Annual salary of DG professional

[Halcón]

Ricky has not (to my knowledge) shared his earnings, but I'd guess he's also well into the 6 figure range. Eagle is probably not doing too shabby either.

 

[araytx]

McBeth has confirmed that in 2015 he paid over $100,000 in TAXES. Meaning he grossed over $400,000 that year.

Source???

So we can confirm, too.

 

[Halcón]

Source???

So we can confirm, too.

My taxes were over 6 figures one year but that was because I had a good year/ bonuses/ many sponsors and not spending much money.

There is money in our sport but you need to WORK for it. I could sit around and just play disc golf and finish well and get by but that's not a goal. I want to make 7 figures through disc golf, I want to retire with disc golf, I want to own my own course one day, I want to teach disc golf one day, I want my family to be comfortable one day. I have dreams I have big dreams, I'm willing to work 24hrs a day to accomplish these dreams. These players don't truly understand, they are whining rather than taking responsibity and making their light. The McBeast Diaries, Champs vs Chumps, Eras Challenge..... those don't happen by accident. They were never funded they were ideas started from scratch to help promote Disc Golf, Players, Companies, Courses.... the list goes on and on. I enjoy those things because I know people love entertaining disc golf. I make myself available as much as possible for the public, for sponsors, for events but I do it because I have dreams not because I feel privledged or because I feel I deserve this or I deserve that. I work for what I have and I work HARD for what I have.

I didn't post to brag, Ian knows quite a bit about me because he is one of the few in this sport who has worked for what they have as well as Jomez and they make themselves available to the players and public.

Honestly these are the ones who should be making $ because with better equipment and better production that means more eyes on the players which mean more $ to them in sponsorship and sales. It's a chain of supportive and hard working people who will make this sport successful not whiners and "the privledged"

Here ya go.

 

[RistoS]

I've been in a gallery of thousands at the USDGC. A few other events have had similar audiences. Among the questions, would be:

---how much of that gallery paid, or were they free admissions?
---did they come for the novelty, or is it sustainable? Will they come year after year?
---this is the biggest event of the year, and the attendance is less than a high school football game. Can it generate crowds of paying spectators, at multiple events, to produce real revenue, and interest outside advertisers?

- Spectating the event was free; it's worth noting the event is held in a public park for now.
- European Open now sustains large galleries, it has been this way since 2015 (third consecutive). It draws in spectators from all over the country, even my home town which is at least 450 kilometers away.
- It could be able to generate some ticket revenue since being able to maintain a high-quality tradition, but it may not be feasible for the time being. Something like that is probably a long-term vision for DGWT.

You also need to factor in the top USA guys drawing out more people to watch which isnt as common vs a normal tourney there.

I am not sure we (here) care as much if one or two of them show up and play an event. Can well call it the McBeth Effect? Lol

You could've said "McBeth effect" a few years ago but not anymore, kids know who most top players are these days In general a high quality of player field draws spectators in any sport, and the event being held during the summer holiday season helps too. The local pro tours are still more difficult to advertise, but the Jyväskylä tournament drew in a relatively decent gallery this year.

 

[bwgort]

Erno Väyrynen (California rep for DiscGolfPark) discussed the differences in disc golf culture between the US and Finland in a very recent Finnish podcast. One major difference seems to be what the motivation of course design is geared towards; in the US they still seem to be mainly designed for those who already play. The DiscGolfPark concept is designed to make everyone more aware of the sport called disc golf and it has become a standard in Finland (Prodigy Europe has more or less copied it). The primary challenge should be to shift that motivation out of where Finland was 10-15 years ago.

Do you think the spectators in this picture were required to get a background check before entering the premises?

 

[Shamis]

McBeth has confirmed that in 2015 he paid over $100,000 in TAXES. Meaning he grossed over $400,000 that year.

wow, that is shocking.

 

[DavidSauls]

- Spectating the event was free; it's worth noting the event is held in a public park for now.
- European Open now sustains large galleries, it has been this way since 2015 (third consecutive). It draws in spectators from all over the country, even my home town which is at least 450 kilometers away.
- It could be able to generate some ticket revenue since being able to maintain a high-quality tradition, but it may not be feasible for the time being. Something like that is probably a long-term vision for DGWT.
.

Thanks.

As I said, I applaud what's been done there.

Even at that, I think it's a long way from being a major spectator sport.

As I've said, I've attended the USDGC which has produced large galleries. Though tickets can be bought, the area is awash with free tickets. It seems they're drawing perhaps a few thousand disc golfers to an annual event, some also from a long way away, but very few non-disc-golfers.

 

[philstine]

McBeth has confirmed that in 2015 he paid over $100,000 in TAXES. Meaning he grossed over $400,000 that year.

I'm skeptical that the calculation is that straightforward.

Without knowing all the sources of his income (including any investment income, capital gains, trusts, gambling/lottery winnings, etc.), its more than a little speculative to assume that his tax liability was based solely on disc golf related income.

