When Did We Begin Playing Disc Golf and Are We Willing to Pay

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As we take a look at the results of the 2018 State of Disc Golf Survey, it is fun to measure the growth of the sport by finding out when people discovered disc golf as apposed to when they started playing disc golf. We also asked survey participants how much they are willing to pay for “pay-to-play” courses which are usually on private property. Some interesting trends have surfaced.

First let’s take a look at when people first heard about disc golf vs. when they started playing. It is very interesting to see that a large percentage of people discovered disc golf more than seven years ago. If we create a dividing line at the year 2010, we find that 64% of those taking the survey heard about disc golf before (and including) 2010, while 36% first heard about disc golf after 2010.

 

This seems to demonstrate that disc golf has been in the public eye for quite a while, with the majority of current players having heard about it several years ago. In more recent years, a steady stream of people are still discovering disc golf, but even more interesting is that the number of people starting to PLAY disc golf is growing more rapidly in recent years.

Perhaps people who hear about disc golf or become aware of the sport are slow to try it out? Though they may have become aware of the sport several years ago, they are just now starting to play? Of course, there are current players who both discover and dive in at the same moment, but there is an interesting disparity between people DISCOVERING disc golf and BEGINNING TO PLAY disc golf.

HOW MUCH WILL YOU PAY TO PLAY?

Another interesting trend when comparing the data from the 2018 State of Disc Golf survey to the data from the previous year is the attitude about “pay-to-play” courses. Many disc golfers embraced the sport because courses have traditionally been free to play. The vast majority of public courses are still free, but there are a growing number of privately owned courses that are charging a fee for a round of disc golf. Here is a look at how much survey participants were willing to pay for a round of disc golf in 2018 vs. the previous survey year.

Look at the lower end of the price spectrum. You’ll see that more people were willing to pay a lower price a year ago. Why would fewer people be willing to pay a lower price this year? Even more interesting is that this year’s survey found more players willing to pay higher prices in the $9 – $30 range! So, while they are less willing to pay a low price, they’re more willing to pay a high one. It looks like the “premium price” side of the market is growing, with more players willing to pay to play a course that they feel is truly special.

With more players coming into the disc golf scene every year, and more people willing to pay to play, it will be interesting to see how the disc golf market and course development evolves over the coming years.

2018 Disc of the Week–Week 8–Vibram Solace, Notch, Obex, and Sole

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It is the final week of Infinite Discs Disc of the Week this year! And we are going out with a bang by featuring not just one, but FOUR disc golf discs this week! And those four discs are the Vibram Solace, Notch, Obex, and Sole!

Vibram announced last week that they will stop manufacturing disc golf discs, so we thought it appropriate to feature four overstable discs from this often overlooked disc golf manufacturer.

First, we have the distance driver, the Solace. The Solace was first released under a different name, the controversial Vibram Four20, and then was quickly renamed the Solace after the initial run. The Solace is the  SOOOOO overstable version of the Vibram Lace. This disc is a meathook that can handle throws from big arms. It won’t turn over, but it will hold a nice straight line before dumping out of the flight at the end.

Next we have the Notch, which is one of the newer fairway drivers that Vibram added to their arsenal when they revamped their fairway lineup. The Vibram Notch is overstable, but it isn’t as beefy as the Solace. That being said, this disc is still a beast! This fairway driver will hold straight and maintain a predictably strong fade at the end of the flight.

The midrange we are featuring is one of the old reliables in the Vibram lineup. The Vibram Obex is the overstable counterpart to the Vibram Ibex. The Obex has a nice comfortable rim and is a perfect midrange when you need to tackle windy conditions. It will hold straight through a headwind, and then fight to fade at the end. In non windy conditions, you can trust the Obex to finish with strong fade when you need to land a short shot around an obstacle.

Another oldie but a goodie, the Vibram Sole is one of the more popular Vibram Putters. The Sole has a unique lip on the rim and a deeper dish that fits well in the hand. This disc can be trusted as a putting putter as well as a driving putter when you need a long straight drive with a nice soft fade at the end.

So this week only, take 15% off all four of these Vibram molds at Infinite Discs by using the discount code: DWVIBRAM18. As always, make sure to check out our Facebook page later today for a giveaway!

