What Disc Golf Can Learn From Ball Golf

What could disc golf possibly learn from ball golf?! We want to forge our own path, right? This may be true, but it is always wise to learn from those who have already traveled a similar path. There are two sides to this equation. First, disc golf can learn from what ball golf has done right. And secondly, disc golf can learn from what ball golf has done wrong. Both approaches enrich our game and make disc golf all the more enjoyable.

For starters, disc golf enjoys many intangibles compared to ball golf that make it the sport of the future. These are inherent to our sport and the foundation for organic growth.

1. 1. Disc golf consumes far fewer resources than ball golf to maintain a course.
2. 2. Disc golf course creation is economical and leaves the land closer to its natural state.
3. 3. Disc golf has a low level of entry pertaining to skill level and socioeconomic status.
4. 4. Disc golf does not have the history of exclusion that ball golf does.

All of these factors contribute to the rise in the popularity of disc golf in recent years. Opening the door for many new faces to pick up a disc and let it fly. But the future is still unknown. And we need to learn from as many reliable sources as we can. Ball golf has many valuable lessons for us as we step into our future. Due to its success, ball golf has much more of a history and capital. This makes it easier to keep the gears greased for growth. But it wasn’t always that way…

Course Implementation

Back in the late 1980’s ball golf was surging in popularity. At this point, the National Golf Foundation encouraged the industry to build a course a day for 10 years. Many real estate developers gladly drove this trend and built communities around newly established golf courses. Jump forward to the early 2000s. Over 20 years had passed and nearly 4,000 courses had been built. Then the financial crisis of 2008 hit. Courses and entire communities were stuck in an unsustainable situation all over the country. This is when we began to see the decline of the golf industry.

According to this NPR article entitled “There Aren’t Enough Golfers To Keep All Of The US Courses In Business​,” nearly 10 percent of all courses in the US have closed since 2006. What’s more, many courses that have existed through these hardships are operating at a loss.

In recent years, disc golf has been keeping tabs on course implementation. Disc golf courses have been built organically by small groups of people (typically with the backing of a club) petitioning local park boards and government officials to use existing open land for course implementation. Budgets for course creation are minuscule compared to ball golf. According to UDisc, as of May 2017, there were 6,800 disc golf courses in the world. The most recent findings were counted on November 24, 2020. They found around 11,300 disc golf courses in the world. This calculates out to 4,500 new courses implemented in the last 3.5 years. That’s an increase of over 66%!

On the competitive PDGA circuit, we find ourselves at a crossroads. We want to showcase our greatest players’ skills and we need to build courses that are long enough, challenging enough, and open enough for quality video coverage. Many of these courses are turning to pay-to-play models and include other amenities and activities onsite. Many of these properties have campgrounds, pro shops, and restaurants among other amenities. Prices per round are typically under $20 and disc golfers are more than willing to pay-to-play at well-kept courses. It is imperative to keep the fees at a reasonable price as interest grows.

Outreach

Ball golf has done well through various outreach programs. The area I feel they excel most is through engaging juniors. Through organizations such as ​First Tee​, kids are introduced to ball golf through fun and approachable means. They introduce the sport to over 3.8 million youth annually. Even if only 1% become lifetime players, that is 38,000 people every year that will play the sport for the rest of their lives. This has always been an underrepresented demographic in disc golf and one that we need to attract to ensure the future of our sport is in good hands.

UPlay Disc Golf​ is an example of an upstart nonprofit bringing disc golf education to children in the Pacific Northwest. We need to scale programs such as this to the national level so children are introduced to the sport at an early age.

Another aspect of ball golf that makes outreach effective is their infrastructure for training and education. Most courses offer lessons and there are driving ranges to improve your skills. Simply call any course or driving range and inquire about a lesson. Simple as that. But this is not the case for disc golf. If a beginner is not connected to the disc golf community it can feel overwhelming to find an instructor for a lesson. It can often be a slog and a turn-off for beginners to have to turn to YouTube for all of their instruction. While this is certainly helpful, nothing compares to in-person lessons. The passing of knowledge and skills from human to human is invaluable.

Media Coverage

The PGA has lofty livestream goals via its “​Every Shot Live​” endeavor. And yes, its intention is just as it sounds; to show every shot by every player throughout a tournament. COVID shortened the implementation of this venture to only one round. But on Thursday, March 12, 2020, the PGA live-streamed every shot by every player in The Players Championship. This involved over 120 cameras including 18 unmanned cameras at each tee pad. This marked the first time in history where every shot by every player was broadcast.

Could disc golf ever entertain this idea? Not a chance in the near future. But we can dream! Currently, the vast majority of disc golf content is post produced and released the following day (and sometimes longer). The Disc Golf Professional Tour (DGPT) live streams its tournaments and has worked out many kinks in the previous two years of implementing this service. But it still leaves much to be desired. Most tournaments will have one or two camera crews that follow the same card for the entire round. This limits tournament coverage to a few players while the
camera crews scramble to get the best shots. What if courses opened their sight lines and allowed for unmanned cameras around the tee area? What if we had camera towers that could view multiple holes and bring more footage of various cards?

As competitive disc golf grows in popularity so does the media coverage. Currently, we are stuck between two worlds. Many of the classic courses around the US were designed for an era where people simply could not throw as far as contemporary disc golfers. This was due to a deficiency in disc technology. These older courses were typically shorter and heavily wooded with small tee pads. These courses are difficult to bring quality footage to spectators.

A growing trend is for tournaments to be held on ball golf courses. Typically there will be increased OB to make the course more challenging. This model allows for more live spectators and film crews to be present. The sight lines allow for much better camera work as the produced footage showcases disc golfs wonder of flight. This is currently a trend that is a hot topic of discussion in disc golf circles.

In Conclusion

Disc golf is a young sport working its way through some growing pains. Our sport is in prime position for growth and we need to stay open to any leads that may benefit disc golf, including ball golf. Through sustainable course implementation and outreach to children we can ensure the sport is around for generations to come. Through quality media coverage we can make certain fans are satiated from the comfort of their homes. Throughout this journey ball golf offers many lessons as disc golf continues its upward trajectory. Onward!