Disc Golf Pro Tour

[allinpflop]

I dismiss it because you,like so many other people, forget that at one point disc golf WAS huge. In fact, all disc sports were. Go back and look at some of the Worlds payouts. They have actually gone down quite a bit over the years.

DGPT is Steve Dodge's attempt to get the tournament scene past where it was when all Frisbee sports were lumped together. The main difference now is that there are so many more actual players, as well as disc golf oriented brands. Those brands themselves can put resources back into the sport and game of disc golf, as Steve has convinced Vibram to do.

I dont understand why you want this to fail. Of all the attempts at big events and tours out there, this, to my eye, is the one that makes the moat sense and has the chance to make the biggest and most long lasting impact on the sport side of disc golf.

I never said I want it to fail....I said I don't care either way...big difference....

 

[AndyJB]

I got ya, but you also have to agree that 20 years ago, I mean cmon, we were still 11 years away from youtube, and mass internet exposure. Things have progressed rapidly. I don't think anyone is expecting massive exposure and million dollar salaries or earnings. Looking at when disc golf really started picking up, I'd say 2012-2013 were the major turn around years for the sport and when it really started getting out there.

Just a question, as I really don't know, but have there ever been any tours such as these that have recently come out? In the past 2 years I don't believe so, outside of PDGA.

I'd say 2011-2013 were the major turn around years for the GAME of disc golf, and the sport side started to catch up as a by product around 2012 or 2013 depending on your area. But while the game side (i.e. casual and semi-serious players; the backbone of disc golf) is flourishing,big time sport side isn't. The trick is to get the game players to watch the sport players...if that makes sense.

Here, C-Tiers sell out in minutes with people who really shouldnt be playing tournamenta yet...no one plays their ratings because very few people are into the sport side. Those who are, are light years ahead of us on the game side.

The two can easily coexist, with the game driving the sport. In the 80s and even early 90s the sport side was huge...tournaments were really big deals. But there wasn't enough game players to really feed it beyond the "fad stage".

Now we can have the best of both worlds, and I think part of Steve Dodge's aim is to use the game to drive the sport. That's natural growth and its what every other sport has done.

 

[Jenga54]

I'm just trying to be realistic....for the last 20 years lots of players have said disc golf is about to be huge....I don't feel like that will ever happen...
And with these new tours I hear the same things....and I dont feel like they will be any different....just my opinion....feel free to disagree or dismiss it...

I'd say 20 years ago, they were right

 

[allinpflop]

I'd say 20 years ago, they were right

Allow me to rephrase....20 years ago everyone said it would be mainstream.....I will def agree it is a bigger sport than it was 20 years ago but I also think it is no closer to mainstream now than then....

 

[chris deitzel]

Disc Golf is HUGE now!! When I started in 1994, there were 400 courses in the world. Now there are over 5000 worldwide.

And I no longer have to explain what disc golf is to every single person in the world and the people at the parks aren't wondering what those deer-feeders are anymore.

The game is huge, the PDGA is huge, the number of tournaments HUGE.

We have players people can root for, faces people and kids can recognize and look up to.

That's HUGE!!!! The salary for the best disc golfer in the world topped $100,000 this year! That's HUGE.

The sport is big enough now that at least 5-10 people can make a living doing it. THAT"S HUGE!!!!!!!!!!

The growth won't stop, More and more better players will keep coming up and soon there will be even more people able to live off the game. Any of us over 25, who haven't stepped up to the top-level of play, well, we are pretty much out of luck as to making money playing the game. But you could always join the other course design companies that are making lots of money building courses.


I'd say it's mainstream. It's made commercials, TV shows, it's seen in park publications and magazines. It's all around the world now. People know what disc golf is. Isn't that what mainstream is?

 

[allinpflop]

Agree to disagree....it's a fringe sport that with the exception of players is the butt of jokes and isn't taken at all seriously.

