be them. I hack Twitter and Facebook walls, and redecorate them. Both Miss America and Miss Universe have 'I [HEART] WONG' posters in their dressing rooms.

I live life cautiously, yet risk everything for that which drives me. I regret nothing, yet often look back at lessons learned and opportunities untaken. I once rode a mechanical bull until it retired from service from a bad hip.

I woo women with dance moves that would make Steve Urkel seem like a champ in Dancing with the Stars. Sometimes the words just flow out of me like Paris Hilton's skirt in the wind.

My friends and family are my strength, passion, and soul. Ever since I saw "It," clowns scare me. Relationships come and go like feathers upon the wind, yet true lifelong friends will weather through the worst of storms like mountains.

I can change a tire in seven minutes flat. I once defended my friends from a wild bucket of Yuengling; the threat was consumed within minutes. I was awarded the key to the city, but lost it in a full contact bingo game. Liquor? I hardly even know her!

Some call me the 'Oriental Cowboy' ('The O.C.'), yet I'd rather be a light fixture than a rug. I was born vertically challenged and with 'slanted eye syndrome,' but I'm a Expert Pistol Marksman.

Life is a seemingly endless Sea of the Mundane... I am the lighthouse that brings to light the joys of your youth, the fun you've been missing, and the crazy times you never had in your life... "

A Moonlit Myrtle Beach, SC

2009-04-14T11:36:00.000-04:00

Location:
Myrtle Beach,SC

Client:
N/A

Camera Platform:
Sony DSC-T100

A quick moonlit photo taken on the beach in front of the Crown Reef Resort at Myrtle Beach, SC.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nauticalurge/3441907506/

Stephen Colbert interviews Biz Stone

2009-04-13T11:13:00.004-04:00

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Biz Stone

colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

NASA Name Contest

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, one of America's preeminent Twits, discusses the company's popularity and business model.

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/223487/april-02-2009/biz-stone

The Fruits of Bojangles' Brand Evangelism...

2009-04-02T15:44:00.015-04:00

A Bojangles' T-Shirt & a $10 Gift Card, overnighted via FedEx

First of all, I want to preface this blog post by saying that I am in no way an official representative nor promoter of Bojangles', though many of my friends may say otherwise. I am merely an individual that believes in evangelizing brands in which I believe in, and that I actually use in real life (both online and offline).

Bojangles is one of those brands that I fully evangelize whenever I can, because I truly love the way that they manage and promote their brand. If you're not aware of what Bojangles' is, I am proud to say that they are a North Carolina original. Bojangles' is a restaurant which is famous for their Cajun Fried Chicken, mouth-watering seasoned fries, "dirty" rice, and award-winning sweet tea (among a menu full of other tasty entrees).

So why would I bother myself with evangelizing a fried chicken restaurant? Well why not? Isn't that the point of Social Media and Marketing? As a consumer, I truly enjoy not only the food at Bojangles', but the level of service and professional courtesy that they give my friends and I each and every time we visit one of their restaurants. I frequent Bojangles' in Raleigh, Apex, and Durham weekly, and have always been given exceptional service (with a smile too!).

Bojangles' is one of the few "fast food" restaurants that actively tells you that "sure, it's okay to leave your tray on the table, we'll clean that right up for you..." Of course, being that I have worked fast food in my "younger" teen years, I never leave my tray at the table. Instead, I gladly clean up after myself and take my tray up to the trash receptacles, where an attendant almost always greets me with a "Oh, you didn't have to do that. I was going to get it for you."

Most importantly to my line of work, Bojangles' is a true pioneer in the Social Media realm of advertising, marketing, and promotions. Not only has Bojangles' invested resources into their website, but they have invested enormous time and effort into building large groups of fans on various websites.

Bojangles' has "home grown" a fan base of over 27,000 fans on Facebook, which is an amazing feet for a Fried Chicken restaurant. They have User Generated Content (UGC) like photos on Flickr, and videos on YouTube which loyal Bojangles' fans have created to show their appreciation for a brand that is important to them. They have even amassed over 300 followers on Twitter, where they engage directly with their followers.

Bojangles' has successfully engaged and incorporated their customer's opinions into their recent launch of their Fish Fillet sandwich in select markets, by posting questions and listening to their fans.

Bojangles' has even tapped into their fan-base by utilizing small but effective contests on their Facebook and Twitter channels. Just yesterday, Bojangles' posted the following post on their Bojangles' Fan Page:

"OK, we hope everyone is ready! First, thank you for loving Bojangles' so much. We couldn't have any better fans than you guys:) So with that...... The first 20 fans that tell us why they love Bojangles' will get a Bojangles' T-shirt and $10 Bojangles' gift card. Thanks again for being the best fans ever!!"

