The Thrilling Story of PDGA Member #100000

In the world of disc golf, milestones are celebrated with great fanfare. And what a milestone it was when the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) reached its 100,000th member in October 2017! This remarkable achievement marked the culmination of years of exponential growth for both the PDGA and the sport itself.

Since its founding by "Steady" Ed Headrick in 1976, the PDGA had grown at a steady rate, with an average of approximately 1,430 new members per year. However, it wasn't until 2011 that the organization reached its first major milestone – 50,000 members. But what happened next was nothing short of astonishing. In just six years (2011-2017), the PDGA doubled this number to reach an incredible 100,000 members.

And then came the click-race for #100000! Hundreds of eager disc golfers waited patiently, refreshing their browser pages in anticipation of getting the coveted number. But it wasn't until Monday, October 2nd, that the stakes were raised. At 4:50 pm, the latest membership number assigned was up to #99950, and just 17 minutes later, #99970 was assigned. The competition was fierce, but it all came down to one last click.

Enter then-10-year-old Ryan Quinlan from Oxford, Pennsylvania. His father, Dave Quinlan, had been trying to get his son a special birthday present – the PDGA membership number #100000. With only minutes to spare, Dave clicked the button, and to everyone's surprise, Ryan became the 100,000th member!

As it turned out, this was just the beginning of an unforgettable birthday celebration for Ryan. Thanks to donations from numerous disc golf companies, including MVP Disc Sports, Axiom Discs, DGA, Westside Discs, Discraft, Dynamic Discs, Innova Champion Discs, Millennium, Disc Golf Pins, Mint Discs, and Vibram Disc Golf, Ryan received a mountain of customized merchandise featuring his new PDGA number.

But what made this gift even more special was the surprise party organized by Dave's wife and local disc golf pro shop (CTP Disc Golf). On October 15th, just two weeks after becoming the 100,000th member, Ryan walked into the store with his father to pick out some new discs. That's when he saw a stack of PDGA #100000 merchandise waiting for him!

As Ryan took home his incredible haul of custom gear, it was clear that this young boy had caught the disc golf bug. With a collection already rivaling those of seasoned players, Ryan will undoubtedly be competing in many more events in the years to come.

The growth of the PDGA over the past decade has been nothing short of phenomenal. And as for Ryan Quinlan? He'll always remember his 11th birthday as the one that changed everything – and made him an honorary member of the disc golf community!

This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/decade-display-pdga-hits-100000-members