Disc Golf 'going big': For(e) or against?

[REDFIVE]

Make it bigger. I have never heard any legit reasons why keeping the sport small would be better for anyone. Give me pay to play, give me large corporate sponsors, give me tv coverage, I will even take a nice chunk of change for last place cash. To make a living or some meaningful extra income as a mediocre pro disc golfer would be awesome!

[Jeff Hemmerling]

There are already too many players clogging the courses.
That's my simple reason for not wanting disc golf to grow.

[Scott]

Originally Posted by Jeff Hemmerling

There are already too many players clogging the courses.
That's my simple reason for not wanting disc golf to grow.

But how many new courses have we seen in the last 7-8 years? Would we have as many courses as we do today without the growth?

I for one am excited to see the growth of the sports and all the new courses, discs, and players that it brings. If that means I need to wait my turn now and again so be it.

[DanZ]

IMHO, disc golf will never be a sport where the top professional players earn a substantial living, like tennis, bowling, soccer, cycling, etc. Many players on the Portland Timbers get paid ~50k. Most athletes that compete in the Olympics don't get paid at all. For anyone who thinks disc golf is a career...well, I hope they have a backup plan. Disc golf is best when played for fun.

I think the slow growth to the sport is a good thing, more courses, discs manufacturers, players and larger tournament purse. Fast growth to the sport would likely cause environmental issues, litter and crowded parks and frustrated players which would be detrimental to the image of disc golf.

I found an an interesting article on Bleacher_Report

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1413565-the-weirdest-sports-on-earth

I think that disc golf falls some where between ice golfing and cornhole.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVvzVzv094A

The sports that are going to get more media coverage are fast paced sports where people get hurt, just look at WipeOut and sports RedBull sponsors, like Parkour.

[putter anonymous]

Originally Posted by DanZ

IMHO, disc golf will never be a sport where the top professional players earn a substantial living, like tennis, bowling, soccer, cycling, etc. Many players on the Portland Timbers get paid ~50k. Most athletes that compete in the Olympics don't get paid at all. For anyone who thinks disc golf is a career...well, I hope they have a backup plan. Disc golf is best when played for fun.

I think the slow growth to the sport is a good thing, more courses, discs manufacturers, players and larger tournament purse. Fast growth to the sport would likely cause environmental issues, litter and crowded parks and frustrated players which would be detrimental to the image of disc golf.

I found an an interesting article on Bleacher_Report

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1413565-the-weirdest-sports-on-earth

I think that disc golf falls some where between ice golfing and cornhole.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVvzVzv094A

The sports that are going to get more media coverage are fast paced sports where people,get hurt, just look at WipeOut and sports RedBull sponsors, like Parkour.

Really? Fast growth to the sport would likely cause environmental issues, litter and crowded parks and frustrated players which would be detrimental to the image of disc golf. these are the biggest problems with disc golf now!:

[DanZ]

Originally Posted by putter anonymous

Really? Fast growth to the sport would likely cause environmental issues, litter and crowded parks and frustrated players which would be detrimental to the image of disc golf. these are the biggest problems with disc golf now!:

Then maybe disc golf is growing too fast. Maybe the expansion of courses cannot keep up with the increasing popularity of the sport. Therefor, if courses, overcrowded city courses, charged $2 then it would decrease the number of players and increase the resources available to handle these issues.

[mine all mine]

Originally Posted by putter anonymous

Man your the biggest jack wagon there is!!! I heard you got some pretty sick things to throw at the things this weekend. What a firtata!

Considering one of those things used to be one of your things makes it that much more enjoyable

[putter anonymous]

Originally Posted by mine all mine

Considering one of those things used to be one of your things makes it that much more enjoyable

Ur still a jack wagon!!!

[putter anonymous]

Originally Posted by DanZ

Then maybe disc golf is growing too fast. Maybe the expansion of courses cannot keep up with the increasing popularity of the sport. Therefor, if courses, overcrowded city courses, charged $2 then it would decrease the number of players and increase the resources available to handle these issues.

this is what I'm saying, but it is not growing to fast. People need to get away from the idea that it is a free game with frisbees and trees, It cost money!!!

[bstullis]

Originally Posted by putter anonymous

It cost money!!!

only if you don't take discs that are named and numbered and don't give them back (sorry wrong thread)

. . . it doen't cost alot, but if you would rather buy beer than buy a disc and pay to play access to the park, it leaves more for me.

pay to play won't keep all the drunks and pot heads out (non sanctioned tourneys don't limit the field to non-smokers/drinkers) but it would limit the field to those who really want to play with respect for other players. non sanctioned tourneys limit the size of groups, even if some players are barely able to stand at the end of the tourney.

