Does anyone else get THAT reaction?

[nygfaninva]

What is the reaction you get when you first tell people you know about Disc Golf? I've heard everything from 'That's Gay' to 'Isn't that a stoner sport' to 'That's cool, I've heard of it but never played it'. Actually I get the first one most, But I was just wondering.

[DiscChainBasket18]

I've been playing DG at a park setting & have had people come up & ask what I'm doing. Usually they are pretty impressed & very interested in it. The only negative reactions I get are from my casual playing friends who after throwing a bad round they quit & say "this game is for f@gs".

[sidewinding]

My uncle who is about 60 years old got upset when I told him I played and very seriously said "don't you realize that only gay people play that sport". He had read about it in the paper. I dismissed it, figuring it was just an Austin thing since Austin has become "little San Francisco". I will ask him about the article he read to get more information.

[Rbuzz9]

never have gotten a negative reaction. probably cause most people i tell havent heard about DG. it's so different sounding to most people that they ask more about it. Most people are really interested. Even my dad- whose hardcore ballgolferdude. The only people that might say something negative would be my friends just to bust my balls - but they have heard of the sport it Wouldnt reflect their true feelings about DG.

[tomjulio]

My uncle who is about 60 years old got upset when I told him I played and very seriously said "don't you realize that only gay people play that sport".

well, guess I am going to go have to learn to suck some d$ck.

[ZMan44]

Around here we get the "that's gay" reaction a lot. I don't really care because it is usually someone who doesn't play the game or has attempted and sucked mightily. The other thing is that if you play regularly you can get to be pretty decent within a year or so. Ball golf guys usually get ticked because they have played for 20 years and still go out and shoot 12 over and consider it a great round. I have actually taken about 20 different kids and college age adults out to our local course so they can see what its like. Out of that group, there are about 5 to 10 who now play on a weekly basis. The other thing that helps is that area high schools are starting to fund "club" teams for disc golf. they have the label of "club" because they are not sanctioned by the state high school athletics association. But if these "club" competitions grow in popularity, rumor has it, that the state may add disc golf to its list of sanctioned sports. In high school I lettered in baseball, but I am too old for that now. It would have been cool to letter in disc golf and still be able to enjoy the game.

[nygfaninva]

Around here we get the "that's gay" reaction a lot. I don't really care because it is usually someone who doesn't play the game or has attempted and sucked mightily. The other thing is that if you play regularly you can get to be pretty decent within a year or so. Ball golf guys usually get ticked because they have played for 20 years and still go out and shoot 12 over and consider it a great round. I have actually taken about 20 different kids and college age adults out to our local course so they can see what its like. Out of that group, there are about 5 to 10 who now play on a weekly basis. The other thing that helps is that area high schools are starting to fund "club" teams for disc golf. they have the label of "club" because they are not sanctioned by the state high school athletics association. But if these "club" competitions grow in popularity, rumor has it, that the state may add disc golf to its list of sanctioned sports. In high school I lettered in baseball, but I am too old for that now. It would have been cool to letter in disc golf and still be able to enjoy the game.

Yeah, the 'Its Gay' reaction is ALWAYS from someone who doesn't play the game, but it still gets thrown out there a lot. I also have taken groups of teens out, as well as friends, and alomost all of them have bought discs and started to play. That is great to hear about the school clubs! I also wish I could have played in school.

[Texconsinite]

At my HS, there was a DG club, and the president invited me to join them for a round on several occasions. I always refused. Still kick myself for not trying it out then, I could've found DG years sooner. I can only imagine how good i would be now if I had been playing since HS.

[Rbuzz9]

It would be cool to have HS club teams - tho i'm still getting used to Lacrosse being played at my old HS - so a Varsity DG team would be strange to me. Just as long as DG isnt taking away from the Baseball or Football team's talent (depending on the season) - like LAX does.

but aside from my selfish reasons - the more people playing HS sports the better.

What season would disc golf be for Highschool? I'm thinking being up in the Northeast - it would be a Fall Sport

[Midnightbiker]

I have never heard the "That's Gay" comment. Most of the people I talk to about it have never heard of it. It still amazes me to have people in the park just stare at us like they don't know what we are doing. Some of these courses have been in these parks for years, and people don't know what" Those things with the chains" are. I think that if more people knew about the sport , they would be having fun.

