What happened to "Grow the Sport" threads?

[SD86]

The more courses issue in my area is a big one to me.

My home course for the first 5 years I played had become so crowded it is near a safety issue at times and an environmental(mostly errosion) at its best.

The closest courses were over 10 miles away not counting a short private course that few can access. And even then one of those is only a couple of years old, and in a not ideal area and the other is not well maintained and is too challenging for less than advanced players.

We just got a pay to play course put in 10 miles away to the north(other courses were west and south) and it's taken a bit of pressure off. It's a well designed and challenging, albeit not super long course. But I have adopted it and have shelled out the $40 for a year pass, and may deem it my new home course if it playes well all year.

Being less trafficked and closer to my house/on the way home from work makes the experience better to me.

So yeah, let's grow the sport, but do it in a way that continues to improve the average players experience, not just in ways that impact bottom lines for the manufacturers.

Which course is the pay-to-play?

 

[SD86]

I'm curious about this. I played several courses outside of Atlanta years ago and the area seemed to have enough capacity. In the greater Houston area, courses come and go, but the area is served by a number of vibrant and active players constantly looking to add new venues. They do a remarkable job. Does Atlanta have no such group of visionaries? I'd think a city as vibrant as yours would?

Manufacturers. It is the job of business in a capitalist society to think about their bottom line. Innova, who seems the most mercenary to me, has put tons of money into growing events, providing baskets (yes, at a profit) supporting all aspects of the game - including the women's game, and growing the international game. If that mercenary part of them is to be taken in context, they're damned unmercenary in action. They've set a tone that has driven other manufacturers to follow in suit. And the others have, all of them to my knowledge.

I admit, sometimes Innova's desire to control certain events to their benefit annoys me, but I can't argue their overall effort, it's been savvy and good for the sport.

The metro Atlanta area is large, but there are courses all over the place, and a few a bit further out, such as North Georgia Canopy Tours in Lula, Ga., and a course out in Monroe. Gwinnett County has four courses that are all different but all good in their own ways. Cobb County also has some good ones. So we've had visionaries, and now we have courses to play upon...

 

[jeffmonty]

I've noticed that GROW THE SPORT seems to mean only to some PLAY AS MUCH AS YOU CAN WITH YOUR BRO'S. The sad part is I've never seen most of these guys with a shovel or lopers in their hands, or picking up trash, or moving branches out of the way after a storm.

 

[Keller]

The only thing that would grow it faster is an artificial influx of capital from a sucker. Does anyone know a rich idiot that has been shown to invest in really bad deals and then rely on others to bail them out?

Donald Trump

Sorry, couldn't resist

 

[brutalbrutus]

Don't be sorry. I think that is exactly who he meant...

 

[Keller]

Don't be sorry. I think that is exactly who he meant...

God I hope not!
I don't want that orange freak to have any associations with disc what so ever! :gross:

 

[biscoe]

And some others like more courses.

When I started a couple of decades ago, we pretty much had our local course to ourselves.

And we played it over and over and over, because it was a 1 1/2 hour drive to the next closest one.

Now there must be 100 within a 2-hour drive, some of which are vastly better than anything that existed around here in the mid-90s.

Though there are some drawbacks, I wouldn't want to turn the clock backwards. Thus, I'm not too concerned with it running forwards, and where that may take us.

Which is probably fortunate, since I don't have a lot of choice in the matter.

All this.

When I started in the mid 90's there were 15 courses in the state of Virginia and one PDGA event. we drove from richmond to Raleigh every month to play in their monthlies because they were the nearest "real" tournaments. Now there are 119 courses in Virginia listed on this site and there were probably 70 or so PDGA events this year. Heck, at this point I have designed/installed more courses than there were in the state when i began playing.

Still not a big money pro tour though.

 

[Three Putt]

All this.

When I started in the mid 90's there were 15 courses in the state of Virginia and one PDGA event. we drove from richmond to Raleigh every month to play in their monthlies because they were the nearest "real" tournaments. Now there are 119 courses in Virginia listed on this site and there were probably 70 or so PDGA events this year. Heck, at this point I have designed/installed more courses than there were in the state when i began playing.

Still not a big money pro tour though.

Missouri had seven courses when I started. We always had at least three PDGA events though. Technically we might have had two because KCWO was held in Kansas sometimes, but realistically KC, ST. L and Columbia were all holding PDGA events. It was an entirely different game back then. Back then a 6,000' course was a monster!

 

[PBokor]

More about doing than preaching to the choir here...

I am a neophyte who loves disc golf. You folks get it, no need to over promote here.

For me, it is about talking to as many players on the course, especially couples or young families, as I can, every time I'm out throwing. Making new friends and letting them know that our course was purpose built for kids, novices, and families. Without new blood, stagnation occurs in any system.

There are plenty of places for the 900+ folks to throw nearby. We opted for the newbies and have had incredible success and more traffic then was ever anticipated.

Think global, act local. YMMV.

 

[DavidSauls]

All this.

When I started in the mid 90's there were 15 courses in the state of Virginia and one PDGA event. we drove from richmond to Raleigh every month to play in their monthlies because they were the nearest "real" tournaments. Now there are 119 courses in Virginia listed on this site and there were probably 70 or so PDGA events this year. Heck, at this point I have designed/installed more courses than there were in the state when i began playing.

Still not a big money pro tour though.

The slowest growing aspect of the sport.

All of the other growth involves disc golf as a participation sport.

Big growth of the money involves disc golf as a spectator sport.

Which is a quite different proposition.

