Falling In Love With Disc Golf - How Did You Get Your Start?

Nowadays, most kids are exposed to a handful of sports in school, and whether it be baseball, soccer, basketball, or football, it’s a safe bet that every kid in America has played or at least watched one of these activities well before they hit puberty. Some parts of the country may have other sports in the mix like lacrosse or hockey but rarely do we see a huge group of kids exposed to disc golf at a young age.

It’s something that many people are trying to change, and between the #growthesport movement and various individuals working to promote disc golf within their own schools and communities, we’ve come a long way. The fact of the matter is, though, that for the last few decades at least, people started falling in love with disc golf as adults.

Exceptions To The Rule

Of course, we can’t say that disc golf and adulthood go hand in hand - take Paige Pierce, for example, who started on the course with her dad at age 4. Naturally, this allowed her years of practice and has certainly helped her to get to where she is today. DD team member Steven Jacobs first dabbled in the sport during junior high, and while he didn’t get competitive until a few years later, he certainly started playing far sooner than many others. A part of the Dynamic Discs family for the last few years, AJ Risley has been disc golfing since age 10.

We often see disc golfers proudly showing off their children making putts in diapers on the family basket or posing their newborns with minis in their tiny hands, and without a doubt the sport is moving in the direction where so many more kids will be able to determine if they like disc golf right alongside learning how to ride a bike.

Is Later Better?

While it’s natural to think that the more time you have with a sport the better you will be, that’s not always the case. Dustin Keegan is currently rated 1019 and didn’t pick up disc golf until he was 20 despite living right next to a course for much of his childhood. Making a huge impact on the 2019 season, Missy Gannon didn’t play disc golf until her adulthood, and even then, had to give it multiple tries before she finally took to it.

Some might argue that adults can pick up the game just as easily as kids can, especially since they have more years of experience understanding how their body works and can learn about disc molds and flight paths with ease. However, being able to learn and practice your craft from a young age may bring just as much value to the table.

We want to hear from you - do you think it makes a difference when it comes to skill level and the age in which you learn how to play disc golf? How old were you when you first started the sport, and how has that influenced your current success? Let us know in the comments below!