There were over 150 comments made under that Facebook post! Of course, as a loyal Bojangles' Fan, I had to comment on that Facebook post with "It's all about the Yellow Box! :)" ...and sure enough, along came Mr. FedEx this morning with a package from that company with the delicious yellow boxes, Bojangles'! Enclosed, as promised, was my free T-Shirt and a $10 Gift Card, courtesy of my friends over there at the Boj'! LOL! Thanks! :)

So, what is the lesson to be learned here?

Regardless of whether or not you are a Fortune 500 Corporation, or a small "mom and pop" shop, or even a Cajun Fried Chicken restaurant; if you're not utilizing Social Media channels to grow Brand Reputation, promote Brand Ambassadors/Evangelists, expand your Online Properties, create and manage Conversations about your Brand, or to simply reach out and LISTEN to your customers (and potential customers), you need to take a look at Bojangles' and see what you could be missing out on.

In today's economy, social media is opening the eyes of large and small companies alike. Businesses are no longer telling their customers who they are anymore... Businesses are what their customers SAY THEY ARE.

In my opinion, Captain D. Michael Abrashoff says it best:

"Since, by definition, new ideas don't have metrics, the result is that great ideas tend to be stillborn in major companies today... Stasis is death to any organization. Evolve or die: It's the law of life..."

"NauticalUrge" - Bronze Level Trusted Reviewer

2009-03-30T21:45:00.003-04:00

Since spring of 2007, I have been a loyal fan of www.DGCourseReview.com (DGCR), a leader in online reviews of Disc Golf Courses around the world.

DGCourseReview.com is a Community over over 4,000 avid Disc Golf Professionals, Amateurs, and Enthusiasts who contribute to the site through detailed Disc Golf Course reviews and by participating in the various discussion forums. The Community boasts an impressive 3,100+ reviews of domestic and international Disc Golf Courses.

With so many individuals submitting DGC reviews of varying quality, DGCR has developed a unique method of identifying credible or "Trusted Reviewers" using Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals which are displayed next to the username of the Trusted Reviewer.

After over a year of lurking on the site, reading various reviews and visiting some of the local disc golf courses, I finally decided to join the community this past January 2009. Since then, I have submitted 10 reviews of local area courses, and have acquired over 60 positive votes, while only receiving 2 negative votes on my reviews. As of Sunday, March 29th, I finally received my Bronze Medal indicating my status as a "Bronze Level Trusted Reviewer."

Of course, to most non-writers/reviewers, this may not be of much importance, but I take great pride in providing my readers with the best analysis and course tips-and-tricks as I possibly can. When other Disc Golf players submit positive votes for my reviews, it helps to validate and appreciate the dedication that other contributors and myself have submitted to not only DGCourseReview.com, but to the entire sport of Disc Golf as a whole.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of the individuals who have taken the time and patience to read my various reviews, and for providing positive feedback on them. I encourage those of you whom have never played the game of Disc Golf to give it a try sometime, and to look to sites like DGCourseReview.com and other player's personal blogs for guidance, suggestions, and reviews.

I also urge each of you to also consider contributing to such sites, and participate in the various leagues, teams, and communities of passionate and dedicated professional and recreational disc golfers. Hopefully, if the weather is good and the timing is just right, we'll meet each other on the course some day!

Check out www.CarolinaDGC.com for more local Carolina Disc Golf reviews and info!

Review of UNC DGC

2009-03-29T18:47:00.004-04:00

As expected, Saturday brought rains and moderate to heavy winds to North Carolina. However, needless to say, rain and wind have never stopped me from the urge to go Disc Golfing. So yesterday, I had the opportunity to visit and play the University of Chapel Hill's Disc Golf Course in Chapel Hill, NC.

This review marks the 10th and final local Disc Golf Course review, which will now allow me to venture outside of the "Triangle Area" to other courses in cities such as Fayetteville, Charlotte, Asheville, and more!

Weather conditions were approximately 65 degrees Fahrenheit, cloudy, and with moderate winds (before the storm); after which it became rainy and very wet. It had been raining for two days prior to this visit, so the course was soaked to its maximum capacity.

Course Established: 1997
Holes: 18
Course Par: Par 3 on All Holes (54)
Tee Type: Concrete (Multiple Tees)
Hole Type: DISCatcher
Course Length: 5081 - 5236 ft.

The University of North Carolina's (UNC) Disc Golf Course is definitely built upon the reminence of a former ball golf course. I couldn't tell you what the former course was called, but when playing Holes #13-15, you can definitely tell the origins of this course.

UNC DGC is a smorgasbord of everything that could ever challenge an avid Disc Golfer. The first nine holes feature moderate to heavily wooded valley shots, water hazards in the form of a respectable sized pond and creeks, tight wooded shots, blind shots over hills and through valleys, and even some open fielded holes.