*

Yeah, I drove 3 hours to High Point, NC to play in my first tournament.....because that's how far away an available tournament was. One of the growing pains we're dealing with now is the local tournament calendar; more courses, more events, but not more weekends. Alan Beaver, our state coordinator, has his work cut out for him to work it all out. But I remember those old days, and it's a nice problem to have.

 

[DavidSauls]

Anyway, it might be a bit presumptuous if I were to say that the old days, before this growth, weren't as good; and the future, with continued growth, won't be as good; leaving today as the Golden Age. Not to mention, silly.

And for those no-growthers who've been playing for only 5 or 10 years.....Aren't you glad the growth didn't stop before you were part of it?

 

[Orioles_Lefty]

I appreciate the background provided by folks in this thread. I'm fairly new to the sport and the way I see the phrase used has led me to believe the term meant or evolved to mean "Grow the market for the sport."

 

[Moose33]

Which course is the pay-to-play?

Etowah DGC at Riverside Park, it's just South of Cartersville. I suppose it's not exactly pay to play, but it's $5 per car to enter so it keeps some people out.

 

[Moose33]

I'm curious about this. I played several courses outside of Atlanta years ago and the area seemed to have enough capacity. In the greater Houston area, courses come and go, but the area is served by a number of vibrant and active players constantly looking to add new venues. They do a remarkable job. Does Atlanta have no such group of visionaries? I'd think a city as vibrant as yours would?

Manufacturers. It is the job of business in a capitalist society to think about their bottom line. Innova, who seems the most mercenary to me, has put tons of money into growing events, providing baskets (yes, at a profit) supporting all aspects of the game - including the women's game, and growing the international game. If that mercenary part of them is to be taken in context, they're damned unmercenary in action. They've set a tone that has driven other manufacturers to follow in suit. And the others have, all of them to my knowledge.

I admit, sometimes Innova's desire to control certain events to their benefit annoys me, but I can't argue their overall effort, it's been savvy and good for the sport.

There is a good club scene especially on the easy and west of the city. Straight north is fairly under served though, and that's about the area I'm in. So it's not terrible, but could be better. There is only actually one proper course one atlanta proper as well. It's not bad but compared to MSP, Grand Rapids and Charlotte it's low compared to the population.

 

[scarpfish]

Does anyone know a rich idiot that has been shown to invest in really bad deals and then rely on others to bail them out?

Yes. That would aptly apply to pretty much every owner of a major sports franchise whose home venue is to some degree being financed or subsidized with public money. The really bad deal is for the taxpayers, and bailing out occurs up front.

 

[Three Putt]

All Right! It's the annual, it's offseason, "so we need something to carp about and make fun of," thread! cooolio.

The notion of grow the sport comes about from surveys done with the membership. When Brian H. first starting bringing a more structured approach to the PDGA (possibly it was the Board) one thing that was done was to survey the membership to see what they wanted, direction. There was a unanimous, "grow the pro game," response. What that really meant was, I'm a 950 rated player and I want the sport to grow enough so I can quit my day job and play disc golf. Of course, that ignores the fact that some young stud (Eagle Mc.) is going to come along at such a speed it'd tear the 950 rated player's shorts off leaving him standing in his tighty whities or other undergarment-of-choice.

The PDGA took those surveys to heart and started spouting "Grow the Sport." Along with that, they started promoting the growth of the pro game. Are we having fun yet?

I remember that a little differently.

The survey was in the late 90's as I recall. It was a little over 10 years after Am membership became a thing and the number of Amateurs in the PDGA had grown so that there were more Amateurs in the "Professional" disc golf association than Pros. The tournament scene (at least in the Midwest) was propped up on the Amateurs. All the events I was going to (and running since I didn't know any other way) were run on what is now called the "Am scam." You give a disc that you paid $5 wholesale for to an Am as a prize, but it counted $10 against their prize amount. The $5 you skimmed off that was funneled into the Pro payout. It wasn't a secret, everybody knew it happened. It was the PDGA and the priority was the Pro payout. Some of the newer Am players didn't like the focus on the pro side and complained about it.

So the question the survey was getting at as I remember it was "should the PDGA keep doing what the PDGA has always done and keep the focus on the Professional side, or should it shift into more of an Amateur-based organization?" The results (not surprisingly IMO) was for the PDGA to keep doing what it had always done.

I think at the same time Hoeniger and people on the BoD were pushing the PDGA into a more organized phase so that they could more effectively promote professional disc golf, but it wasn't like it was a change of direction or anything. The direction of the PDGA was the same before and after. The PDGA just got better at doing what it was always trying to do.

 

[BrotherDave]

Some of us are building courses for you buncha freeloading Commies. :|

 

[Halcón]

All the events I was going to (and running since I didn't know any other way) were run on what is now called the "Am scam." You give a disc that you paid $5 wholesale for to an Am as a prize, but it counted $10 against their prize amount. The $5 you skimmed off that was funneled into the Pro payout.

You said "were run," but isn't that how the vast majority of tourneys are still run?

 

[Three Putt]

You said "were run," but isn't that how the vast majority of tourneys are still run?

Somebody who is more into the current tournament scene would have to say. I left all that behind a long time ago.

 

[SD86]

Etowah DGC at Riverside Park, it's just South of Cartersville. I suppose it's not exactly pay to play, but it's $5 per car to enter so it keeps some people out.

Cool. My sister lives in that area, so I'll try to check it out next time I'm out that way.

Ft. Yargo State Park, between Atlanta and Athens, is a $5 to park place that has a DG course. I haven't tried it, and I've heard mixed reviews of it.