On the edge of professional Disc Golf

[disc qualified]

For those of you who become easily frustrated towards certain individuals for so called "improper etiquette", do you know anything about these people before making accusations? Perhaps they are mentally challenged? Or for those you see partake, do you know that they are doing so recreationally and not to stop seizures? I'm sure the guy going into shock in the fairway won't hold up your game any... Stereotypes are often far from what they seem, and it is a lot easier to hate than to love and forgive, why do you think Fox News still does so well?

good grief


yes, i was one of those who talked about "improper etiquette"

you see, i play almost every day. i play a variety of courses and see a lot of the same people. i am fairly "tuned in" to the local disc golf community. i see a lot of the same idiots who clearly have no regard for others around them. this is hardly a medicinal issue and most definitely an idiots on the rampage issue.


and to use your words back at ya, "Did you miss the childhood lesson of what happens when you assume?" because you sure typed a lot of words generalizing about people and places where you've never been

 

[turbosteve]

Perhaps disc golf overseas has the chance to evolve in a way that emulates the same difference we see in the soccer world. Soccer viewership is huge most everywhere but the U.S. despite extensive efforts to build the U.S. viewership via grassroots school programs. To me, watching soccer is just ahead of watching paint dry. But apparently what people outside the U.S. can become interested in watching is different. So perhaps there's some hope that the fan base for DG outside the U.S. has a better chance to be developed?

It definitely has a chance to develop in other countries outside the US. For example, table tennis is perceived by most Americans to not be a real sport. In China table tennis is the number 1 sport watched on tv. There are numerous examples of other sports Americans perceive as a joke that are popular in other parts of the world.

 

[Nasty Nate]

Do you play at a Pay-to-play course or have you ever? I grew up on a pay to play course, Free to players under 16 which increased our youth players but my point is our 2 most crowded courses are Pay to play Huntington Beach DGC which ranges from 150 to 300+ daily and I know Morley field in San Diego which is twice as expensive but generates twice as many people daily. So in my opinion Pay to play increases players to come because it brings a more formal and i guess you could say "safe" feeling because people are paying so there will always be someone of business at the course looking over the course.

Aaahh Paul McBeth quoted me . Well there is one local pay to play course here (Blendon Woods) which is no longer employed and just has a donation box. It is a really small course and is ok but now that I think about it the place did get really crowded. It's still pretty much a beginner course so it does introduce people to the game. Although I don't think beginners are jumping at the idea to pay money to throw for 45 minutes you still make a point. It probably would be a different atmosphere and be more formal at a real pay to play. I hope to make it out to Cali some day...

 

[Curtis_Valk]

It could be that as Jussi said there will be "two" disc golfs, and the "new" will have to develop in Europe and then come back to us as whatever they are able to create. After all, music listeners at large in the states didn't care about Black Man's Blues Music until it caught on overseas and then came back to us as Rock and Roll.

 

[ZAMson]

Export the sport!

sponsored by Grow the Dough

in association with I don't know these guys officer, would a counterculture athlete wear drifits?

rated PG-13 professional guidance suggested

 

[BrotherDave]

To me, watching soccer is just ahead of watching paint dry.

 

[Halcón]

I suppose it's sort of a NIMBY attitude that I might have. Or just a stubborn resistance to change. At least in my mind, I see where disc golf has been, where it is now, and can accurately predict its future. Any time big important growth is discussed, we need look no further than the Chicks and Chains calendar to see what DG is all about over here.

Maybe I'm totally wrong. Maybe it will get BIG here. Or maybe Scandinavia will be the mecca of the sport in 15 years, while we 'Muricans keep chucking away. I think the latter is more probable than the former.

 

[Halcón]

FWIW Chuck, watching disc golf in person is pretty boring too. I'd much rather play.

 

[Tpro]

If DiscGolf was going to Blow up. Dont you think it would of been when Wham-O was throwing money at it?

 

[disc qualified]

you can't force growth
it has to happen naturally
at its own pace

 

[Halcón]

you can't force growth
it has to happen naturally
at its own pace

You can certainly nudge it along. And dangle carrots on sticks.

I've seen posters compare DG to stakeboarding. Which "blew up" a while back. (Even though 99% of people don't know anybody besides Shaun White, and Tony Hawk) What was the reason that it finally took off?

 

[JC17393]

If DiscGolf was going to Blow up. Dont you think it would of been when Wham-O was throwing money at it?

You mean when there were maybe a few hundred people playing on fewer than 50 permanent courses around the world? Yeah, we missed our window.

 

[disc qualified]

You can certainly nudge it along. And dangle carrots on sticks.

I've seen posters compare DG to stakeboarding. Which "blew up" a while back. (Even though 99% of people don't know anybody besides Shaun White, and Tony Hawk) What was the reason that it finally took off?

skateboarding has "blown up" a couple different times for various reasons

in the 70's it was on wide world of sports and skate parks were all over the place

towards the end of the 70's it started crawling back into the fringes, skate parks closed, skaters were outlaws

80's were weird, things stagnated, people left the parks and pools and skated the streets

90's saw a resurgence, tony hawk became a household name and kids all over were playing skateboarding video games


there's a lot of factors involved, part of the credit goes to the x-games, part goes to tony hawk and his video games, hip hop culture has slowly embraced it and turned kids on to skateboarding who wouldn't have cared about it a decade earlier


basically, that's a lot of words that probably don't say much

 

[Tpro]

You mean when there were maybe a few hundred people playing on fewer than 50 permanent courses around the world? Yeah, we missed our window.