Bigger exposure means more people that don't need to get high or inebriated to enjoy the great out doors rattling the chains. save the drinking for after the round victory/winner/looser/bets/etc.

p.s.: I do want to thank the person that called me and put my star wraith on his front porch. I lost the number and gave it up to the DG karma, hoping because I was neglegent, they were enjoying a great disc. . . So, thank you disk return DG karma awesome people everywhere.

[WestsoundBT]

Growth is important as the alternative is death.

Even staying still is going backward. If you're growing, you are alive.

I'll put in an argument on the most basic of levels - land. There are a ton of reasons why consistent growth provides benefits, but courses is one thing we hold in common.

For most all of us may realize - available land is premium. Disc golf may sometimes get the "scraps" of the most otherwise conventionally unusable land, and sometimes nice land too, but its still afforded to us as long as we provide a solution to some need that is seen. (for most areas, that may be parks departments seeing value in having the offering of DG as part of their facilities lists)

Most of us realize where we are as a sport in that value pecking order - way lower than we'd like. There will come a time where even the most revered courses will face a challenge - maybe a land swap between agencies - maybe a "need" for a new school,aquatic center,sports fields, jail, water treatment plant, whatever. These things happen.

We need to be in a place always where we are growing and alive simply to justify our existence when these challenges occur. And that's not even trying to gain anything yet.

This is but one part of the argument why staying still or "Us Four and No More" can be so self destructive without realizing it.

Fortunately I'm encouraged by the overall pattern of slow, steady, sustainable growth that exists now. Local conditions may vary, but the overall growth curve seems in place. I'm in favor of a regular and periodic "bump" or two in the curve, but I'm also liking sustainable growth better than flash in the pan growth.

(yet I also know that innovative thought and attempts at rapid growth are how the slow steady growth occurs - aim high!)

Locally - I'd like for disc golf to get better at finding ways to account for our own statistical growth and justify our existence much better than we do now. It's hard to do tracking, account, and report for say... RPW (rounds per week, or UPW (users per week) on our courses. In the NW, our sporting takes place in the woods where no one sees us.
i.e. If the parks dept doesn't see us or hear from us in a positive growing way - we might not even exist

[CMC206]

I like all the drunks and pot heads.

[rastafarice]

The only reason to play is to have fun... If that means drinking and smokin nah herb or not.... And the only appeal to this game to me is that it is not gay like ball golf with stuck up racist type people so let's not worry smokers and drinkers!!

[rastafarice]

Jah* herb

[Matt B.]

Originally Posted by rastafarice

The only reason to play is to have fun... If that means drinking and smokin nah herb or not.... And the only appeal to this game to me is that it is not gay like ball golf with stuck up racist type people so let's not worry smokers and drinkers!!

Gosh, we're all so proud. Let's all drink and smoke and not be "gay" like the racist ball golfers.

That about sum it up there champ?

[emmarose]

Originally Posted by rastafarice

The only reason to play is to have fun... If that means drinking and smokin nah herb or not.... And the only appeal to this game to me is that it is not gay like ball golf with stuck up racist type people so let's not worry smokers and drinkers!!

racist = bad but homophobe = good? who are you people? who says things like that?


... not sure really what to say to this but had to say something. also, just for the record, i am rolling my eyes, shaking my head and making those obnoxiousl little derisive snorting noises.






and for the record, i am all for growing the sport because i crave the fame and glory. duh.

[olydiscgolf]

Originally Posted by rastafarice

The only reason to play is to have fun... If that means drinking and smokin nah herb or not.... And the only appeal to this game to me is that it is not gay like ball golf with stuck up racist type people so let's not worry smokers and drinkers!!

There may not be "stuck up racist type people" on the course, but this forum is full of snobs.... Watch what you say!

[Matt B.]

In general I've found this forum to be full of basically friendly and helpful people, not snobs.

But if someone agrees that 'the only appeal to this game is that it is not gay', they have a much different perspective on disc golf and life in general. I can't think of an opinion more different than my own. If that makes me a snob, I'm cool with that.

[emmarose]

Originally Posted by Matt B.

In general I've found this forum to be full of basically friendly and helpful people, not snobs.

But if someone agrees that 'the only appeal to this game is that it is not gay', they have a much different perspective on disc golf and life in general. I can't think of an opinion more different than my own. If that makes me a snob, I'm cool with that.

i, too, am embracing my snobbery... and have a feeling that gilby was somehow being facetious in that remark about snobs, anyway.

[olydiscgolf]

Originally Posted by emmarose

i, too, am embracing my snobbery... and have a feeling that gilby was somehow being facetious in that remark about snobs, anyway.

Yeah, snobs was probably not the word I should have used there.