Disc Golf is HUGE now!! When I started in 1994, there were 400 courses in the world. Now there are over 5000 worldwide.

And I no longer have to explain what disc golf is to every single person in the world and the people at the parks aren't wondering what those deer-feeders are anymore.

The game is huge, the PDGA is huge, the number of tournaments HUGE.

We have players people can root for, faces people and kids can recognize and look up to.

That's HUGE!!!! The salary for the best disc golfer in the world topped $100,000 this year! That's HUGE.

The sport is big enough now that at least 5-10 people can make a living doing it. THAT"S HUGE!!!!!!!!!!

The growth won't stop, More and more better players will keep coming up and soon there will be even more people able to live off the game. Any of us over 25, who haven't stepped up to the top-level of play, well, we are pretty much out of luck as to making money playing the game. But you could always join the other course design companies that are making lots of money building courses.


I'd say it's mainstream. It's made commercials, TV shows, it's seen in park publications and magazines. It's all around the world now. People know what disc golf is. Isn't that what mainstream is?

 

[odysseus]

I'd say 20 years ago, they were right

Love this.

DGPT is the best domestic hope for a legitamite 'tour' that I have seen. There has never been continuity from the PDGA NT approach, especially when compared with its closest cousin, the PGA.

I love the beginning of the ball golf year: Waialae, Torrey Pines, TPC Scottsdale, Pebble Beach, Riviera, Doral. Iconic courses, every year, with a logical travel progression.

Steve nailed the outline, and my gut says he will deliver 10 fold. This privatization, along with the splitting of worlds, are the two best ideas the PDGA has had in a very long time regarding professional play

 

[DanJon]

I don't understand why we will only have "made it" once corporate sponsors and mass spectators are involved.

The grassroots growth and local/regional sponsor model can be just as effective.

Growth can come from other avenues than just TV and Big Name sponsors.

If something like this can help put courses in the ground, get kids/schools interested and maybe find some reasonable financial success for the touring pro side, I'm all for it.

 

[odysseus]

Agree to disagree....it's a fringe sport that with the exception of players is the butt of jokes and isn't taken at all seriously.

Yes, because the only thing people take seriously in Pittsburgh are the Steelers. You're right, nothing else matters there

 

[allinpflop]

Yes, because the only thing people take seriously in Pittsburgh are the Steelers. You're right, nothing else matters there

I believe (having played over 200 courses from coast to coast and many of the top 50) I have an idea of what people think of disc golf in different areas.....not just Pittsburgh.

 

[odysseus]

I believe (having played over 200 courses from coast to coast and many of the top 50) I have an idea of what people think of disc golf in different areas.....not just Pittsburgh.

sloooowww :clap:

 

[DGPT]

Interesting comparison but it's risky making pronouncements before they fully unfold.

That is kind of the purpose of conjecture, Chuck.

I'm simply saying it could go one of two ways - he maintains his place at the top and ushers us into the modern age of disc golf, ala the Green Bay Packers of the 60s, or ... he doesn't - and he could be largely forgotten in disc golf lore 30 years from now.

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Lots of sports were getting tons of sponsor money before the advent of television...some even before the advent of radio. With today's social media based advertising, I really dont think it's disc golf not being on TV that isnt bringing in sponsors.

I dont know what is keeping them back, nor do I know how to change it...I'm just making a point.

Also, I suspect that both REAL tours will be successful. Neither Jussi or Steve Dodge are idiots...they would not have gone into this without doing all the legwork to make it a success.

My mom will be happy to know that I am viewed - by some - as not an idiot! :thmbup:

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I'm just trying to be realistic....for the last 20 years lots of players have said disc golf is about to be huge....I don't feel like that will ever happen...
And with these new tours I hear the same things....and I dont feel like they will be any different....just my opinion....feel free to disagree or dismiss it...

I disagree. And I'll bet on it. In fact I am!

