Just Don’t “Nice” Them

by Marilyn Estes

Athens brothers Brian and Patrick Yoe love disc golf (a.k.a Frisbee golf) so much, they thought it would be fun to videotape someone throwing the rare ace (a hole-in-one thrown from a tee pad over 200 feet away) and post it online for all to see.

Three years later, they’re filming U.S. and world champion disc golfers in tournaments and posting it on their Don’t Nice Me Bro website, where viewers from as far away as Sweden and Australia watch their videos.

“It’s just something we do for fun,” says Patrick. “It’s a hobby.”

“I like watching disc golf videos,” adds Brian. “A lot of people I know like watching disc golf videos.” 

It started as a lark. They borrowed a camera at Thanksgiving, and – despite the rarity of aces – gave the camera back at Christmas with two aces recorded.

The first wasn’t a real ace, but a staged ace where it took several attempts on their home course at Sandy Creek Park in Athens, GA. Brian scored the second ace during a real round the brothers happened to film while checking out South Carolina courses on the way to see their grandparents for Christmas. (That explains Brian’s on-camera, “Tell me you got that.”)

Another year or two of aces and amateur footage later – plus saving up to buy their own camera – and the brothers were ready to post videos worth watching.

“People don’t want to see amateur golfers,” says Brian. “They want to see the pros.”

Last spring they began filming tournament rounds featuring professional disc golfers. They also condense the 75-minute rounds down to a more viewable 28 minutes or so.

“This year, since starting to do tournaments, viewership has quadrupled,” says Patrick. “We had maybe one YouTube subscriber a week. Now it's like seven or eight a day.”

The free YouTube subscription lets viewers know when new videos are posted. Most Don’t Nice Me Bro subscribers are in the U.S., but a large number come from Finland, Sweden and Germany. They also have subscribers watching from Norway, Japan, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Estonia, Australia, France, South Korea and Iceland. The videos have a total of 100,000 views so far. 

In addition to providing free high-quality videos for disc golf fans to watch, dontnicemebro.com also gives those not familiar with the sport the opportunity to see the skills of disc golfers beyond throwing a Frisbee - the elegant backhand and forehand of a tennis player, the thumber throw of a baseball knuckleballer, a roller following the path of a ball golfer - all toward a basket from angles a basketball could only dream of. Plus trickier shots like a player flicking a disc from down on one knee under a tree limb, and the encouragement that even a pro can miss a putt.

Despite their success, the Yoe brothers remain modest.

“We use a pretty inexpensive video camera versus some of the nicer equipment that’s out there,” says Patrick. “I don’t think ours are the highest quality you can get.” 

But it’s what they do with the camera that makes a difference. The Don’t Nice Me Bro videos have a real feel for watching the playing, as if you’re standing with the foursome – with the added benefit of the camera zooming in where the disc lands.

Both Brian and Patrick play disc golf, so they know what to look for - and as with any live sporting event, they have only one chance to get the shot.

“You’ve got to have an idea of where they’re going to throw it and the lanes the discs are going to go,” says Brian. “Be at the right place at the right time without pissing off the players and being in their line of sight.”

Plus, the physicality. There’s potential for significant distance between the four lies – two discs may land near the basket, while one may land out of bounds to the left and another past the trees on the right – which means the camera has to be anywhere on that hole by the time each player throws.

“There’s a lot of running involved,” says Brian.

Their most recent posting is the final round from the 2013 Charleston Classic, featuring World Champion Paul McBeth, two-time U.S. Champion Will Schusterick, and top disc golfers Matt Dollar, David Wiggins and Barry Schultz. (While Brian filmed the top card, Patrick played a few cards lower and wound up with the 9th best fourth-round score in a field of 62.)

Other pros they’ve filmed include Cameron Colglaizer, Jeremy Koling, Josh Childs, James “Snappy” Cole and Kevin McCoy.

“Surprisingly, all of the players are very cool when you ask them [for permission],” says Patrick. “I always go up to them beforehand and let them know what I’m planning to do, and they’re all for it. They thank me, which is kinda cool, and ask where they can see it. Because some of them watch it, too.” 

Like watching ball golf on Sunday afternoon TV, it’s hypnotic and relaxing to watch a well-thrown drive sail toward the horizon, followed by an approach shot pitched around trees, and ending with the satisfaction of seeing the putt hit the basket and hearing the “ching” of the chains. And then onto the next hole.

Brian, a former pro golf instructor, knows something about spending an afternoon watching golf on TV.

“I would pay for a disc golf channel on television, like ESPN,” says Brian. “I think there’s enough talent out there, and the way those guys throw, it could be that good. I don’t want to say that’s the reason we’re doing what we’re doing, but it can’t hurt.” 

“It would be interesting to see ESPN cover an event, and put all of their quality film equipment into it,” says Patrick. “I can only imagine what kind of production they could do, what they could make the sport look like, as opposed to one guy with a camera standing behind the players.” 

In the meantime, the FOX affiliate in the Yoes’ original hometown of Macon, GA aired their own footage of the 2012 Georgia State Championship last year, and plans to broadcast a portion of the brothers’ 2013 Georgia State Championship video. 

While most people just watch the videos, Paul “Batman” Childs, director of the Pamela B. Childs Memorial, a disc golf tournament that benefits the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Augusta, invited the Yoes to film his tournament.

“They’d made some videos of tournaments where my son Josh was featured. I liked how they knew where it was a good place to get the shots and not be in the players’ way,” says Childs. “It’s also nice to have history recorded.” 

The brothers are also already invited to film the return of the famed Flying Eye Open at The Crucible course in Athens, GA, next November, where top disc golfers will be invited.

 In addition to their pro-bono video contribution to disc golf, Brian and Patrick also sponsor nearly every tournament they play in, plus a few they don’t. It’s all about adding to the sport.

As for the curious name of the website, it comes from disc golf lore, when a beautifully flying disc is unintentionally jinxed into a tree by another player complimenting the throw with “nice,” a word that’s thrown around almost as often as discs. And it came from personal experience.

“Standing on number 4 at the Herm,” says Brian, referring to the Herman C. Michael course in Watkinsville, GA. “I threw a shot that was pretty good. [Fellow player] Josh Birmingham says, ‘Nice.’ BAM! It hits a tree. I just turned around – ‘Man, don’t nice me.’ And we thought, that’s a good name for a website.”

This past November marks the third anniversary of dontnicemebro.com, a lark-turned-success that merits celebration.

“We should do something,” says Brian.

“We should release a video,” says Patrick.

That would be nice.