Also, unless he lived in one of the eight states that doesn't levy income tax (CA is not one of them), AND had no tax liability in states, cities, or foreign countries that levy income tax on visitors for income earned in their jurisdiction (the so-called "jock tax"), AND was not subject to AMT (for single filers AMT kicked in at $53,600 in 2015 and bumped the tax rate up by a factor of 1.25, i.e., from 25% to 31.5%), it's a bit of a leap to infer $400K gross income based on a $100K tax liability (especially given the tax rate of 33% for income in the $189,300–$411,500 range), his combined marginal tax rate would almost certainly have been significantly higher than 25%.

 

[ScottyLove]

I read "my taxes" as "my taxable income" when I first read Paul's comments... I'm pretty sure that's what he meant anyhow. He posted a question around that time on Facebook asking who might be "the first 6-figure disc golfer" which I surmise he already knew the answer to.

 

[Mocheez]

I read "my taxes" as "my taxable income" when I first read Paul's comments... I'm pretty sure that's what he meant anyhow. He posted a question around that time on Facebook asking who might be "the first 6-figure disc golfer" which I surmise he already knew the answer to.

That was my assumption as well.

 

[BlazedOrangeHat]

Here ya go.

gawdamn

 

[ODRB]

I betcha he made around $300k, and paid a rate of about 1/3. Because "provide a life for my family" and "buy a golf course" don't happen on $100k. In Cali.

 

[dehaas]

I'm curious as to what the disc golf scene was like in Finland 10-15 years ago. It seems like the European scene is more polished and professional but is that because it's taken more seriously over there? Is there an equivalent to the dude in camo cargo shorts shirtless tossing empty bottles and cans all over the course? Have things progressed past that point, and if so how? Are events a bigger deal because there are far fewer of them?

I like the approach discgolfpark is taking...I've seen courses run into safety issues and get shut down as a result. A general awareness for disc golf is good for the long term, but there are still courses going into areas where the design might not take into account integrating with other park users.

Erno Väyrynen (California rep for DiscGolfPark) discussed the differences in disc golf culture between the US and Finland in a very recent Finnish podcast. One major difference seems to be what the motivation of course design is geared towards; in the US they still seem to be mainly designed for those who already play. The DiscGolfPark concept is designed to make everyone more aware of the sport called disc golf and it has become a standard in Finland (Prodigy Europe has more or less copied it). The primary challenge should be to shift that motivation out of where Finland was 10-15 years ago.

 

[RistoS]

I'm curious as to what the disc golf scene was like in Finland 10-15 years ago. It seems like the European scene is more polished and professional but is that because it's taken more seriously over there? Is there an equivalent to the dude in camo cargo shorts shirtless tossing empty bottles and cans all over the course? Have things progressed past that point, and if so how? Are events a bigger deal because there are far fewer of them?

I'm not an expert with the first sentence since I wasn't around back then, but I know for sure you had to order all your discs online because there were no stores selling them, which probably sounds familiar. Course design could also have been be all over the place due to obscurity, I know the oldest course in my home town used to have a fairly wild layout compared to the current one The littering issue is still there because popularity doesn't make the occasional idiots go away. It's not like the fairways have a crapton of trash lying around though.

We don't actually have fewer tournaments than the US, quite the contrary when related to country size. European Open has become a big deal because it's a well marketed PDGA major with a professional image. And yeah, you could say it's being taken more seriously here for being such a potent outdoor activity for any age group, with a course design concept prioritizing safety as a backbone.

 

[bnbanbury]

I would imagine that a fair amount of earnings come from the mcbeast challenge that he and sexton were putting on. they were doing 4-8 a month earlier in the year and i saw several with 90+ people signed up. $3,600 gross for a day with 90 participants. Obviously there are expenses and a split between the two, but i can understand why Mcbeth is often running these instead of playing in smaller events on weekends that lack big payouts at tourneys.

 

[Reniger]

I heard McBeth said he would release his tax returns once the Commander in Chief does. :X

 

[BuiltTooLong]

I'm skeptical that the calculation is that straightforward.

I realize that you are skeptical, but the fact of the matter is he actually made close to $500,000. Just because you can't wrap your brain around the fact that he makes way more $ than what you realized, doesn't make it not true.

I wish he would be more open about his earnings with the public, as I think it would help legitimize the sport for people too dense to comprehend the potential earnings made through tour disc sales and other sponsorship.

 

[threej21]

Do you think the spectators in this picture were required to get a background check before entering the premises?

LOL!!! Was scrolling, read the comment, and your name immediately came to mind. Scroll up to see who said it, and whatdya know!? lol

 

[SonicGuy]

The comment by McBeth about 100k in taxes, he said one of the reasons was "not spending much money". What the hell does spending money have to do with taxes? Maybe this was just him being the not too bright person he is, but that just doesn't make sense.

 

[SonicGuy]

I realize that you are skeptical, but the fact of the matter is he actually made close to $500,000. Just because you can't wrap your brain around the fact that he makes way more $ than what you realized, doesn't make it not true.

I wish he would be more open about his earnings with the public, as I think it would help legitimize the sport for people too dense to comprehend the potential earnings made through tour disc sales and other sponsorship.

People that make 500k don't travel in a camper, they fly. Unless they are unrelentingly white trash.