According to the official UNC DGC scorecard that I recently received, "All Holes Are Par 3." However, especially on the back nine, there are several legitimate Par 4 holes (Holes 13-15). The back nine features three of the most beautifully crafted open-field valley shots in the Triangle, ranging from 350-467 ft in distance; a challenge for any long distance thrower.

While on paper, the course should be my favorite course in the Triangle, however, I feel that it just doesn't meet what I would personally expect from a course maintained by UNC. The first nine holes are littered with debris from previous course construction and storms. Signage is available at almost every hole, while some signage having been obviously vandalized.

There are only restroom facilities near the parking lot and tennis courts, where you first came into the course, and the course takes you quite far away from those facilities, so please keep that in mind. For those who require rest areas (benches) along the way, there are what looks to be brand new wooden benches at almost every tee, so rest assured on that.

Unfortunately, the baskets are completely mis-numbered, which leads to massive confusion on the course. We played between two groups of new players to the course, which is a good sign that the UNC DGC is getting new found attention, however, neither the group ahead, nor the group behind us had a map, so we ended up leading both groups. I had printed out a map of the course, but was amazed at how easily lost we became while playing the course, mostly due to mis-numbered baskets.

The best way to play this course is to print out a map, completely ignore the numbers of the baskets, and follow the navigation tips outlined below.

Navigation Tips for the UNC DGC

We used Google Maps to give us instructions, and going down 15-501 from I-40 is not the best option. I of course did not pay close enough attention to the overall area, so I should have gone down Hwy 54 West from I-40 (toward Chapel Hill, NC), turned LEFT onto Country Club Rd, and made a RIGHT turn into the Outdoor Education Center.

The parking lot is at the top of a hill that looks down upon a steep drive/pathway, with tennis courts to your right. Please use caution, as the driveway and even the steps are angled downward and may be are quite steep for some.

Tee #1 is on the left at the bottom of the steep hill, opposite the rock climbing wall.

The course is laid out hole after hole while following trails that encircle the entire Outdoor Center (Park).

From what I was able to tell some holes have multiple tees, while others do not. Some tees are the usual rectangular concrete tees, while others are trapezoid shaped concrete tees. There's signage indicating the hole design and distance at almost all of the tees.

Hole #2 goes directly over the pond.

Hole #3's tee is located to the left of the pond on the pathway, so you'll have to back-track a little bit. It is a blind shot and the basket is on the other side, slightly to the left.

Hole #4 is an open field which after and during rain (even light rain), becomes extremely muddy and treacherous to get through. There's a creek to the left side, surrounded by semi-dense brush and bushes, avoid it. It also appears that people have been "mudding" in this field, even after UNC has tried to grow new grass, hence the light straw coverage.

After Hole #5, you'll see two paths to the right of the basket. DO NOT take the path on the right, which goes over a small wooden pedestrian walking bridge. Take the path on the LEFT which goes down a few meters and goes under a stone bridge. If you see a chain that looks like it's blocking the path under the bridge, ignore it. When you arrive on the other side of the bridge, you'll see that there is a small opening for pedestrians to pass through this chain fence. You'll immediately see Tee #6 straight ahead.

After Hole #6, head behind the basket to the LEFT, and up over the ROCKY pathway that curves uphill and to the left to Tee #7.

After Hole #10, DO NOT follow the path with the fence. Back-track and head back toward Tee #10, and you'll see Tee #11 on the RIGHT.

Take CAUTION on Hole #12, as a stray disc too far left will go very far down hill and into the baseball field. There have been reports of the field being locked periodically.

After Hole #15, you'll go down a path behind the basket and downhill. Your natural reaction will be to follow the path toward the Ropes/Challenge Course, DO NOT do this! You'll see a broken asphalt path on your RIGHT that goes back up hill toward Tee #15. Follow this path 1/2 way up the hill, and you'll see a VERY SMALL path on your LEFT. This path will take you to Tees #16 & #17.

Hole #18's Tee is located next to the Ropes/Challenge Course. Please take CAUTION, as the gate is ALWAYS locked, and a stray disc to the RIGHT would land your disc in a "No Trespassing" area, and the fence is quite high, and VERY difficult to climb... ;)

In summary, I enjoyed playing at UNC's DGC. However, while I find the challenges to be quite varied and spread out throughout the course, I also feel as if the course itself still needs improvement. The current state of the course, leaves much to be desired in terms of SAFETY, NAVIGATION, DESIGN, and cleanliness.

