How did you start?

[ThrowaEnvy]

Other ... nothing else to do here when I was a kid but play crib/card games, rent a movie, fish, or play disc golf. It was cheap and something to do.... Not many kids around here in the late 80's either. It was just here.

Wish I'd hooked up with the pro tour sooner though... and by that I mean the Sunday dubs crew and people that put this here 40yrs ago.. Good bunch!

 

[Putt for D'oh]

I was trying to find if DG was on ABC's wide world of sports at some point ~'79-"81 I found some coverage of flying disc championships but that was just trick shots and such. Anyway played object golf with frisbees on a culdesac when I was a wee little one for summer way back one of those mentioned years.

A 9 basket 18 hole course each basket had a tee to play out, then turn around and play them back, when I was in college. My brother learned in a PE class and made me come play. I was bad, I was good at other sports and did those instead after about 6 months of failing at DG.

Fast forward 20ish years a new course was put in, in my town. My brother made me come play again. I was bad, again. I found this website and many youtube videos and now i'm decent enough to have fun.

 

[Dthunderchicken]

I voted other.

I remember it very vividly. In 1973 an activity we called "Target Frisbee" was popular in my neighborhood. In a buddy's side yard we had two 4X4 posts upon which we'd set cans. The object was to knock them off. In August I'd read about a Frisbee golf course set up in a Forrest Park. It consisted of Hula Hoops tied to various structures. Sometime between August 9th (My 16th birthday) and the start of school (Early September) I drove my buddies to the course in my Mom's baby crap yellow 1969 Rambler Ambassador station wagon. We played a round, thought holing out was lame and went back to Target Frisbee.

 

[Jimb]

69 Rambler Station Wagon. Classic! We had one, too, in this lovely color scheme!

 

[Blobfish]

Which Starter Pack?

It was the Innova one with the DX aviar p/a, the DX shark, and the DX Leopard. But it was opened and returned I think and missing the leopard. The guy working there just told me to grab another driver. Not knowing any better, I grabbed a champ tie dye daedalus.

 

[Dthunderchicken]

69 Rambler Station Wagon. Classic! We had one, too, in this lovely color scheme!

Ours had a 290 ci 2bbl carb. Not enough power to get out of it's own way. But it was a great drive in date car.

 

[BeRReGoN]

I voted other. 2½ years ago, I was playing a game called Rec Room with my VR Headset. It's a social game with many "rooms" and different activities and one of them is discgolf. So I thought this must exist in real life too so I look it up and start to get interested. I bought a putter and practice putting until spring came, I also start watching coverage before playing my first round.

 

[stevefolfer]

I was at a Boy Scout Jamboree at Oak Grove park in 1977ish. Disc golf was one of the options. The course must have only been in the ground for a year or less. I played then and I lived only 10 miles away so my friends and I rode our bikes there a couple times over the next couple years. I played a lot of object golf in college but didnt really start playing disc golf until I moved to Bozeman in 1991.

 

[araytx]

I voted other. 2½ years ago, I was playing a game called Rec Room with my VR Headset. It's a social game with many "rooms" and different activities and one of them is discgolf. So I thought this must exist in real life too so I look it up and start to get interested. I bought a putter and practice putting until spring came, I also start watching coverage before playing my first round.

That's definitely an "other".

 

[dr.chainslove]

Growing up in Louisville KY, I always knew DG was a thing as Iroquois Park was a highly visible course. Thought it was for nerds and hippies. Picked up ball golf as a teen with used clubs and played any cheap public course I could find. Loved the challenge and the relaxed pace. Went to college in Ohio in 1999 (Ohio U) and played the university ball golf course a few times. Me and my buddies noticed the new baskets that dotted the ravine area next to the golf course and saw discs for sale at the golf pro shop. We inquired about it and decided to give it a whirl. We each bought a DX eagle instead of the greens fee and the rest is history ha! Since then, I've played 2 rounds of ball golf and surely a few thousand rounds of DG.

 

[littlejimmy]

I think you were probably correct, but I'm not one to let something like that discourage me.

... Thought it was for nerds and hippies. ...

I just started a few weeks ago. I saw some of those crazy baskets at the park and thought I would try it out. I figure I'll be ready to turn pro in a month or two.

 

[_MTL_]

What I find interesting about the poll is that over half were invited by someone. If you add in people who found in parks, it's just shy of 3/4.

Only 1% answered videos.

While the boom in pro tours and videos is great internally, it's simply not growing the sport externally. We still need more courses and more people playing - and that comes organically.

 

[araytx]

What I find interesting about the poll is that over half were invited by someone. If you add in people who found in parks, it's just shy of 3/4.

Only 1% answered videos.

While the boom in pro tours and videos is great internally, it's simply not growing the sport externally. We still need more courses and more people playing - and that comes organically.

Oh, absolutely. Just what I suspected. And it provides insight into the big question posed on another current on-going thread.

 

[Cgkdisc]

When you consider "Other" is third, you wonder if there are common mechanisms among the "others" that those promoting the sport are not utilizing.

 

[araytx]

When you consider "Other" is third, you wonder if there are common mechanisms among the "others" that those promoting the sport are not utilizing.

I am slowly compiling the few commentors on the thread who would be considered "others" I'll report when it closes at the end of the week.

 

[Rastnav]

I am slowly compiling the few commentors on the thread who would be considered "others" I'll report when it closes at the end of the week.

FYI, I counted myself as "other" because I only saw the baskets, not anyone playing.

 

[Cgkdisc]

My "other" story. Had just started doing marketing for Games by James franchiser in April 1989. They had sponsored Bocce in the Minnesota State Games coming up that June. Figured I should participate but not in Bocce. Saw Disc Golf in the guidebook as one of the games and it sounded intriguing. Called the Minnesota Frisbee Association (MFA) contact in the guidebook. He mailed me a map of the six Twin Cities courses. Went alone to play the very short Moir course with 9 cone baskets. Shot 27 with my Wham-O 119, 141 and 165 Frisbees (not knowing there were golf discs) and thought, "Man, I could become a pro" since the MFA guy said all holes were par 3.

In terms of being hooked, went on to win the Intermediate title in the MN State Games in June, traveled around the Upper Midwest in July playing 30 courses to learn about course design. In August, designed the North Valley course with Steady Ed's help (baskets had been ordered already) which opened that September. Might be one of the faster starts in this sport simply from stumbling on the sports guide for the State games.

 

[NathanNoodleArm]

How did you get started playing disc golf?

Should there have been a poll option of coming over from playing ultimate? I played summer league and heard about a course in Fairmount park Called Sedgley Woods. I thought it would be fun to throw frisbees without having to run so much.

 

[_MTL_]

Oh, absolutely. Just what I suspected. And it provides insight into the big question posed on another current on-going thread.

The main reason I thought of this was the very biased ultiworld pro poll and they stated that the PDGA Should focus the most of the growth of the tour.

That's not going to grow the game much if at all. And these results, granted very minor and limited, prove that.

 

[PeterMonk]

It was way back in the summer of 1999. I was visiting the hometown of Fairbury, NE. One of the two parks had a 9 hole course put in and since I played some Ultimate while in the Air Force thought I would give it a go (not much else to do). Purchased an Aviar, Shark, and a Comet out some guys trunk all in wonderful DX plastic (I think DX was better back then). Liked the game so much, I went on to get a Stringray for turnovers and a Cyclone for max distance.