Hi Everyone! I know a lot of you aren’t familiar with me, my blog, or disc golf in general, but I’ll attempt to establish myself as somewhat credible here. My name is Justy, and I’ve played disc golf almost my whole life, but became involved on the competitive side 2 years ago and have been hooked ever since. I’m sponsored, play in leagues and tournaments, started a club at my high school, and absorb disc golf content on all social media (You could say I’m a bit of a geek with it). Anyways, I’m super excited to continue my disc golf blog this second semester, especially because I think disc golf is in the perfect stage of its life for analysis.
Disc golf is a relatively new sport in the grand scheme of things; it started back in 1975 but didn’t really gain traction on the global scale until the Covid-19 pandemic. When society was basically forced to either stay home or do outdoor activities, disc golf quickly became a prime hobby for the lonely. Especially once some of the restrictions were lifted, disc golf became a safe and enjoyable way to hang out with friends outdoors when most indoor spaces were still shut down. As a result, disc golf has been in a prolonged period of steady growth.
Now, why would disc golf’s shocking growth over recent years mean anything in terms of analyzing the sport? Well, the controversies and policies that shape the sport today are going to be the benchmarks for the sport for years to come. UDisc, the leading disc golf statistician for growth, says it best in its quote comparing disc golf to a marathon runner.
“In 2020 and 2021, disc golf was a sprinter surging out of the blocks. Today, it’s training for a marathon. And how do you train for a marathon? By pounding the pavement and laying down the foundation. By putting in the time and discipline. And by transforming from speedy to sustainable.” – UDisc
You may find yourself asking “How could a sport like frolf (Yes I don’t care if you call it frolf) have any “major controversies” that Justy is referencing?”
I would answer by saying that you have no idea. The DGPT (That’s Disc Golf Pro Tour to the common folk) is COMPLETELY out of money, many companies are being bought out by bigger brands which leaves professionals less options career-wise, there are issues regarding the rules for legalizing a disc for tournament play, there are pros throwing discs that are stamped differently than what they actually are, there is a ton of unsigned young talent who may change the game forever, the FPO division is struggling in every sense of the word, and the PDGA (Professional Disc Golf Association) is so busy trying to make everybody happy that they are accomplishing the exact opposite.
As you can see, disc golf is up against a literal army of problems, which puts it in a unique place in its timeline. How the DGPT and PDGA handle the next couple of years will probably change the course of the sport forever, for good or for ill. All the community can do is sit and deliberate and hope that their favorite pro’s and officials will listen to their complaints and worries.
As an avid disc golf fan, I’m absolutely stoked to see what the next few years have in store for the sport. As your author of this blog, I’m planning on not only covering all of these issues, but current initiatives and ideas of how to pull disc golf into greatness.
Stay tuned for next week for when I cover all things concerning disc manufacturing.
Justy,
Your passion and care for disc golf really comes through in your post, even though it was just an introduction to your blog topic. I have seen disc golf posts (if thats the correct terminology) in parks before, but I never really payed them any mind or even understood what their purpose was. Additionally, I had no clue that the sport was becoming so popular in recent years, and it was interesting to observe the connection you made that the growth may have had to Covid. I am learning new information from your blog already. I like the direction that you are going in with your topic – taking something seemingly simple, such as a sport you play competitively, and diving deeper into the controversies and troubles underneath the surface. I think that this will allow you to produce thoughtful and informative content that will make for a very intriguing thread of posts.
I like how you brought up the lack of support for youth players in the disc golf sphere, as this is a common trend that is prominent in many sports and industries across the board. Talent is going overlooked due to lack of support and funding, and opportunities are being lost for young people who are deserving of those chances by no fault of their own. I wonder how you think that this issue could be addressed or resolved? Do you think that it is a matter of not enough money, not enough support / attention from leagues, a mix of the two, or something else entirely?