[Question] Potential tech standards changes?

[TalbotTrojan]

I honestly think it is silly that they would suggest something like this and then not want data to back it up. Drop it now and lets just keep things where they are. We seem to have already maxed things out, why change things? I would respect this request more if it was just a player and specifically someone who had been injured badly by one of these high speed discs. Does Shusterick what this to change?

 

[Halcón]

Disc golf is relatively safe compared to most other sports even with heavy high speed drivers. Women's field hockey trumps football in concussions, yet it thrives. Cheerleading is among the most dangerous sports. Pole vault, javelin, hammer throw, gymnastics, soccer, hockey, basketball, football, baseball/softball, cycling, lacrosse are all way more dangerous.

All of these sports you mention are played in confined areas free of innocent bystanders, park goers, dog walkers...etc. Well, all except cycling...morons.

Anyway, the only reason we haven't seen a death from a disc is because relatively few us play compared to other major sports. I'm just waiting for someone to nail a kid at my home course's play ground, which is right in the (errant) flight path of two holes.

Imagine if 5 million people regularly played disc golf (like they do in baseball/football/soccer) instead of tens of thousands like now. Would you still be saying it was safe?

 

[New013]

personally I think anybody saying disc golf is to dangerous is a big pussy and/or doesn't know the statistics of what is actually dangerous in life.

you are put in an inherently more dangerous situation driving to and from the disc golf course than at any point you are on the course. you could stand in front of the basket and be completely safer than at any point you are in a car on the road.

 

[Halcón]

New, you've been here a while and seen all the "hit by disc" threads. I don't think anybody is saying the game is inherently dangerous. But the potential for danger is there.

I've seen enough people die to know that life is dangerous. We can certainly make our game less so, by at least considering this issue.

 

[dekdo]

You say there is no danger but what is baseball moves to all wood bats for all ages don't you think that will impact some companies just like disc golf would?



I wouldn't mind seeing it max out at a orc or beast whatever width those are but if safety is the reeason for this can you imagne a 9 year old kid throwing a boss with a couple friends and smacks one in the head, thier goes their disc golf future. parents won't push disc golf if they see that happen just like schools have taken away the game of dodgeball because that is to dangeous. Schools can push disc golf in its place if the discs are safer and slower.

I seriously can't believe that safety is even being discussed among disc golf. Have you ever played paintball or anything.. It's a competitive sport where people are SHOOTING At each other with paintballs moving at 300 feet per second. If you don't like it/can't handle it then don't play it. Paintball is at a far larger scale than disc golf. If disc golf seems to dangerous for someone, then that's on them for being a softy.

Lets take hockey for another example, checking/hitting is not allowed until a certain age..Why not make it so that the wide rim distance drivers are only allowed at a certain competitive level, lets say am or pro only and nothing below..idk. You get the idea.

Regardless, it is absolutely pathetic that safety is an issue here. There are FAR more dangerous sports with much more people playing them. Yeah so they are penalizing head hits in football and hockey, fair enough.. But many people are still injured from the clean hits. It's part of the game. Disc golf will always be safer than basketball, baseball, hockey, football, soccer.. Etc and there are plenty of kids signing up to play those sports.

How soft are people getting these days.... disc golf is one of the safest sports around. Maybe they should use Nerf balls in ball golf. :wall:

Do you really think a kid smacking another in the head with a beast or Orc is going to be that much better off than getting hit with a boss...

 

[Halcón]

I'm not concerned that disc golf is potentially dangerous to its own players. It's the innocent, and unaware that concern me. Then again, if Joe Moron throws on you and doesn't yell fore, you have a chance at getting seriously hurt. This has nothing to do with being "soft." It's just recognizing a different facet of our game that apparently many here don't take into consideration.

 

[sidewinder22]

All of these sports you mention are played in confined areas free of innocent bystanders, park goers, dog walkers...etc. Well, all except cycling...morons.

Anyway, the only reason we haven't seen a death from a disc is because relatively few us play compared to other major sports. I'm just waiting for someone to nail a kid at my home course's play ground, which is right in the (errant) flight path of two holes.

Imagine if 5 million people regularly played disc golf (like they do in baseball/football/soccer) instead of tens of thousands like now. Would you still be saying it was safe?

