Amen.
:thmbup:
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Boycott the USDGC?
- Thread starter DiscChainBasket18
- Start date
:thmbup:
Food for thought.
Back in the early sixties league bowling was the in thing. There was a sanctioning body for men called the American Bowling Congress, a separate one for women, one for juniors was established later. It was estimated that at the time, 1 out of 8 men in the U.S. belonged to the ABC.
Over the past 40+ years, the number of people involved with organized league bowling declined sharply. An oft cited reason was that people didn't have the leisure time to dedicate to a bowling league anymore.
Back in 2005, the three separate bowling organizations decided to merge into the new United States Bowling Congress. Note that this organization, despite the radical decline in its numbers has over 2 million members. Compare this with the PDGA's 15,000 or so.
Now consider how much organized bowling that you see on the tube. How many of you can name a pro bowler? I mean it appears on ESPN occasionally, but I remember that Wide World of Sports had it on almost every Saturday afternoon back in the 80's. My parents, who were both league bowlers at the time, watched it religiously.
That really kind of shows how in the mainstream consciousness just how small of a blip we are. Compound this with the fact that there are other fledgling sports trying to break into the so called "big time" like we are. Of course, with all the disc golf specific media we can find these days, this website included, I see how so many of us manage to insulate ourselves from that reality.
Back in the early sixties league bowling was the in thing. There was a sanctioning body for men called the American Bowling Congress, a separate one for women, one for juniors was established later. It was estimated that at the time, 1 out of 8 men in the U.S. belonged to the ABC.
Over the past 40+ years, the number of people involved with organized league bowling declined sharply. An oft cited reason was that people didn't have the leisure time to dedicate to a bowling league anymore.
Back in 2005, the three separate bowling organizations decided to merge into the new United States Bowling Congress. Note that this organization, despite the radical decline in its numbers has over 2 million members. Compare this with the PDGA's 15,000 or so.
Now consider how much organized bowling that you see on the tube. How many of you can name a pro bowler? I mean it appears on ESPN occasionally, but I remember that Wide World of Sports had it on almost every Saturday afternoon back in the 80's. My parents, who were both league bowlers at the time, watched it religiously.
That really kind of shows how in the mainstream consciousness just how small of a blip we are. Compound this with the fact that there are other fledgling sports trying to break into the so called "big time" like we are. Of course, with all the disc golf specific media we can find these days, this website included, I see how so many of us manage to insulate ourselves from that reality.
This sport will continue to grow the same way it has for the last 10-20 years. As a cheap recreational sport that anyone can play. The boom in courses in this area I live is testimony to that. Whenever I go to a course I might see one or 2 groups playing seriously and the rest are casual players. And these are not empty courses.
This is not a big time sport and I doubt it ever will be, no matter how we act or what we look like.
Whenever I mention "professional disc golf", people laugh.
This is not a big time sport and I doubt it ever will be, no matter how we act or what we look like.
Whenever I mention "professional disc golf", people laugh.
Violets caddy
Double Eagle Member
The problem with trying to grow disc golf into a mainstream sport isn't necessarily the lack of big money or tv contracts contracts because every sport started off small like that. The problem is the people playing it.
I'll use Brewer park for an example. Go out to brewer on any given weekend and what do you see? 15-20 golfers and 150 dudes that use throwing a disc as the days excuse to get drunk and show the world just how retarded they can be.
I'm a golfer so I know these ppl don't represent my sport but if I was regular Joe mainstream America all I would remember of disc golf is that its that sport where kids get drunk and draw all over park equipment and throw beer cans all over the ground while breaking stuff.
I'll use Brewer park for an example. Go out to brewer on any given weekend and what do you see? 15-20 golfers and 150 dudes that use throwing a disc as the days excuse to get drunk and show the world just how retarded they can be.
I'm a golfer so I know these ppl don't represent my sport but if I was regular Joe mainstream America all I would remember of disc golf is that its that sport where kids get drunk and draw all over park equipment and throw beer cans all over the ground while breaking stuff.
E-man
Birdie Member
:hfive:
Don't forget Old Farm and Jaycee in "the new inner-city". You know it's sad, but true.
This has been discussed over and over and over on these forums. What makes you think that Joe Mainstream America even knows enough to have a perception of what disc golfers are like. I'm not going to make stupid percentage comments, but I will say that I talk to more people that don't know what disc golf is than I do people that know what it is, and the ones that do know what it is either play or don't have any idea about what a "stereotypical" disc golfer is.
Captain Plastic
Par Member
The people that rag on all the drunks and stoners have obviously not spent
too much time at the country club courses or your local public golf course.
Golf (ball and disc) is a game that mostly men play to relax. Men in general relax
with a few beers, maybe a smoke or maybe a toke. Stop being so pretentious and start
to accept that you enjoy golf and others enjoy golf their own way.
You can not control how people act. Don't take responsibility for them. Take responsibility
for yourself.
