Disc Golf: Building your community

Disc golf hosts a variety of benefits, including mental, physical, and emotional. Can you imagine yourself out there on the green, the course’s known squirrel nemesis on the brink of jumping from heights to claw you, but at the last second, the clang of your disc hitting the basket throws him off course? Your victory, instead of merely a feat of stamina, boosts the morale of the players and known pros around you. Alright, so we might be getting ahead of ourselves, but the sense of community built by disc golf can increase commonality and support for yourself and the people around you.

The Great Equaliser

Sports are known for their abilities to bring people together. From national championships to the Paralympics, sports have been modified to fit everyone. Disc golf is no different.

Disc golf is known for its accessibility for the disabled. Many parks are now wheelchair accessible, and any flat terrain is usually maintained by the town, as it is a public place. As a disc golf enthusiast and a paraplegic, YouTube user wheelzoffortune shows that all you need are a “pair of arms and a decent amount of strength.” He frequently uploads videos sharing his life with his disability and how he maintains a great arm for disc golf. Also, Perkins School for the Blind uses disc golf as a basis for motor skills in their young students. Their established website details the requirements for setting up disc golf for the blind and illustrates what students can learn from the sport. The school also considers wheelchair accessibility and allows for adjusted ring placement. You can build an online community with these examples or simply create your own!

Did you know that playing disc golf is a great excuse to lose weight? In fact, if you search online, there is quite a list of people who have begun the “disc golf diet.” Combined with healthy food intake, disc golf encourages people to walk—and even hike—to destinations usually uninteresting or unattainable. Disc golf can be played quickly or slowly, so there is no pressure to make it through the course at a certain speed. Communities that strive for healthier ways to encourage each other to create a stronger bond, and disc golf, a sport centered around its inexpensive and versatile nature, is a great way to get started.

Clubs for Community

Yes, you read that right. Disc golf clubs are centered around disc golf courses, so the communal nature of the course can help everyone! Though it’s harder to get a club going in an area unfamiliar with the sport, it is still possible! A disc golf club is a place to spark interest, and combined interest in the sport is the way to bring your community together.

Clubs can provide accommodations to the disabled and the fit. A disc golf club is focused on its members, which means local tournaments can be specific to the disabled, or open to anyone. If you advertise for special tournaments for the disabled or not physically fit, you may see an upswing in the different kinds of people roaming about your town. Simple events get the town interested, and registering your club online can set you up for tournament circuits.

Clubs also provide tournaments for your area. Don’t see the benefit in that? Consider, then, what would happen if your town were the center of a new disc golf tournament. People from around your country, let alone your area, come to participate. Presenting prize money is the least of your worries if you consider the economic gain to your town with the purchases of disc golf equipment and pay-to-play. With a united front, your town’s sponsor of the event would lead to considerable local merchandise purchased with just the game of disc golf.

Does it sound like a dream yet? Joining together as a community has vast benefits, not only to individuals but to the whole town as well! Disc golf is a world-recognised sport, so finding inspiration for starting a club and getting people involved is a global affair. The health benefits to everyone in town by installing a course and starting a club will make your town a healthier place. So, what are you waiting for?