"Grow the sport"

[SD86]

I really don't understand this one. I love disc golf but I also love what it is....right now. To that end I ask you who exactly benefits from growing the sport? I can see how the manufacturers will benefit most of all. I can see how a HANDFUL of ELITE TOURING PROS will benefit. How does grow the sport benefit the average disc golfer? Average casual player?

Is "grow the sport" just a veiled way of saying "pay players more?" I find myself confused by this "movement" and would like to try to understand why people feel this way.

If it means more and better courses, that would be good for all of us. But it can also mean keeping the courses we already have. My home course is a great course for casual players, and I fear (especially with Atlanta United being propped by the local sports media) that someone is going to say "let's take that land and make soccer fields out of it".

So more awareness, a LOT more awareness, is going to be needed if we casual ams want courses upon which to play.

 

[VictorB]

I really don't understand this one. I love disc golf but I also love what it is....right now. To that end I ask you who exactly benefits from growing the sport? I can see how the manufacturers will benefit most of all. I can see how a HANDFUL of ELITE TOURING PROS will benefit. How does grow the sport benefit the average disc golfer? Average casual player?

Is "grow the sport" just a veiled way of saying "pay players more?" I find myself confused by this "movement" and would like to try to understand why people feel this way.

I don't think it's a very difficult concept. Here's my quick take on it:

Grow the sport means get more people excited and playing disc golf.

When there's more people excited and playing disc golf, opportunity for expansion and utilization of more public and private land for disc golf arises.

When there's more opportunity for utilizing more land, more courses can be created.

More courses being created means more inclusion, opportunity, and variety to play the sport.

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

Echoing what other old-timers have said already: it sure sucked not having very many courses and only having a Stingray, Roc, Aviar Putter and Viper in my bag that I could only buy from a guy in his garage and I had really nobody to teach me how to throw them properly for many years.

If there are any downsides to having over two dozen courses within an hour's drive of me in an area with less than half a million people and such a wide array of plastic available to suit my particular needs, I'll take them, and if the sport grows more and the number of courses doubles and triples and quadruples until we have as many courses as localities have softball diamonds and basketball and tennis courts, then YES, I will take it too.

I'm hoping the day comes when really good private courses dot the countryside as much as ball golf courses do while I can still play somewhat decently. Bring it on.

 

[Geer_Boggles]

Well it has pretty much been said already but just think of it this way...

Growing the sport, in layman's terms is making it bigger. All of it. That means more players, more competitions, more courses, more discs and companies putting out/revolutionizing discs and disc flight, more chances for the folks in the far corners of the world to finally hear about a great sport and find the same passion and excitement that we all do when we play.

I just saw a video the other day of 4 natives in Africa throwing discs (and doing it quite well) and having fun with it. That right there is what I think of when I see or hear "Grow the Sport". Sure it's easy to think of the major corporations reaping the benefits and taking money and becoming larger and paying more, these things are all true but that is a good thing for us players. Not that we don't have options in this department but who doesn't want to try out new disc technology or have a chance to earn more cash/prizes when they compete?

The change I think most of us would like to see is implementing it into schools as an official team sport. Imagine if you were in middle school, they had a disc golf team and you had the opportunity to learn it and play it for a school sport. It provides another outlet for kids who may not want to run all over the place or tackle people or hit a tiny ball with a stick. It gets kids out into nature and away from the stresses of life and pressures of other things.

Those are just a few things I think of when "Grow the Sport" gets tossed around. It really is what you want it to be, not what other people define it as.

 

[discerdoo]

You guys have a lot of faith in local government if you think more DG players means more DG use of public land. In the short term it almost certainly means more crowded courses. Long term, good luck.

 

[Geer_Boggles]

You guys have a lot of faith in local government if you think more DG players means more DG use of public land. In the short term it almost certainly means more crowded courses. Long term, good luck.

I believe that could also be part of growing the sport. Taking disc golf courses away from the local governments. Pay to Play is the way things should be and it is how it is here in Maine. I've never played courses in any other state so I can't attest to the government control of courses in parks but I think that increasing the amount of private course owners is key to making the sport more enjoyable.

 

[kiwichiwi]

Local governments are the ones who we are trying to get on our side. Cary Area Disc League and all the guys who do the work out there have been doing an amazing job showing how disc golf can help the community. They do fundraising tournaments multiple times a year and the local governments are seeing the difference and every day I think I see some new development made towards a new course or fixing a current one. Growing the sport is never going to be a bad thing overall. Even the stuff like crowding courses doesn't sound bad. I have met so many people by showing up to a course and seeing new or experienced players and asking to join their round.

