Videos / The Disc Golf World Videos
Disc Golf Is DYING
Disc golf, once a counterculture movement, is facing a crisis as it shifts towards mainstream popularity. Jefferson, a self-proclaimed non-expert, explores the changes he's witnessed in the sport over time. He examines how the influx of new players during the COVID-19 lockdowns brought about an education gap and sparked gatekeeping within the community. With PDGA memberships growing by 84% between 2019 and 2020, Jefferson questions whether the sport has lost its grassroots roots. He references a Reddit post and mentions the Stafford situation as examples of how this shift has affected the game. The video delves into the tensions between old-timers and newcomers, highlighting concerns that the sport's core values are being compromised in pursuit of commercial success.
Top players discuss the future of disc golf: is it dying? Insights from [Tournament Name] with [Player 1] and [Player 2].
Watch on YouTubeVideo Transcript
Guys, disc golf is dying. What's up, degenerates? It's the disc golf world. I'm Jefferson here to fill everyone's head with fear-mongering. Just kidding. Well, kind of. I saw this post on Reddit about disc golf refining itself. And only being 24 years old, I figured I'm the most qualified person to talk about this. Clearly a joke since I, like most people, have never experienced what the sport was truly founded on. Often I hear anecdotes or read the writings from singledigit PDGA numbers and most of the time walk away thinking we play a different game altogether nowadays. Or maybe that's just because some of these people played with a little hula hoop as a target. I believe there is a specific point in time disc golf as a whole shifted away from the grassroots hippie game instead to try to become mainstream to maximize the amount of dollars to be made. Like most of the world it was co from UDI's findings. They reported that from 2019 to 2020, activity quadrupled and PDGA memberships grew upwards of 84%. These players were introduced through friends, family, or it was the only thing legal to do during the lockdown times. I'm really not one of those guys to complain about the influx of new people playing the game I love. Instead, I'll just quietly to myself. But the big problem I saw during this period was there being a lack of education about disc golf itself. Majority of the new faces got some plastic, tossed it around for a couple months, then never touched it again once normal activities were accessible. Don't get me wrong, there was plenty that stayed, but were labeled COVID players or some other derogatory phrase that was used to separate the new groups from the old heads. I'm not afraid to admit that gatekeeping was extremely prevalent. You got to remember that disc golf started as a counterculture movement for many and at this point their escape from society was being breached and they no longer had their safe place. That's why you had situations like Stafford Woods putting up a Brody Smith face. No one can argue that was a shot of the dark horse, but sorry to say he embodied what lots of disc golfers hate. Loud, obnoxious dude bros that were overrunning the courses. issues arose because the new generation neglected...