Disc golf should only be played in designated areas like those other sports, including cycling! A disc golf course that plays through public playgrounds or picnic areas are not great ideas. Some of those innocent bystanders don't fare to well in those sports either when they go outside those boundaries. Cyclist crash into crowds. Hockey pucks go into the stands and hit people. Ron Artest goes into the stands and beats fans. Football players take out bands, cheerleaders, coaches, cameramen. I think people getting hit by a disc are still a good bit lower percentage wise relative to accidents in other sports. People getting hit by discs is more of a negligence issue rather than accident on the thrower and or person walking through a designated dg course. You can't fix stupid.

 

[elnino]

FWIW, the motion was for there to be an investigation into the issue, not to immediately change the standards without any discussion.

well of course they should look at safety! i guess that is cool. i've seen two people get hit with beasts! it was bloody and brutal but i love me some drivers and medium wizards.

 

[oddjob]

Here's the typical driver used in '81, the last time the Open was at Merion, compared to what is used today.

 

[JBryant]

Great point

:hfive:

I'm curious what they want the rim width limit to be. Going from 2.5 cm to 2.1 won't make any difference in course design or safety. And pros can still easily throw Teebirds (1.7 cm) over 400 feet.

.4 difference in rim width seem mute.

The pros don't make up the majority of disc golfers IMO. The revenue made by the disc companies is relegated to us human disc golfers.

 

[grodney]

I don't mind the idea of dialing back the technology. I also don't mind the co-owner of the game's biggest manufacturer making a presentation/proposal to one of the game's governing bodies.

 

[PMcBeth]

Disc golf should only be played in designated areas like those other sports, including cycling! A disc golf course that plays through public playgrounds or picnic areas are not great ideas. Some of those innocent bystanders don't fare to well in those sports either when they go outside those boundaries. Cyclist crash into crowds. Hockey pucks go into the stands and hit people. Ron Artest goes into the stands and beats fans. Football players take out bands, cheerleaders, coaches, cameramen. I think people getting hit by a disc are still a good bit lower percentage wise relative to accidents in other sports. People getting hit by discs is more of a negligence issue rather than accident on the thrower and or person walking through a designated dg course. You can't fix stupid.

people pay to go WATCH those events so they are there at their own risk and should be paying attention. Kids and families at parks aren't there to watch disc golf they have a rigt to the park just as much as disc golfers.... i guess you need to visit SoCal courses to understand.

 

[iacas]

How'd this get to the topic of safety? Didn't the OP specifically say the guy talked about sustainability? Shorter courses use less land, and when your sport is largely free to play (the land use, anyway), less is more.

Safety's a concern, but it's not really the topic of this thread.

 

[oddjob]

I don't mind the idea of dialing back the technology. I also don't mind the co-owner of the game's biggest manufacturer making a presentation/proposal to one of the game's governing bodies.

I don't mind Innova making a presentation, but ye gods, don't do it like this:

I was the only person who asked a question, which was do you have any data, evidence, or testing to backup your statements?

He said "No and we don't want any".

 

[Future_Primitive]

I seriously can't believe that safety is even being discussed among disc golf. Have you ever played paintball or anything.. It's a competitive sport where people are SHOOTING At each other with paintballs moving at 300 feet per second. If you don't like it/can't handle it then don't play it. Paintball is at a far larger scale than disc golf. If disc golf seems to dangerous for someone, then that's on them for being a softy.

Lets take hockey for another example, checking/hitting is not allowed until a certain age..Why not make it so that the wide rim distance drivers are only allowed at a certain competitive level, lets say am or pro only and nothing below..idk. You get the idea.

Regardless, it is absolutely pathetic that safety is an issue here. There are FAR more dangerous sports with much more people playing them. Yeah so they are penalizing head hits in football and hockey, fair enough.. But many people are still injured from the clean hits. It's part of the game. Disc golf will always be safer than basketball, baseball, hockey, football, soccer.. Etc and there are plenty of kids signing up to play those sports.

How soft are people getting these days.... disc golf is one of the safest sports around. Maybe they should use Nerf balls in ball golf. :wall:

Do you really think a kid smacking another in the head with a beast or Orc is going to be that much better off than getting hit with a boss...

Sure would be nice if you would quit comparing apples to oranges, might stop your posts from sounding so clueless. How many more times is the real issue going to fly over your head before you finally grasp what is being discussed? :doh: :wall:

Paintball is played in a confined private area where everyone is required to wear proper gear to participate. It is not played in the middle of a public park with innocent non-playing bystanders roaming about.