 

[DavidSauls]

You guys have a lot of faith in local government if you think more DG players means more DG use of public land. In the short term it almost certainly means more crowded courses. Long term, good luck.

It did when the local government came to our disc golf club, saying they had a new park and wanted to put disc golf in it.

And that's in a place without terribly good support from the parks department. Within 1½ hours of me are two locales where the governments have been very active, putting in new courses for their parks.

Try doing it where parks haven't heard of disc golf, because it's small.

 

[discerdoo]

It did when the local government came to our disc golf club, saying they had a new park and wanted to put disc golf in it.

And that's in a place without terribly good support from the parks department. Within 1½ hours of me are two locales where the governments have been very active, putting in new courses for their parks.

Try doing it where parks haven't heard of disc golf, because it's small.

Much respect for your efforts, but I already have a job.

 

[kiwichiwi]

Much respect for your efforts, but I already have a job.

Doing work for something you love isn't exactly a job to me. You can just enjoy the fruits of other peoples labor and nobody will have an issue with it. Just don't be the one scrutinizing the course.

 

[NegaSnapples]

You guys have a lot of faith in local government if you think more DG players means more DG use of public land. In the short term it almost certainly means more crowded courses. Long term, good luck.

Much respect for your efforts, but I already have a job.

 

[GMcAtee]

I like the way it was 5 years ago better than now. Several new courses going into the ground with poor design that are a complete waste. I've seen older popular courses upgraded with gimmicks and triple mandos, an over-saturation of discs and tournaments, tournament entry fees doubled, and clubs dying.

The "grow the sport" people rarely are seen doing course maintenance.

Let's start saying "smart disc golf growth".

 

[Geer_Boggles]

I like the way it was 5 years ago better than now. Several new courses going into the ground with poor design that are a complete waste. I've seen older popular courses upgraded with gimmicks and triple mandos, an over-saturation of discs and tournaments, tournament entry fees doubled, and clubs dying.

The "grow the sport" people rarely are seen doing course maintenance.

Let's start saying "smart disc golf growth".

That may be the case in some states but if that's true, then do something about it. Most course owners are wicked open to suggestions from the players.

I also feel this is a strong point in the Maine Disc Golf community. Courses are privately owned and pay to play but most courses are a thing of beauty. Great course designs all around me 20+ top notch courses within an hour of me. I feel like player feedback has a LOT to do with this as well. Two heads are better than one applies to pretty much everything including disc golf.

 

[Soaruman]

For me personally, it's really as simple as this: I think DG is fun and I enjoy sharing the fun with others.

 

[JuanA]

Grow the Sport benefits me because I'm heading to the course in 15 minutes for lunch.

The course that didn't exist when I first started playing.

I'm bringing some new discs to try out too.

Discs that didn't exist when I first started playing.

 

[Steve West]

... Most course owners are wicked open to suggestions from the players. ...

That may be the source of the problems he described.

Player suggestions are fine when they are vetted by an interested and knowledgeable owner - private or public. No so much when an uncaring or clueless parks department lets anyone and everyone do whatever they want to the course.

 

[GMcAtee]

That may be the case in some states but if that's true, then do something about it. Most course owners are wicked open to suggestions from the players.

I also feel this is a strong point in the Maine Disc Golf community. Courses are privately owned and pay to play but most courses are a thing of beauty. Great course designs all around me 20+ top notch courses within an hour of me. I feel like player feedback has a LOT to do with this as well. Two heads are better than one applies to pretty much everything including disc golf.

It depends on the region if the community is open to feedback. I've previously lived in a region where feedback was welcomed (and I loved the feedback for what I was working on). The region I live now, I've noticed feedback is not welcome at all.

 

[AliceSprings]

As a woman playing disc golf, "grow the sport" benefits me a ton. If the sport grows to include more woman, I have more people to compete with. That is way more fun and will help me get better.

 

[SD86]

You guys have a lot of faith in local government if you think more DG players means more DG use of public land. In the short term it almost certainly means more crowded courses. Long term, good luck.

You're right... but I'd rather have a crowded course to play on than not have a course at all.

 

[juju]

Would rather see the sport regress back to what it once was during it's best era (late 90's-early 00's).