Luke has been throwing plastic for 6 years, and really started to take it seriously when in junior high.
He is out on the in field or course 5 – 6 times a week and regularly finishes in the top 10 at local tournaments. A big believer in fieldwork and tries to do 100 putts a day.
Currently competing in the Oregon Collegiate Disc Golf League for his university. His bag is made up of MVP, Axiom or Streamline discs.
Name: Luke Mollerup
Country: United States
Home Course: Tall Firs in Monroe Washington
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How did you get into disc golf and how long have you been playing?
I’ve been playing for about 6 years. Originally, my dad heard about it from a coworker. He came home with a few discs and we went out to play a few times.
But it wasn’t until 8th grade that I really became interested in the sport. One of the guidance counselors at my school started a disc golf club that met once a week for about 2 hours. I figured I’d played the game a few times so I’d go check it out.
Mr. Sauer, the guidance counselor, was very good, and taught me a lot about form and strategy. Also, I was the only member of the club for most of that first year so I got a lot of one on one coaching, haha.
What is your dominant hand?
Definitely my right hand. I’ve tried throwing with my left, it doesn’t work very well…
Are you Backhand or forehand dominate?
I started off entirely backhand and was that way for about 3 years. Recently, I’ve developed a really solid forehand and I am pretty confident going with either shot if it’s the right move for the hole.
But if it’s a wide open hyzer shot where I can throw anything I want, I’ll probably go for the backhand just because it’s what I’ve been doing longer.
What was the first disc you threw and where is it now?
Oh man, first disc was probably an Aviar or a Leopard or something like that. I know my dad went out and bought a few Innova discs when we were first getting into it so I’m sure it was one of those. The first disc I remember really caring about was the Innova Star Boss.
Mr. Sauer, the guidance counselor who founded the club at my junior high, threw one and I think I really just liked the name of it.
Anyway, I was pretty new to the game and buying discs online wasn’t really something I did early on. So, I went on like, this quest to find an Innova Star Boss.
There was one weekend where I went to play this course in North Seattle and there was this kinda crusty looking guy selling discs out of his van. So, I went up and asked if he had a boss.
He must have seen me play because despite having one, he wouldn’t sell it to me because it was “too fast” for me. Honestly, he was probably right but I really just wanted a boss. It had such a cool name! Eventually my dad found one and got it for my birthday.
It quickly became my go to disc off the tee, and this was about the time I started to really getting into the game. As for that first Star Boss, its lost in the bushes at one of my local courses, haha.
You’re on the first hole at your local course, what disc do you reach for?
Ok, first hole at Tall Firs from the short tee is about 450 feet, downhill, fading to the right. I usually go for my 169g Axiom Plasma Insanity. I usually try to smash a forehand about 300 feet down the fairway to give me a fairly simple forehand approach around some trees.
I like the insanity because it has a lot of glide, so even though I don’t have the longest forehand, the insanity still goes around 300 feet for me, and reliably finishes right.
What is your favourite course and why?
I know its kinda cliché, but it’s gotta be DeLa. Earlier this summer I had the amazing opportunity to get down to Santa Cruz and playing DeLaveaga was something else.
The course was really beautiful. Playing through the old woods, with the bugs buzzing in the background, and the sunlight coming down just felt absolutely magical. In addition, I felt that pretty much every hole was a legitimately good hole.
For the most part, every part of the course made sense and it never really felt like a hole was just put there so they had another hole. It was a really well thought out course. And with all of the history surrounding that course, it was just an unreal experience.
Some other courses that come to mind would be Fort Steilacoom in Tacoma Washington. This one is a bit more local to me and is actually two 18 hole courses.
Again, for me its all about the scenery, and the setting. This course takes you on a walk through a beautiful section of woods that is absolutely stunning. Even in the rain we get out here, this course is always fun to play with a variety of shots, and some spectacular views.
Your disc golf bag catches on fire. You can only save 3 discs, What are those discs and why?
Oh golly, if my bag were to catch on fire, and I could only choose three discs, the first one would probably be my Watermelon Proxy by Axiom Discs. That disc has been in my bag for a few years, and it makes up a large part of my game. In addition, it’s a limited run stamp, and getting that exact replacement would cost me 30 to 40 dollars. So, no way I’m gonna let that thing burn!
The second disc would be my 155 gram Axiom Fireball. This is another one of my go to discs that I’ve been throwing for a few years now. It’s finally starting to get to that point where it’s magically beat in. This would be another one that would be very difficult to replace.