With so much debris on the course during the first few holes, the course can be quite treacherous compared to other courses such as Buckhorn, Cedar Hills, or Valley Springs. Navigation is impaired due to vandalized signage, missing signage, and mis-numbered baskets throughout the entire course. The design is slightly flawed in that quite a few of the baskets require a player to backtrack to find the next tee, and without proper signage, can be extremely difficult to accomplish.

In regards to cleanliness, UNC has provided plenty of "Carolina Blue" themed trash receptacles, and yet some of the players that frequent this course choose to ignore the luxury of trash receptacles. This of course is in no way a fault of UNC, but does reflect upon the caliber of a small group of players at this course.

Overall Rating: 8.25/10.0

Difficulty: 8.5
Scenic Beauty: 8.0
Thrower Traffic: 6.0
Easy to Navigate: 4.5
Terrain: 9.0
Hazards: 7.5
Fairways: 7.0
Tees: 8.0

Pros:
- Detailed Color Signage Available at most Tees.
- Almost every type of challenge available.
- Light to Moderate woodland fairways.
- Light to Extreme Valleys & Hills.
- Multiple Tees on Select Holes.
- Maintained Concrete Tees
- Nice scenery, a former Ball Golf Course.
- Water Hazards (Pond & Creeks)
- GREAT use of all Terrain Elevation Types.
- Brand new Benches at almost every Tee.

Cons:
- EXTREMELY muddy even after light rain.
- Heavy traffic on the course during peak season.
- Missing Signage on a few Tees.
- Mis-Numbered Baskets throughout the Course.
- Certain Holes have fenced & locked O.B. Areas.
- No General Info/Map of the course at Tee #1.

* Reviewed By James Wong
** Course Last Played On: 3/28/2009
*** Vote for my review: DGCourseReview.com

Check out www.CarolinaDGC.com for more local Carolina Disc Golf reviews and info!

Review of Cedar Hills Rotary Park DGC

2009-03-25T15:50:00.004-04:00

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After loosing my Innova Champion Boss at Southern Community DGC a few weeks back, I finally received my new Innova Star Boss distance drivers from DiscGolfCenter.com! Besides the new "workhorse" discs, I've also been waiting for nicer weather here in central North Carolina.

Last Saturday, I finally got as chance to visit the Cedar Hills Rotary Park Disc Golf Course (Cedar Hills DGC) in Raleigh, NC this past Saturday afternoon, right before we left for Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA. Weather conditions were approximately 68 degrees Fahrenheit, sunny, and with calm winds.

Course Established: 1984
Holes: 18
Course Par: 62 Pro /54 Par
Tee Type: Concrete (Multiple Tees)
Hole Type: DISCatcher
Course Length: 4818-5123

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the course. The light to moderate wooded landscape provided plenty of shade to play in, but allowed enough light to penetrate the course for perfectly lighted play. The scenery is typical for this type of course, and the elevation changes create a perfect balance to the course, ranging from open flats, to uphill/downhill shots, a few blind fairways, to tight corridor channels.

As with many Disc Golf Courses, Cedar Hills DGC is built into an existing City Park, and nestled in between quiet and serene neighborhoods. Please use caution when playing the course, as some of the fairways parallel baseball and playground areas. On busy days, especially on the weekends, if may become quite dangerous for little kids at the park.

Navigation Tips for Cedar Hills DGC

When you first arrive at Cedar Hills DGC, you'll be coming down Sweetbrier Drive from Millbrook Road. Ignore the brown informational sign that tells you to turn left to get to Cedar Hills Park, and just keep driving down Sweetbrier until it dead ends into the parking lot.

Tee #1 is on the right of the parking lot, nearest the roofed information sign down toward the playground area.

The course is laid out much like Buckhorn DGC in New Hill, NC. So you'll be playing hole after hole while going down a long trail that encircles the entire park.

From what I was able to tell some holes have multiple tees, while others do not. The regular tees are marked with concrete "sun ray" panels (usually used to surround and protect tree roots at local shopping centers and malls). The Pro Tees are indicated by "traditional" concrete tee pads.

Signage is mixed, as it seems that over the years the signs have been weathered down, damaged, vandalized, or completely omitted (theft?).

Hole #11 - Head across the parking lot to the far left corner of the baseball field to find the Tee for Hole #12.

After Hole #18, follow the path to the left toward the kids playground to find the parking lot that you parked in.

Overall, I think that the Cedar Hills Disc Golf Course, locally, is second only to Buckhorn DGC in terms of difficulty, challenge, and elevation utilization. The terrain is well mixed, but with only one water hazard, similar to Hole #17 at Buckhorn DGC. Therefore, the scenery is much more like Cornwallis DGC or Valley Springs DGC in Durham, NC.

