The DD Women's Series - Part 1: Disc Golf Wasn't Love At First Sight For Missy Gannon

Welcome back to the Dynamic Discs Women’s Series, where we get to learn more about one of our female team players through a four-part blog series. So far we have gotten to know many of the women who have been touring the nation, but today we’re going to check in with an incredible player whose name you’re going to start seeing a lot more of!

Originally from Cold Spring, New York, the desire to move to Colorado with her fiancé would change Missy Gannon’s life forever, but not in the ways that she thought. In Part 1 of this series, we’re going to learn how Missy got involved in disc golf and how she ended up loving the sport.

Longing For A Change

Although her hometown is quite beautiful, Missy wanted to spread her wings and venture across the nation to make a new home for herself. Growing up as an athlete, she had never heard of disc golf, and it wasn’t until she was almost finished with her two-month road trip to Colorado that she was handed a stack of discs.

“I figured it was going to be easy and fun. I’d thrown frisbees before and thought it wasn’t going to be a big deal. I probably threw 40 or 50 feet before it hyzered out. I was pretty unimpressed with the sport right off the bat! I’m such a competitive person that when I wasn’t excelling it was hard,” Gannon shared.

Unlike so many others who instantly fall in love with disc golf the first time they play, Missy’s friends didn’t get the reaction they were hoping for. Nevertheless, she pushed through to finish the 9-hole course they were on, and she even purchased a disc starter pack just in case she wanted to try again later.

Something Clicked

Missy and her fiancé traveled to Oregon before finally settling in Loveland, CO, and they decided once more to give disc golf a try. Even after this second go of it, she still felt like it wasn’t her thing, but with her competitive nature tugging at her, she couldn’t just give up without giving disc golf the attention that it deserved.

“It ended up becoming something I was doing every weekend. Once we settled in Colorado we went from being avid hikers to playing disc golf more often, and we got involved with local clubs,” she said. It was this community support that really helped Missy to excel both in her skills and her attitude toward the game.

Her first sanctioned event was in the spring of 2016, and she signed up for the Recreational division, not really knowing how her skills would compare against others. To her surprise, not only did she win her very first tournament, but she also would have won by a landslide if she played in the Advanced division! She began to play in tournaments every weekend and from then on was completely hooked.

So how did she go from someone who didn’t really care for disc golf to a member of the DD team now touring the country? You’ll have to wait for the rest of our series to find out! Stay tuned for Part 2 where we learn more about the Colorado disc golf scene and how Missy went from a casual player to a well-known competitor.