Oh yeah hockey is another highly popular public park sport. Oh wait, no it is not, is is again played in a designated area where participants are required to wear proper safety gear to play and the general public is forced to sit in the stands behind glass and netting, not allowed to roam freely on the playing surface.

Do we need to cover football too, or did the NFL schedule Jets vs Giants in the middle of Central Park and I missed the memo?

And please give up the ball golf arguments as well, they have their courses on private property where the general public is not allowed to roam freely about.

The topic of safety is not player safety so much as it is innocent non-playing bystander safety in the middle of a public park we are forced to share. We players know we are on a course, no the holes and lines and are fully aware plastic will be flying in the air. But mom, dad and their kids having a picnic in the park may be clueless a DG course is right next to them. As long as we keep sharing the parks with other non-playing people we will be forced to account for them with our safety standards.

 

[Halcón]

people pay to go WATCH those events so they are there at their own risk and should be paying attention. Kids and families at parks aren't there to watch disc golf they have a rigt to the park just as much as disc golfers.... i guess you need to visit SoCal courses to understand.

Truth.

 

[atay87]

There is no way I think this will happen, but if the 10% rule (rim width can't be greater than 10% if diameter) were to be enacted, dropping the rim width limit from 2.5 cm to 2.1, then these discs would be illegal:

ABC Discs Bee Line
Aerobie Epic Driver
CHING Fusion Genesis
CHING Power Genesis
CHING Supreme Genesis
Daredevil Bigfoot
Daredevil Sasquatch
Daredevil Yeti
DGA Hurricane (Proline)
DGA Hurricane (SP Line)
Discmania DD - Hysteria
Discmania DD2 - Frenzy
Discmania PD2 - Chaos
Discraft Force
Discraft Nuke
Discraft Nuke OS
Discraft Nuke SS
Discraft Rogue
Discraft Spectra
Discraft Surge
Discraft Venom
Discraft Z-Nuke (retooled)
Discwing Quarter K
DKG Boom
DKG Hail Mary
DKG Kraken
DKG Merc
DKG Protégé
DKG Tempest
EMSCO Group ESP Driver
Gateway Blurr
Gateway Diablo DT
Gateway Rage
Gateway Samurai
Gateway Slayer
Gateway Speed Demon
Gateway Speed Demon DT
Innova Ape
Innova Archon
Innova Boss
Innova Destroyer
Innova Dominator
Innova Groove
Innova Katana
Innova Krait
Innova Max
Innova TeeDevil
Innova Tee-Rex
Innova Tern
Innova Vulcan
Innova Wahoo
Innova XCaliber
Lat64 Blitz
Lat64 Bolt
Lat64 Flow
Lat64 Halo
Lat64 Havoc
Lat64 Riot
Lat64 Stiletto
Legacy Cannon
Legacy Rampage
Millennium Astra
Millennium Quasar
Millennium Scorpius
Prodigy D-1
Prodigy D-2
Prodigy D-3
Prodigy D-4
Prodiscus Legenda
Prodiscus Slaidi
Quest Backbone
Quest Double D
Quest Low Speed Driver
Quest Odyssey Driver
Quest Odyssey Power Driver
Quest Scorcher
Quest Scream
Quest Scream DT Max
Quest Scream DT Ultra
Quest Scream DT Ultra 2
Quest Scream II
Rip Disc Golf Ballistic
Skyiron Flagship
Snap Discsports Helios
Vibram Lace
Westside Boatman
Westside Giant
Westside Giant VIP Air
Westside King
Westside King VIP Air
Westside Sword
Westside Sword VIP Air

 

[iacas]

There is no way I think this will happen, but if the 10% rule (rim width can't be greater than 10% if diameter) were to be enacted, dropping the rim width limit from 2.5 cm to 2.1, then these discs would be illegal:

Maybe it's an MVP conspiracy.

It may be too late, the cat may be too far out of the bag or the toothpaste too far out of the tube, but if something like the Volt is the fastest disc you can throw, I'm good with that. It's, what, 2.0cm? Limit them to that. Sounds good to me.

 

[Halcón]

How'd this get to the topic of safety? Didn't the OP specifically say the guy talked about sustainability? Shorter courses use less land, and when your sport is largely free to play (the land use, anyway), less is more.

Safety's a concern, but it's not really the topic of this thread.

Safety is one of the driving points of the OP. Read question 3.

 

[iacas]

Safety is one of the driving points of the OP. Read question 3.

That's the OP's addition. It wasn't a part of what was proposed.