Did I say it wouldnt continue to grow? No, but it will never be HUGE like even skateboarding. Agree to Disagree.

 

[Halcón]

...basically, that's a lot of words that probably don't say much

No, it's good. Thanks for the rundown. I do remember Tony Hawk being huge back in the day.

Maybe DG will have its own super popular, charismatic player who takes our game to another level. I guess anything is possible.

 

[Cgkdisc]

FWIW Chuck, watching disc golf in person is pretty boring too. I'd much rather play.

I agree and that was my point. What Americans find interesting to watch seems to be different from what those outside the U.S. like to watch. This might give hope to Jussi's vision for professional development happening more quickly outside the U.S.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

Very true.. Tv and how people get their stuff they watch is changing big time though and that benefits all niche sports/programs. Yay internet!

 

[Nasty Nate]

Personally, I think watching disc golf on TV would be comparable to watching ball golf yet more exciting and fun to watch. Disc golf takes much less time to complete a round than ball golf so it is more "fast paced". You can admire shots by both ball and disc golfers but I think discs are nicer to watch in the air . I think the DG atmosphere is a bit more leisurely and therefore inviting. TV coverage would be a great idea, methinks. It's not any worse than watching fishing!

Also I just wanted to comment on the whole "drunk stoner" argument that's going on here. For starters, professional athletes of any sport have indulged in things far worse than weed and alcohol (even while performing their sport). And I'm sure many professional disc golfers smoke and drink on the course, not necessarily during tournaments but I'm sure it happens in casual and formal rounds. Professional athletes are not any different from you or me. In fact, these large institutions allow them to get away with murder because there is so much money involved. So I think that some lowly disc golfer getting high on the course is one of our least concerns.

I think in enough time we will have a DG Renaissance (our game is as popular as it's ever been) and then we can get... mainstream acceptance? What are you guys looking for? This whole thread makes no sense . Maybe more widespread availability of gear and courses? It'll be fine, everyone. Baby steps. I don't think we want Nike manufacturing discs in sweat shops around the world.

 

[superium]

You can certainly nudge it along. And dangle carrots on sticks.

I've seen posters compare DG to stakeboarding. Which "blew up" a while back. (Even though 99% of people don't know anybody besides Shaun White, and Tony Hawk) What was the reason that it finally took off?

Tony Hawk pulling off a 900 during the x-games exploded the sport in 1999. Year or 2 after every kid was out skateboarding. I slowly grew out of the sport once I got older and seems like no one's out riding anymore other than longboarders these days.
That's the one thing disc golf lacks is the defining all odds and physics factor but at the same time look at golf but golf has that "professionalism" and pristine fairways and landscape disc golf lacks.

 

[grodney]

Pay to play is a horrible idea and would just deter people from playing. That's why disc golf is great, because it's free! And if you consider how much people play then we would end up spending thousands just to go to a local park. I think if you give it a few years it will be like skateboarding and become huge.

Don't we already "pay" for our parks through taxes? Don't be elitists about our game that is for everyone. Plus over-commercialization of anything can be bad. If it's not broken don't fix it

http://www.dgcoursereview.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-82140.html

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*data below is from December 2012 meeting minutes
Stony Creek (http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=5408) ~ 27 hole course in large Metropark. Expanded from 24 to 27 holes in 2012. Large and busy course.
Disc Golf Daily Pass ($2 wristband)
23,336 passes sold in 2012
21,257 passes sold in 2011

$45,685 2012 Daily Pass Revenue
$40,831 2011 Daily Pas Revenue

Disc Golf Annual Tags ($50 bag tag)
$3,110 in 2012
$4,350 in 2011

Disc Golf (Pay to Play) Daily and Annual Pass Totals
$ 48,795 in 2012
$ 45,181 in 2011


Kensington (http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=3414) ~ 27 hole course in large Metropark. Redesigned in 2009 to 27 holes. Also home to a 18 hole (Toboggan) course for the USADGC. Another large and busy course.

Disc Golf Daily Pass ($2 wristband)
29,761 passes sold in 2012
23,795 passes sold in 2011

$59,345 2012 Daily Pass Revenue
$47,807 2011 Daily Pas Revenue

Disc Golf Annual Tags ($50 bag tag)
$4,828 in 2012
$5,436 in 2011

Disc Golf (Pay to Play) Daily and Annual Pass Totals
$64,173 in 2012
$53,243 in 2011


Hudson Mills (http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=448) ~ 2 large 24 hole courses at a large Metropark.

Disc Golf Daily Pass ($2 wristband)
17,039 passes sold in 2012
14,946 passes sold in 2011

$34,078 2012 Daily Pass Revenue
$29,892 2011 Daily Pas Revenue

Disc Golf Annual Tags ($50 bag tag)
$6,110 in 2012
$9,190 in 2011

Disc Golf (Pay to Play) Daily and Annual Pass Totals
$40,188 in 2012
$39,082 in 2011

Each course has benefitted from P2P with upgrades. Usage is up from previous years at each course. The only things that showed decreases were in the amount of annual bag tags sold at each course. The increased amount of daily passes sold at each park did make up for the decrease of tag sales though.
"