Sponsors are not worried about local drunks at a course. Budweiser would be a fine sponsor
along with Smarwool, Columbia, Tylenol/Advil, Rogaine, Nike, and many, many others. It's all
about the numbers. That is very obvious.
It's ego based to assume the nature of how people should recreate.
too much time at the country club courses or your local public golf course.
Golf (ball and disc) is a game that mostly men play to relax. Men in general relax
with a few beers, maybe a smoke or maybe a toke. Stop being so pretentious and start
to accept that you enjoy golf and others enjoy golf their own way.
You can not control how people act. Don't take responsibility for them. Take responsibility
for yourself.
Sponsors are not worried about local drunks at a course. Budweiser would be a fine sponsor
along with Smarwool, Columbia, Tylenol/Advil, Rogaine, Nike, and many, many others. It's all
about the numbers. That is very obvious.
It's ego based to assume the nature of how people should recreate.
biscoe
* Ace Member *
stan- did you ever play advanced?
biscoe
* Ace Member *
well said...
biscoe
* Ace Member *
hopefully you folks from grand rapids won't take offense but when we were there for worlds in the late 90's brewer park had more drunks than anywhere i had ever been including bayville so your perceptions may be a bit skewed...
E-man
Birdie Member
I drink and do all that "jazz" too, but there is a problem with comparing a public park/disc golf course to a country club or even a public ball golf course for that matter. I've never seen hundreds of cigarette butts, dozens of condoms, beer cans, and all sorts of other litter at a country club or public ball golf course.
They do share some common ground. Where there are people, there are a$$hats. I just think you will find a much higher ratio of them on a disc golf course. If everyone enjoys golf in their own way, then I can just tell people that when I'm being obnoxiously loud and cursing around children. Or how about when I'm throwing on them and of course I don't know what "fore" means? Or when I don't let the group of one person play through?
I bet a lot more ball golfers know how to do what they are doing when they are doing it. :\
I wouldn't compare all courses to the course you play. I have never seen 1 condom on a course and your course has "dozens"?
I haven't had a problem with rude players at any courses around here all year. Maybe you should play a different course.
E-man
Birdie Member
I grew up here in Grand Rapids and I think we have some of the worst "people" in the world living here. Every day I see something that would lead you to believe there really is no hope. And then there is Muskegon... :|
As for the disc golf scene, I just thought this is how it is. Take the good with the bad. I get out of the city whenever I can. Thank goodness for a couple of great, secluded courses about 25 miles out of town! :thmbup:
Two distinctions between country clubs and most of the land that our disc golf courses occupy.
- Nearly all ball golf courses/country clubs have dedicated space, and often an established perimeter to tell non-participants not to go there.
- Nearly all ball golf courses/country clubs charge a fee or require a membership to get permission to be inside that perimeter. Some degree of the funds are likely used to keep the premises clean, but the idea of instituting a fee itself also tends to keep riff-raff out.
E-man
Birdie Member
My comments are just a testament to a few select courses that are considered by many to be "inner-city". I've only seen condoms at one course, one time. There were so many I lost count, but I'm going with the rationalization that it was some kids playing around with them. Who's getting it that much in one place on a DG course?
These are just my personal experiences of the Grand Rapids disc golf scene. This is what I deal with on an almost daily basis. This does not represent all disc golfers in Grand Rapids. We have some serious folks here and I'm sure they are just as irritated as I am with these things.
I don't think they had advanced when I started. I was born a pro I guess. I didn't word my response to your post very well. I should have stated that in my experience here in Charlotte and at other events that I have played it is mainly the top pros I have observed harangue the TD's, promoters and course designers. Your experience is obviously valid.
E-man
Birdie Member
Of course. These problems are non-existent at a disc golf course on private land, such as Flip City. Also, I have no problems when I drive 25 miles outside of town to play a course that is not private. It's the damned city that is the problem. The type of people that will drive 30+ minutes to play disc golf are not the culprits here.
What is this thread about again? Really, I forgot.
Ripper
Double Eagle Member
From someone who pretty much has gotten tired of tourneys because of what Johnathon Poole at 25:40 says and from me and a few others I know for a fact this has turned more than a few local players off. I work 50 - 60 hrs a week at a stressfull job and disc golf has always been my gateway away from the stress of everyday life. Playing at my last tournament I pretty much said I would never play another pdga event because of the BS that I saw from a few of these pros. It just wasn't fun to me anymore so I just for the most part chuck in the woods and to be honest more or less gave up on the sport from a competition standpoint. Think everything that Johnathon Poole says will be echoed from local president of our club to the people that had to watch the pathetic display put on by the top touring pros! Glad he said and I hope he turns it around. Dunno, looks like a fun tournament, and a great cause to support I think i'll try and make it to play, and don't need to get free plastic i'll buy a few discs from innova when i'm down there. Hope more people feel the same!
CraigWesnofske
Birdie Member
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2010
- Messages
- 300
In Charlotte you may see condoms at quite a few courses. We are a city full of love, and our utes practice safe sex..................at least on the disc golf courses.
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