Written by Are you looking for a new, interesting, and cheap hobby? Disc golf is all of those things and more. You’ll find an incredibly welcoming community, full of long time vets, tons of newcomers, and every skill level in between.
The beginnings of disc golf occurred in the 60s when “Steady” Ed Headrick invented the Frisbee. Eventually people started playing “object golf” with the frisbees, and thus disc golf was born. Disc golf became an organized sport in 1974, shortly before “Steady” Ed invented the Disc Golf Pole Hole in 1975, and the rest is history.
Today, disc golf is one of the fastest growing, if not the fastest growing, sports worldwide. According to UDisc’s Disc Golf Growth Report there were 50 million rounds of disc golf played in 2020.
“That’s more than 140,000 disc golf rounds per day, or nearly 100 started every minute.”
There are approximately 11,500 courses across the world, (compared to the ~33,000 golf courses) with 8,000 of them residing in the United States. Local leagues, tournaments and casual play occupy these courses regularly, with professional tournaments occurring at different courses around the U.S.
The culture of disc golf is perpetuated even at the professional level. Everyone has a strong sense of competition, while simultaneously being accepting of their competitors and wanting the best for those around them.
Ricky Wysocki, now a two time PDGA World Champion, lost his sister Lauren to brain cancer on April 28, 2021 shortly after winning the 2021 Jonesboro Open and immediately before the PDGA Elite Series Event. He was met with nothing but empathy and support from his peers, as is the way of the disc golf community.
Supporting one another is commonplace in disc golf; a value that could (and should) be more present across many other sports. This behavior is not exclusive to the pros. Find the nearest disc golf course on UDisc and talk to some of the local players. They can tell you where they like to get discs, what courses they enjoy and offer tips on how to play as well as etiquette.
Google “grow the sport” and most of the results will be disc golf related. The community actively tries to encourage people to try it out, and get involved. Whether you spread the word or donate toward making the sport even more accessible (disc golf isn’t everywhere but it could be) your contribution makes a difference.
Gregoire, Matt, et al. “Brief History of Disc Golf and the PDGA.” Professional Disc Golf Association, 24 Aug. 2020, www.pdga.com/history.
“Disc Golf Growth Report Powered by UDisc.” UDisc, udisc.com/disc-golf-growth-report