What Does the DGPT and PDGA Merger Mean for Professional Disc Golf?

The professional side of disc golf had a massive shake-up occur on September 28, 2021. The Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) and Disc Golf Professional Tour (DGPT) announced a partnership to form the official pro tour of the PDGA. The agreement means that the National Tour (NT, run by the PDGA since 2003), will cease to exist. According to a PDGA press release:

“The PDGA National Tour and DGPT Elite Series will be merged into a single cohesive tour – The Disc Golf Pro Tour: ‘The Official Pro Tour of the PDGA.’”

This agreement relieves the PDGA from managing the NT series and allows the PDGA to focus on its core mission of growing the sport. According to the press release:

This agreement “will also increase efforts on core initiatives such as international growth, enhancing league and affiliate club programs, introducing disc golf into school systems, providing oversight of rules and competition standards, and the overall promotion and growth of the sport.”

Since 2003 the PDGA has dedicated itself to growing the professional side of disc golf. They developed the National Tour and over the years they “allocated resources and staff, developed rules and competition standards, and provided the technical backbone that made a pro tour possible… From that platform, the DGPT has built a premier tour, elevating the top tier of the game to a new level. “ The PDGA will still manage 5 tournaments throughout the season but will play a supportive role for the rest of the tour while the DGPT takes the reins. The PDGA will have more freedom to develop the youth and amateur sides of the game. This also means that the DGPT will have more creative freedom and resources to pour into the professional tour. Let’s take a step back and learn how the DGPT arrived in this position.

History of the DGPT

The original aim of the DGPT was to take over the professional disc golf scene. In 2015, The DGPT tour did not exist. However, that same year, with plenty of gumption, then DGPT founder Steve Dodge approached the PDGA with an offer to operate “an elite national series of events to replace the PDGA National Tour in 2016.” The PDGA declined. This did little to deter Dodge and co-founder Nate Heinold from pursuing their vision of professional disc golf. They went forward with their vision and the DGPT was officially implemented in 2016 by Steve Dodge and Nate Heinold. In its first year the DGPT hosted six events:

• Vibram Open
• Silver Cup XVI
• Minnesota Majestic
• Ledgestone Open
• Green Mountain Championship
• DGPT Tour Championship

There were plenty of kinks to work out but the blueprint was set. The subsequent years saw the DGPT add more events and grow in popularity. While the DGPT was having success in the name of competition, they struggled with their financial situation. In 2019 Steve Dodge sold the DGPT to longtime investors Todd Rainwater and Jeff Spring. These two took the reins and implemented a second tier of tournaments throughout the DGPT season. The two tiers, under the DGPT umbrella, were named the “Elite Series” and the “Silver Series.” The new ownership also reinvigorated talks with the PDGA in 2019 which directly led to the current deal coming to fruition in 2021. Spring said of their partnership with the PDGA:

“From the very outset, the PDGA has been our strongest partner. They have not only provided a level to grow upon, a platform. But from day one, we were in discussions with Joe [Chargualaf] about how to make this a reality.”

Why Does This Matter?

Resources Resources Resources. One of the biggest takeaways from this merger is that both the PDGA and DGPT will free up more resources to do what they each do best. This matters because disc golf is growing at a rapid rate and now more resources are allocated to further progress the sport. The PDGA is now able to focus energy on growing the sport instead of having to allocate resources to manage an ever-evolving tour. The DGPT is now able to commit all its resources to enhance its already surging tour with more support from the PDGA. PDGA Executive Director Joe Chargualaf had this to say about the direction of the two entities:

“The PDGA will continue to sanction and support the Major tournaments that define the pinnacle of disc golf. The PDGA is an entity that represents the foundation of the sport and the caretaker of its history. As the governing body, we are committed to preserving the sport’s storied past while continuing to build a future for all disc golfers. This partnership enables both organizations to come together to do just that…We couldn’t ask for better partners in which to entrust this important part of our mission.”

Spring had this to say from the perspective of the DGPT:

“We know that the PDGA staff does a fantastic job, and they’ll basically be doing everything that they do, but we’re just going to try to combine and help make them even better. So when you think about the Majors, you’re going to think about a superteam, trying to elevate the Majors into a stratosphere that we’ve never even seen before.”

Moving Forward

These changes will be implemented in the 2022 season. There will be a 20 event professional tour for 2022. 15 of these events will be run by the DGPT with the remaining 5 events run by the PDGA. The DGPT will also still manage a reduced point Silver Series throughout the year. The Disc Golf Network (DGN) will broadcast all of these tournaments and one can imagine that coverage will continue to improve as it has over the last couple of years.

The intention of this entire partnership is to grow the sport and make disc golf more professional. This can be a contentious subject in some circles but the fact is clear; disc golf has hit the mainstream and the DGPT and PDGA have joined forces to take the sport into the future. There will be more money than ever introduced to the sport via advertising and sponsorship and we do not know how this will affect disc golf. This being said, I trust that disc golf is in good hands with Rainwater and Spring. While disc golf is now reaching the mainstream, it has been a fringe activity for decades. We want this sport to continue to respect core values of inclusion and respecting nature. Speaking on these topics Spring had this to say:

“A partnership with this type of significance gives the DGPT the ability to invest in both the communities we visit and the disc golf community as a whole. We are an inclusive organization that cares about the environment, and with the PDGA’s full support, we are thrilled to be able to expand our impact in those areas.”

Bringing It All Together

2022 could be the season we see disc golf hit the mainstream. There is already a contract with ESPN to broadcast multiple tournaments and more advertising dollars will continue to pour in from an ever-increasing pool of companies. We will have to wait and see how this affects disc golf. However, I imagine players will directly benefit due to larger purses as a result of big business entering the sport. I imagine tournaments running smoother with additions such as more rules officials on site. I imagine a better viewing experience for fans at home on DGN. Whatever happens, I feel this merger is a huge step in the right direction. As Paul Ulibarri says, “Let’s see how this plays out.”