What is the 'identity' of disc golf?

[bucky926]

This question has bugged me for awhile now. The recent vids of Avery playing with Brodie caused me to post this. In those vids, Avery is trying to sell disc golf as an athletic sport. There's nothing wrong with that, but what is our identity?

Are we trying to reach the holy grail and have people utter that coveted word 'sport' after the phrase disc golf? Do we want to enhance the hippy culture? Do we want to reflect ball golf? Does the PDGA accurately represent who we think we are or what we want to become? Sorry for the slew of questions, but I'm curious as to what you think.

My opinion is long and speaks to the sport as a whole as well as my local club. If you feel like checking it out, click the link to my blog. Don't worry, this isn't shameless self-promotion. I'm actually very interested to see what everyone has to say.

 

[Dottedmind]

Hippy sport.

 

[lion]

I believe it is no longer a hippy sport, more modern and to revolutionary to just be considered a hippy sport. The sport always feels like its on the verge of something buigger,no?

Hippy sport.

 

[BrotherDave]

 

[bucky926]

Good Lord, that is the most accurate picture of disc golf I've ever seen. haha that made my night

 

[Mike C]

How others view my hobbies is the last thing on my mind.

 

[Oklahyzer]

I think you nailed it from the public's perspective. Hell, I'd have to admit that for the most part, that's my perspective from what I see as a disc golfer, too.

The great thing about it is that disc golf really does attract all kinds of people. I've played pickup rounds with guys visiting from out of town - one was a petrochem engineer, one was a pilot for AA, and another was an attorney. Those Top Three are the ones that seem to stick around for the long haul and in the greatest numbers, though. Is what it is.

 

[Oklahyzer]

How others view my hobbies is the last thing on my mind.

Absolutely.

 

[bucky926]

Absolutely.

I want to agree with this and I wish that disc golf would just be that thing I do to go out and get out for awhile.

But we aren't in a bubble. How our communities and our society view the sport or hobby or game is going to effect us. For instance, say disc golf gets the full on PDGA golf mentality. Those free courses can easily turn into pay-to-play which may not seem like a big deal, but 3 bucks a round and 50+ rounds a year is a lot more than most of us would ever think of paying to just go shoot a round. What about country clubs and dress codes? Yearly greens fees?

Or say the hippy vibe keeps going and your community realizes that disc golf is just a way for kids to go smoke pot in the parks. Other park users get pissed about this and soon courses get ripped out because of it.

Say we take the athletic route. Now you go to the course and there are dozens more people decked out with full bags, walking off shots, checking the wind on each throw, and taking a good amount of time to make sure they shoot well because now we're a competitive sport. Casual rounds become exercises in dodging groups and just trying to get a round in. The courses host tournaments much more often so casual play gets limited by contant practice, tournaments, and then more practice for the next one.

Of course, these examples are extreme, but the game/hobby/sport is going to grow and it will change how we play. So my question of identity isn't solely selfish and wishing for the acceptance of friends. I'm more interested in how the sport will change and how the game will be altered. We have to remember that disc golf isn't separated from our society, it is a part of it and will change accordingly

 

[scarpfish]

Are we trying to reach the holy grail and have people utter that coveted word 'sport' after the phrase disc golf?

Some are trying and some don't really care.

Do we want to enhance the hippy culture?

Some do. I don't.

Do we want to reflect ball golf?

Some do. I don't.

Does the PDGA accurately represent who we think we are or what we want to become?

See the latest T. Hizzle postings for more information.

So that sums it up. I'd say that we really don't have an identity.

 

[Leroy]

Personally I think the identity of disc golf is sort of like bowling. You can take it really serious or you can bring your kids and make a mess of the whole thing. Pro bowlers obsess about shoes, balls, the wax on the lanes, pin wear, etc. And yet people at the bowling alley obsess about the beer, hot dogs, juke box, etc. The thing I love/hate about disc golf is how random it can be. There are such awful public park courses and there are really interesting private courses. And there are really awful private courses and awesome public courses. It is a fringe activity for now and might always be. I've spent a fair amount of time in the world of pinball and it's tournement scene. Disc golf also feels like that. Just enough interest to keep it going without too much of anybody getting rich on it. I would suggest the film "A League Of Ordinary Gentleman" about pro bowling as a reference to fringe competition. One of the pro bowlers in the film is also a top notch horseshoe thrower. Now that's the question to ask! Where do horseshoe throwers stand in the cultural landscape of America? I'm just excited that so many parks departments have considered it legit enough to spend public money on putting in courses. Not bad for a fringe endeavour!

 

[Dookville]

I've heard disc golf called a lifetime sport. A sport that you really can play for a lifetime, and compete in if so desired. I think this has caused a nepotism that most people are so busy playing that nobody really gives a rats a$$ if the sport grows or not. A lot of people are just doing it as a way to hang out and have fun and would just prefer that courses stay less crowded. Is this wrong, I don't know, I'm too busy playing.

