Last week Brodie Smith signed a 2 year extension with Discraft and I think it’s time to revisit my predictions of how he would be at the end of the season. Brodie is the real deal folks, he finished 2 strokes ahead of Emerson Keith at the Trophy Club Open last weekend. You know, Emerson Keith, that guy who was leading 2019 Worlds in a battle with Paul Mcbeth in 2019. So Brodie Smith is competing with elite players.
Earlier in the year I wrote up this blog entitled All Aboard the Brodie Smith Hype Train. These are some direct quotes from my Brodie predictions from the blog.
- “He rates around 980 at the end of 2020.”
- “He’ll put up at least three, 1000 rated rounds.”
- “If he competes in Am1 definitely win some events.”
Well let’s start with the obvious, this season was unlike anything anyone could have predicted. Sabattus Disc Golf and many other courses around the world closed down due to a world pandemic. Eventually we reopened, as did many others. The DGPT, and many tournaments were postponed for a year, almost all majors and the world championships were cancelled.
Brodie contracted Lyme Disease, something that sadly affects too many disc golfers.
During the quarantine and social distancing, Brodie lived out every disc golfers secret dream of being coached by Paul Mcbeth (Maybe just my dream?). Brodie and the McBeths posted plenty of videos together showing Brodie learning. Brodie releases videos of almost everything he does. From field work, to some tournament filming, playing with other pros in challenges. If you’re looking for more disc golf content this offseason Brodie will give it to you here.
“He rates around 980 at the end of 2020.”✔️
Brodie Smith PDGA #128378 is ranked 996 as of November 22nd 2020. That’s 16 points off my predicted rating, basically within 2 strokes. I’m going to give myself a checkmark for that one. Do you remember where he started at the beginning of the year? He kind of was throwing anything he could get his hands on. Now he’s sponsored by Discraft and crashing the site anytime he releases a disc. I’m impressed by how incredible he’s become in such a short amount of time. It’s kind of incredible how high he’s pushed his rating in basically 6 months.
“He’ll put up at least three, 1000 rated rounds.”✔️
Alright so this one has come true. He put up 15, 1000+ rated rounds and he shot 1032 and 1026 on the same day which are quite the rounds. He’s only played 39 rated tournament rounds, so I don’t think he’s had the opportunities to prove himself yet. Maybe by 2021 when tournament play resumes we’ll get a chance to see him hit a much higher rating. He’s shooting 1000+ about 40% of the time and his worst round has been a 947. Brodie is putting up some amazing rounds.
“If he competes in AM1 (he will) definitely win some events”🤷♂️
Well this one doesn’t count. I should have known better when he said he wanted to compete against the best. He decided to compete against the best in the world right out of the starting gate. Competition will make you a better player, and frankly Brodie belongs playing in pro. After shooting par for the first round of the DDO (his 1018 rated round) he was 9 strokes out of first. After the 2nd round where his Lyme flared up and made things difficult he was still within cashing. He won the Magnolia Open presented by Dynamic Discs, a B-Tier event. He’s lost in a playoff, and has a second place finish as well. Brodie's decision to compete exclusively in MPO has worked out. So this is a wash because he never competed in AM1. No check mark, no red x for me either, I’ll give this a shrug emoji.
What does this mean for you as a player?
It means that anyone can go from little disc golf experience to a decent player in a year if they invest the time and resources into it. Not just where you practice once and you’re good. Brodie practices every day, multiple hours a day. I get that this is his job and livelihood, but if you already have some skills and put in an hour of practice a day you can get great too.
Did Brodie have a head start with his frisbee skills?
Of course he did, he's a frisbee champion.
Yes, and he took full advantage. I mean I don’t know what I’d pay to get a lesson from 5x Paul McBeth, and Brodie got a season’s worth.
Yes, because he brought in new eyes to the sport. If you don’t like it then don’t like that Innova has sponsored Andrew Zimmern or Seth Lugo. Good players aren’t always the ones who get sponsored, it’s the ones who are good, and can bring in eyeballs to the sport.
Brodie committed time to the sport and made it his full time job, he surrounded himself with better players than himself, got an education from Paul, and he’s still getting better.
How can we apply what Brodie did to us?
- If you want to get better practice. Every day. It’s not sexy to practice but it’s what gets you better at anything. We’ve got definitive proof here. Brodie hasn’t hit his ceiling yet, and I’m willing to bet you haven’t either.
- If you want to get better, surround yourself with players better than yourself. Brodie learned from the best, and practiced with top pros. You can ask MPO and FPO players questions and listen to them when they tell you things. Compensate them for their time, we offer lessons and I’m sure most pros would help you out as well.
- Be open to learning and trying new things. Brodie has been incredibly humble and listens. He’s loud, but he listens when someone more competent than him gives advice.
So to end it all here, HUGE congratulations to Brodie Smith. I wish him nothing but luck in his goal to be 1000 rated, and to win on the biggest stages in disc golf. He’s already an accomplished athlete in one sport, and I’m excited to see what he’ll do next.
How do you feel about Brodie Smith? If you’re tired of hearing about him I’ve got bad news, he’s going to be in the spotlight for a while.
May your discs miss all the trees,
Andrew Streeter #70397