| Disc golf in the United States | |
|---|---|
 Putting at the Ellsworth Air Force Base disc golf course in South Dakota | |
| Governing body | PDGA |
| Registered players | 53,669 (December 2020) [1] |
National competitions | |
Disc golf is a popular sport in the United States played at the recreational, club, and international competition levels.
In 2018, the PDGA counted 36,993 active members, 6,316 courses, and 3,068 disc golf tournaments in the United States. In 2021, PDGA counted over 50,000 active members and 9,454 courses. [2]
The world's first permanent disc golf course went into the ground in 1975 at Oak Grove Park in Los Angeles County, California. [3]
Approximately 75% of the world's disc golf courses are located in the United States. Some of the most notable ones include DeLaveaga, Maple Hill, Blue Ribbon Pines, Brewster Ridge, Diamond X, and Milo McIver. [4] Iowa, Kansas, and the Dakotas have the most courses per capita, whereas Massachusetts, Ohio, Connecticut, Wisconsin, and Delaware have the most courses per square mile of dry land. Texas, Wisconsin, and Minnesota have the most courses overall. [5]
As of February 2020 [update] , there are 7,379 known disc golf courses in the United States on the official PDGA Course Directory. [6] Below is a listing of lists of disc golf courses in the United States by state and territory. 3,281 of them (49%) are full-size courses with 18 holes or more, and 3,093 of them (46%) are smaller courses that feature at least 9 holes.
| State or territory | Courses | as % of U.S. courses | per capita (/1M) | per 10,000 km2 of dry land | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Alabama | 111 | 1.5% | 22.1 | 8.5 | |||
 Alaska | 37 | 0.5% | 50.5 | 0.3 | |||
 Arizona | 71 | 1% | 9.9 | 2.4 | |||
 Arkansas | 112 | 1.5% | 37.2 | 8.3 | |||
 California | 321 | 4.4% | 8.1 | 8 | |||
 Colorado | 198 | 2.7% | 34.3 | 7.4 | |||
 Connecticut | 31 | 0.4% | 8.6 | 24.7 | |||
 Delaware | 12 | 0.2% | 12.1 | 23.8 | |||
 Florida | 168 | 2.3% | 7.8 | 12.1 | |||
 Georgia | 131 | 1.8% | 12.2 | 8.8 | |||
 Hawaii | 14 | 0.2% | 9.6 | 8.4 | |||
 Idaho | 96 | 1.3% | 52.2 | 4.5 | |||
 Illinois | 277 | 3.8% | 21.6 | 19.3 | |||
 Indiana | 172 | 2.3% | 25.3 | 18.5 | |||
 Iowa | 288 | 3.9% | 90.3 | 19.9 | |||
 Kansas | 254 | 3.4% | 86.5 | 12 | |||
 Kentucky | 111 | 1.5% | 24.6 | 10.9 | |||
 Louisiana | 57 | 0.8% | 12.2 | 5.1 | |||
 Maine | 70 | 0.9% | 51.4 | 8.8 | |||
 Maryland | 46 | 0.6% | 7.4 | 18.3 | |||
 Massachusetts | 57 | 0.8% | 8.1 | 28.2 | |||
 Michigan | 298 | 4% | 29.6 | 20.4 | |||
 Minnesota | 329 | 4.5% | 57.7 | 16 | |||
 Mississippi | 95 | 1.3% | 32.1 | 7.8 | |||
 Missouri | 176 | 2.4% | 28.6 | 9.9 | |||
 Montana | 59 | 0.8% | 54.4 | 1.6 | |||
 Nebraska | 107 | 1.5% | 54.5 | 5.4 | |||
 Nevada | 35 | 0.5% | 11.3 | 1.2 | |||
 New Hampshire | 32 | 0.4% | 23.2 | 13.8 | |||
 New Jersey | 38 | 0.5% | 4.1 | 20 | |||
 New Mexico | 50 | 0.7% | 23.6 | 1.6 | |||
 New York | 130 | 1.8% | 6.4 | 10.7 | |||
 North Carolina | 263 | 3.6% | 25.2 | 20.9 | |||
 North Dakota | 59 | 0.8% | 75.7 | 3.3 | |||
 Ohio | 264 | 3.6% | 22.4 | 24.9 | |||
 Oklahoma | 160 | 2.2% | 40.4 | 9 | |||
 Oregon | 134 | 1.8% | 31.6 | 5.4 | |||
 Pennsylvania | 195 | 2.6% | 15 | 16.8 | |||
 Rhode Island | 4 | 0.1% | 3.6 | 14.9 | |||
 South Carolina | 113 | 1.5% | 22.1 | 14.5 | |||
 South Dakota | 76 | 1% | 85.7 | 3.9 | |||
 Tennessee | 149 | 2% | 21.6 | 14 | |||
 Texas | 448 | 6.1% | 15.4 | 6.6 | |||
 Utah | 79 | 1.1% | 24.1 | 3.7 | |||
 Vermont | 42 | 0.6% | 65.3 | 17.6 | |||
 Virginia | 129 | 1.7% | 14.9 | 12.6 | |||
