Disc golf is a popular sport in the United States played at the recreational, club, and international competition levels.
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 | |
Popularity
editIn 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]
Courses
editThe 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 |
Organizations
editCalifornia
edit- San Diego Aces Disc Golf Club – San Diego
- San Francisco Disc Golf Club – San Francisco
- DeLaveaga Disc Golf Club – Santa Cruz
Colorado
edit- Mile High Disc Golf Club – Arvada
Louisiana
•Shreveport-Bossier City Disc Golf Union (SBDGU) – Shreveport
Minnesota
edit- Minnesota Frisbee Association (MFA) – Minneapolis
- Mankato Area Disc Golfers United (MADGU) – Mankato
- Rochester Area Disc Golf Association (RADGA) - Rochester
North Carolina
edit- Rocky Mount Disc Golf – Rocky Mount
Pennsylvania
edit- Pittsburgh Flying Disc Society (PFDS) - Pittsburgh
South Carolina
edit- Blown Keg Disc Golf Club – Greenville
Texas
edit- Funkytown Flyers – Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
- Lewisville Disc Golf Club – Lewisville
- San Antonio Disc Club – San Antonio
- Houston Flying Disc Society – Houston
- Alamo Community Disc Club – San Antonio
Manufacturers
editInnova - 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
Mass Media
editMagazines
editNotable 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]
Podcasts
editNotable 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]
Streaming
edit- Disc Golf Network – 6,500 subscribers and 4,000 concurrent viewers during the Disc Golf Pro Tour[13]
Competitions
editNotable American disc golfers
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ "PDGA Player Search – United States". Professional Disc Golf Association. 2 December 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
- ^ "2018 PDGA Year-End Demographics" (PDF). Professional Disc Golf Association. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
- ^ "Oak Grove (Hahamongna Park)". Disc Golf Scene. Retrieved 2020-09-27.
- ^ "World's Best Disc Golf Courses: #1-#100". Release Point. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
- ^ "Advanced Course Search – United States". Professional Disc Golf Association. 16 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- ^ "Disc Golf Courses in the United States". Professional Disc Golf Association. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
- ^ "Chasin' the Chains Magazine | Dynamic Discs". www.dynamicdiscs.com. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
- ^ "Physics of Flight Magazine | Dynamic Discs". www.dynamicdiscs.com. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- ^ Hill, Steve (2018-02-20). "PDGA Radio Returns". Professional Disc Golf Association. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
- ^ Charlie Eisenhood; Jamie Thomas. "Podcast Archives". Ultiworld Disc Golf. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
- ^ "SHOWMEZ is a non-podcast not about Disc Golf". JomezPro. 2020-05-07. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
- ^ "About". Disc Golf Answer Man. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
- ^ Johnny Discgolf (15 March 2020). "DGPT Update: Jeff Spring talks COVID-19, Brodie Smith, and the Disc Golf Network". YouTube. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
Jeff Spring: [...] We got up to 4,000 concurrent viewers through the paywall, which is crazy. [...] I think we just hit 65 hundred subscribers [...]