To your point though, in 2011, as Disc Golf Planet was trying to hone their live offerings, I am quoted as saying we were two years away. I did not count on DGPlanet not being a sustainable model. They have been replaced (for the most part) by folks like Smashboxx TV, Spin TV, and a host of YouTube editors of disc golf footage.

Once we have a real model for live coverage that is well publicized, where discers will know how, when and where to watch, I believe we get year one under our belt, improve the presentation, create even slicker drop in spots, and grow the number of spectators so that sponsors outside the sport will see us as a place they need to advertise.

My bet is that 2016 will see some of these sponsors and 2017 will see the flood gates open.
Watch. And grow the sport!

Depends on your definition of successful....I'm sure the tourneys will be well run and the payout will be fairly good...but in the end it will just be another tournament where pros compete for each others money and it streams online for a few thousand die hard disc golfers....nothing more.

2016 will be sowing the seeds and setting the table for nationwide growth in 2017. After 2017, when we can demonstrate that we have eyeballs, the spectators will come, the purses will begin to go up quicker, and we will be unstoppable.
Watch. And grow the sport!

None of these tours will amount to anything....no significant outside sponsorship means no real prize pool just more of the same....you can try to spin it any way you want but no one is willing to put any real money into disc golf bc it doesn't get any viewership.....until millions of people are willing to watch disc golf why would anyone waste advertising dollars for the same 5k or fewer diehards....

I'll take this bet. If we don't start naming some good sponsors - which will primarily be helping to make the live scoring, stat keeping, recap shows, and marketing a possibility - by the end of the month, I'll agree with you and send you 10 Pro Tour discs, signed by me, that we are already behind schedule on getting sponsors to help grow the sport.

What will you offer up if you are wrong? It must be agreed by the community here to be comparable to my offering. I have 20 days to succeed or fail.
Watch. And grow the sport.

No offense, but is this tour thing a big deal? I think I speak for a fair number of disc golfers when I say, "Meh."

I don't even know if this is Jussi's or Steve Dodge's tour. Although I'm fairly certain it's not Salient's. It's just too much, all starting this year, all the biggest thing EVAR.

Not to rain on your parade or anything. Just giving my honest opinion.

This is absolutely a fair opinion. The PDGA has been trying for 12 years with the NT and what have we got? Not much in terms of outside sponsorship and increasing spectators.

I'll offer you the same bet about getting some good sponsors for the tour by the end of the month.

Agree to disagree....it's a fringe sport that with the exception of players is the butt of jokes and isn't taken at all seriously.

If this sport is not taken seriously, no company would put up any money to sponsor it. However, if corporations put up money to sponsor the tour, then that means that they recognize disc golf is ... a sport with 10-20% growth for 30+ years, with a rabid and growing fanbase (which fits a great demographic, btw), and an opportunity to get in on the ground floor ... is a place where their dollars should be able to help ROI.

I'll offer you the same bet as the two folks above. You game?

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Disc Golf is HUGE now!! When I started in 1994, there were 400 courses in the world. Now there are over 5000 worldwide.

Chris, there are actually over 5,200 in the states and over 6,500 in the world!
Over 1,000 courses have put in the ground in the USA in the last three years!

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I don't understand why we will only have "made it" once corporate sponsors and mass spectators are involved.

The grassroots growth and local/regional sponsor model can be just as effective.

Growth can come from other avenues than just TV and Big Name sponsors.

If something like this can help put courses in the ground, get kids/schools interested and maybe find some reasonable financial success for the touring pro side, I'm all for it.

I agree entirely. They both need to happen. The PDGA (and the Ace Race, Birdie Bash, Trilogy Challenge, World's Biggest, Ice Bowl, and many others thru organized and good old "peer to peer" (inviting your friends to play) networking) has been successfully pushing the grass roots.

The Pro Tour is building the top of the pyramid so, as these grass roots efforts are successful, the new players to the game will have pros to point to to legitimize the sport to their non-discing peers, as well as learning the culture of the disc from the execution of Pro Tour events.