There are currently only benches on select tees on the course, and if you are a player which requires plenty of resting areas along the course, this would not be your ideal DGC. You'll also want to bring comfortable shoes that will support your feet on rough terrain, as part of the course require going up and down fairly graded hills.

This is a good beginner to intermediate course, which features a nice mash-up of various challenges. Water hazards and heavy brush and thick thorn bushes provide hazards on select holes. The wide open holes are great for those looking to fully utilize their power drives, while the elevation changes and tight fairways on certain holes will challenge the Technical players.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10.0

Difficulty: 8.0
Scenic Beauty: 7.5
Thrower Traffic: 6.0
Easy to Navigate: 5.0
Terrain: 8.0
Hazards: 6.0
Fairways: 8.5
Tees: 9.0

Pros:
- Different types of challenges on every hole.
- Maintained pathways, fairways, and baskets.
- Perfect mixture of woodlands, hills, and valleys.
- Multiple Tees on some holes (I didn't find all of them)
- Maintained Concrete Tees
- Nice scenery, great for families that love DG.

Cons:
- Can be muddy even after light rain.
- Weekends can produce heavy traffic on the course.
- Mixed Condition Signage
- Not all tees have available benches
- Caution: Some baskets are parallel to kids play areas.

* Reviewed By James Wong

**Last Played On: 3/21/2009

*** Please vote for my review: DGCourseReview.com

Check out www.CarolinaDGC.com for more local Carolina Disc Golf reviews and info!

Review of Middle Creek DGC

2009-03-17T11:23:00.003-04:00

Middle Creek DGC (Cary, NC) is part of a well maintained 105 acre park owned and operated by the Town of Cary.

The course is located at Middle Creek High School, which is located just off Ten-Ten Road and West Lake Road.

I have driven by Middle Creek High School quite a few times, but never realized that there was a park behind the school. The location is quite serene, with various lakes and creeks that flow through the landscape.

Course Established: 2008
Holes: 18 holes
Course Par: 58
Tee Type: Natural (Dirt/Mulch)
Hole Type: DISCatcher
Course Length: 4764 ft.

Middle Creek Park is a beautiful town park which boasts (4) lighted baseball/softball fields, (2) lighted multi-purpose fields, (8) lighted tennis courts, (2) Basketball Courts, a Paved Greenway trail around the fields, a Play area with adjacent open lawn area, a Picnic Shelter, Restrooms, and an 18 Hole Disc Golf Course.

The Town of Cary maximized the quality of the Middle Creek DGC, by using elevation and natural scenery to it's advantage. Though not the best course in the area, Middle Creek does contain a good mixture of wide open fairway shots, to elevated tees, to tight woodland fairways, and variety of challenges for players of all abilities, especially for beginner to intermediate players.

Some notable challenges include wide open shots along the main roads, as well as some in the woods. There are shots that require shooting over a valley downhill, as well as uphill. There's even a blind shot that cuts downhill and 90 degrees to the left, which I amazingly made par on.

My main complaint about this course is in regards to signage. The following are navigational tips for navigating the course, at least until they install adequate signage on the course.

When I first arrived and parked in the parking lot by Hole #18, I had a hard time figuring out which way to get to Tee #1. You need to walk back across the street to the left, in order to find Tee #1.
After Hole #5, head across the street to get to Tee Marker #6.
After Hole #6, cross the street to the left of the "Caution Flying Discs" sign to find Tee #7.
After Hole #8, walk down the street, and take the sidewalk to the left, and you'll see the dirt path on the left.
After Hole #9, follow the sidewalk to the left, headed toward the playground to Tee #10.
Hole #15 is a semi-blind shot. The basket is down the steps and to the left about 40 ft.

Overall Rating: 7.0/10.0

Difficulty: 7.0
Scenic Beauty: 7.0
Thrower Traffic: 5.0
Easy to Navigate: 4.0
Terrain: 7.5
Hazards: 4.0
Fairways: 8.5
Tees: 9.5

Pros:
- Different types of challenges on every hole.
- Maintained pathways, fairways, and baskets.
- Perfect mixture of woodlands, hills, and valleys.
- Plenty of restrooms at the Park.
- Multiple Tees on some holes (I didn't see all of them)

Cons:
- Quite muddy even after light rain.
- Weekends can produce heavy traffic on the course.
- Non-uniform Dirt & Mulch Tees.
- No signage indicating direction of next tee.
- No benches like most established courses.
- Requires quite a bit of travel between holes.
- Caution: Some baskets are parallel to public roads.
- No Numbers on all Baskets.

Reviewed By James Wong
Last Played On: 3/14/2009

Please vote for my review at:
www.DGCourseReview.com

Check out www.CarolinaDGC.com for more local Carolina Disc Golf reviews and info!

iContact Karaoke Friday Show featured in the N&O!

