Jones Winds

Jones Winds Blow In, Half the Field Blows Out 💨

sighs in Investiture Week Two of the Shardflight Trilogy brought exactly four bridgemen to Jones Plateau on December 26th, down from eight the week prior—apparently half the crew decided that 48°F weather and 7.7 mph gusts were too much for their holiday flex-start commitment. Their loss. The skeleton crew who showed up witnessed Bradley Bushman carve a personal-best -8 across the plateau, Eric Aumiller claim his first MA40 division win with a course-record +1, and Elijah Melcher learn the hard way that the winds at Jones don't care about last week's heroics. This is Episode 2 of our ten-week arc: "Jones Winds," where the wind-reader learns to read gusts like ancient glyphs and those who trust the wind score better than those who fight it. The spren were watching. Some players listened. Others... did not.

From -6 to -8: The Improvement Nobody Asked For

Bradley Bushman continues his unopposed reign in MPO, upgrading from last week's -6 to this week's -8 with a 997-rated round that stands as his personal best on this layout. Ten birdies punctuated his wire-to-wire dominance—opening with a statement birdie on hole 1, cooling briefly mid-round, then closing with back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18 like a man who remembered he had a division to win (against himself). That's a 20-point rating jump from Week 1's 977, and he successfully defended the #1 Momentum Guide bag tag for the second consecutive week, now sitting 2 strokes better than his personal average. In a one-man division, Bradley's only competition is the plateau itself, and so far, he's reading the honest line better than anyone else on the course. The wind-reader has arrived. 🔥

One Week a Hero, Next Week a Cautionary Tale

Elijah Melcher went from Week 1 division champion (−2, 934-rated) to Week 2's cautionary tale (+5, 859-rated)—a brutal 7-stroke regression and 75-point rating drop that landed him 29 points below his 888 player rating. The plateau giveth, the plateau taketh away. His lone birdie on hole 2 (the Par 3, 325ft) was the only under-par mark in the entire Plateau Wardens division that hole, and he strung together a respectable 6-hole par train from holes 8-13, proving he could still find rhythm when the winds allowed it. But the rest of the round? The kind of scorecard that makes you wonder if the spren dimmed when he forced his shots instead of reading the glyphs. New to the Shardflight Trilogy as of last week, Elijah's learning the hard way that Jones Plateau doesn't hand out participation trophies—it demands honest lines or it breaks you. Eight weeks remain for redemption.

The Only Division With Actual Competition

Finally, a division where the lead actually changed hands! Eric Aumiller claimed his first MA40 victory with a +1 (901-rated) personal best, edging Brandon Grover by four strokes after a back-and-forth battle that lasted through hole 5. They were tied after hole 1, but Eric's sole birdie on hole 5 (Par 3, 241ft) gave him a lead he never relinquished, even as he stumbled through three consecutive bogeys on holes 17-19 to close the round. Eric's other birdie on hole 11 and a 5-hole par train (12-16) kept Brandon at bay, whose front nine was 3 strokes cleaner than his back nine. Brandon notched sole birdies on holes 4 and 15 and celebrated his first-ever skins haul (2 skins, $2.00), but couldn't overcome the 4-hole cold streak that ended after hole 8. Eric's redemption arc is complete: from Week 1's fourth place (+3, 882-rated) to Week 1's division winner (+1, 901-rated)—a 2-stroke improvement and 19-point rating jump. Brandon, meanwhile, slid from Week 1's second place (+2, 892-rated) to another second-place finish (+5, 859-rated), dropping 33 rating points in the process. The Plateau Wardens finally have a race worth watching. ⛓️

Two Records Set, Zero Aces Hit

Personal bests were the story of Week 2: Bradley's -8 and Eric's +1 both represent new high-water marks on this layout, with Bradley's 997-rated round standing as the day's statistical crown jewel while Elijah's 859 served as the cautionary counterpoint. The Plateau Wardens scattered sole birdies across five holes—Elijah on 2, Brandon on 4 and 15, Eric on 5 and 11—each one a small victory against the Jones Winds. Par trains rolled through the back nine: Elijah's 6-hole stretch (8-13), Brandon's 5-holer (10-14), and Eric's matching 5-hole run (12-16). The rating spread tells the day's tale: Bradley's 997 at the top, Eric's 901 in the middle, and both Brandon and Elijah tied at 859 at the bottom. The spren brightened for some throws, dimmed for others. And the chains? Still waiting for metal to kiss them—no aces recorded, meaning the Super Ace pot continues its silent, relentless climb. 📈