[jedwards]

I have never heard the "That's Gay" comment. Most of the people I talk to about it have never heard of it. It still amazes me to have people in the park just stare at us like they don't know what we are doing. Some of these courses have been in these parks for years, and people don't know what" Those things with the chains" are. I think that if more people knew about the sport , they would be having fun.

I totally agree. Where I live they spent God knows how much on the course only to have myself and about 10 other people play weekly. I hope it catches on before they change their mind to expand my home course to 18 holes.

[PhattD]

well, guess I am going to go have to learn to suck some d$ck.

Lmao
I really don't want to but I guess you gotta do what you gotta do right?:eek:

[Donovan]

What is the reaction you get when you first tell people you know about Disc Golf? I've heard everything from 'That's Gay' to 'Isn't that a stoner sport' to 'That's cool, I've heard of it but never played it'. Actually I get the first one most, But I was just wondering.

"That's Gay?" Who the hell still says that? I think you might be talking to the wrong kinds of people! Those idiots are so "happy" they don't have a clue! :p

[PhattD]

I get a lot of positive reactions from ball golfers, You can see th green fee calculations going through their heads.

[Marv Vega]

It seems round these parts people are a bit more eloquent. I usually get "this is a happy, jovial sport and the players enjoy musicals, Hillary, Celine Dion, and romantic comedies.". Hard to argue in my case and I'm straight, not that there's anything wrong with that.:D

[Luke@DiscTrips]

I've never heard the "gay" reaction, either. That is really random. Here's the main thing I hear:

Me: "I have this big outdoor obsession -- 'disc golf,' or 'frisbee golf.'"
Them: "Ohhh! Like Ultimate Frisbee, right?"
Me: "Well, no, not ex--"
Them: "I have a friend who played Ultimate Frisbee in college!"
Me: "Cool. But yeah, that's actually an entirely unrelated sport. You see, it's..."
Them: (losing interest rapidly)

That's the exchange that drives me the craziest, and I've had it many, many times.

The one other funny reaction was on a summer afternoon when a friend & I set up my portable basket in a small park in a sort of old-money yuppie part of the city, and some stuffy rich folks walked past, sneered at us practice-putting into the basket, and said with vile sarcasm, "Yeah, THAT's legal."

[tomjulio]

Take a look at the themed photo galleries on my site, DiscTrips.com

as a fellow photographer and a disc golfer, just awesome man, just awesome! :-)

[SunIsBlue15]

The closest course to my apartment is on a small, tech-college's campus. So there are a lot of people walking around the sidewalks while I'm playing. I definitely get a lot of stares and weird looks.

One time, a guy actually came up to me after I missed my putt and asked if he could "try to throw one to see if it's as hard as it looks". I said yes and I was just praying that it didn't go in because that would have been super embarrassing to have some noob off the street sink a putt after I missed it. Luckily, it was from a fairly long distance and he missed by a mile, so I felt better.

[WillA]

Most people I run into think it's interesting. I have a friend who gave a set of discs to the director of a local ball golf course and now he's playing.

[Midnightbiker]

What still amazes me is the people that see you playing in the park, the baskets and map have been there for years, and they still have no idea what you are doing.

[WillA]

Yeah and this is what really torques me off. People who use the course as a nature trail. Right after our course was put in I could understand it. But after three years there's no excuse for it. Every time I see someone doing this I warn them that they could get hurt because people who are teeing off will not necessarily see them.

And once a group of kids were playing football in the middle of one hole. That's just ridiculous.

[Three Putt]

When I played at La Mirada, there was a couple picnicking in the middle of a fairway. I walked down and told them I was about to throw and they were in the middle of a disc golf hole, but they just shrugged and blew me off. That course was easily the most renowned course in the World at that time, and it had been there for 20 years at that point. I remember thinking "If the people in LA Mirada don't know about disc golf, where in the Hell DO people know about disc golf?"

[WillA]

It makes me mad. People would never dream of doing that in the middle of a ballfield or a ball golf course.

[magictenor1]

Never gotten the "gay" reaction or the "stoner" one either . I usually get the "what is that" ?

[magictenor1]

I went to play one Labor Day weekend and there was a camper parked in the fairway of #3 at Archusa and a Tent about 20 feet from the #2 basket but at least off to the side. That course does not have a lot of regular Disc golfers.