2009-03-16T11:18:00.007-04:00

Staff photo by Harry Lynch - Employees James Wong, Taylor Barr and Julie Frye Sanders, left to right, of iContact take their turn on 'Karaoke Friday' as they belt the out the words to 'Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm' by the Crash Test Dummies.

Starting in early 2009, Taylor Barr and myself decided to host a Karaoke show on Fridays during lunch time, as a way to boost morale and to make Fridays a little more entertaining for our co-workers. Considering the gloomy economic outlook, and the constant bad news in the media today, we figured that we would help to combat those negative feelings through music.

We of course, use the term "music" quite loosely, as karaoke is more of a form of entertainment than it is a musical showcase. Using some karaoke software, a projector, and some speakers, we've managed to take a shared past-time, and create a morale boosting experience that truly embodies that culture and spirit of the company we work for, iContact Corporation.

We were especially excited to be featured in this past Sunday's edition of the News & Observer. The following is a quote from their article:

At iContact, the recent addition of "Karaoke Fridays" is one way the Durham technology company hopes to keep employees excited about coming to work. The company, which provides e-mail marketing services, is still expanding despite the downturn.
"You hear all the stuff about the stock market, job losses," said Taylor Barr, who helped organize the singing with co-worker James Wong. "This is a great way to boost morale. It gets people smiling."
The company also holds monthly employee lunches, has free bagels on Mondays and organizes trips to Carolina Hurricanes hockey games and other sporting events. The perks are another way to attract and retain top talent.
The karaoke singing at noon on Fridays is broadcast live online so that workers still at their desks can watch, too.
"It definitely alleviates tension, gives you a sense of camaraderie with your co-workers," said Julie Frye Sanders, a marketing manager who sang "Love Shack" and several other tunes during a recent Friday session."
Read the entire article from the News & Observer

Review of Buckhorn DGC

2009-03-16T11:05:00.003-04:00

Buckhorn DGC (New Hill, NC) is indeed one of the most well kept, serene, and challenging courses in the Triangle (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, North Carolina).

The course is located at the Harris Lake County Park - land donated by the Sharon Harris Nuclear Power Plant, so it's an interesting paradox considering it's so beautiful and serene, and yet it is overshadowed by the Nuclear Power Plant.

I have played at Buckhorn DGC numerous times, and I never get tired of the unique challenges that Buckhorn provides.

Course Established: 2001
Holes: 18 holes
Course Par: 58
Tee Type: Concrete
Hole Type: DISCatcher
Course Length: 5748 ft.

In my opinion, Buckhorn is like no other course in the area. The terrain is mostly flat, with a few baskets on hilly/rocky areas, but some of the most challenging holes involve some serious water hazards, especially when playing the Pro-Tees. The course designers have truly utilized the Lake and the area ponds to their fullest potential, and thus offer players with unique and challenging holes found nowhere else in the Triangle.

There are benches located at almost every concrete tee, which is nice for those that need a place to rest. The course is extremely easy to navigate, and there is plenty of signage to guide players along.

Buckhorn is a good mixture of heavily wooded, semi-wooded, and open area fairways, but is mostly wooded. The course efficiently utilizes elevation changes. This may be a little too challenging as a beginner's course, but is perfect for intermediate to advanced players looking for a challenge.

Overall Rating: 9.0/10.0
Difficulty: 8.0
Easy to Navigate: 7.0
Terrain: 8.5
Hazards: 7.0
Thrower Traffic: 6.0

Pros:
- There are different types of challenges on every hole.
- Challenging water hazards on select holes.
- Clearly defined markers and signage.
- Well maintained concrete concrete tees.
- Maintained grounds, pathways, fairways, and baskets.
- Perfect mixture of woodlands, hills, valleys, and lake views.

Cons:
- Course can be quite muddy after heavy rains.
- Weekends can produce heavy traffic on the course.
- Caution on hole #17; that pond is an infamous Disc-Eater!
- Dogs are allowed at the park, so your discs may run off...

*Reviewed By James Wong, Last Played On: 12/28/2008

**Vote for my review at: www.DGCourseReview.com

Check out www.CarolinaDGC.com for more local Carolina Disc Golf reviews and info!

An Excerpt From My Memoirs...

2009-03-11T11:53:00.004-04:00

I recently divulged to a very close friend of mine that I was in the process of writing a memoir of my experiences and lessons learned throughout my life. Many of my experiences have been through close friendships and relationships throughout my life.

Within just a couple of hours after our conversation, she sent me one of the nicest emails I have ever received. There's no doubt that she is very important to me, and I definitely plan to include her comments into my memoirs, because I cherish our time together, our memories, and the friendship we've developed over the years...

