If there was a "30 for 30" style series on Disc Golf...

[BlueMonk]

I'd be interested in just seeing a general history of how the sport evolved. For a sport that's only 40 years old, I think you could tell a lot about the history of the game in the span of 60 minutes or so.

Focal points could be:
The inception of the game and its founders
The culture of the sport and what attracts people to it
The top competitors through the years (especially Ken Climo)
The changes in technology around discs, baskets and other gear.

It's such a young sport that those early years were pretty much just recorded in personal photos and newsletters, so having some digital transfers and interviews with the key movers and shakers from back in the day would be really cool to watch. Just watching archival home video of tournaments from the 80s and 90s would be amazing.

 

[biscoe]

I'm going to throw out an obscure name: Eric Tracy. Older pro, retired 2008, toured and played against Climo, including a couple playoffs. Switched from left to right handed at the beginning of his career and still managed to make it to like the 2nd ranked player in the world. Beat Climo in front of a huge (for the time) gallery in a playoff, but for the biggest win of his career, no one applauded because Ken chained out, or through, on his putt.

I know he's not well known, and Climo would be the obvious candidate because he's the big name, but I think this would have kind of that Ricky Williams vibe, and that was a good 30 for 30.

Good one. I remember Eric as a junior world champ as well. Also along these lines would be Rivers Sherrod.

 

[onemilemore]

true that. i'm giving a nerd nite (sort of ted talks with beer) talk on him tonight at a local brewery.

Is anyone filming this? Would love to see it.

 

[Lazerface]

Nikko

 

[BionicRib]

Tom monroe
John houck
Hb Clark
Stan McDaniel
Dave McCormick
Chuck kennedy
Dave dunipace
Harold Duvall

And others regarding course design and how it's changed over the years. And regional bias for design and how that has evolved.

And one about par.

 

[MarkDSM]

Lamar Maughan for sure. An inspirational story full of romance and heartbreak.

 

[JTacoma03]

Phenomenal list so far everyone, please keep it coming (and Nice! others' posts if you are interested in their topic suggestions).

Wow, this discussion has pumped me up. Obviously this is yet another thinly veiled look at a project that I've been kicking around my brain and would like to bring to life. I'm still debating the format (podcast or video), and there's obviously pros and cons to each approach, but for about the last 9 months I've had this voice in the back of my head growing ever louder to "tell our story". That's the biggest thing disc golf media is missing.

 

[Casey 1988]

I think The story on Scott Stokely would be amazing, he had the kind of story you hear on 30 for 30 or the 30 shorts , the almost but not quite duiring the peak of his Disc Golf career and setting the World Distance record at the time.

Another not mentioned is the two guys who ran one of the first Disc Golf only events in the USA well 90% Disc Golf, Jim Palmeri and his brother. Yes Jim has a book Chain of events but for him to talk about what happened after the first few events the first AFDO an early event that was the USDGC of its day. Lucky and uncle played a round with Jim Palmeri in the 2000's and only at the end did my uncle know his name.

 

[Stable]

I think The story on Scott Stokely would be amazing, he had the kind of story you hear on 30 for 30 or the 30 shorts , the almost but not quite during the peak of his Disc Golf career and setting the World Distance record at the time.

I'd like a documentary to have two points of view.

An older player that was there in the beginning and is still playing today. Stokely would be great because he left for a while and would have a lot of perspective on how things advanced. Plus, he seems to like the camera.

Then the view from a younger touring pro that's sponsored but not elite. Showing the grind of how difficult it is to tour.

 

[Casey 1988]

30 for 30 aside I always thought following a few grinders around the country for a disc golf documentary would be appealing to a wide audience. Not a huge focus on the competition but the culture and how much these guys depend on people all over the country to make their dream a reality (like sleeping on couches or in a TDs basement). Then there is all that fun disc golf stereotype stuff that the sport has not outgrown. Like it or not, safety meetings on hole 10 at the local city course make for good TV.

Oh yea, and Ricky's foot fault at the Memorial...

I would love to do an Endless Summer (movie was finding places to surf around the world doing one year of endless simmer made back in 1964) kind of thing with all the iconic disc golf courses in the world Starting out at La Mirada the Crown jewel that is still a tough course even now if in certain setups, then go to these other courses in the USA and then the world. Not showing so much like the guys playing a round there but the best shots from each and favoret parts of the course. First would be the how to play and score disc golf or a more questions go to www.PDGA.com thing. Yes the USDGC course would be on there too. Then at the end do some places that had great courses even for today's standards at the end that are not there anymore or are unplayable due to broken baskets, this is to show how and why a course gets pulled or why the course fell to need of repair bad.

