2015 Pros and Their Manufacturers

[mj20300]

I get left out a lot. Hehe

 

[Rob Martin]

MJ is Discraft. (Where are those smiley thingies when you want to use them?)

 

[Columbia gorge]

True, though you'll find a lot more people with Discraft in their bags in the Bremerton area than in other regions. But in any case, no matter the brand Scott was/is a great ambassador for the sport. Some pros, the extent of their growing the sport, appreciation of the game is a mumbled "thank you blahblahblah" at the awards ceremony. I suppose it does something to promote that particular company, but if I were the one paying the bills, I'd be trying to think of better ways of advertising.

Yep, Scott is the man in west sound and has/is doing a whole lot if work for disc golf. Always a pleasure to play on his card and at his events. Paul Wright is up in there as well. That guy puts in work!

 

[DanJon]

It really is amazing how much stock people put in "elite" level pros selling product for, and maintaining their sponsor's market share/solvency. With Discraft, they probably make more per quarter off Ultimate sales, than a few disc companies make yearly.

Even Innova's biggest buyers don't really care or understand who the 3x World Champion is. They just know that it's a sweet tye-dye frisbee. Or that it shares the same name as their grandpa's awesome hot rod. Only our small percentage actually cares.

Look at it this way. All those chuckers out there with Champ Bosses. You think they know or care who Dave Feldberg is?

 

[bnbanbury]

It really is amazing how much stock people put in "elite" level pros selling product for, and maintaining their sponsor's market share/solvency. With Discraft, they probably make more per quarter off Ultimate sales, than a few disc companies make yearly.

Even Innova's biggest buyers don't really care or understand who the 3x World Champion is. They just know that it's a sweet tye-dye frisbee. Or that it shares the same name as their grandpa's awesome hot rod. Only our small percentage actually cares.

Look at it this way. All those chuckers out there with Champ Bosses. You think they know or care who Dave Feldberg is?

Several posts ITT that dismiss the pros ability to impact disc sales and i think that's not at all true. Prodigy is a concrete example of this. They bought market share through hype generated by their pro team. There are other companies that sprang up in the same time frame that have had a shadow of prodigy's success and pro sponsorship is the major separator.

Paul Mcbeth's in the bag video for this season has over 37,000 views on youtube (and collectively all his in the bags are well over 100k). It may not be casual disc golfers who watch these but its also not casual disc golfers who buy 50 discs a year and have 500 in their garage. This stuff matters to people.

It's a small market but this is advertising that reaches a targeted demographic and is therefore effective for the companies who use it. I understand there that people reject the concept of disc golf celebrities and think that following pros is dumb, but i think it has been proven to affect the market.

 

[Tpro]

I agree with DanJon. Just because WE the disc golf community know what touring kats throw DOESNT mean the general population care (not that they care anyways). Does Paul McBeth look cool on the Innova 3 pack box yes..... But for all most outsiders know he could be an "Actor" ... The whole Prodigy thing is a wash, If you don't sell in a big box store you don't matter. Its the truth once you sell remotely national or region wide in a Dicks or Academy etc you've made it. If your only selling disc out of local head-shops, car trunks and on facebook you cant argue that your even close to being relevant.

 

[zendragon]

Discraft's clinics are one of the biggest reasons I kept playing when I started. I wasn't a die hard player, but I wanted to improve my 150' distance. That's how I learned there were pros in the first place. It was much cooler learning from a pro than from just some random guy showing grips in his backyard on YouTube. I bought several Discraft discs soon after. When I meet people on the course who are just starting, I will refer them to some of those clinics now. I'd say it's working overall for Discraft.

 

[DiscJunkie]

Several posts ITT that dismiss the pros ability to impact disc sales and i think that's not at all true. Prodigy is a concrete example of this. They bought market share through hype generated by their pro team. There are other companies that sprang up in the same time frame that have had a shadow of prodigy's success and pro sponsorship is the major separator.

Paul Mcbeth's in the bag video for this season has over 37,000 views on youtube (and collectively all his in the bags are well over 100k). It may not be casual disc golfers who watch these but its also not casual disc golfers who buy 50 discs a year and have 500 in their garage. This stuff matters to people.

It's a small market but this is advertising that reaches a targeted demographic and is therefore effective for the companies who use it. I understand there that people reject the concept of disc golf celebrities and think that following pros is dumb, but i think it has been proven to affect the market.

Well said.
Bottom line, Disc Golf companies are in this to make a profit. If sponsoring Pros was not giving them a ROI, then they wouldn't do it.
Granted, the "hobbyist" (as opposed to the casual) disc golfer may not be the biggest market, but it's a sizeable one.
I would love to see the numbers of discs that Innova sells to different outlets (ex: big box vs PIAS vs online retailers), but that's never going to happen. so we'll just keep specualting. But based on what I've heard about Innova and Discraft and others, if you're not gonna help them grow, you're not gonna get their money, or sponsorship.

 

[Loomis]

Major Tour Teams only:

Team Prodigy (AKA it's not a contract, we're investors team)
Wysocki
Jerm
Nikko
Cale (barely seen on tour this year)
Paige
Uli
Mrs. Uli
Will
Hokum
et. al.
Seppo (Prodigy Europe)

Team Prodigy (AKA not on the board of directors team)
Cam
GG
Ragna
et. al.