[buzzinb]

I don't understand the whole gay thing? There is absolutely nothing remotely homosexual about a group of sweaty, hard breathing guys traipsing through the dense overgrowth with man-bags full of brighly colored plastic.....OK, let me start over. Seriously, I had not heard the gay correlation before.Wonder if its only in certain metro areas? The stoner label is somewhat legit, at least in my area.
The comment I have probably heard the most from non-players is, "Do you play fisbee golf just like real golf?" I try to be patient as I explain to them that disc golf is very real in its own right and point out the many reasons why I enjoy it. Some people seem genuinely intrigued but most just kind of have that "Oh thats nice" response and are on there way.

[Three Putt]

If there is a "gay" stereotype, it probably came from an outsider seeing an event and noticing 100 dudes hanging around without a woman in sight. :o Get more chicks to play and it will all go away! :D

[magictenor1]

Like I said I havn't heard that but if you go to a gym and a bunch of guys are playing BB is that gay? I don't think the lack of women playing the sport is relevant.

[jedwards]

More often than not I have heard people refer to disc golf as "gay" -- not meaning it is for homosexuals but gay meaning "lame".

[Rbuzz9]

yeah has nothing to do with dude/chix ratio - the "That's Gay" thing is sorta being taken out of context here. That's Gay is sort of an older term not used that much as it once was. - especially since everything is PC nowadays but it's the same thing as "Thats lame" , "That's dumb", "That sucks"
I remember using it as far back as i remember when i definitely didnt know what gay really meant.

The only people who could get away with saying that to someone would have to be people you know pretty well and are busting balls.

[SunIsBlue15]

Since I typically play at a course on a college campus, I run into a lot of people that are sitting right near the baskets. I'll yell something to get their attention and usually they move off to the side or just move off the hole altogether. But sometimes I feel like they think I'm waving at them. They will just raise their hand to acknowledge me and then go back to doing whatever they are doing. Pretty frustrating. They are literally sitting 5 feet from the basket and have no clue what I'm doing. Oh well. When this happens, I just throw anyway. I figure if they see how in the way they are and that a hard disc is flying at their face they'll maybe think twice about sitting in the way of a disc golf course.

[jedwards]

yeah has nothing to do with dude/chix ratio - the "That's Gay" thing is sorta being taken out of context here. That's Gay is sort of an older term not used that much as it once was. - especially since everything is PC nowadays but it's the same thing as "Thats lame" , "That's dumb", "That sucks"
I remember using it as far back as i remember when i definitely didnt know what gay really meant.

The only people who could get away with saying that to someone would have to be people you know pretty well and are busting balls.

Exactly -- My wife has been trying to get em to stop referring to stuff as "gay" as most people take it the wrong way. When we were kids that was our go to put down. Guess things have changed.

[Rbuzz9]

i still use it way more that i should - but its amongst friends -- ill refer to something random like some tricked out car with a huge spoiler as gay.

I think i would laugh my ass off if someone i didnt know said thats gay if i was talking about Disc Golf

[jedwards]

i still use it way more that i should - but its amongst friends -- ill refer to something random like some tricked out car with a huge spoiler as gay.

I think i would laugh my ass off if someone i didnt know said thats gay if i was talking about Disc Golf

Yeah -- I don't have the best filter for that kind of thing. I just kind of say what's on my mind as long as the company is of similar age. I think if I told my grandpa that his Buick was gay he would get the wrong idea. It is totally gay though :eek:

[Rbuzz9]

hahahahahaha so many uses

[jedwards]

I just made par member with this post -- that is so NOT gay!

[El Mexicano]

The worst is when they come up and ask " Are you playing Frolf?"

[JR Stengele]

When you hear that you just hand them a disc and ask them to show you a drive. Then you drive and ask them to rethink it...

[iDisc]

they just think it's easy, they dont take it seriously at all

[nygfaninva]

So saying "That's gay" is politically incorrect.......That's just gay.

[Rbuzz9]

it's very gay

[JHern]

I almost always get the "what, frisbee?" kind of reactions, and I've been working on a good analogy to explain the difference between frisbees and golf discs. The best I've thought of-- well, its probably stupid, but I like it-- is to say "a frisbee is to most discs as croquet clubs are to most golf clubs." They get the message, at least I think so...but sometimes I get a confused look and think maybe people don't know croquet is? Damn.

