Disc Golf Will Never Be Golf

I, for one, am one of thousands of people who have often compared and contrasted disc golf with golf, and until today had no idea how ridiculous my thinking was. Golf, or as I refer to it, ‘Ball golf’, is a professional, formal, well kept, gentleman’s game; these are all traits that disc golf COULD share with golf, but won’t. Here’s why:

Golf was conceived in 13th century China as a game called “chuiwan” but was formalized in 15th century Scotland as a contact-less, exclusive, professional sport for those who could afford it (professionally, not casually). Disc golf was founded a bit differently… Ed Headrick and Dave Dunipace created the first formal disc golf basket and golf discs in the 1980’s as an all inclusive recreational and professional activity. The only margin separating a pro from an amateur in disc golf is skill, where in regular golf, the pro has nicer equipment and access to better facilities.

Location, Location, Location…

One of the benefits of playing disc golf is that it is feasible to play literally anywhere (on land), where ball golf is strictly played on sand or grass, let alone courses. Practicing golf will typically cost money, whether it be at a driving range, putting green, or green-side bunker… Unless you’re one of those people who likes to hit at an open field (respect). Where it may cost upward of $400 to install a makeshift putting green at your house (hole and everything), you can buy a couple of putters from your local sporting goods store and a portable basket for ~$150. Disc golf is more convenient, and easier than golf.

$$$

Disc golf is cheaper than golf and always will be. It costs far more to manufacture a golf club than a disc. I need not say more.

Professional Levels

The upper echelon of the PGA is extremely exclusive, to the point where you cannot play most events without invite, and all of them without qualification. Disc golf is not this way. You can play any tournament you want as long as you have a PDGA membership and some sort of tournament experience/knowledge of the rules. This inclusivity allows for a better relationship between the pros and the populace, but also allows the slightest bit of room for debauchery at tournaments of the utmost importance. Golf, is without a doubt, the stricter and more professional of the two sports.

The Socioeconomic Status of Disc Golf as Opposed to Golf

Some say this makes no difference when in reality, this absolutely makes a difference. Golf is the ‘classier’ game because it is more luxurious, clean, and expensive. It’s no secret that anybody can play disc golf and you have to spend triple digit $$$ to buy a decent set of irons. However, the tendencies are what separates the images of the two sports, not the costs.

I’ll address the topic right away and say marijuana absolutely sets the two apart. Not in the functionality of the game, not in the slightest, but in the image of the game. Disc golfers see disc golf for what it is… disc golf. The people who we are trying to expand the game to see it as some stoners trotting around a park throwing discs, which, sometimes, isn’t incorrect, but it is absolutely a stereotype and not a fact: not all disc golfers are stoners and not all stoners are disc golfers. Now, image only matters for the growth of the sport. The next generation of disc golfers is currently children, and the majority of parents are going to see recreational disc golfers and think that it is bad idea to expose their children to that kind of environment. Therefore limiting the exposure to the game that us, the community, would love to see. #GrowtheSport is cool and all but as long as our game intimidates the majority of parents, the sport won’t grow as rapidly as we would like it to.

Personally…

I’ve made it very clear throughout my disc golf career (hardly a career) that I have no issue with having fun on the disc golf course and occasionally lighting up or having a beer… truth be told, it doesn’t matter. But, as soon as you choose to pull out your pipe when there are kids and parents within eye shot, you are building a correlation between being a ‘stoner’ and playing disc golf. This doesn’t fly with most parents, but, with the ever increasing normalization of pot in the US, stoner culture is becoming more and more acceptable everywhere. So in twenty years it may be the meta. Who knows? Not me.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the difference in the sports doesn’t come down to accessibility, more so the demographics of participants. Golf is correctly labeled as a rich man’s sport where disc golf is generally labeled as a recreational game for those who enjoy cheap entertainment. Neither of these are wrong, but only one of these is emphasized as you take the sport more and more seriously.

P.S. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Discussions and debates are fun :-)