Team Innova (AKA those who own more than one shirt with INNOVA embossed on it)
Mcbeth
Philo
Brinster
Climo
Dollar
Nichols
Schultz
Scbwebby
Brown
Yeti plus one
Mrs. Doss
Roan
Koivu
Daddy Jenkins
Weese

et. al.

Team Discraft (AKA will a stack of discs be okay?)
Hippie
Mr. Val Jenkins
Elaine King
Adam Olsen
et. al.

Team Discmania (AKA oh yeah, those guys)
Nate Sexton
Lizotte
and a lot of Europeans

Team Gateway (AKA I still putt with a wizard team)
...

Team Deity Discs (AKA Our band is looking for drummer and keyboardist)
Barsby
Matty O

Team MVP (AKA... that one guy on Youtube)
...

Team Trilogy (AKA the Hyzer flips)
McCrae
McCabe
Feldberg
Owens
Lopez
Convers
et. al.

Team Legacy (AKA The Californians)
Rico
Rico
Risley
Scoggins
et. al.

Team Vibram (AKA Those discs that look like big erasers)
Vicich

Team Mixed Bag (AKA Fabric softener)
Brad Williams

 

[Streets]

I find that both funny and informative :clap:

 

[scarpfish]

Several posts ITT that dismiss the pros ability to impact disc sales and i think that's not at all true. Prodigy is a concrete example of this. They bought market share through hype generated by their pro team. There are other companies that sprang up in the same time frame that have had a shadow of prodigy's success and pro sponsorship is the major separator.

What you're forgetting is that what made successful promotion for an upstart company was the previous dissatisfaction by pros with their established companies who essentially told them that their bennies weren't going to get any better because in all honesty, the promotion it gave the company really wasn't helping the bottom line. The discs were pretty much selling themselves and most of the people buying them don't know who they are.

I'm also not convinced that Prodigy is a success yet. They're certainly not taking over people's bags around here.

Paul Mcbeth's in the bag video for this season has over 37,000 views on youtube (and collectively all his in the bags are well over 100k). It may not be casual disc golfers who watch these but its also not casual disc golfers who buy 50 discs a year and have 500 in their garage. This stuff matters to people.

Not really. When I was buying that many discs a year, I can't recall acquiring a single one because I watched some pro's "in the bag" video. They were mostly tries at new molds or repeats of ones that I already had. If Ken Climo's or Nate Doss's name happened to be on one, it was coincidental.

It's a small market but this is advertising that reaches a targeted demographic and is therefore effective for the companies who use it. I understand there that people reject the concept of disc golf celebrities and think that following pros is dumb, but i think it has been proven to affect the market.

Its a good way for upstart companies to get their foot in the door. Nothing more. Other upstart companies are having similar success with a less star studded team (Dynamic, Westside) or none at all (MVP/Axiom). There's more than one way to skin a cat, and if the established companies have proven anything, it's that once the foot is in the door and you've looked at how your discs are selling, sponsored pros really don't matter that much in the end.

 

[Mixed Bag Madness]

In the back of my mind I've been thinking that Brad Williams might be trying to get on with Prodigy. The last few vids of him I watched he had lots of Prodigy and was even putting with them. opcorn: Someone in the know could probably shed some light on that.

 

[bnbanbury]

What you're forgetting is that what made successful promotion for an upstart company was the previous dissatisfaction by pros with their established companies who essentially told them that their bennies weren't going to get any better because in all honesty, the promotion it gave the company really wasn't helping the bottom line. The discs were pretty much selling themselves and most of the people buying them don't know who they are.

I'm also not convinced that Prodigy is a success yet. They're certainly not taking over people's bags around here.


Not really. When I was buying that many discs a year, I can't recall acquiring a single one because I watched some pro's "in the bag" video. They were mostly tries at new molds or repeats of ones that I already had. If Ken Climo's or Nate Doss's name happened to be on one, it was coincidental.


Its a good way for upstart companies to get their foot in the door. Nothing more. Other upstart companies are having similar success with a less star studded team (Dynamic, Westside) or none at all (MVP/Axiom). There's more than one way to skin a cat, and if the established companies have proven anything, it's that once the foot is in the door and you've looked at how your discs are selling, sponsored pros really don't matter that much in the end.

I agree with you that sponsorship is only useful up to a point and i also agree that there are several ways to get your foot in the door. Dynamic was initially attached to larger companies that did have sponsored players using their products and this helped them get their foot in the door. MVP used innovation in design to get their name established and gain a following.

Whether Prodigy ultimately proves to be a successful enterprise is not really point nor is the motivation for their players leaving other companies. The bottom line is that they have had an undeniable effect on the disc golf market and their chosen method of pushing their product is hype from their sponsored pros. That other companies choose other methods doesn't make this any less true.

I would also say that the comment regarding the in the bag videos is certainly your personal experience but not necessarily representative of the larger experience. I don't throw discs because of in the bag videos either, but as i read the comments filled with things like "i need to check out xyz" i feel that it is true that these things have an effect.