My third disc would be my Axiom Clash. This is by far the oldest disc in my bag, at least 4 years, maybe even 5. I’ve become a big fan of the MVP and Axiom line up over the years, and this was one of the first two gyro discs I bought. I lost the other one, but I still have the OG clash, and the sentimental value there is too high to give up in flames!
What is your favourite disc and why?
My favorite disc has got to be my Plasma Axiom Insanity. This is a fair way speed disc that goes really straight. I can rip this thing with a good amount of hyzer, and trust it to flip up and ride straight for days! It’s great for long flex shots, and carving up fair ways through the trees.
Also, if there’s a big hyzer shot that needs to get way left, ill reach for this thing because the glide will help stay up in the air and get waaaay left. This disc also makes up 99% of my forehand throws, so in my opinion this disc is 12/10. Just a really solid workhorse that I lean on for a variety of shots.
What is your favourite throw to play during a round of disc golf?
My favourite throw during a round of disc golf is definitely a backhand hyzer flip that pops up flat, rides straight, and finishes just slightly left. To throw this shot, I usually lean on my Plasma Insanity, as I just mentioned.
When I throw this thing right, it just pops up and gets the perfect hyzer flip. I live for the days when I pipe a disc straight down a corridor of trees rather than straight into a bush 50 feet in front of me.
I just really love watching an understable disc go straight down a fairway.
Are you part of a league, if so what is your handicap?
In the past I played for the Arlington Eagles as part of the Washington State Team Disc Golf League and I believe that my handicap was right around 6. However, I’m not currently super active in that league because of school.
I am currently attending George Fox University, where I will be taking over as president of the Disc Golf Club next year. As a club, we compete against other colleges such as Oregon State University, and Portland State in monthly tournaments as part of the Oregon Collegiate Disc Golf League.
At the end of the school year we compete in Oregon’s Collegiate National Championship Qualifier, and perhaps one year we will even make it out to the Collegiate National Championship!
As for the monthly league tournaments, we don’t play with handicap. Instead, our team score is comprised of the three best scores from a singles round in the morning, and then an afternoon doubles score is added to that to determine the teams final score.
These tournaments are always crazy fun, even though they often require us to wake up at 5:00 am or earlier to get there on time, haha.
How many times a week do you get to play or do field work?
I try to play about five to six days a week. Currently I’m a solid intermediate player, regularly finishing in the top 10 at local tournaments.
My goal is to be competitive in the open division on a local scale. So, I try to take steps towards that goal every day. I am a big believer in fieldwork.
Hitting up the course is fun, but if you want to shave strokes off your game, you gotta put in time on the driving field, and the putting green. I try to get out and throw at least a hundred drives about three times a week.
And I typically try to get in at least 100 putts every day, especially on days where I don’t have time for much else. A lot of times this means going out in the morning, late evening before it gets dark, or even between classes during the school year.
However, I also recognize that injury will slow me down, so I generally try to take one day off during the week.
The discs that you regularly bag are they all one manufacturer or a mix bag?
Nearly all of my bag is from MVP, or one of their subsidiaries, Axiom or Streamline.
I picked up a few Axiom discs at the first tournament I ever attended and fell in love with them. They were both fairway drivers, the Clash and the Crave. They quickly became my go-to forehand discs due to their low profile and fairly small rim width. This drew me to try more of their discs until I was pretty much only throwing their plastic.
Today, I’ve just come to rely on the durability of their discs, and the consistency of their runs and this is why I keep coming back to them over and over again.
However, I do putt with a McPro Aviar, currently the swirly 2018 Galactic Jellybean run. I like the stiffness of the putter, and it gives me confidence on the green which is why it remains in my bag and will be my go to putter for the foreseeable future. So, technically a mixed bag, but pretty much just MVP.
Do you have any superstitions or quirks when on the course. Such as like flipping your disc 3 times before a putt or special hat?
I absolutely have a special hat. You will literally never catch me anywhere, on or off the course without my grey whale sac hat.
I got my first one two years ago at the Beaver State Fling. I wore it nearly every day for a year until this year’s Beaver State Fling where I had Tina Stanaitis and Eric Oakly sign it as I was buying a replacement, one of their new whale sac hats with the bamboo patch on it.
I’m pretty sure if I ever tried to play a round of golf without my whale sac hat, I would just completely forget how to hold a disc. It would likely be a complete disaster.
