Cranbrook’s resident professional disc golfer had the biggest season of his career so far in 2022, playing in 21 PDGA-sanctioned tournaments, and a few non-sanctioned events, wracking up numerous wins and podium finishes along the way.

“It was my busiest season yet,” Hanemayer said. “It was the most seriously I’ve ever taken disc golf through my eight competitive seasons.”

In addition to a slew of tournaments played in B.C. and across Canada, Hanemayer also played a couple huge events in the United States and one in Europe.

He won eight tournaments and said that his win at Falcon’s Flight 13 in Sundre, Alta, A PDGA A Tier event, was his favourite win of the year.

Hanemayer has won Falcon’s Flight multiple times in the past, and last year narrowly won but was defeated by one stroke by friend and fellow Cranbrook pro Ben Loggains.

While that was his favourite win of the year, he said his favourite experience of the 2022 season was the WFDF 2022 World Team Disc Golf Championships in Croatia, where Team Canada took third place in a field of 25 teams.

He said it was a very different experience playing an individual sport in a team setting and playing for his country was a great experience.

“It was my second time being with Team Canada and to be on the podium was a really good feeling to share with my fellow teammates,” Hanemayer said.

Of the 21 sanctioned tournaments he played, Hanemayer won eight and had 13 podium finishes and 15 total top tens.

“I have felt that this year I was the most consistent while playing every tournament, and my confidence was also up coming into every tournament,” he said. “I have always had a well rounded game, driving both backhand and forehand, along with strong putting. What is needed is more consistency for all aspects of my game, which comes from a stronger mental game.”

In addition to all the events he played in Canada and the TWDGC in Croatia, Hanemayer also hit the road and played three A Tiers and three Disc Golf Pro Tour Elite Series events in the U.S., where his skills were put to the ultimate test the sport has to offer, playing against the best players in the world.

“The players at every event are some of the best players in the world,” Hanemayer said. “You cant take a hole off, you cant take your foot off the gas, if you have a bad hole you need to bounce back right away.”

Hanemayer took 67th, 69th and 91st place in the three Elite Series tournaments he played…