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Of all the attempts at big events and tours out there, this, to my eye, is the one that makes the moat sense and has the chance to make the biggest and most long lasting impact on the sport side of disc golf.

If this tour goes the way anything else Steve Dodge has done it will be huge and fun with large payouts to a large percentage of the field ... and will have lots of fun activities going on the rest of the week. After going to the GoPro Games last year. I am certain that Steve is taking things in the right direction and nothing out there will compare to this small tour.

i expect better all around courses in the future if this continues to get more popular, looking forward to it enjoy watching and playing

I see this DGPT showcasing the current dominant players in the world, which are mostly here in the US. This is focused on exposure through media, and on-site crowds - which I will definitely be part of and bringing my kids to the event at Blue Ribbon Pines! Gonna be a crowd there - huge base in the Minnesota area!

Love this. DGPT is the best domestic hope for a legitimate 'tour' that I have seen. There has never been continuity from the PDGA NT approach, especially when compared with its closest cousin, the PGA.
...
Steve nailed the outline, and my gut says he will deliver 10 fold. This privatization, along with the splitting of worlds, are the two best ideas the PDGA has had in a very long time regarding professional play

Amen. Watch. And grow the sport.

http://discgolfprotour.storenvy.com/products/15665679-watch-and-grow-the-sport-tee

 

[tbird888]

Yes, because the only thing people take seriously in Pittsburgh are the Steelers. You're right, nothing else matters there

When did the Pens stop mattering?

 

[odysseus]

When did the Pens stop mattering?

Every year before Lemieux, after Lemieux before Crosby, and now this year when Crosby is awful. Attendance has dropped to 2011 levels, with much less fan base involvement. Does anyone even know Phil Kessel is on the team?

But you're right, my comment is better applied to the pre-Crosby era...when the Pens pretty much skipped town...and no one cared...

Now, enough thread jacking....

Let's just watch. And grow the sport.

 

[DiscFifty]

Am / rec disc golf is growing for sure, but the pro side is very slow growing making the same top 10 at every tournament a little repetitive.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

Whats. the. deal. with back of the shirt?is that the slogan? It doesnt make sense.

I think something representing disc golf would have made more sense from a public standpoint. Watch what sport to grow what?

 

[DiscLoser1]

:thmbupGPT:clap:

And good luck!

 

[odysseus]

...It doesnt make sense.

I think something representing disc golf would have made more sense from a public standpoint.

Watch what sport to grow what?

Is there a better way to represent Disc Golf than with a Disc, Basket, and Chains in the logo? Plus, a recognizable color motif that is synonymous with American Professional Sports is icing on the cake.

You must not have seen the front of the shirt before posting so quickly :doh:

 

[Aim For The Chains]

Most people have no idea what a disc golf basket is..

Watch.
And grow the sport.

Is worse than #growthesport. Hell ill buy one but seems odd thats all.

 

[DiscLoser1]

Whats. the. deal. with back of the shirt?is that the slogan? It doesnt make sense.

I think something representing disc golf would have made more sense from a public standpoint. Watch what sport to grow what?

Since you only care what Pros are pimping MVP, why troll the man who's put a new model together for the pros, and is actually putting some effort in? To what purpose?

Let me explain the slogan for you: by watching the DGPT events, you will increase viewership numbers that the organizers can then present to sponsors, which will add sponsors and money to the Pro level, which can then spur development of new courses, attract new players and new leagues and youth participation.

Need the eyeballs of those who already know the game, because you're never going to attract that many new players due to a televised or streamed sporting event. (Remember? That's the fatal flaw in the logic of that other tour?)

If all you can find to criticize is the slogan, maybe just go back to waiting for someone to post about MVP so you can jump in and offer your oh so necessary expertise.

Also: it might even increase the price of premium plastic, the real impediment to growing the game.