The statement people make- "pro sponsorship doesn't matter to me" is certainly true and valid. The statement "pro sponsorship doesn't matter to disc golf" is not true as evidenced not only by the things outlined above but also by the fact that there is a heavily populated thread like this about pros half a dozen times a year.

 

[Cgkdisc]

It will be interesting to see if Prodigy's new basket will accelerate their inroads into the DG marketplace.

 

[Dana]

I'd like to think I've had an impact on Vibrams success in Illinois.

If I was sponsored by Lightening, I imagine you would see an increase of Lightening sales in IL.

 

[olkok]

I took my little brothers to this at the Ocean Center in Daytona. It was AWESOME!!

 

[Loomis]

Players have a huge impact on disc golf sales. To say otherwise is foolish.

The key to the formula is success. If a player is successful then they will have a huge impact on uncertain players. Mcbeth uses stiff beadless PA aviars... suddenly everyone has to have them. If HE is successful, then I will be successful. The entire growth of the industry through the late 90's and early 2000's was built on "KC" plastic and Discraft's endless exposure of it's top players.

If THEY use this disc and win, then YOU can use this disc and win.

Dana is right. He has had a huge impact on his region. People respect him and when he says, "try this" they listen. They see results (which may or may not be a reflection of the disc) and they buy into it.

Brad Williams has made Texas his playground. Discraft is all over Michigan. Rico has made California his. Prodigy is spreading all over Georgia and DD/Trilogy is all over Kansas and the midwest. For a time, Gateway owned St.Louis.... And this is mostly because the better players in those regions use that disc. Im sure with Cale's new store we will see more Prodigy in Minnesota.

It's the way it works. Golfers are all unsure of themselves and looking for something to improve their game. If you put someone successful in front of them and have them say, "try this" they generally will.

I throw Discmania and Innova. Just to throw that out there.

 

[The Hammer]

I'd like to think I've had an impact on Vibrams success in Illinois.

If I was sponsored by Lightening, I imagine you would see an increase of Lightening sales in IL.

I'll admit that I never gave Vibram a chance. However, after playing with you at Worlds, and seeing the success you have with their products gave me pause. I still haven't thrown their stuff, but I would certainly be more open to giving it a shot.

 

[DavidSauls]

Players have a huge impact on disc golf sales. To say otherwise is foolish.

The key to the formula is success. If a player is successful then they will have a huge impact on uncertain players. Mcbeth uses stiff beadless PA aviars... suddenly everyone has to have them. If HE is successful, then I will be successful. The entire growth of the industry through the late 90's and early 2000's was built on "KC" plastic and Discraft's endless exposure of it's top players.

If THEY use this disc and win, then YOU can use this disc and win.

Dana is right. He has had a huge impact on his region. People respect him and when he says, "try this" they listen. They see results (which may or may not be a reflection of the disc) and they buy into it.

Brad Williams has made Texas his playground. Discraft is all over Michigan. Rico has made California his. Prodigy is spreading all over Georgia and DD/Trilogy is all over Kansas and the midwest. For a time, Gateway owned St.Louis.... And this is mostly because the better players in those regions use that disc. Im sure with Cale's new store we will see more Prodigy in Minnesota.

It's the way it works. Golfers are all unsure of themselves and looking for something to improve their game. If you put someone successful in front of them and have them say, "try this" they generally will.

I throw Discmania and Innova. Just to throw that out there.

That's just one segment of the disc golfing, disc-buying population. There's another segment who has no idea who those guys are.

Now, perhaps there's a trickle-down because the disc golfers who know and are influenced, also influence the more casual players, TDs who offer discs at local tournaments, and what stock stores carry. But we have a small store that caters to the non-tournament players, and most of them don't even know of the existence of pro disc golfers.

What portion of total disc sales are to which group, I haven't a clue.

 

[The Hammer]

Players have a huge impact on disc golf sales. To say otherwise is foolish.

The key to the formula is success. If a player is successful then they will have a huge impact on uncertain players. Mcbeth uses stiff beadless PA aviars... suddenly everyone has to have them. If HE is successful, then I will be successful. The entire growth of the industry through the late 90's and early 2000's was built on "KC" plastic and Discraft's endless exposure of it's top players.

If THEY use this disc and win, then YOU can use this disc and win.

Dana is right. He has had a huge impact on his region. People respect him and when he says, "try this" they listen. They see results (which may or may not be a reflection of the disc) and they buy into it.

Brad Williams has made Texas his playground. Discraft is all over Michigan. Rico has made California his. Prodigy is spreading all over Georgia and DD/Trilogy is all over Kansas and the midwest. For a time, Gateway owned St.Louis.... And this is mostly because the better players in those regions use that disc. Im sure with Cale's new store we will see more Prodigy in Minnesota.

It's the way it works. Golfers are all unsure of themselves and looking for something to improve their game. If you put someone successful in front of them and have them say, "try this" they generally will.

I throw Discmania and Innova. Just to throw that out there.

IMO, one of the biggest reasons I see Prodigy catching on around the Phoenix metro area is Uli's influence.