The Ins And Outs Of Disc Golf Clubs Part 6 - Bringing It All Together

If you thought setting up a disc golf club was easy, think again - there’s a reason we’ve devoted time and attention to this process across six separate blogs. In this final installment of our latest blog series, we’re going to take a look at some of the final considerations that every club member should keep in mind. From being able to partner with your city government to taking an analytical approach to the people in charge, there’s a ton of moving parts in any disc golf club!

• Divide and conquer - If your club becomes so large that you don’t think you can handle it, consider breaking tasks up across various groups of people and reach out to those who can help to integrate solutions. Latitude 64 player Luke Wessel explained that their huge club has had to get creative: “Because of [our] massive size, we have a group of league directors that help out with different areas such as scoring, treasury, websites, and more. We still remain one of the most played leagues in Minnesota and currently are working with the city on expanding the course to accommodate the traffic!”
• Make friends with the city - Anyone who has tried to install or expand a course knows that unless you have city officials on your side, you’re going to be fighting an uphill battle. Chris Eads, part of the DD team, gave us his advice on the matter: “When seeking new courses one thing we always provide is the labor to install the course, helping to lower the cost of the installation to the city or county. And we now have multiple courses where our target audience is the youth - cities love to hear that each course has a different audience it targets.”
• Don’t play favorites - A disc golf club sounds like a great way to make a difference with your best friends, but keep in mind that your team should function more like a small business rather than a fraternity house. Ray Woodruff, President of the Mile High Disc Golf Club, offers some sage wisdom: “Gather your board together, these should not just be your friends with the same opinions; you want differing opinions, sit down and take your time. Remember why you want to start a new club - think about what you want to accomplish this year, next year, and 5 years down the road.”
• Think outside the box - Your club doesn’t have to function in a specific way, as Dynamic Discs player Jake Key quickly discovered. “A lot of colleges don’t offer disc golf but when the course is on school property - how can I get them to the course?” he asked himself. The solution? “I set up a box of rental equipment and left it at hole one.” People signed out the discs they used during a 12 week league period and Jake got to expose tons of people to the sport.

Each disc golf club will bring its own unique challenges and opportunities to the table, so while it’s important to consider everything we’ve discussed in the last six blogs, remember that what works for one group may not work for the rest. If you’ve recently started a club in your area, comment below and tell us about your goals for the rest of the season!

The Ins And Outs Of Disc Golf Clubs Part 5 - More Money, More Problems?

If you’ve been following along with our blog series that outlines how to start and run a disc golf club, you’re probably pretty motivated to get things moving! So far, we’ve covered everything from the initial stages of getting your club going to some of the finer details concerning what you’re actually supposed to do at each meeting you hold.

However, like any good organization, you won’t get very far without financial support. In Part 5 of The Ins And Outs Of Disc Golf Clubs, we’re going to explore all things related to money and find out just how important this piece of the puzzle truly is.

Who Keeps The Cash?

Even if your disc golf club consists of members that you’ve known for decades, figuring out who actually hangs onto the money you raise can become a bit of a challenge. Many people don’t want to take on that level of responsibility, and one look at news headlines will prove just how easy it is for people in positions of power to take advantage of financial access.

So, who gets to keep the cash? We’ve received some great advice so far from Ray Woodruff, President of the Mile High Disc Golf Club in Denver, CO, and his wisdom extends into this all-important area:

“If you can wait for nonprofit status to be blessed by the IRS, wait for your Federal EIN before opening a bank account so that one person from the board isn’t left holding the financial baggage of the club if anything goes wrong. It does help to have a board member that knows finances, but this can be outsourced should you need it.”

Keep in mind that if your club gets large enough, it will operate much like its own small business, and it would be unfortunate for one person to be left financially liable should anything go amiss.

Raising And Using The Money

While having a huge balance in the bank account is certainly a sign of success, how does a club get to that point and then what can the money actually do for you? Latitude 64 team member Luke Wessel, who offered some insightful ideas in Part 4 of the series, shared that his group holds raffles and sells both discs and shirts to raise money for their various goals.

As a member of the Western Arkansas Flying Disc Association, Chris Eads offers a lot of insight as to how financial matters can positively affect one’s disc golf community:

“One thing we have always done is to raise money through raffles and disc sales for charities like EDGE (Education Disc Golf Experience) that helps grow disc golf in our state at the youth level. As far as raising funds for events and new course development - this is one of the hardest things to do and something every club struggles with. We do tee sign sales for both day of events and year-round permanent signs. This helps with course improvements.”

We still have a few more topics to tackle, so make sure to check back in to learn more about how to start and grow a successful disc golf club in your area!

The Ins And Outs Of Disc Golf Clubs Part 1 - Setting The Record Straight

Within the sport of disc golf, there are a variety of ways to become involved. We spend a lot of time focusing on how to be a great volunteer at your local course, ways to help support TD’s in the area, and more, but there’s one element that’s not often discussed when it comes to the sport we love. Starting and running a disc golf club is a great way to boost involvement in your area and expose others to the game, but do you know how to actually do it?

In this blog series, we’re going to dive deep into the inner workings of disc golf clubs. What makes them great? How can they be run efficiently and effectively? What are the benefits and potential drawbacks to such a formal group? Get ready to learn all you ever wanted to know about disc golf clubs, but first, let’s make a few clarifications about this important topic.

What Exactly Are We Talking About?

There seems to be a ton of confusion around the idea of disc golf clubs, as many people get this concept confused with leagues and events. Before we go any further into this topic, it’s crucial to understand that a league is not a club! Organized events like bag tag challenges, tournaments, and weekly leagues are all run by clubs but they are not clubs themselves.

Sure, putting on any kind of event can be challenging, and the people who take the time out of their busy lives to ensure that everything runs smoothly deserve a huge pat on the back. However, we’re going to talk about the other kinds of tasks required in order to form and start a club, not a league.

Check Your Motivations

Before you even embark upon the checklist of things to consider when starting a disc golf club, it’s important to make sure you’re clear about your intentions. If there are five other disc golf clubs in the greater metro area where you live, why are you starting a sixth? Will your club have a specific focus or is it simply to spread the word about the sport?

DD team member Jake Key has been involved in several disc golf clubs over the years, and they have always had very clear goals in mind. “The first [club] was for juniors only. I focused on getting students excited first about something they hadn’t done before,” he explained. At the time Jake was a PE teacher and used the club idea as a way to introduce disc golf to the kids who were interested. He took this same concept and applied it to another club in Wisconsin, acting as the club President and working with other players to promote disc golf on a college campus that already had a course installed.

Once you’re clear on why you’re starting your disc golf club, next comes the important task of actually organizing it! Make sure to stay tuned to read the rest of this blog series and uncover the ins and outs of disc golf clubs.