Some of the Most Important People in Disc Golf

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Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.

~Elizabeth Andrew

Recently, I was reflecting on all of the tournaments that I played in 2014. I won’t mention the total number in case my wife reads this. Let’s just say I was fortunate to be able to attend quite a few. Tournaments are an important part of my disc golf life. Beyond the competition, which I enjoy, is a wonderful social aspect. I met so many really great people throughout the year. It’s tough to beat the camaraderie, excitement, and atmosphere of a disc golf tournament.

While the size, cost, and weather may vary from one tournament to the next, they all have one thing in common: at some point, someone made a decision to organize and run the tournament, then put in a lot of work to make it a reality. I’m speaking of the wonderful Tournament Directors, or TD’s!

I really like the idea that people are so committed to this sport and their fellow disc golfers that they would dedicate their time and effort to run a tournament. I appreciate and respect that. More importantly, I want them to keep doing it! If you like to attend tournaments, I think you’ll agree that we should encourage our TD’s to keep up the great work. Here are a few things we can do for them:

  •  Preregister (if available). Preregistration is the ‘RSVP’ of disc golf. It lets the TD know how many people will attend and gives them time to prepare in advance. That helps them run things in a timely manner. It really benefits us, too, because when things will run smother, we get done sooner.
  •  Do your part by showing up on time, listening to the TD at the player’s meeting, and keeping a good pace as you play. These are more things that also benefit us as participants. Tournaments take up a big chunk of time, but we can help the TD and ourselves by getting there on time and not contributing to delays.
  •  DON’T COMPLAIN TO THE TD! We may have issues with how a tournament was run, but complaining is not the best approach, particularly on the day of the event. If we’re angry or dissatisfied with certain aspects of a tournament (players pack, payouts, cost, pin placement, etc.), taking a day or two to think about it or talking to our friends about it might help us realize our issues aren’t as big as we thought. Maybe what we were concerned about wasn’t even the TD’s fault. If we still think it’s something the TD should hear about, we should send them a respectful email discussing our concerns. Most TD’s I know would like to hear ideas for improving their tournaments. By offering calm, constructive suggestions, TD’s are more likely to listen. And, more likely to continue running tournaments.
  •  Thank the TD! At the very least, tell them “thank you” at the end of the tournament. It feels good, for us and them. At a few tournaments I’ve been to, some of the participants circulated a tournament disc for everyone to sign as a surprise ‘thank you’ gift for the TD. I like that simple way of showing them that we appreciate them and their efforts. They will remember the gesture and be more inclined to do it again.

Disc golf tournaments are a fun part of our sport. Let’s make sure they continue by making life a little better for the people willing to run them. I would love to hear your thoughts about TD’s, their hard work, and ways we can make their lives a little better.

Alcohol on the Disc Golf Course: Pack It In, Pack It Out

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As we looked at the data from our State of Disc Golf 2014 Survey, one thing became very clear: Disc golfers like to drink. Alcohol use was by far the most used substance on the disc golf course in 2014. In fact, more disc golfers said they drank alcohol on the course than those who did not participate in the use of any substances on the disc golf course.

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Unlike the use of marijuana that we discussed last week, a conversation on the legality of its use does not hold a lot of weight. Though it ought to be said, there are many public courses in public parks that post no alcohol signs, and a fair share of disc golf courses have faced the threat of removal due to these rules not being followed. Of course we encourage everyone to follow the rules and local laws that pertain to each course so that we can keep our precious courses and continue to grow the sport.

One might also be curious as to underage drinking on the disc golf course. We only had 83 people in the 18-21 age range say that they drank alcohol while playing disc golf, and it is not safe to assume that any of these individuals were or were not drinking legally. Again, we just encourage all to keep the rules and keep the game in a positive light. Here is a chart showing how many individuals in each age range said they drank alcohol on the course in 2014:

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This chart really doesn’t hold any surprises, as each age reflects the total result–about half or just under of the total participants in each age tier.

So at all ages, drinking alcoholic beverages has become a popular activity. What does this mean for the sport? Is this a good thing? A bad thing? Neither or both?

Disc golf is not the only sport where alcohol has worked its way into the main scene. Casual rounds of ball golf and alcohol go together very often. Many golf courses sell alcoholic beverages at their clubhouses to accommodate their patrons.