We've had picnic sitters on a busy course I play often, usually on a big downhill hole that is the most fun on the course, and verbal warnings have gone unheeded. A fair yell of "fore!" and a disc going overhead at high speed always changes their minds. I don't know if you have heard it yourselves, but a disc drive going past your head makes a very cool loud hissing sound that is impossible to ignore...but be careful if you try to hear it yourselves!

[Marv Vega]

That's Gay is sort of an older term not used that much as it once was. - especially since everything is PC nowadays but it's the same thing as "Thats lame" , "That's dumb", "That sucks"
I remember using it as far back as i remember when i definitely didnt know what gay really meant.



I heard it's the next big retro phrase in '09 and will refer to homosexuality. Also making a comeback are far out, groovy, and sit-on-it.:D

[DGtourist]

I know that groups off non golfers at the course are annoyiong but...... Take care not to put anyone in danger yall.

801.01 Courtesy
A. Players should not throw until they are certain that the thrown disc will not distract another player or potentially injure anyone present. Players should watch the other members of their group throw in order to aid in locating errant throws and to ensure compliance with the rules.

[SunIsBlue15]

I know I've mentioned that I mostly play on a course on a college campus in what feels like every post I've made on these boards, but I have a question about what you just posted, DGtourist.

Let's say I make my drive, and while my disc is in the air someone comes around the corner of a building and gets jacked in the face by my disc. There's no way I can legally be at fault, right? If the person is seriously injured, and there was nothing I could do to prevent it, there's no way I am liable, right?

[Three Putt]

I know I've mentioned that I mostly play on a course on a college campus in what feels like every post I've made on these boards, but I have a question about what you just posted, DGtourist.

Let's say I make my drive, and while my disc is in the air someone comes around the corner of a building and gets jacked in the face by my disc. There's no way I can legally be at fault, right? If the person is seriously injured, and there was nothing I could do to prevent it, there's no way I am liable, right?I'm no lawyer, but unless you are rich you probably should not worry. My lawyer friends say rule # 1 in law is "never sue poor people."

They WILL sue the pants off of IIT (because that is where the money is) and probably get the course removed in the process.

[brokenfixed]

A couple friends of mine call the game "gay"....but not me. I guess cause I only play with my wife. Other friends call me a hippy when I bring up playing occasionally. I sorta lace some conversations with disc golf peppered in now and again to check for signs of curiousity. Like I'll tell them that ive been losing alot of weight from eating less, not drinking soda and playing disc golf...haha.

Its gotta be more of an outsider speculation and quick judgement on the type of people that would be interested in the sport. My first thought when I was driving to play for the first time, was that I'd be running into alot of semi-nerdy college kids. And then while I was playing I noticed the people were more post-college receeding hairline types.

[shirfan]

I'll admit to being pretty skeptical about the whole "frolf" concept at first. But some of the kids that work for me kept talking about playing at a park 5 minutes away, and I finally decided to give it a shot.

They had told me that a beach frisbee was no good, so I bought an Innova starter kit, and was hooked from day one of just throwing those three discs in a field. The skill needed to throw well completely took me by surprise.

The response I've gotten has been very favorable. My wife likes to play as long as she feels that no "good players" are watching. She started as a noodle-arm, but can throw a half decent drive now.
My father-in-law, who never completely left the 1970's, is a natural and had a blast when we first took him out to play.

I'm still working on getting some other friends into the game, but it's just a matter of finding time to go throw rather than any negative concept of disc golf.

"Gay"? No.

[DGtourist]

Having only taken a freshman business law class, have no clue.

I know I've mentioned that I mostly play on a course on a college campus in what feels like every post I've made on these boards, but I have a question about what you just posted, DGtourist.

Let's say I make my drive, and while my disc is in the air someone comes around the corner of a building and gets jacked in the face by my disc. There's no way I can legally be at fault, right? If the person is seriously injured, and there was nothing I could do to prevent it, there's no way I am liable, right?

[DiscChainBasket18]

More often than not I have heard people refer to disc golf as "gay" -- not meaning it is for homosexuals but gay meaning "lame".
EXACTLY!