The #1 Tag Isn't Going Anywhere 🏷️

The Momentum Guide remains firmly in Bradley Bushman's grip after his second consecutive wire-to-wire performance, and at this point we should probably just engrave his name on the thing. This tag—perpetually warm to the touch, its deep storm blue (#1E3A5F) surface etched with amber-gold spiraling lines that pulse with the bearer's heartbeat—was forged to embody "motion begetting motion," the principle that one honest throw builds momentum for the entire crew. The irony? It's being piloted by a solo-division player who doesn't need a crew to find the honest line. Bradley's 51 total strokes this week landed 2 strokes better than his personal average, and his 997-rated round suggests the spren are absolutely noticing his wind-reading gift. The tag's teal spren chase each other along those golden pathways, brightening when throws follow the honest line—and Bradley's ten birdies kept them glowing all day. Week Two confirms what Week One whispered: either the tag found its perfect vessel, or we're all just really committed to pretending that honest throws don't require a crew. Either way, the plateau remembers those who refuse to crater under pressure. 🌀

The Chains Remain Unimpressed

No CTP winners, no ace pot payouts, no Super Ace pot celebrations—just the silent, judgmental chains at Jones Plateau waiting for someone to thread the needle. The pot continues to swell (presumably well past the $158 mark from Week 1), and the pressure mounts with every passing week. Even Bradley's ten birdies couldn't manufacture an ace, which tells you everything you need to know about Jones Park: the honest line doesn't always lead to the chains, and the winds don't care how well you're reading them. Eight weeks remain. The chains are patient. The spren are watching. Someone's going to park one eventually, and when they do, that payout is going to be legendary.

Bradley Takes 13, Everyone Else Fights for Scraps

The skins game was technically competitive, in the sense that four players were present and throwing discs. In reality, Bradley Bushman scooped 13 of the 19 available skins for a $13.00 haul, leaving Eric Aumiller with 4 skins ($4.00), Brandon Grover with his first-ever 2 skins ($2.00), and Elijah Melcher with a goose egg. Bradley opened with a birdie on hole 1 for 1 skin, watched the carryover build through a 3-hole push, then witnessed Eric's birdie on hole 5 scoop 4 skins in one swing. But Bradley's carryover scoop on hole 10 (4 skins, $4.00) and his late birdies on holes 17 (2 skins) and 18 (1 skin) ensured the day's cash flow moved in one direction: his pocket. Brandon's "First Skin" achievement is worth celebrating—finally on the board after weeks of watching others collect. The plateau rewards those who show up, even if it doesn't always reward them equally. Any card can enable skins for their round—learn how to set up skins and get in on the action.

$5.25 Toward Something That Actually Lasts

Episode 2's "Jones Winds" narrative beat landed exactly as planned: the wind-reader learned to read the gusts like glyphs, the spren grew brighter when throws followed the honest line, and those who trusted the wind (Bradley, Eric) scored better than those who fought it (Elijah). The four bridgemen who showed up added $5.25 to the Jones Course Fund this week—$4.00 in automatic contributions ($1 per player) plus $1.25 in additional donations—pushing the total to $15.00 toward the $1,000 goal (2% progress). Every throw at Jones is building toward something permanent: course improvements that will outlast any single season, any single round, any single scorecard. The plateau remembers those who invest in its future. No open improvement requests yet? Time to change that—if you've got ideas for tee pads, signage, benches, or mud mitigation, this is your chance to shape the course you play every week.

See You on the Plateau (If You Show Up)

Week 3 brings "Spren Following," the episode where the curious spren begin following multiple players, not just the original wind-reader. The spren divide, multiply—each honest throw attracts a fragment of their attention. Bradley Bushman has locked down MPO and the #1 Momentum Guide with wire-to-wire dominance across two weeks. Eric Aumiller has claimed the MA40 crown and needs to defend it against Brandon Grover, who's tasted his first skins and wants more. Elijah Melcher needs a rebound week after the 7-stroke regression that dropped him 75 rating points. Eight weeks remain in the Shardflight Trilogy's ten-week arc. The map is expanding. The spren are watching. The winds at Jones Plateau will reveal their secrets to those who listen. Life before bogey. Strength before shank. Flight before fall. ⛰️