 

[notBOB]

it will always be random... so long as the enormous majority of courses are free and mediocre at best.

it only makes sense gold/champ level courses(esp pay to play gold level) breed more serious/disciplined golfers who are more dedicated. until those courses are available to the masses, the boneheads and local pros will play the same courses everyday smearing the identity

 

[burdphil]

Honestly I would say that disc golf barely has any identity at all. 95% of the people who walk around the multi-use park I play at every day don't have the slightest clue what I'm doing. When I explain it to those who ask me about it, the most common response is, "I always wondered what those metal things with the chains were for."

 

[JRW III]

Honestly I would say that disc golf barely has any identity at all. 95% of the people who walk around the multi-use park I play at every day don't have the slightest clue what I'm doing. When I explain it to those who ask me about it, the most common response is, "I always wondered what those metal things with the chains were for."

This. Most people I talk to either have never heard of it, or have very little understanding of what it is.

Are we trying to reach the holy grail and have people utter that coveted word 'sport' after the phrase disc golf? Do we want to enhance the hippy culture? Do we want to reflect ball golf?

Depends who "we" is. I don't think you can lump all disc golfers into one group. There will be those who would like to keep it hippy/underground and there are those who would like it to go mainstream, be shown on ESPN, and bring in big sponsorship dollars for tournaments.

Personally, I would like to see more "ball golf" type options (country club, private courses, dress codes, etc…). One huge advantage disc golf will have over ball golf is cost of courses, both in construction and maintenance. Thus, I do not think disc golf private courses will ever be as expensive as ball golf courses and public park departments will still be able to install and maintain public free courses.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

How others view my hobbies is the last thing on my mind.

:clap: :thmbup:

 

[DavidSauls]

Are we trying to reach the holy grail and have people utter that coveted word 'sport' after the phrase disc golf? Do we want to enhance the hippy culture? Do we want to reflect ball golf? Does the PDGA accurately represent who we think we are or what we want to become?

"We"?

What "we"?

Disc golf is played by a wide spectrum of people with different interests in it and its future. It's grade school recess and collegiate championships, families and hippies and competitive athletes. It's PDGA members and people who've never heard of the PDGA.

Regardless of where any particular "we" wants it to go, it's currently growing in all these different directions and more.

 

[garublador]

First, I don't see why disc golf has to be either a recreational hobby or a serious sport. There's no reason it can't be both.

I've heard disc golf called a lifetime sport.

When you posted this a little light clicked in my head. People compare disc golf to either ball golf or bowling a lot. I think it's more like volleyball in some respects. It's a game that's easy to play but requires a setup that's not feasible for most private properties yet is inexpensive to maintain in public parks. You can play it well anywhere from your preteen years up to your 70's, assuming you maintain fitness (that's where the lifetime sport caught my attention). And there are serious athletes that aren't household names that play the sport very well. So volleyball isn't either a serious sport that's represented in the Olympics, played world wide and has a pro tour, or a sport that's played by beach bums while drinking and hanging out with friends, it's both. It's not like golf where it's a bunch of rich guys playing or like bowling where the pros are the butt of jokes. The serious players are viewed as athletes but the normal guy can play cheaply at many parks and rec centers.

Disc golf can be the same way. Local parks can continue to maintain very good courses like they do now for not much less than it takes to maintain a park anyway. Private clubs can open extremely well maintained courses with lots of amenities and they can coexist as long as the sport is popular enough.

 

[Grungedude42]

I think it's kinda neat that rednecks, frat boys and hippies can come together peacefully (more or less) and share a game. Tournament crowds seem civil and chill, casual rounds sees its share of DBs, though. I see it very analogous to bowling. Easy to play, hard to master. Not very television friendly. I enjoy the sport's approachability. I can bring total newbies out without feeling intimidated or pressured. I can take my 5 year old out to follow me during a casual round. (I leave him at home for doubles nights and tournaments). If the sport wants to be taken seriously, there's a few issues though. Look at competitive bowlers you see on tv. None are wearing cut off jorts and tye dye tees. Your average (non-sanctioned) tourney has no appearance standard. Look at ball golf. Courses are absolutely beautiful. It will be very difficult to meet that standard on free public courses, where people break off tree limbs to fetch a disc in 3' of water. Lastly, tossing plastic discs just isn't as visually impressive as hitting a 500' home run, stretching out for a touchdown, or even a well balanced golf swing. Where's the panachè? Where's the flash? It's just not all that marketable past the point of a hobby.
And, I'm not saying it should be, either. I don't want to have to pay $50 a round and spend $500 a year on equipment. I don't want every round to be filled with rule snobs and foot fouls. What's wrong with where the sport is and how it's played now? Who cares if there's even an olympic disc golf event? I think it's great that there's a cheap, interesting way to get Americans to abandon a cheeseburger and go walk outside chasing plastic for an hour or two.

 

[Jedi-D85]

There will be no true Identity for the sport. It is a hobby/passion/time killer/social event/profession and everything in-between for different people. The public view of it is a mixed view ranging from jobless stoner to hobbyist to pro. As long as the perception of the people playing isn't viewed as everyone in the sport is a druggie drop-out that will break/vandalize everything around the courses, I am fine with it.