[Donovan]

A couple friends of mine call the game "gay"....but not me. I guess cause I only play with my wife. Other friends call me a hippy when I bring up playing occasionally. I sorta lace some conversations with disc golf peppered in now and again to check for signs of curiousity. Like I'll tell them that ive been losing alot of weight from eating less, not drinking soda and playing disc golf...haha.

Its gotta be more of an outsider speculation and quick judgement on the type of people that would be interested in the sport. My first thought when I was driving to play for the first time, was that I'd be running into alot of semi-nerdy college kids. And then while I was playing I noticed the people were more post-college receeding hairline types.

Yeah, but if they had balls enough to try it out once, maybe their opinon would matter.

Just let them know they are only "HAPPY" enough to make an opinion about it without actually trying it out first. Are they so "HAPPY" that they know what "HAPPY IS, HAPPY DOES?" Now who's the man? YOU BRO! :D

[brokenfixed]

My buddy has played three times with me so far...once to give it a shot, another to tag along, and another to see what a better course was like. And he plain out just doesnt like it and thinks Im crazy, and the sport is "gay"...haha

[CBass]

There's a lot of people who ask what game I'm playing and find themselves marveling at the answers I provide them. "Wow, that's cool." or "I didn't know that's what that was." Personally I have not had people tell me its gay, maybe they just don't want to upset a 6'2" - 200 guy. Not sure. :)

[CBass]

Maybe your friend is gay-j.k.

[brokenfixed]

Maybe your friend is gay-j.k.

I figured that was coming around...haha...he's not, just bustin my balls a bit.

Anyway....yeah dude I dont think strangers are just gonna walk up to you and tell you youre gay, unless theyre going out of their way to be obnoxious.

[BrotherDave]

My favorite reaction is when I kinda wuss a big drive and some old timer power walking nearby says in crinkly old man voice, "That was a good throw," even though I'm visibly not happy. I just kinda laugh and say, "Yes it was, thanks."

[Ball-Z]

Heard it many times, mostly from people who don't have the balls to try ANYTHING new. Everything that they know nothing about is gay. It's a defense mechanism for boring people.

[BrotherDave]

Heard it many times, mostly from people who don't have the balls to try ANYTHING new. Everything that they know nothing about is gay. It's a defense mechanism for boring people.

LOL! You just pegged the hell out of a couple of my buddies! Well played sir, well played.

[billnchristy]

I just read through this...maybe people would stop calling it gay if you guys would stop cruising the local high schools and colleges to find guys to play with...

Just kidding of course...I always hear the stoner thing...last week we saw some dudes with mohawks playing and my wife said "well that blows that theory out of the water!"

[harr0140]

My uncle who is about 60 years old got upset when I told him I played and very seriously said "don't you realize that only gay people play that sport". He had read about it in the paper. I dismissed it, figuring it was just an Austin thing since Austin has become "little San Francisco". I will ask him about the article he read to get more information.

Hmm, simply a sign of his age and what people his age think. Thats a shame.
I have no problem is a lot of gay people played this sport, but just assuming it is a "gay" sport is absurd!

[harr0140]

well, guess I am going to go have to learn to suck some d$ck.

Wow.

Hey Tom, I saw you are playing in the Valley View league on occassion ( or maybe every week, regardless I saw your name listed. My name is Mike Harrington and I was jist moved for advances to semi pro because of my scores. I had only play 3 rounds at V.V. before league and shot an average of -3, but since have shot -5, -6, and -8, plus a -3 on two disc night so Terry moved me up.

I have not heard your name at any of the announcements so I could't pick out who you are, but maybe next week I will ask Terry who you are ( and it is not because you just said you are gonna have to learn ho to suck d$ck.


Mike Harrington

[harr0140]

Around here we get the "that's gay" reaction a lot. I don't really care because it is usually someone who doesn't play the game or has attempted and sucked mightily. The other thing is that if you play regularly you can get to be pretty decent within a year or so. Ball golf guys usually get ticked because they have played for 20 years and still go out and shoot 12 over and consider it a great round. I have actually taken about 20 different kids and college age adults out to our local course so they can see what its like. Out of that group, there are about 5 to 10 who now play on a weekly basis. The other thing that helps is that area high schools are starting to fund "club" teams for disc golf. they have the label of "club" because they are not sanctioned by the state high school athletics association. But if these "club" competitions grow in popularity, rumor has it, that the state may add disc golf to its list of sanctioned sports. In high school I lettered in baseball, but I am too old for that now. It would have been cool to letter in disc golf and still be able to enjoy the game.


