With origins dating to the 15th century, the sport of golf has been around for a very long time. As it has evolved, it has slowly become more of a luxury than it is a recreational sport. A decent set of golf clubs may run you close to $200 if you want to avoid using your dads old set that has been collecting dust in the garage for the past four years. Not to mention course and club fees which have become the standard for many courses. A cheaper alternative has been making its way into the spotlight however; disc golf. A couple of new discs may run you roughly twenty dollars, give or take. Though it may be cheaper in hindsight, this isn’t to say you won't throw your money towards various discs and accessories in the future.

Disc golf has grown like a wildfire in the past decade or so. According to the Disc Golf Course Review website; a website popular in the disc community for providing information and reviews on almost every course imaginable within the U.S, shows that the number of disc golf courses doubled from 2000 to 2008. Many courses offer leagues to join and there are frequently tournaments to participate in. A popular article on the PDGAs website written by Jason M. Siniscalchi shows the frequent courses popping up are beneficial to the towns they are in, providing more attraction to the parks and creating revenue through their events offered. Communities come together when it comes to the construction of courses, with the various aspects that come into play with creating and maintaining them afterwards.

Similar to the PGA for ball golf, there is even a PDGA for disc golf which attracts many talented players. One of those players is Brad “Link” Allen, a professional ball golf and disc golf player who is a well known and respected member of the St. Charles County disc golf community in Missouri. He’s helped with the addition of recent courses over the past few years and is heavily involved with the local clubs and tournaments.

Zach: “How did you get introduced to the sport of Disc Golf ?”

Brad: “I was a Special Olympics golf coach, someone bought me and my partner a couple disc and said we should try it, so we did!”
Zach: How long have you been playing?
Brad: “10 years.”

Zach: “How did you get involved in the local disc golfing community / clubs?”
Brad: “From other local players, got into a league at Quail Ridge [Park].”

Zach: “How does it feel to have been a major player in the local community?”
Brad: “It has been an honor to play with some of the games greats and call them friends! I am now 50 and a grandmaster, looking forward to winning some more tournaments!”

Zach:“What is it like being apart of the PDGA?”

Brad: “The PDGA is great and does a fantastic job growing the sport!”
Zach: “How do you feel about the rising popularity of disc golf?”

Brad: “It is great to see new faces playing disc golf! It's a great sport, great exercise, virtually completely inexpensive to start and play! It was called the greatest unknown sport at one time! But now I think most people have heard of it! The first time you make a long putt or watch the disc glide (what seems like forever) you're hooked for life! My grandma was 90 before she threw her first disc.”


There you have it, a family fun recreational support as well as a competitively involved one! Check out your local parks and see if any of them have a disc golf course, even some colleges have courses. You can get discs from virtually any local sports or hobby stores. There are plenty of websites online to choose from for discs, and many online forums and communities to read and discuss about disc golf.

Worked Cited
Siniscalchi, Jason M. "The Personal and Community Benefits of Disc Golf to Rural America (and Beyond)." PDGA. N.p., n.d. Web.
"The Rising Popularity of Disc Golf: Is Traditional Golf Dying?" Online interview. 22 Apr. 2014.
Disc Golf Course Review: View and Review over 5000 Disc Golf Courses!N.p., n.d. Web.