So alcohol is a big part of ball golf, and ball golf is thriving as a mainstream sport. So naturally, disc golf can thrive with a can of beer in the bag right? Maybe, but there is a crutch that disc golf carries in many towns that drinkers and nondrinkers alike need to learn to leave behind if disc golf is to grow–littering.

It definitely would not be fair to blame those drinking alcohol on the course for the all the littering that occurs on disc golf courses around the world. Soda and energy drink cans sometimes are found just as frequently as alcohol cans and bottles. However in some cases (like on the course I learned to play) there is no questioning where most of the littering was coming from. I used to joke that I thought Twisted Tea was the official drink of disc golfers because of how many cans and bottles I saw strewn about the park. On more than one occasion I have walked up to a tee pad to find it covered in shattered glass from a beer bottle.

Again, pointing fingers does not do us any good, we just need to fix it. How do we fix it?

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Really, it is just that simple isn’t it? Don’t litter, and if you see it happening, say something. We really are all in this together when it comes to the growth of disc golf. Lets all commit to stop the littering and keep our courses beautiful for casual and professional players alike.

Lastly, and probably most importantly, do NOT drink and drive. A friend of mine worked at a country club, and he told me about his horror as we would watch golfers get hammered on the course and then get in their cars to drive back home. Do NOT do it, and do NOT let your friends do it. Please drink responsibly. Keep yourself and all of us safe.

New Golf Discs for 2015

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As the disc golf world continues to grow, so do the number of new disc models. Last year there were more than 70 new disc models introduced by more than a dozen different disc manufacturers. If historic disc manufacturing trends continue, this number will only increase this year.

Here’s what we know about new discs that will be released in 2015:

Innova

From PDGA approval and promotional releases, we know that Innova will release a putter the Whale, the Colt, and the new midrange (VRoc). There is also rumor of a really beefy putter the Innova Hawg, which may be like or replace the Pig.

Innova has also mentioned that there will actually be three different VRoc versions released throughout the year.

On January 16th Innova will release there new Wombat Midrange. This disc is said to be very similar to the Foxbat, but with “VTech” technology that makes it less likely to turn over.

Discraft

We haven’t heard any news about new releases coming out from Discraft, other than lots of new plastic varieties as limited edition fundraiser discs for the Ledgestone Open.

There will of course be a new release for the Discraft Ace Race this fall. Many disc golfers are hoping that this year the Ace Race disc will be either a putter or a midrange.

Trilogy

Trilogy Logo

Latitude 64:

Latitude 64 has already released a new ultra high speed driver, the Ballista, in the new Snow Line plastic. The catch with this new release that it is only available as a limited fundraiser for the Scandanavian Open. Word is that the Ballista won’t be available at retail prices in the United States until 2016.

As part of the Trilogy Challenge, a Latitude 64 putter called the Macana will be released.  This new disc will initially be available in Latitude’s new baseline retro plastic.

Dynamic Discs:

From the Disc Golf Answer Man podcast we learned that Dynamic Discs plans to release four new discs in 2015, plus the “Evidence” which will be used as the Trilogy Challenge midrange. This includes the Breakout (understable fairway driver), Justice (overstable midrange), and Convict (Overstable fairway driver).

Westside:

Another new release that will be available in May for those who play in the Trilogy challenge is the Sampo driver. This disc will be released in the new ultra flexible Elasto plastic.

Westside will also be releasing three discs on March 1st:

  • Seer – Understable Control Driver
  • Bard – Overstable Midrange
  • Swan 1 Reborn – Understable Putt and Approach Disc

Vibram

Vibram has been working on a new fairway driver the “Valley“. It seems as if development of a new fairway driver has been slower than desired, because they were not able to release it prior to the annual Birdie Bash. The Valley will be released at the end of June.

Later in the summer Vibram plans to release two additional new discs the Arch and Notch. Vibram also has announced a new rubber blend called “granite.”

MVP:

In 2015 MVP has already released a very highly rated new putter (Atom) in a new baseline plastic. They have also introduced the new Plasma plastic for their Ion putter.

As seen in the video, MVP is planning to release four new drivers that will have thicker rims and be even faster than the new drivers they released in 2014. The names of the new MVP drivers are listed below.