What do you love about disc golf?
I think the thing I like most about this sport is that it is so individual. Of course, I love the community aspect, and showing up to my weekly doubles tournaments, but at the end of the day, when I step up to the first hole of a tournament, everything is on me.
I don’t have to rely on anyone else, and nobody else is relying on me. My wins come from the work I put in, and at the same time, my losses are mine alone.
When I was much younger I played on little league soccer and softball teams, and I felt enormous pressure to play well because I felt that my team was depending on me to contribute. In disc golf, nobody else is relying on me to perform, and this really helps me clear my head and shoot well.
What part of disc golf do you find the most challenging?
I find the mental aspect of the game to be very difficult. It’s easy to go out and practice driving and putting but getting into the mindset for a competitive round isn’t something that can be replicated outside of a tournament environment.
Because of this, I’m still learning how to shake off bad shots, and not let them affect me going into the rest of the tournament. I know there have been several occasions where I threw a few bad drives early on and struggled to get off the tee for the rest of the tournament, even though I was throwing all the right shots in practice.
Although the mental game is difficult for me right now, it’s something that can only get easier with time, and I know I’ll be able to shake off bad shots in the future.
What has been your greatest achievement to date in disc golf?
My greatest achievement would have to be my third-place finish in intermediate at last year’s Canadian National Championships.
I had played solidly all 3 rounds and found myself in fourth place going into the final nine. During those last nine holes I played some of my best golf ever, and made up like seven strokes which I thought was crazy good, but not good enough to take the win.
Either way, jumping up into third place was still an absolutely insane feeling, especially at such a big tournament.
If you could change anything about disc golf what would it be?
I would really like to see the sport become more professional in the eyes of the public. If we as a disc golf community want more money coming into the sport to have bigger payouts, and more pros being able to make a living playing the game, we need more outside sponsorship from bigger companies.
I believe that if we want to grow the sport over the next few years, it starts with the way we all carry ourselves out on the course.
If given the chance how would you grow the sport of disc golf?
Personally, I would like to see collegiate disc golf gain some traction.
My experience with collegiate disc golf so far is that there are alot of very skilled college level athletes who are very passionate about the sport. However, I feel that many college disc golf clubs are underfunded because the schools don’t see how big the sport is, how fast its gaining popularity, and how big it could be in a few years.
I would like to create a system to reach college boards and inform them about the sport, and why they should support it and promote it on their campus.
If you could play any course in the world, what would that course be and who are the other three players on your card?
A course I’ve really wanted to play for a long time now would have to be La Mirada. I’ve watched the pros play it, and that course just looks beautiful.
As for the other players on my card, it would have to be my dad because I always play disc golf with my dad, Paul McBeth because he’s one of the pros I watch the most and try to model my form after, and finally I would probably want to have Nate Sexton on my card because I here him on commentary and he sounds like a pretty cool dude.
What’s your embarrassing disc golf story?
Ah jeez, ok. So a few years ago I was playing at the 2015 Canadian Disc Golf Championships. I was still getting into tournaments, and was playing in the juniors division.
So, we’re about halfway through the first round, and the only people playing in the juniors division are myself and this other kid who was two or three years younger than myself. I wanna say it was the 11th hole, easy hyzer shot, as long as you hit the gap you’re gonna have a look.
I grab my fireball, throw the hyzer, hit the gap, im 30 feet out. I step up to the putt and im like “My putting isn’t super great”. So, I lay up to about five feet for the easy par. No problem. So I go up to tap it out, and I miss. I don’t even know how, but I yoinked it, and just threw it to the side of the basket.
From five feet. “Ok” I think. “Whatever”. I go to my lie, another five foot putt, and I literally doink it straight into the cage!
But wait, there’s more! I pick up my disc, another tiny putt, and i just carelessly lob it off to the right this time!!! I missed! Again! from five feet! I finally put it into the basket on the fourth try, but only after missing three five foot putts in a row.
This was pretty rough. Definitely one of those moments where I just had to laugh it off. I still managed to come out ahead in the tournament, but i’m not really sure how after that!
What advice would you give to a new player starting out?
I would say, start with just a putter because that’s going to be the easiest to throw, and take the time to watch some clinics on YouTube, and get to know what good form looks like.
I know that I developed a lot of bad habits in my form that I am still trying to correct today. So, if you want to be good, it’s worth it to watch a few videos, or seek out instruction to avoid developing poor form in your throw early on.