7 Reasons to Join The Disc Golf Community!

I’m a big fan of the disc golf community. In fact, it’s very rare that I meet a disc golfer that I can’t get along with. Truthfully, I haven’t met one yet. But I haven’t been playing too long, so I’m really just assuming there must be someone out there…

Really though, if you are on the fence on whether you should take up this game and invest your energy into it, I say the disc golf community is the decisive scale-tipper in favor of “yes”.

By taking up this game you are joining an overwhelmingly enthusiastic, kind and helpful group that will go out of your way to include you.

Once you “catch the bug”, as I recently have, the commonality of disc golf is all you really need to enter into the folds. Very quickly you will find yourself swept up in the growing groundswell that is disc golf and become a member of something bigger than yourself.

The passion this community carries for the sport is top-tier. And it’s that passion that make it destined to sustain itself.

Somewhat counterintuitive to that passion is the relaxed atmosphere you can find out on the course. There’s a collective understanding that we’re all playing a game that we greatly enjoy and that idea somehow pervades independent of how poorly your individual round might be going.

All told, the community provides an incredibly soft landing pad as you attempt to take the big leap into the unknown world of disc golf. Now, let’s take a closer at the 7 reasons you should join the disc golf community…

Reason 1 – The Disc Golf Community is Inclusive

I tried to look up other antonyms for “exclusive” to better capture the arms-around-shoulder/come-on-in feeling the disc golf community provides, but couldn’t quite find the word that hit the nail on the head.

Everyone is Welcome signage — *Everyone’s welcome in the disc golf community!*

Nevertheless, the disc golf community is extremely welcoming and inclusive. With hashtags like #growthesport and the like, there is a collective understanding that there is plenty of room for more disc golfers.

Sometimes, in other situations, you can get an eye-roll feeling when you try to enter into the folds. “Oh no, not another one,” type of sensation. Not so in disc golf. By showing my interest/passion for the game, I’ve been welcomed by many different people from varying walks of life.

The disc in hand was my passport and my genuine interest got my entry fee waived.

Joining an inclusive community is a very important “plus” when considering whether a new venture is worth your time. Disc golf has inclusivity on lockdown. It’s one of many positives working in its favor… The next reason ties into this idea as well.

Reason 2 – Disc Golfers Are Giving of their knowledge

Picture me, a 42-year old relative newbie, out there with 3 months of experience under my belt. My playing partners were guys with 5, 7, and 15 years experience.

In many other sports, those guys wouldn’t even bother with me. And to be fair, I wouldn’t blame them! What would I do if I saw my disc-golf equivalent in basketball dribbling off my shoes and heaving mighty bricks off the backboard? I doubt I’d head over and start giving pointers. Maybe, after my experience in disc golf I will though…

Because in disc golf these guys are giving me little tips on how to do this or that on the course. I’m also getting advice on courses to play or products to get that would suit my game. The list goes on and on about how these folks overextended themselves for a new disc golfer in their midst.

I can’t tell you how important this has been for me in wanting to stick with the sport. It’s absolutely crucial. Knowing that I have the support of the community and knowing that I can tap into their collective knowledge not only buoys my interest in keeping with the sport, but also makes me far more inclined to help others (both on this site and on the course) when the opportunity provides.

Reason 3 – Disc Golfers Are Friendly

It seems obvious based on what I have written so far, but it’s worth its own section just to hammer the point home. By and large, the disc golf community is extremely friendly.

I’m sure it’s not 100% true, but we’re playing a numbers game here. And by the math, I would bet a good amount of money that you are far more likely to meet a friendly disc-golfer than you are to meet a friendly person in most other groups.

I don’t know if it’s the chicken or the egg. Does disc golf attract friendly people? Or, does the friendliness in the community teach others to be friendly?

Whatever the case, you are going to find a lot of friendly people out there on the disc golf course. This is another positive for joining the community. It also directly relates to the inclusivity of disc golf as well as the community’s general willingness to help a fellow disc golfer with their game.

Speaking of being helpful…

The disc Golf Community Looks out for its own

It’s a blessing and a curse, but I am very forgetful. I am the guy that has finally learned that I CANNOT leave my coffee on top of my car because I WILL forget it (let’s be honest. It’s mostly a curse.)