  • Phase: Overstable Distance Driver
  • Photon: Stable/Overstable Distance Driver
  • Wave: Neutral/Overstable Distance Driver
  • Orbital: Understable Distance Driver

 

Axiom:

The Axiom family manufactured by MVP continue to spit out new plastic at an impressive rate. Not only will there be new MVP distance drivers, but MVP has announced that there will be four new 2.0 cm Axiom drivers this year: The Fireball, Wrath, Insanity, and Virus. It will be interesting to see how different these discs will be from the Motion, Tesla, Inertia, and Impulse.

Legacy:

Legacy has shared on its Facebook page that it has plans for four new discs in 2015: The Enemy, Hunter, Prowler, and Nemesis. The first released in this batch will likely be a new putter, probably the Prowler, as Sarah Hokum hinted during a podcast on Smashboxx TV.  The Prowler will be a beaded putter with a round edge. The Hunter is a very straight flying putt and approach disc.

While we’re not sure exactly sure what the drivers will be like, the Nemesis is a slightly understable high speed driver and the Enemy will should be a very overstable control driver.

Gateway:

Gateway has two new putt and approach discs, the Warspear and the Devil Hawk. These are unique overstable putters with a thumb track on top.

The Warspear and the Devil Hawk have not yet been PDGA approved.

 

DGA:

DGA has announced the release of its new putter the “Steady” because they have so much respect for Steady Ed Headrick, this beaded putter is supposed to be a really good one.

DGA will also release the Hellfire, an overstable driver.

Reptilian:

Reptilian is a new disc golf company that had its first disc the “Scale” PDGA approved at the end of last year.

What other new discs are expected for 2015 that we have missed?

The State of Disc Golf: “Extracurricular Activities” on the Disc Golf Course–Marijuana

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Disc Golf and Marijuana

“I saw a drug deal when I was on a disc golf course with my nine year old boy.”

This was told to me by a disgruntled fellow player as we were making our way to our tee time at a PDGA event. He went on to express the sadness and disappointment he felt when he found out many of the local disc golfers that his son looked up to regularly smoked marijuana illegally during their rounds at the local course. This was not my first and it definitely has not been my last conversation like this. It seems that the use of drugs and other substances are intertwined with disc golf.

Just the Facts Please

In our 2015 State of Disc Golf Survey, we asked the following: In 2014, I have participated in the following on a disc golf course:

  • Drinking Alcohol
  • Vaping
  • Smoking Tobacco
  • Smoking Marijuana
  • None of the Above

We allowed participants to select more than one option. The results were as shown in the chart below:

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(NOTE: Totals do not add up to 100% because participants could select more than one option.)

We found this data very interesting, and we would like to spread this topic across several articles to give each aspect of it the attention it deserves. This article will focus strictly on the use of Marijuana while playing disc golf.

Well, Isn’t it Pretty Much Legal?

Unlike the other three substances, Marijuana is the only one hazed by a variety of possession and usage laws (excluding local public smoking and drinking laws). The main question at hand is recreational use, which has only been legalized in 2 of 50 States (Washington and Colorado). How does this impact the way we should look at our data? Here is another interesting chart that looks at where the disc golfers who had smoked marijuana were from:

2015-01-29_1550

So is it safe to assume that 92.7% of the disc golfers who took our survey chose to smoke marijuana illegally? Not necessarily. A handful of states have legalized marijuana for medical purposes, and our survey did not not ask where the pot smoking took place. (Maybe all 92.7% went to Washington or Colorado whenever they smoked marijuana on the course?) Even with the benefit of the doubt, it is safe to assume that a good portion of the marijuana smoking  that occurred on the disc golf course during 2014 was smoked illegally.

Marijuana and Disc Golf: Best Friends or Worst Enemies?

Now to the debate that rages like wildfire in the disc golf world: Does marijuana on the course harm the sport, and therefore need to be burned elsewhere so that disc golf can thrive? Or should we all just learn to get along and embrace the “counter-culture” as an inseparable part of disc golf forever?

Of course, to give these questions the proper attention, we need to answer another question. Where do we want to see our beloved disc golf in the future? Do we want to see Paul McBeth and Ricky Wysocki battle in a play-off for the World Championships on ESPN? Or do we want to keep disc golf to ourselves–free to play and low key?

Another question from our survey asked, “Would you like to see disc golf become a mainstream sport?” And this leads us to another chart:

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And in case you were wondering how only those who smoked marijuana on the course answered this question:

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And naturally everyone else’s chart would look like this:

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So What Does This All Mean?

We’ll let everyone draw their own conclusions from this data, but there were a few things that caught our eye.