"James Wong is a person who makes everyone around him feel special. James does this not at the cost of making anyone feel less important than someone else. When James walks into a room, everyone there knows that he will show them appreciation for their talents, their skills, and their friendship. All James ever hopes for in return is honesty and integrity.

It is because of these attributes that I wanted to come to know James and that he and I developed a friendship. I met James through a mutual friend, and we became close almost immediately. James' ability to look into a person's thoughts lead him to come to know me very quickly. It was easy to talk to James from the very beginning, and he made me want to tell him not just surface things about myself, but my real hopes, fears, and desires.

James came into my life at a time when I was lonely and alone. The two might seem synonymous, but they are not. Being alone is a situation in which a person is by him or herself, while being lonely is a state of mind in which a person feels removal from others. The two, together, are a concoction that can lead to a myriad of actions to get out of the situation and state of mind. James must have known that I was not just alone, but lonely. James immediately learned about my life and created genuine conversation with me. He made me laugh when I was afraid and made me feel good about myself and the decision I had recently made that brought me to North Carolina.

James' greatest attribute is that he allows relationships, and I believe, life, unfold naturally. Most people, men especially, are too quick to "make" a friendship stronger. James allows a perosn to learn to love him for the sensitive, funny, articulate man that he is. He allows a person to feel comfortable around him, and this was the case with me. Introducing me to his friends, including me in his social life, and encouraging me to be a happier person, James became someone I yearned to see, enjoyed spending time with, and felt comfortable and special around. His laughter, ability to talk about just about any subject without seeming like the proverbial "know-it-all" that many people turn out to be, and his seeming desire to make other people happy are all qualities James posses that keep James in my thoughts and his phone number in my cell phone!

Some of the best times I have spent with James have been the simplest, silly events. Making a BLT sandwich together, singing karaoke at a dive bar, celebrating my birthday with all sorts of people, watching British television (about cars, no less), and having lunch at a tragic Mexican restaurant have all brought joy to me because of the sincerity in which James spends his time with me and because of the easy friendship that he provides. With a wicked, naughty sense of humor, and an even, understanding, caring temperament, James listens when I speak, James offers learned advice when I ask, James provides encouragement when I need it, and is always there for me, even when we haven't seen each other or spoken in long lengths of time.

The best thing I can say about James Wong is that he is truly a sincere friend. When much of the world networks to make "friends" who can provide them with tangible receipts, or "friends" who can take the burden of emotional breakdown, or "friends" with whom to exchange negative, unhealthy needs and desires, James has been a real friend to many who want his friendship. In a world where people talk about "needing" so much, the great thing about James is that he does not "need" a person's friendship, he "wants" a person's friendship. "Needs" are animalistic, involving no thought or emotion. "Want" implies a choice. And when James Wong chooses to involve himself with a person, he gives everything he has and makes the other person want him in his or her life, as well. This has been the case in my intense, intimate relationship with James. I am drawn to him because he is a true friend. I value him because he appreciates what others have to offer. I love him because he truly cares so very much about my happiness."

To the author of this letter (you know who you are), thank you for your kind words, and for allowing me to be a part of your incredible life... it has been a unique honor and privilege, and I will always cherish our friendship. There are few constants in life, but I can rest assured that our friendship will remain one of those time tested constants, and I love you for that!

- James C. Wong

Review of Southern Village DGC

2009-03-11T11:42:00.003-04:00

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While purchasing the Innova Star TeeRex and Star Max distance drivers from Play-It-Again Sports in Durham, NC - I had the opportunity of speaking with their resident Disc Golf enthusiast, Damien. He mentioned that there were a few new courses in the Triangle area that just opened up this year. After going to PDGA.com and DGCourseReview.com, I realized that Southern Village is a brand new course that opened up just a few weeks ago.

I visited the Southern Village Disc Golf Course in Chapel Hill, NC yesterday afternoon, right after I got off work (Thank you Daylight Savings Time!) . Weather conditions were approximately 70 degrees Fahrenheit, sunny, and with calm wind conditions.

Course Established: 2009
Holes: 18 Par 3 holes
Course Par: 54
Tee Type: Unfinished/Undetermined
Hole Type: Mach 3
Course Length: Unknown

It is important to note that the Southern Village DGC has not officially been completed. The baskets have been installed, but the tee pads and fairways have yet to be fully completed. In fact, the tees are marked only by a rectangular patch of open dirt, and two small orange marker flags. This review will be extremely detailed, only because there is no signage, no maps, and there are various paths that run through the course. I spend much of my time yesterday lost on the course. My hope, is that this review will help you navigate this unfinished course...

