Junior Sponsorships At DD - What We Look For

You may have noticed that at Dynamic Discs, we have a robust group of sponsored players, anywhere from touring professionals to casual players who make a big difference in their community. We also like to sponsor junior athletes who have a passion for the sport - it’s both an honor and privilege to be a part of the disc golf career of these young players!

But how exactly do we decide which junior players to sponsor? While in many ways the criteria can be the same as an adult sponsorship, we have to take additional information into consideration. After all, picking from a talented pool of adolescents requires a different approach.

Playing Well And Then Some

DD Team Manager Robert McCall has a big task on his hands, as he finds and recruits all of the talented players on our team. When looking for juniors to sponsor, he notes that much of the same criteria is present, including examining ratings, tournament finishes, and the number of tournaments played each year. However, there’s more to it than pure performance that he evaluates: “I'm particularly impressed with juniors who are active on social media and active in their local communities as they pertain to disc golf.”

Being a part of the DD team doesn’t simply mean you’re the highest rated player in your area and you crush it at each event you attend. The ways in which you help to grow the sport and foster a community spirit in your local area speak volumes about who you are as a person and how you align with our team values.

A Family Affair

It used to be that disc golf was a sport that adults played with their friends on the weekends, yet it has now transitioned into a popular pastime for families around the world. With the emergence of kid only tournaments and a push to teach the sport in schools, it makes our job of sponsoring juniors even more exciting.

Robert sees this shift firsthand and uses this viewpoint as another basis for assessing sponsorships, saying “As disc golf is coming into its own a little bit more as a sport, we're starting to see more and more juniors and their families committing to it like they would little league and select sports, and that commitment is awesome to see!”

However like so many good things in life, there simply aren’t enough slots to go around to all of the talented junior players we see week in and week out on social media. While McCall’s job sounds like a dream come true, tough decisions must also be made:

“The hardest part about sponsorship is that there will always be more qualified people than there are sponsorships available, so if we're not able to sponsor someone, we still want them to know that we think they're great! A lot of sponsorship just comes down to timing and fit.”

Do you have a junior player who is obsessed with the sport? As a supportive parent, make sure you’re doing everything you can to help promote disc golf in your own community and encourage your child to play to their heart’s content!