US Junior Disc Golf Championship Set for Smugglers’ Notch in 2026
Date Published
The United States Junior Disc Golf Championship is returning to its historic roots at a time when the sport’s leadership is committed to elevating opportunities for young athletes. The championship will once again be held at Smuggers' Notch Resort, PDGA announced Thursday.
This marks the third consecutive year the championship has been hosted by Smuggers’ Notch, following successful events in 2018 and 2019 that helped shape junior competition across the country. In a significant development for the future of youth disc sports, the event is now being upgraded to PDGA XA-Tier status.
The United States Junior Disc Golf Championship represents an important step toward becoming one of the sport’s Major championships while providing top-level competition specifically designed for young players. Registration has opened and the tournament anticipates a limited field filled quickly by some of the country's best junior talent.
“This championship is about creating more high-level opportunities for young athletes,” said a PDGA representative in announcing Thursday’s news. “Smuggers’ Notch continues to be at the forefront of developing competitive pathways that are both aspirational and accessible.”
The 2026 iteration includes two new divisions – MP18 and FP18 – designed explicitly to allow select players who have already proven themselves professionally while maintaining junior eligibility. This ensures all committed young athletes can compete regardless of their classification level.
“Normally, once a player reaches pro status through the PDGA pathway system, they lose qualification for juniors,” explained tournament director Mike Schmitt. “But with this special access division created especially for Smuggers’ Notch, we're able to accommodate those dedicated players who are also committed to competing at national junior events.”
The championship continues its push toward Major status as part of a long-term vision shared by the PDGA and Disc Golf Pro Tour leadership.
“We want all young athletes with aspirations in disc golf to have clear pathways,” said DGPT Executive Director Jeff Langer. “Smuggers’ Notch provides that foundation, while this XA-Tier designation gives them exposure at nearly the same level as our current Majors.”
The 2026 championship will feature both men and women divisions across all age categories including MJ18, FJ18, MP18, FP18 competitions. Players interested in registering can do so now through an online portal managed by PDGA.
“This is the culmination of years of planning to elevate junior competition,” said PDGA CEO Chris Schenck. “By bringing this event back to Smuggers’ Notch as a top-tier championship, we're providing our next generation of athletes with opportunities they won’t find anywhere else.”
The tournament director anticipates record participation numbers in 2026 given the increased profile and tier status announced Thursday. Aspiring young players from across North America will be watching closely for their chance to compete at this premier event.
Registration is expected to remain limited throughout competitive phases, with preference given to top-ranked juniors nationally. The PDGA anticipates thousands of entries vying for a few professional spots in the main competition fields.
This article was researched and written with AI assistance using the Disc Golf Buzz synthesis engine, drawing from multiple sources: pdga.com (https://www.pdga.com/news/usjdgc-returns-smugglers-notch), dgpt.com (https://www.dgpt.com/news/usjdgc-returns-to-smuggs/), en.wikipedia.org (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DISC_assessment), discprofile.com (https://www.discprofile.com/what-is-disc), scl.cornell.edu (https://scl.cornell.edu/coe/ctlc/programs/leadership-assessments/DiSC). Search powered by: Tavily, Brave Search, SerpAPI/Google. Written with AI assistance: Ollama/deepseek-r1. Original reporting credit belongs to the source journalists.
This article was compiled from disc golf coverage with AI assistance. Source: pdga.com — https://www.pdga.com/news/usjdgc-returns-smugglers-notch