 

[CreemCheese]

Climo vs Barry has been mentioned, but I'd like one about the others Russell, Rico, Al Shack, etc.

The early days would be a good one too, some of those guys are still around and would have some stories. Johnny Sias for example won open worlds in 86, and grandmaster and sr. grandmaster recently.

The distance competitions, and the winners

 

[Golden Tuna]

I'm on the other side of this coin. I would prefer NOT to see 30 in 30 style feature.

My position on this subject is a reflection of the NHL doing 30 in 30 features.

I realize athletes are humans first and professional athletes second, and many people want the nitty-gritty details of their personal lives. I am just the opposite. Let them keep their personal lives off-camera.

I realize this is more of an issue for NHL players than professional disc golfers, but I found that I really didn't like the people the players were once I got to "know" them through the 30 in 30 feature.

Also, those things are soo goddam dramatic, it turns sports into reality TV, which I also hate.

I realize this is probably not a popular opinion, but it is a contrasting one...

 

[BraveThrower43]

30 for 30 aside I always thought following a few grinders around the country for a disc golf documentary would be appealing to a wide audience. Not a huge focus on the competition but the culture and how much these guys depend on people all over the country to make their dream a reality (like sleeping on couches or in a TDs basement). Then there is all that fun disc golf stereotype stuff that the sport has not outgrown. Like it or not, safety meetings on hole 10 at the local city course make for good TV.

Oh yea, and Ricky's foot fault at the Memorial...

If only Chains had of made it :-(

 

[JC17393]

I'm on the other side of this coin. I would prefer NOT to see 30 in 30 style feature.

My position on this subject is a reflection of the NHL doing 30 in 30 features.

I realize athletes are humans first and professional athletes second, and many people want the nitty-gritty details of their personal lives. I am just the opposite. Let them keep their personal lives off-camera.

I realize this is more of an issue for NHL players than professional disc golfers, but I found that I really didn't like the people the players were once I got to "know" them through the 30 in 30 feature.

Also, those things are soo goddam dramatic, it turns sports into reality TV, which I also hate.

I realize this is probably not a popular opinion, but it is a contrasting one...

Not sure you understand what 30 for 30 really is. 30 for 30 is a short-form (30-60 minutes) documentary series by ESPN. It isn't reality TV at all. Yes, it might get into behind the scenes stuff if it's warranted by the subject matter. The best 30 for 30s are about events rather than specific people (like The U about the University of Miami football program in the 80s or Survive and Advance about the 1983 NC State Cinderella run in the NCAA tournament).

In that vein, I'd rather see a doc about the playoff at the 2003 USDGC between Climo and Schultz. Or the first Worlds ever held. Or some of the classic courses/events that are now defunct (there was some farm that hosted popular tournaments in the 90s...the name is escaping me at the moment).

The only unfortunate thing when it comes to documentaries about a lot of things in disc golf's past is the lack of footage. A lot of these historical topics would probably have to be more of an interview or round-table discussion than a true documentary. I mean, there's probably no video or film of the first Worlds.

 

[blake833]

Good one. I remember Eric as a junior world champ as well. Also along these lines would be Rivers Sherrod.

Oh yeah I forgot about that! That may have been before he switched arms, or right after. Either way, just crazy.

 

[philstine]

Or some of the classic courses/events that are now defunct (there was some farm that hosted popular tournaments in the 90s...the name is escaping me at the moment).

Boylan Farm, Laurel Springs, NC. There's actually video of the 1989 tournament (along with a lot of other mid- to late '80s/eaerly '90s tournaments) in Tony Tomasino's (PDGA 1576) youtube channel:

 

[Dire Wolfy]

History of drugs and the sport. How to interact with a wild chucker etc.

 

[JC17393]

Boylan Farm, Laurel Springs, NC. There's actually video of the 1989 tournament (along with a lot of other mid- to late '80s/eaerly '90s tournaments) in Tony Tomasino's (PDGA 1576) youtube channel:

That's the one. Unfortunately, the link doesn't work.

 

[DanJon]

The Chains Movie fiasco.

 

[philstine]

That's the one. Unfortunately, the link doesn't work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPENaV81TU4