Disc Golf-Working on our Brand Reputation...

We all want Disc Golf to grow, to flourish, to add new players and share the excitement of the game. These are good things to work toward and hope for. With that great hope comes accountability and the hard work to earn the public trust. Disc Golf has plenty of appeal (sport for all levels of players, no high cost for involvement, many places to play, great people to get started with) and we all need to work on filling in the most important part: Brand Reputation.

I bring this up in light of a tough situation I had happened over the last two weeks. A tournament I was scheduled to play in (not local to the Springs) cancelled the day before it was to be held. It did create an issue (too long a story here to go into), but I just kind of got over it and moved on. However, there were some other players not too happy about it an it created a bit of online drama and left a bad impression of the TD and disc golf. These are the kind of things we need to address and correct as disc golf begins to grow.

I want to break this into three sections that greatly impact disc golf's reputation: 1) Players, 2) TD/Tournaments, and 3) Social Media. In no way do I see myself as a guru, and I am not writing this to pass judgement. I can say I have taken the time to sit back and watch situations develop and I believe we can all get better if we talk about making changes and work together with an eye to our overall impact and reputation.

First, let's start with all of us as players. I am not advocating that disc golf players become choirboys, but we can do a lot to make our sport better by watching our conduct and actions on the course. Let's face it, we all play pretty passionate and emotions will come into play. Along with emotions, sometimes some pretty strong language also happens. That's part of hitting the course. If we can keep it in mind, remember there are those around us tuned in to see what we are about, perhaps we can as they say "control the controlables" and present a positive influence as well. When we enter competitive play, we need to be in the divisions that best represent our age and playing abilities. This allows for other players to get positioned correctly and be competitive in their own levels, which will encourage more players to want to play in tournaments. And lastly, know the rules. When we practice the courses, practice the course with the rules (out of bounds, mandos, etc...) in mind. Play hard, but play straight. We also need to encourage accountability on the scorecards.

Next, TD's and tournaments. We have been blessed here in the Springs to have high quality events run by prepared and knowledgeable TD's. But we also have seen some events go sideways. As an AM player, I don't play for cash. Heck, I'll play disc golf for a Klondike bar. But when a tournament offers cash payout, it needs to be there and be right. The players that do play for cash often have large investments of time and equipment and come prepared to battle. I enjoy getting on cards with these level of players (they probably aren't as happy about it as I am) to see how these players go after the course and I can learn a lot from them, but at the same time, the tournament made a commitment to them and it needs to be honored. Wallowing around Facebook complaining about why it didn't happen is not an acceptable practice. By honoring our commitments to our top tier players, we show that disc golf can be trusted and is worth investing time and energy in.

I just mentioned Facebook, which pretty much means the NSA will be watching my every keystroke. We need to consider social media and its impact on our growth. Without a doubt, social media can help us announce tournaments, tags matches, events and even be used to poll clubs and players about new ideas. There is tremendous power in social media, and it is a platform that can reach thousands quickly. With that said, social media is not the place to air our dirty laundry, make ridiculous accusations and otherwise contribute to making the disc golf community look like a group of immature 12 year-olds. We all have seen it, and it is a blight on all the hard work and achievements accomplished. We need to use the social media outlets with care and concern for our overall reputation.


The kind of growing pains we are experiencing is a normal part of growth and should be expected. Where we can do better is look at our issues and be honest about them. The leaders I know here in the Springs are on board with running things right. We can all benefit by doing our part...

David Fournier