Anyone can save a couple of bucks on anything, almost everyday. Use the coupons in the newspaper to save money when you go to McD's, then take the savings and set it aside . . . most likely its not going to happen. If people save money in one place . . .they spend it somewhere else, either you prioritize disc golf volunteerism or course improvements projects or you don't. Saving $10 a month on a phone bill will only lead to them spending $10 more a month elsewhere, it is simply the state of so many people and money in America. If everyone was smart they would find a way to save those "savings" for retirement or long term disability or unemployment . . . but most people do not. They just go right back to their own natural tendencies.
I own a landscape company and I have donated my time to help improve things at a few courses. Could I have made more money elsewhere doing other things with my donated time . . . yes . . . but I prioritized those small projects instead of doing other work for pay. Now I own a disc golf company focussing on design/installation of courses and fun and unique leagues and tourneys. I will be sure to continue to volunteer my time and energy even though in the end all my time could be spent elsewhere making money . . . why . . . because I love disc golf and want to improve our courses and show people the game does not always have to be about competition, it should start with fun first.
I wish everyone luck if they decide to get involved, it is simply not for me. If it proves to be super successful we will see, but in the end it doesn't seem to me to really have any real connection to disc golfers . . . except that as a whole disc golfers are a massive network of people because we share that one thing in common.
I have one question . . . this company has raised $7 million and plans to raise $7 million more . . . what has this been spent on right now, just agreements with T Mobile? I know I wouldn't give my money to a company that hasn't provided me with anything. I am trusting, but I need proof of what will be provided before I will hand it out.
I know I use social media to get my name out to the general public and disc golfers around the country . . . why . . . because I want people to see what I am doing and where my passion lies in this game. I sell products yes . . . and I use profits to help grow the game. Making money selling discs helps me spend time investing in communication with parks departments and school districts and private entities. Supporting me will help me grow my company and continue to allow me to still volunteer from time to time.
Supporting Solavei may save you money, but it doesn't necessarily support disc golf, unless you re-prioritize your finances when you actually have a savings. My skepticism is that people will continue to do the same thing with their own money, saving $10 on the phone bill will not translate to disc golf. In an ideal world I would agree with Nikko, but think of how many other ways people could have saved money in their lives. Did they put those savings right back into disc golf? You tell me.
Again, no disrespect intended, these are all just my opinions. My opinion of Nikko has not changed, I love his passion and hope it can be put to good use. We need people like him to help advance the sport, I am just not sold on Solavei being that answer. Prodigy, however, has a real potential to alter the image of the game, but more-so from a top level pros perspective, because it will have the potential to give a certain number of people a real chance to make a living playing disc golf.
I am interested to see their products and see if there is truly anything revolutionary, or if it is just another plastic molding company. Truly look at all of the discs out there . . . how many are really all that different between manufacturers? How many are unique? How many just have a different hot stamp on top?
However, the game cannot grow just on the top pros making some extra money to have more sustainable touring. The sport needs to help others make money too, Tournament directors, league directors, course designers, installation companies, course maintenance (hiring out the maintenance of our courses to professionals). If this doesn't happen too, the game will be lopsided. We all need to work together, the top level pros, the local pros, the league directors and tournament directors, the PDGA, the casual players too. Everyone has a role in this game, it is not just one entity that needs to grow, we all do.
I am going to do my part to help improve the sustainability of our courses through good safe proper design using my 20 years of property maintenance (including golf courses, country clubs, and home lawns and landscapes). I am sure I can solve potential problems on our courses before they happen with good design and proper installation techniques.
What skills do you have that disc golf course benefit from? Do you do welding? Then offer some help to fix damaged or broken baskets. Do you do concrete work? Then find a way to connect a course designer/installer with your concrete company, perhaps even offer up the wasted concrete that comes back every day by putting it into 5 gallon buckets and a new sleeve so that your local course could add a few alternate basket locations. Do you work in a lumber yard? The offer to provide some scrap lumber to a local course for new tee-signs? Do you work for a tree company? Well, maybe you could have a load of the chippings from tree removal brought to a local course to help cover up the bare areas around baskets and tees?
Think about your own strengths and offer those things up to the disc golf community. You know who your local leaders are, so make it happen. I have had so many offers from people in the last few months since I started my company. people want to be involved and helpful, so let them help in the way they are best suited.