It would seem natural to assume that a greater majority of disc golfers who don’t smoke marijuana would want the sport to become mainstream, but this spread was only slight (a difference of only 7.9%). So, it seems safe to say, all disc golfers regardless of drug use, want to see the sport grow into the mainstream. This raises even more questions: Do we want to bring the pot with us? Should we? Can we wave the flag of “Grow the Sport” and keep our stash of weed in our back pockets?

Some have fought to make this type of scenario a reality (we all remember the Vibram Four20 release from early 2014), and with at least two more states making marijuana legal in 2015 (Oregon and Alaska), the possibility of a mainstream society embracing disc golf and marijuana together is looking more and more plausible.

Of course, this potential reality still faces a lot of friction (we all remember the Vibram Four20 discontinuation also from early 2014). There are many who have expressed a desire to keep disc golf drug free and “family friendly.” And the one huge barrier: Marijuana use is still illegal in most of the United States.

This brings us back to my friend and I on our way to the tee. He not only was upset about his boy witnessing a drug deal while playing a sport they both loved. He also shared with me an experience he had when attending a city council meeting where he was lobbying for the installation of a new disc golf course on public land. He was all but completely shut down when the city council informed him of the alarming rates of drug related crimes reported in the area surrounding their existing disc golf course. Naturally, they were more than hesitant to approve another disc golf course.

But as Bob Dylan once said, “The times they are  a changin’.”

Will Disc Golf make it into the mainstream? We sure hope so (at least 75.8% of us). Will Mary Jane make it too? Well, at least some of us hope so (69.8% of 24.5% of us).

Only time will tell.

All 2015 Ledgestone Edition Discs Are (Really) Here!

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********UPDATE********* More Ledgestone Insurance Open discs have been announced! In addition to these original 7, We now have in Titanium FLX plastic the Discraft Buzzz, Buzzz SS, and Drone. In Crystal FLX plastic we have the Discraft Crank. And in Crystal Sparkle we have the Discraft Mantis. Over the next few weeks we will be receiving more of these highly collectible discs and will add them to this page. So check back often!

********LATEST UPDATE******** Here are the discs from the latest batch of Ledgestone Insurance Open discs: CT (Crazy Tough) Challenger, Titanium FLX Meteor, Crystal FLX Predator, and Crystal Sparkle Surge.

*******LATEST UPDATE AGAIN!****** The latest batch of beautiful LIO Limited Edition discs: Titanium FLX Challenger, Nuke, Nuke OS; Crystal FLX Buzzz SS; ESP Wasp; and Glo FLX Buzzz OS.

*******FINAL UPDATE******* It is official: We (really) now have ALL of the 2015 Ledgestone Insurence Open Limited Edition Discs. Here are the final additions to the collection: Glo FLX Banger GT, Big Z FLX Buzzz, Titanium FLX Buzzz OS, Titanium Crank, Titanium FLX Force, ESP Glo Nuke, Crystal FLX Sparkle Ringer, Crystal FLX Tracker, and Titanium FLX Zone. A special note on the Trackers–This limited run of the Discraft Tracker came out of the factory super flat and crazy overstable. Discraft has given these a stability rating of +3!

It’s official! We now have all 31 of the Discraft Ledgestone Limited Edition discs! We again are so excited to be a part of the Ledgestone Insurance Open, and so excited to be able to bring these beautiful and highly collectible discs to you for a killer deal!

To add to the 4 Titanium molds we received last week (Flick, Banger GT, Comet, and Zone), we received 3 new FLX molds! And these aren’t your average Discraft FLX discs! We have the Force in beautiful Crystal FLX plastic. Also in Crystal FLX is the Zone.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Discraft Limited Edition release without a Buzzz! And this isn’t just any Buzzz, it’s the Discraft Buzzz in Glo FLX plastic. And this isn’t just any Glo FLX plastic, this limited edition Buzzz is available not just in standard Glo White, but Glo Blue, Glo Pink, and Glo Green as well!

The Ledgestone Edition discs are a must have for any disc collector, but also these special plastics are sure to find a home in any disc golfers bag. I personally am excited to throw one of the Titanium Flicks out on the course! So whether you want to hang them on the wall or try them out on your favorite course, grab yours while you can!

