November 4, 2011
The Growth of Disc Golf

I started playing disc golf in 1990.  At that time there were only 4 courses to play in the DFW metroplex.  Now there are at least 35 courses to choose from, with more to come soon!  According to Cliff Towne, who manages the PDGA online course directory, as of 10/17/11 their were 2953 courses listed in the United States on the PDGA website.  Add another 499 listed outside of the U.S., equals a grand total of 3452 disc golf courses listed on the PDGA website.  And there are new courses going up all the time!  

The growth in the membership of the PDGA is easy enough to track.  My PDGA # is 6108 which I received in 1990.  As of 11/2/11 the last PDGA number issued was 50,660.  That means that there are over 50,660 people who have joined the PDGA over the years.  According to PDGA membership director Sara Nicholson there are 16,001 current members for 2011.

"Steady" Ed Headrick was PDGA #1!  You can see the original hand written notebook he started the membership list on (back in 1976!) at the International Disc Golf Center located in Appling, Georgia.  I met Ed many times over the years.  Usually it was when he was playing doubles with Ralph Williamson (PDGA #10) at the world championships.  I am sure both of them were over 60 years old the first time I met them.  Just like any doubles team, they were always focused on their game and lamenting a missed putt or two.  Goes to show you it never changes, no matter how old we get!  I will forever cherish the signatures and personalized mini marker discs that both were always gracious enough to give.

Tournament fields have exploded over the past few years.  Most tournaments fields fill up, and some very quickly.  If you want to play a particular tournament it is wise to sign up early.  Another place where growth is evident is the strength of the pro fields.  There was a time where there was basically two tiers of open pro players.  There was a small group of elite players and a larger group of solid players.  Now the open fields are full of contenders.  And it is impressive to see the youth movement in the pro division.  Now the top pro cards are populated by youngsters with peach fuzz for beards who are still waiting to take their first legal sip of alcohol!

The growth of disc golf has always been on a grassroots basis.  In recent years the pace has picked up.  But the money that can be made by top players is still far short of other sports.  Maybe that adds some charm to the sport.  Nearly everyone involved does it purely for the love of the game.  And being part of the community of disc golfers is like having another family.

But things are changing rapidly.  Amazon.com has thousands of disc golf items for sale.  Many retail outlets sell disc golf equipment.  Rarely do you meet someone who has never heard of disc golf (anymore).  I have always thought that at some point disc golf would make a great sport for television.  And with hundreds of channels to chose from it seems like that day is right around the corner.  T.V. coverage will bring bigger purses in tournaments.

Then we get more interest.  And from there it will snowball.  Many of us "oldtimers" have been waiting for that day for a long time.  That day is coming.  Will you be ready?