Please use caution, as the heavy leaf coverage, downed trees, and cleared trees have been left as is, and this makes this course quite dangerous for those whom don't pay attention to where they are going. I personally finished this course with a injured ankle, a bloddy wrist, and the frustration of not knowing where the next tee was... Please play this course with caution!

When you first arrive at Southern Village, you'll be turning into Dogwood Acres Road from 15-501. You'll want to park in the parking lot on your immediate RIGHT, otherwise the road continues into a neighborhood, and you'll no longer be in the park.

Tee #1 is to the left toward the dog park, and you'll see the first basket just inside of the wooded area to the right of the furthest part of the dog park. Again, remember that the tees are simple dirt patches with two small orange construction marker flags.

After hole #6, follow the path to the left of the "Oak Datum" an indention of Earth surrounded by cut wood logs, arranged in a circular pattern.

Hole #7 is heavily wooded, and only allows for a 6' wide window of a fairway, with a sharp drop off to the right. After Hole #7, the path hits an abrupt T-intersection, you'll want to go right.

Hole #9 is the only open field hole on the entire course, and is right near the parking lot, opposite of where Tee #1 is located. After you finish Hole #9, you'll need to follow the sidewalk path across Dogwood Acres Road. Follow the sidewalk to the left, and look for a dirt path on the right for Tee #10.

After Hole #13, don't cross the street. Stay on the path to the right to find the next Tee.

After Hole #15, follow the path to the right.

After Hole #16, the path hits a fork and you'll need to go right at the fork.

After Hole #17, follow the path behind the basket to the right which parallels the bottom of the tennis courts to find the Tee for Hole #18.

Overall, I think that the Southern Villahe Disc Golf Course has the potential to be Chapel Hill's version of Buckhorn DGC (New Hill, NC). The terrain is well mixed, but with no water hazards like Buckhorn DGC has. Therefore, the scenery is much more like Cornwallis DGC in Durham, NC or Kentwood DGC in Raleigh, NC - just on much more land, and segmented.

There are currently no benches on the course, I would assume they simply haven't been purchased yet. This makes sense, as the fairways have barely been outlined by the cutting of trees, but not the removal of them.

I would definitelty not classify this course as a beginner's course, regardless of what state the course is in. The heavy woods will have a tendancy to eat up discs, while the heavy leaf coverage will also conceal your discs, so keep a keen eye on them. You'll also want to bring comfortable shoes that will support your feet on rought terrain, as part of the course require going up and down fairly graded hills.

Overall Rating: 5.50/10
Difficulty: 6
Easy to Navigate: 2
Terrain: 5
Hazards: 2
Thrower Traffic: N/A

Pros:
- Park features plenty of amenities
(Tennis, Fields, Dog Park, etc...)
- Extra long holes on the back nine.

Cons:
- Unfinished Course
- Heavily Wooded Course
- No Signage (as of currently)
- No Benches (as of currently)
- Difficult to find markers/tees.
- Too many paths which don't always lead to the next tee.
- Tees have not been poured
(assuming they plan to have concrete tees)

*Reviewed By James Wong, Course Played On: 3/10/2009

Check out www.CarolinaDGC.com for more local Carolina Disc Golf reviews and info!

Review of Innova's Champion Groove

2009-03-09T15:25:00.006-04:00

Innova's Champion Groove Distance Driver

Classification: Distance Driver
Diameter: 21.2cm
Weight Range: 165 to 175 grams
Brief Description: "The Groove features an innovative groove on the underside of the rim. This channel allows this speed 13 driver to be molded in lighter weights than our other wide rim high speed drivers... Fast, long, straight distance off the tee. If the Boss is too stable, get into the Groove."

Last week I purchased the new Champion Groove distance driver by Innova, from Play It Again Sports in Cary, NC. Innova boasts on their website that it's a Speed 13 rated distance driver that is more understable, for individuals whom can't easily play the Champion Boss distance driver.

Being that I LOVE my Champion Boss, I decided that maybe the Champion Groove might be a nice addition to my arsenal.

The Groove's speed is definitely comparable with the Champion Boss, however, when it came to overall distance, the Champion Boss out-performed the Groove time and time again. Regardless of whether it was Right-Handed Back Hand (RHBH) or Sidearm throws, the Champion almost always had a 10-15' advantage over the Groove.

Obviously, my testing of the two discs is in no way scientific at all, but as far as real world play, my mind is dead set on keeping the Champion Boss (and my soon to be purchased Star Boss) as my primary disc of choice for those long distance drives.

Overall Rating By Reviewer: 8/10
Pros: Excellent wind resistance, speed, and distance. Better suited for players that prefer understable discs. Great groove for improved grip.
Cons: Does not seem to drive as far as the Champion Boss. More expensive than the Boss.

Check out www.CarolinaDGC.com for more local Carolina Disc Golf reviews and info!