 Washington | 128 | 1.7% | 16.6 | 7.4 | |||
 West Virginia | 66 | 0.9% | 36.8 | 10.6 | |||
 Wisconsin | 344 | 4.7% | 58.4 | 24.5 | |||
 Wyoming | 40 | 0.5% | 69.3 | 1.6 | |||
Louisiana
•Shreveport-Bossier City Disc Golf Union (SBDGU) – Shreveport
Innova - Largest brand, makes the most amount of molds
Discraft - Most popular brand, sponsors a legion of top pros
Trilogy Discs
- Dynamic Discs - The largest of the four brands in Trilogy, based in America
- Latitude 64 - Based in Europe
- Westside Discs - Based in America
- Kastaplast - Based in Europe
Discmania - Offshoot of Innova, created their own brand
MVP Discs (+ Axiom Discs and Streamline Discs) - Most popular disc golf company due to the attraction of James Conrad's "Holy Shot" to win the 2021 World Championship in Ogden, Utah, the signing of charismatic YouTube personality Simon Lizotte in 2023, and elite pro Eagle McMahon in 2024
Notable disc golf magazines published in the United States include DiscGolfer, the official publication of the Professional Disc Golf Association, as well as Chasin' the Chains Magazine and Physics of Flight Magazine, both by Dynamic Discs. [7] [8]
Notable disc golf podcasts recorded in the United States include PDGA Radio, [9] Ultiworld Disc Golf's The Upshot, [10] Showmez, [11] and Disc Golf Answer Man, co-hosted by Eric McCabe. [12]
Disc golf, also known as frisbee golf, is a flying disc sport in which players throw a disc at a target; it is played using rules similar to golf.
DeLaveaga Disc Golf Course, commonly known as "DeLa", is a world-renowned 29-hole disc golf course in the hills of DeLaveaga Park above Santa Cruz, California. It was established in 1984. It boasts one of the original long disc golf courses, with some holes measuring more than 500 feet in length. The 27th hole, known as "Top of the World," is one of the most famous holes in disc golf; the tee box is situated nearly 600 feet from the pin—and 100 feet above it. DeLaveaga placed #10 on Release Point's 2019 list of World's Best Disc Golf Courses.
The Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit membership organization dedicated to the promotion and sustainable growth of disc golf. The PDGA is the global governing body of disc golf. The organization promotes the sport through tournament development, course development, rules and competitive standards, media and sponsor relations, and public education and outreach.
The Masters Cup is an annual disc golf tournament held at DeLaveaga Disc Golf Course in Santa Cruz, California. The event features both amateur and professional divisions. The 23rd annual Masters Cup was held April 18–20 (amateur) and May 2–4 (professional), 2008.
Ken "The Champ" Climo is a professional disc golfer considered by some to be the best professional disc golfer of all time. Climo has claimed Twelve PDGA World Championship titles, including nine in as many years from 1990 to 1998.. Harold Duvall, Barry Schultz (2003–2004), Nate Doss, Paul McBeth and Richard Wysocki are the only other golfers with more than one open world title. In addition to his world titles, Climo has an unequalled record in the United States Disc Golf Championship, holding five titles. Named seven times as the PDGA player of the year, Ken Climo was inducted into the PDGA Hall of Fame in 1995.
Discraft is a manufacturing company producing flying discs for the sports of ultimate, disc golf and freestyle founded in 1978 in London, Ontario, Canada. In 1979, Jim Kenner and Gail McColl moved to Michigan and started what is now Discraft Inc. The company sells discs to resellers and wholesalers worldwide.
