Why I’m Thankful for Disc Golf

I was one of the many people who found disc golf at a strange time in their life. When the pandemic was in full swing in 2020, I was looking for anything to do. Not one to be happy spending all of my time inside, naturally, I looked to the outdoors to try and find some semblance of normalcy. I know I wasn’t alone. Spending some time hiking was fun, but I still felt like I couldn’t remove my mind enough from the tribulations of the world around me. My head was down, and I was coming to the resolution that this would just be the way things are. 

“Around the time I was beginning to feel somewhat hopeless about the whole situation at hand, my friend brought me disc golf.”

One of my best friends also happens to be one of the people I’m most competitive with. Not by design, however, it’s no surprise that like-mindedness finds company. Around the time I was beginning to feel somewhat hopeless about the whole situation at hand, my friend brought me disc golf. In this too, I know I am not alone. “Where you throw frisbees at the basket, right?” The very same. At the time, I couldn’t have imagined what it would mean to me, and soon this beautiful sport would grow to be much more than an activity to get through COVID. This is why I am thankful for disc golf. 

I mentioned I’m competitive, and it’s been a fact of myself my entire life. I grew up playing all kinds of sports. In high school, I mainly played football and lacrosse. Unfortunately, I had no pursuit after high school for either of the two due to the concussions I had already sustained. I always felt like those were my “glory days” because, until last year, the outlet for my competitive nature was gone. Once the gift of disc golf was given to me, I felt that spark again. The next six months were dedicated to learning the game with as much time as I could. I remember some days playing upwards of 54 holes just because I couldn’t wait for it to feel as familiar as the sports I’ve dedicated so much time to in the past. 2021 came, and so did my first tournament. I did about as well as anyone could expect in their first tournament, but I didn’t care about where I placed. It felt like the spark turned to fire now that I had the opportunity to test myself against competition again. It felt like years that I was looking for some kind of craft to try and perfect, but nothing fit until I came back to sports. 

“Knowledge of one’s opponent in disc golf may help to a degree, but at the end of the round, every stroke is yours to lose.”

Disc golf was the perfect fit because it was unlike anything I’ve ever done. Desiring a challenge, I could quickly see how difficult and nuanced it was compared to my athletic endeavors of the past. In past competitions, it benefited me to “make mistakes at 100 miles per hour.” So much of the outcome depended on how you responded in very rapid moments. Disc golf forced me to slow down in ways I never expected to be so challenging. To be so consistently repetitive in a way that isn’t at all directly interacting with your competitors was such a foreign concept to me. Some of my better moments in football and lacrosse didn’t come from elite athleticism or superior skills, but just by exploiting my opponents’ weaknesses. Knowledge of one’s opponent in disc golf may help to a degree, but at the end of the round, every stroke is yours to lose. Nobody else’s performance directly affects yours. Your own execution dictates the outcome of your expectations. This was a brand new way for me to compete, and I was absolutely hooked. It became meditative. The sport requires focus and letting my mind wander is detrimental to the goals I’ve set for myself. This means when I’m at the course, I can’t afford to be bothered by what is outside of it. This is my mental escape because it’s all my mind can be on when I’m playing. 

As the gift was given to me, I try giving it to anyone willing to receive it. All my friends and family were subject to my newfound obsession, and fortunately, everyone seems to enjoy it like me. Now it’s always an excuse to see each other and catch up. Coming from an active family and having similar friends, there always has to be something to do whenever we meet up, and now disc golf is the easy, common answer. Connecting over disc golf always felt easy. We all empathize with each other’s bad rounds and celebrate the great shots regardless of if we threw them ourselves. It’s easy to wish to see each other succeed in throwing the circle in the basket.

“If you told me two years ago I would be writing a disc golf blog for a company that sponsors me, I’d be telling you about the crazy dream I had.”

Beyond the family, I’m familiar with (friends and kin alike), disc golf has also led to connecting with people from the past and opening new doors I never would have known existed. If you told me two years ago I would be writing a disc golf blog for a company that sponsors me, I’d be telling you about the crazy dream I had. These opportunities have led me to a different kind of social media presence than I was used to. Because of this, I started making new friends in the community and realized I had more in common with some previous acquaintances than I had thought. Connections and networking I never would have fathomed had disc golf not come into my life. Social media also led me to Rogue Discs. My whole life I’ve loved to write, but for some reason, I never did it outside of school. Disc golf gave me an opportunity to merge the two passions. Had I not found disc golf, I wouldn’t have found Rogue, and I may have never remembered how much I appreciate expressing myself in this manner. 

I know for many, they can relate to my reasons to be thankful, but I know it goes beyond these. Some are thankful for it helping them through troubles with mental health or addiction. For some, it provides a bond with people that they may not enjoy otherwise. Others like it for the greater appreciation of nature or the excuse to stay in shape. Personally, I don’t know what path I would be running down today if I wasn’t introduced to disc golf. Would I have found a different sport? Would I have found a new type of passion all together? I have no idea. What I do know is that life took an upward trend when I found the incredible sport of disc golf. What started as a way to pass the time in lockdown and stay socially distanced, grew into something more important than I ever expected. It gave me another chance to compete. It gives me a reason to stay fit, focused, and motivated. It gives me ways to connect with everyone around me and share wonderful experiences with people who enjoy it as much as me. It’s reminded me of forgotten passions. It gives me new tests and trials. It gave me the spark. 

This is why I’m thankful for disc golf.

Why are you thankful for disc golf? Tell us below!