I would have to agree wtih this, the improvement in year 1 of disc golf is tremendous compared to golf (damnit not ball golf). I have played golf since I was 13 and have gotten down to a 3 handicap at the lowest (meaning I shot about 3-5 over par per round average) and I am now 33. 20 years to get near scratch (for disc golfers that would be like being rated 1000). I have also however gotten my PDGA rating to about 830 in 4 months of playing the sport, which I am enthralled to hear. I think in the next year I could get near 900 if I keep playing an average of 1 round per day for the next 7 months.

[Midnightbiker]

I am still trying to figure out how being gay and playing disc golf go together? I don't see how the two are related or how people think they are.

[Camgolfer]

Not a sport for limp wristers. Unless someone made a disc that flew well for the limp wrist like they did for the gay guy in Revenge of the Nerds and his javelin....

[billnchristy]

The Innova Rainbow Javelin loose approach disc.

[DiscChick]

The worst is when they come up and ask " Are you playing Frolf?"

eww - I cringe when I hear people call it Frolf. Yuck. It's called Disc Golf, you play with a disc not a frisbee.

Usually I have to explain to people what it is. And I ask them "Do you like to go for walks in the woods?" and "Do you like to throw a frisbee?" If they answer yes, I tell them they should try it. I've gotten quite a few first timers out on the course and they seemed to enjoy it. And go back for more.

[Midnightbiker]

I like to say "Its like walking through a park with a purpose". I also tell people its a fun way to exercise.

[A.Mutt]

I've never heard anyone insinuate ties to the gay community before. I have heard it called gay meaning lame. Mostly I encounter blank stares and occasionally the stoner thing. Whenever
I explain it, I'm sure to emphasis how inexpensive it is and how you don't have to play seriously or be good to have fun.

[Woodpecker]

One night, a couple of months ago, some friends of mine who introduced me to disc golf had finished playing pool and went to an all night taco joint to get something to eat.

We got our food and were talking about going out the next afternoon to play DG. A group of young guys at the next table overheard us talking and one guy says, "Are you guys talking about hippie golf?" Another one says, "Only fags and retards play that game! It's not even a sport!"

I looked at the second guy and asked if he played any sports in school. He said, "Yeah, football and baseball." I said, "I always thought guys who played those sports just really liked to shower with other guys after working up a sweat."

His jaw dropped open and he started to stand up. I laughed and said, "Calm down, bud, you took your shot and I took mine. Tell you what, you look like you're in pretty good shape and you've got me by at least 30-35 years. I got some "frisbees" in the car and I'll bet whatever you want that a little retard (since I'm not gay) like me can out throw you by at least a 100' feet.

So, out we went to the parking lot and the guy won't bet anything. Of course, I give the guy a putter to throw and I pull out one of my drivers. He actually threw it pretty well other than he hyzered it way too high. Since it was on asphalt, his came close to 150-160'. He turned around and said, "Try to beat that, @@$%#!

I said, "Jeez, nice throw! WOW!" I did a full run up and caught most of it. With the skip on the asphalt, it went over 400'. I heard one of his friends chuckle "Oh my God!" I said, "Not bad for an old retarded hippie, huh? Want to try again?"

The guy didn't say a word and as they were walking back into the diner, his friends were laughing pretty hard. One of his friends said that was awsome and asked me where he could get some discs.

Woodpecker

[A.Mutt]

now that's sweet

[Dthunderchicken]

When I started playing a lot my wife had to come with me just to see if disc golf was real. A friend of hers is convinced that I'm cheating on her.

I took my FIL to his local course and threw a round with him. He thought is was pretty lame that we spent so much time looking for our discs. (This course was Baca in Albq. Lots of tumble weeds.) When he said that it was a waste of money I asked how much he had in his and his wife's clubs, shoes and green fees. When I told him that my bag and all its discs (at that time) were just less than $100, he changed his tune. I don't think he'll play again though. It's a kids game.

As for the gay bit, I've not heard that one either. The stoner bit I've heard a lot though. I even get kidded about it at work.

[Roc1Time]

All of the above!!