As such, I have lost A LOT of discs out on the course. Do you know how many I have gotten back? All but one. Do you know why I didn’t get that one back? Because I failed to write my contact information on the back of it.

person holding black rotary telephone — *Lose a disc? There’s a great chance if your number is on the back that you’re getting a call… But less of a chance it’s from a rotary phone…*

I wrote a post called Lose a Disc, Find a Friend where I had a very unlikely returning of my disc, and a very novel experience to boot. Check it out and see if you have had a similar experience…

Call it “helpful” or “courteous” or whatever adjective you like. The point is, it’s just another example of how the disc golf community looks out for you.

This, to me, is not to be underappreciated. I like being a part of a community that takes those collective actions, like returning my discs, to show that they have my back.

I think this is a major boon for why prospective disc golfers should consider joining the disc golf community.

Reason 5 – The Disc Golf Community is Passionate

For something to have staying power there has to be passion. The collective passion for disc golf is contagious. It has to be part of the reason so many people talk about “catching the bug” or “getting hooked”.

And sometimes, such passion can be a deterrent. Not so in disc golf.

This is the type of passion that’s not always in your face. Nevertheless, if you have the “Wait, you play disc golf too?” moment at a party, you may find yourself waxing disc golf for an hour with a complete stranger in the corner while the party moves on without you.

The community is fervent, but in a positive way. To me, this only translates to my own enthusiasm for the game, and makes me that much more likely to want to stick with it.

Reason 6 – Be a Part of a Growing Phenomenon

We’ve hinted at this with some of the prior reasoning, but now let’s mention it explicitly.

Disc golf is a rapidly growing sport.

At my age, and given my consequent indifference to being a part of anything up and coming, I don’t get a lot of opportunities to be a part of too many growing trends. Nevertheless, I think it’s fair to say that at this point (2022) disc golf still has its arrow pointing up.

And if you believe some of the prognosticators, that arrow won’t be rounding out for a while. Part of this has to be due to the aforementioned passion and inclusivity within the sport.

Whatever the case, the community is clearly at the heart of this movement. And I have to say that it’s fun to be a part of a growing trend. This might factor into your decision to take up disc golf as well.

Reason 7 – Open the Door for New Experiences

airplanes window view of sky during golden hour — *Go and travel the world as you grow, in more ways than one, with the sport of disc golf. Subscribe and come with me, as I do the same!*

Because disc golf is growing so rapidly, so too is the opportunity to play disc golf in a wide array of places around the world.

Disc golf, for example, is taking deep root in many nations in Europe. The countries in Scandinavia are leading this charge. If they’re doing it, then it has to be good right?

All told, by embracing disc golf you are opening the door to meeting new people and having new experiences all over the world.

And given that upward pointing arrow, these opportunities will only grow as the sport takes root in new places with each passing day. I’ve been lucky enough to travel a fair amount in my life and I’ve always enjoyed the novelty of meeting new people and experiencing new cultures.

Disc golf is your ticket to all of that.

7 reasons to join the disc golf community – In Summary

There you have it. Those are a lot of compelling reasons to take the plunge and join the disc golf community. And truthfully, I probably missed a few as well (If you think I did, let me know in the comments and I’ll add it in!).

But really, the evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of joining the community.

In doing so you find yourself amongst a group of people that are friendly, inclusive, and willing to share their knowledge. Being part of such a helpful group that looks out for its own is not to be understated either.

Note: If you are looking to for ways to find fellow disc golfers you can try both udisc.com and discgolfscene.com as a way to do just that.

And underneath it all is a collective passion that fuels the sport’s upward trajectory. As a result, by joining the ranks, you are becoming part of a growing trend. This growth can also be seen in the form of new courses cropping up all over the world. That can only mean new experiences in the form of traveling to different communities and meeting new people from all over.

So, if that sounds as enticing to you as it does to me, then what are you waiting for? Get yourself some discs and join the disc golf community.

You’re quite welcome.

Thanks for reading everyone! If you are, in fact, new to the sport, let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Does the disc golf community seem like it’s enough to tip the scales in favor of you joining? If you are reading as an established disc golfer and think I missed out on other points, then let me know those as well. Finally, no matter where you are, I encourage you to subscribe and be part of this community at Disc Golf Around.