Playing Games — Disc Golf Valley

What’s the deal with not being able to play disc golf whenever you want to?! Maybe it’s the weather or your job or a newborn baby. Whatever the reason, sometimes you can’t make it to the course. Luckily, the course can come to you. Disc Golf Valley (DGV) is a video game that became hugely popular during the pandemic. It progressed in popularity due in large part to Simon Lizotte playing on his YouTube channel. If you haven’t heard of this game take a peek around, visit the links, and enjoy the journey. If you have heard of the game you will enjoy learning more about the game’s roots and further ways you can engage in DGV. Whatever brings you here, know that DGV is now also available in Virtual Reality on Steam. Disc golf in VR!!

So What Is It?

DGV is the most popular disc golf-specific video game designed for mobile devices, tablets, PCs, and VR. It currently boasts over 500,000 downloads. Its biggest attributes are that it is free, has many playing modes, and is a blast to play. It is played on touch screens and mouse pads
alike and play is quick and enjoyable. It was developed as a side project from its developer and has since morphed into a full-time job. More on that later.

DGV can be downloaded on platforms from phones to tablets to PCs. Simply go to the app store, search for Disc Golf Valley, and download the game. It emulates disc golf play in a way that is both fun and strategic and you get a rating (same as your PDGA rating) to compare against other players. Many features such as this lead to an enjoyable experience for players. DGV saw a huge boom at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 when disc golfers were stuck at home wondering how to get their fix. This led to its developer spending more time on updates and dialing in the user experience, eventually leading to VR. Let’s get to know the creator of DGV.

Who Created DGV?

The creator of DGV is Per Wahlstedt. The idea for the game came around 2017 and his grand plan was to eventually have it played via virtual reality. However, the early days of the game were far from the game we know now. The discs had names such as Crab, Bass, and Manta. There were only a few courses to choose from and the game could be glitchy. There simply were not that many players and Wahlstedt created the game as a hobby. Then came a change. Wahlstedt reached out to Latitude 64, from his native homeland of Sweden, for the possibility of collaboration. He said of this time:

“I had a few thousand players back then and I said, ‘I can put your branding in here and change the discs if you send me some stuff.’ I thought that could be a cool side gig. It was really unofficial at first but it grew from there.”

-Per Wahlstedt

Latitude 64 agreed to the deal and became the official sponsor of the game. All of the discs and branding became Latitude 64. Wahlstedt received Latitude discs and gear in exchange for the naming rights for about three years. Then change was in the air; the pandemic hit.

“At the start of the pandemic, I hadn’t spent that much time on the game for a while. It was kind of dormant. I’d release a new course every now and then, but I had a kid on the way and a lot of other things going on.”

-Per Wahlstedt

The year was 2020. Disc golfers the world over were stuck inside to one degree or another and looking for a way to play disc golf. Enter DGV. Players flocked to the game and Wahlstedt and Latitude 64 took notice. Then, on March 29, 2020, Simon Lizotte released a YouTube video of himself and Eagle McMahon battling each other in DGV. As a result, the game blew up on social media:

“I don’t think [Latitude 64] really knew what Disc Golf Valley was. And then they noticed social media was blowing up. People were talking about Daggers and Ballistas, and [Latitude 64] realized they weren’t talking about [real] disc golf, they were talking about some game.”

-Per Wahlstedt

This led the company to initiate serious talks with Wahlstedt about developing the game further.

“[CEO] David Berglund from Latitude 64 called me up. I’d been collaborating with them for a while – just unofficially. Then when it blew up when Simon played it, [Berglund] called me like, ‘What’s going on?'”

-Per Wahlstedt

As a direct result, Wahlstedt quit his job and began developing DGV as a full-time gig. He enjoys full-time employment to this day and now has an employee working under him. As a result, he has implemented many user-friendly features and, on May 19, 2021, realized his dream of releasing DGV in VR.

Fun Features

When you begin playing, it’s all about developing skills and acquiring discs (kind of like real life, eh?!). You start with a very rudimentary set of discs and as you play more and win challenges you collect discs in your bag. This allows you to develop different types of shots and gain skills and distance. This is such a great part of the game as you experience courses for the first time. The game even has a driving range for you to get to know your discs. Then comes the really fun part. Competition.

There are multiple ways to compete in DGV. Everyone has their cup of tea but my favorite mode is playing with friends. You simply select “New Group” from the home page and a group ID is assigned to your group. Share it with your friends and compete against each other in real-time. This can be enhanced with everyone communicating on a separate platform together as well. These games are unrated and no experience points can be gained, only bragging rights!

Other fun playing modes include:

• AI Tournaments – Players compete against AI opponents in two to four round tournaments in three tiers of difficulty. AI difficulty is based on real life human scores.
• Daily Open – Think of this as a daily league. There are coins to be earned if target tier scores are met.
• Pro Tour – Players compete against other players in their division in a four round cumulative score tournament. Rounds in this game mode count double towards your Pro Tour Rating. Players will receive a round rating on the scorecard at the end of a played round.

Further Connection

If you are looking for more interaction and information on DGV check out some of these links. Just as is true in disc golf in real life, you can get better by watching players with more skill. These links are a combination of Youtube channels and answers to frequently asked questions. Browse around, you will be entertained!!

• David Sallee – Youtube channel dedicated to DGV.
• Dr Urdizzle – Youtube channel dedicated to DGV.
• World Ranking Leaderboard – Players of DGV receive ratings for certain competitive rounds. Check out the world’s best on this list.
• Disc Golf Valley FAQ – This site has it all. From “How To’s” to glitches to setting up your player profile, this is your spot for all things DGV.
• Simon Lizotte Youtube Channel – Lizotte was instrumental in catapulting DGV to fame towards the beginning of the pandemic. This is a battle with Big Jerm. Browse around his channel for multiple videos of him playing various modes of DGV.

Bringing It All Together

DGV is a wonderful way to enjoy the sport of disc golf if you can’t make it to the course. There is a multitude of modes to tickle your fancy and who doesn’t enjoy some bragging rights over your friends?? DGV is a game that went from concept to career to virtual reality implementation for its inventor Per Wahlstedt. Disc golf has arrived at such a place in popular culture that a person is able to have a career creating a disc golf video game!! Rest with this notion as you pull back and fire your next shot in this wonderful game.