What To Do When Telling Your Family You're A Disc Golfer Over The Holidays

For most people, the holidays mean a number of things - playing less disc golf as it gets darker so much earlier outside, getting to take time off of work, and spending more days with your extended family than you do any other time of the year. If you’re lucky, you’re super close with your aunts and uncles, cousins and in-laws, but not everyone has the chance to enjoy heartfelt communication and shared activities with those they’re related to.

If you’ve recently been bitten by the disc golf bug and want to tell your family all about it during a holiday get together, you might be feeling a bit nervous. There are a ton of stereotypes that come along with the sport, and people who you only see a few times a year might not understand what it’s all about, especially if you aren’t super close with them. Let’s explore a few of the common concerns you might hear and how you can overcome them.

“It’s not a real sport”

We all know that’s not true, but for so many people across the world, disc golf doesn’t seem as real as basketball, baseball, or football. Perhaps it has to do with the lack of money in the sport or its’ still very narrow reach, but nonetheless, you’ll likely hear this phrase when you share about your love of the game.

According to Wikipedia, a sport “includes all forms of competitive physical activity or games which, through casual or organized participation, at least in part aim to use, maintain or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants, and in some cases, entertainment for spectators.” It couldn’t be any more clear - disc golf is, in fact, a sport.

“You’ll never get any good”

This might ring in the ears of players who are more casual when it comes to disc golf and instead of attempting to hit the road and make a living out of it, realize that it’s more of a hobby. So, when your least favorite aunt decides to rag on you for your lack of skills and tell you that you won’t get good, you can tell her that that’s not what disc golf is about.

We love this game because it offers a way to challenge yourself every time you play, and rather than “getting good,” the goal instead is to have fun and see if you can do better than you did last time. Disc golf is great for making new friends, spending time with the ones you have, and incorporating exercise into your life.

“Disc golf is a waste of money”

In reality, playing disc golf is probably cheaper than the gym membership that all of your family members don’t use, as most courses are completely free to play. A set of discs for a beginner isn’t costly at all, and it’s a sport that’s flexible enough to let you choose how much involvement, and therefore money, you put into it. Imagine saying that over the holiday dinner table, huh?

All kidding aside, we realize that some people do have a difficult time when it comes to their family giving them a hard time about disc golf. If you haven’t already shared the above information with them, consider educating them about the game and even taking them out to play a few holes. You never know who you’ll turn from a hater into a lover of the game.