The United States Disc Golf Championship is a disc golf tournament held at the Winthrop Gold Course, on the campus of Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The professional event has been held annually as a PDGA sanctioned Major since 1999. Along with the PDGA World Championships, it is one of the most prestigious major tournaments in disc golf. The primary sponsor for the event since its beginnings in 1999 has been Innova Champion Discs, a prominent disc manufacturer. Ken Climo currently holds a record five US Disc Golf Championships. The 2016 USDGC champion, Jeremy "Big Jerm" Koling, was leading the tournament after the third round. He was declared the winner when the fourth round was canceled due to inclement weather produced by Hurricane Matthew.
Nathan Sexton is an American professional disc golfer currently sponsored by Innova Champion Discs. Among his most notable accomplishments are his 2003 Junior I Boys PDGA World Championship and his 2017 United States Disc Golf Championship win, which is his first PDGA Major title as a professional. He registered as a professional with the PDGA in 2004, but has only been touring full-time since 2013.
Barry Schultz is a professional disc golfer based in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has played disc golf since the early 1980s, and has been a professional since 1992. He is on the Innova Champion Discs Hall of Fame Team. For a number of years, he was one of the most dominant players on tour. From 2003-2009, he held the single season earnings record of $40,896, which was finally surpassed by Nikko Locastro in 2010. He is one of six men to win more than one World Championship. He is also a three time United States Disc Golf Champion, one of only four people who have won the event more than once, the others being Ken Climo, Will Schusterick and Paul McBeth. Schultz additionally holds two Masters World Championships. He and Climo are the only two men to earn both an Open and Masters world title. Schultz was inducted into the PDGA Hall of Fame in 2013.
Nikko Locastro is a professional disc golf player from St. Louis, Missouri. He has been playing the sport professionally since 2006. As of May 2023, Locastro is ranked 54th in the world, and has the 40th highest rating, currently at 1027 .
Paul McBeth is an American professional disc golfer from Huntington Beach, California. He won the PDGA World Championships four times in a row and again in 2019 and 2022, making him a six-time champion. He did not finish outside the top 2 at a World championship between 2012 and 2022. McBeth was the top rated player of the PDGA in 2015, 2017, 2018, and again in 2019. He is widely considered to be the best disc golfer of the modern era.
Richard Wysocki is an American professional disc golfer based in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Wysocki grew up in Medina, Ohio, near Roscoe Ewing Disc Golf Course.
Steve Brinster is an American professional disc golfer from Warwick, New York, and United States Disc Golf Champion. He joined the Professional Disc Golf Association in 1996 and became a professional in 1997.
UDisc is a disc golf app for scorekeeping, statistics, and discovery for smartphones and tablet computers running the Android or iOS operating system. The app is also compatible with Android's Wear OS and Apple Watch.
Eagle Wynne McMahon is an American professional disc golfer from Boulder, Colorado. He has 53 career wins and has been one of the highest rated players in the world for several years. At the end of the 2022 season he was ranked third in the world by UDisc.
Disc golf is a popular sport in Estonia, where it is played at the recreational, club, and international competition levels.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruption to disc golf across the world, mirroring its impact across all sports. Throughout the world and to varying degrees, leagues and competitions have been cancelled or postponed.
Paul Ulibarri is an American professional disc golfer from Show Low, Arizona. In 2006, he won the PDGA Amateur Disc Golf World Championships and began playing professionally the following season. As of June 2020, Ulibarri has competed in over 500 PDGA sanctioned events and has 107 career tournament wins. His career earnings total over $304,000 making him the 7th highest earner in PDGA history. Ulibarri is currently the Discraft Team Captain and a member of the commentary team for Jomez Productions.
Andrew Marwede is an American professional disc golfer from Alpena, Michigan, currently competing on the PDGA National Tour and Disc Golf Pro Tour. He Joined the Professional Disc Golf Association in 2015 and became a professional in 2016.
James Conrad is a professional disc golfer from Blacksburg, Virginia, currently competing on the PDGA National Tour, and Disc Golf Pro Tour. He Joined the Professional Disc Golf Association in 2000 and became a professional in 2006. Conrad has won both the PDGA World Championships, in 2021, and the United States Disc Golf Championship, in 2019.
Jeff Spring: [...] We got up to 4,000 concurrent viewers through the paywall, which is crazy. [...] I think we just hit 65 hundred subscribers [...]
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| Disc golfers | |
| Disc golf tournaments |
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