Mark Dakiv is a long time Disc Golfer, having joined the PDGA way back in 1997, with a total of over 100 tournaments to show for it. He is also a strong ambassador and representative of RPM Discs, holding a spot in our elite team, Parliament.
This October, Mark played two RPM sponsored tournaments in Auckland at Bethells Beach, the RPM Triple Crown Series and the Battle for Pae o te Rangi. For the MPO of the RPM Triple Crown, Mark won first place shooting 7 under par, and then at the Battle for Pae o te Rangi, he came in second with 25 under par and two impressive rounds rated above 1020! Nice work!
Mark’s comments on the tournaments:
“Both events were at Bethells, there was a 1-day event which I got 1st, and a week later a 2-day event which I got 2nd (in keeping with this sequence if there was a 3-day event I should’ve got 3rd). I really enjoy that course, and Mike Foley did a great job running those events, and introducing some new holes for variety.
This may sound strange but I feel much better about my 2nd place than my 1st for two reasons… for my 2nd place finish I shot considerably higher than my rating, and for my 1st although I won in MPO I didn’t win the tournament because fellow Parked Ranger Josh Love-Parata in MA1 shot the hottest round and beat me by one stroke overall.
The last two rounds I played pretty clean and were rated over 1020. There was only one bogey, which was a windy circle 1 birdie putt with a dropoff behind, but I decided to go for it and suffered the consequences. During the bogey-free round I went back-to-back OB on holes 18 and 3, but managed to save par on both, so they felt like birdies to me.
Had a disappointing first round, comprised of some poor execution and some unlucky breaks, but was able to keep all that junk out of my head so it didn’t ruin my next two rounds.
My go-to discs were definitely my Kotares slicing through the wind, both the beefy ones and the slightly less stable 21-08 run. Also have to mention the reliable Kotukus always seeming to land by the basket. Wouldn’t feel right if I left out the trusty Tuis surgically hitting their lines. And can’t forget the Takapus doing their magic towards, and into, the chains.
My favourite hole was the original hole 8 in the long position. That’s a challenging hole, you have to hit the drive well in order to give yourself a good chance at precariously landing the lengthy upshot on that slopey hillside for a birdie putt. Very satisfying to birdie that hole.”
Great work Mark, and congrats on behalf of Team RPM. Keep it up!
Featured Discs:
I was lucky enough to be inolved in the grassroots disc golf scene in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in the early 90’s, helping to install their first course, and then Canmore’s course in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. I came to NZ in the late 90’s, and once again was involved in the grassroots scene here, travelling the country to play the few courses we had back then, going to my first PDGA World’s as a Kiwi, and installing the Harcourt Park course with the first version of what later became RPM’s baskets. It’s great to be back here in NZ 20+ years later and seeing how much the sport has grown. Here’s to continual growth of the sport, and continual growth of my player rating π
Mark Dakiv #12505
Β Player Information:
Country: New Zealand
Started Playing Disc Golf in: 1991
Career Wins: 16
Highest PDGA Rating: 1002
Team: Parliament
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Tournament Details:
Position: 1st
Tournament: RPM Triple Crown Series https://www.pdga.com/tour/event/63717#MPOΒ
Tier: C
Division: MPO
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Position: 2nd
Tournament: Battle for Pae o te Rangi 2022 (Bethells) https://www.pdga.com/tour/event/61821#MPOΒ
Tier: C
Division: MPO
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