Personally I think disc golf needs to get over itself a bit.
I've only spectated a few top tier tournaments. In fairness they were wooded courses, so the marshals' jobs are a little more difficult, but I didn't find the experience to be particularly enjoyable. The marshals seemed to go way overboard and take their jobs way too seriously. You could barely get in position to see anything before you were getting told to stop moving. And half the time if you were in position to see they would tell you to move back (apparently every pro needs a 50 foot protective bubble to perform). "Give them space! Give them space!". If Tiger woods hits into the crowd he's got a line of people 4 feet from him on either side, surely McBeth can handle someone 20 feet away. If you want to grow spectators, there needs to be more balance between their needs and the players' needs. I've been to PGA tour events and they weren't nearly as bad.
Don't agree. I have spotted and marshaled several events, including tour events and majors. I have also played in several. The only spectators that ever seemed to get spoken to, were those with little common sense and needing supervision. Perhaps you ran across an overzealous volunteer, or perhaps you were the problem?
Some might think they should be able to stand wherever they want, but safety and liability are pretty big factors. Some might think it is only their risk, but a spectator getting injured at an event could easily place the future of the event in jeopardy, perhaps even golf at the venue.