Each Ledgestone Edition Disc is available for just $19.99! (Crystal FLX $22.00, Glo $22.99)

Discraft_Glo_FLX_Banger_GTDiscraft Ledgestone Edition Glo FLX Banger GT

Discraft_Big_Z_FLX_BuzzzDiscraft Ledgestone Edition Big Z FLX Buzzz

Discraft_Ti_FLX_Buzzz_OSDiscraft Ledgestone Edition Titanium FLX Buzzz OS

Discraft_Ti_CrankDiscraft Ledgestone Edition Titanium Crank

Discraft_Ti_FLX_ForceDiscraft Ledgestone Edition Titanium FLX Force

Discraft_ESP_Glo_NukeDiscraft Ledgestone Edition ESP Glo Nuke

Discraft_Crystal_FLX_RingerDiscraft Ledgestone Edition Crystal FLX Sparkle Ringer

Discraft_Crystal_FLX_TrackerDiscraft Ledgestone Edition Crystal FLX Tracker(+3)

Discraft_Ti_FLX_ZoneDiscraft Ledgestone Edition Titanium FLX Zone

Discraft Ledgestone Edition Titanium FLX Challenger

Discraft Ledgestone Edition Titanium FLX Nuke

Discraft Ledgestone Edition Titanium FLX Nuke OS

Discraft Ledgestone Edition Crystal FLX Buzzz SS

DSC07301Discraft Ledgestone Edition ESP Wasp

DSC07299Discraft Ledgestone Edition Glo FLX Buzzz OS

Discraft_CT_ChallengerDiscraft Ledgestone Edition Crazy Tough Challenger

Discraft_Ti_FLX_MeteorDiscraft Ledgestone Edition Titanium FLX Meteor

Discraft_Crystal_FLX_PredatorDiscraft Ledgestone Edition Crystal FLX Predator

Discraft_Crystal_Sparkle_SurgeDiscraft Ledgestone Edition Crystal Sparkle Surge

 Discraft Ledgestone Edition Crystal FLX Crank

Discraft_Crystal_FLX_Mantis Discraft Ledgestone Edition Crystal FLX Mantis

Discraft_Ti_FLX_Buzzz Discraft Ledgestone Edition Titanium FLX Buzzz

Discraft_Ti_FLX_BuzzzSS Discraft Ledgestone Edition Titanium FLX Buzzz SS

Discraft Ledgestone Edition Titanium FLX Drone

Discraft Ledgestone Edition Titanium Flick

Discraft Ledgestone Edition Titanium Banger GT

Discraft Ledgestone Edition Titanium Comet

Discraft Ledgestone Edition Titanium Zone

Discraft Ledgestone Edition Crystal FLX Zone

Discraft Ledgestone Edition Crystal FLX Force

Discraft Ledgestone Edition Glo FLX Buzzz

Ledgestone Open Limited Edition Discraft Discs

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Ledgestone Insurance Discs

You’ve probably heard a little bit about the 2015 Ledgestone Insurance Open presented by Discraft going down August 21-23 in the Greater Peoria Area, Illinois. Tournament Director Nate Heinold has already been quoted saying this tournament will have a minimum of $35,000 added cash. This would make the 2015 LIO the “richest” NT event in the  history of disc golf. All this excitement, and registration doesn’t even open for another six weeks.

We here at Infinite Discs are thrilled about this event and all that it means the sport of disc golf. How are tournaments like LIO able to add this kind of cash? Sponsorship.

Today we are excited to announce Infinite Discs as an Elite Sponsor of the 2015 Ledgestone Insurance Open presented by Discraft. We are so happy to be able to play a small part in making this one of the best disc golf events ever. So what does this mean for you?

This sponsorship makes Infinite Discs an exclusive dealer of LIO tournament discs! Today we received hundreds of some of the sickest limited run Discraft discs we have ever seen. And there are more coming!

The first batch consists of Discraft’s Banger GT, Comet, Flick, and Zone.

The Flick is one of the best overhand discs, and this is the first time it has ever been released in Titanium Plastic!

What makes these discs so special? Can you say, “Titanium Plastic?” That’s right, all 4 disc molds have never been available in Titanium until now, and chances are that they will never be available in Titanium again. These collectible discs are available in Discrafts traditional bar stamp in a variety of popular foils including flag, jelly bean, and camo. Grab yours while they are still available, because these beauties are not going to last long!

Titanium Banger GT

Titanium Comet

Titanium Flick

Titanium Zone

 

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