But Wait, Isn’t this the End for VIBRAM?!?!

Now, you might be thinking, “Why would I want to try these discs now if they are done making them?” Well I have two responses for that–First, Vibram discs are made with rubber, not plastic. They don’t beat in like plastic discs, so they hold their flight characteristics for much longer, and don’t need to be replaced nearly as often.

Second, we have some exciting news! Infinite Discs will be getting in over 1,000 of the remaining Vibram discs from Vibram. So though these discs are going to be harder to find, Infinite Discs should have a healthy stock for the foreseeable future. So buy with confidence knowing that if you like one of these four discs, Infinite Discs should have more for you to stock up on.

And something else to consider…I think it is safe to say that the collector value of all Vibram discs took a nice bump over the last week. I’m sure I’m not the only one who will be grabbing some discs to hang onto for a while!

No More Vibram Discs?!?!

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Final Run of Vibram Golf Discs

Yesterday, Vibram made an announcement that sent waves throughout the disc golf world. Vibram is discontinuing their disc golf division. They will no longer be manufacturing disc golf discs.

Here is the full announcement from their Facebook page:

Greetings Vibram Disc Golf Customers,

We have made the very hard decision to exit the sport of disc golf. We feel that the sport of disc golf deserves more attention and effort than our business is able to provide, given the volume of resources needed for the much larger segments of our business. We have had a hard time developing a disc golf focused business unit that can offer the product lineup, marketing efforts and event support needed to properly support the sport of disc golf in the role of manufacturer.

Please see your nearest Vibram Disc Golf retailer and stock up before they are gone!

We truly appreciate your partnership in our disc golf business and believe that in the end, this is the very best direction for us as a brand, no matter how hard of a decision this has been.

Best Regards,
Jeff

So what does this mean for the disc golf world?

When you break it down by the numbers, Vibram‘s footprint has been pretty small in recent years. In our 2018 State of Disc Golf Survey, only 10.6% of disc golfers said they have Vibram discs in their disc golf bag, and only 1.7% said they would only throw Vibram if they could only throw discs made by one manufacturer.

While that is a relatively small percentage, that means about 10% of disc golfers will be needing to find new discs to fill those slots in their bags.

This also means that Vibram discs just became quite a bit more valuable in the collector’s market. I for one am regretting not grabbing the controversial Vibram Four20 a few years back!. But even Vibram‘s regular stock discs are going to be more valuable, and in just the last 24 hours since the announcement was made, we have seen a huge uptick in orders of Vibram from our online store.

So if you are a Vibram collector or thrower, make sure to check out our remaining Vibram Inventory before it is too late!

The Value of Stretching for Your Disc Golf Game

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To start the discussion of the State of Disc Golf survey, we first decided to look at an aspect not often
discussed on the golf course. That would be the subject of stretching before a round of disc golf.
Stretching is often overlooked but something that most major sports suggest you do. In essence,
stretching is supposed to elongate the muscle in order to increase muscle flexibility and joint range. In
disc golf, that increased flexibility may result in more distance and longevity. So, let’s see what the State
of Disc Golf survey can tell us about how often we stretch as disc golfers. As mentioned previously, over
6,000 golfers participated in the State of Disc Golf survey. Looking below you can see what percentage
of golfers stretch and how often they stretch.

As you can see, 10% percent of golfers stated they never stretch. Of the other 90%, only 38%
mentioned they always stretch before they play. Out of curiosity, we decided to compare each groups
of disc golfers and how often they stretch. Golfers were asked to rate their skill level from the options
of Professional, Advanced, Intermediate and Beginner/Rec. Below you can compare the responses of
each skill level and how often they stretch.

Disc Golf Stretching by Skilll Level

 

Of note for those who marked professional disc golfer, 51% stated they always stretch before a round.
This is the highest percentage of the four groups. In addition, they have the lowest percentage of
people who said they never stretched. Beginners appear to stretch the least with 13% saying they never
stretch. If you compare each skill level, you’ll see a pattern in the pie charts. The more advanced of a
player you are, the more likely you are to always stretch before playing disc golf.

So, does this mean if you stretch before a round you’ll shave off a couple strokes? It’s no guarantee, but
I don’t see any harm in taking a few minutes to stretch before a round if there’s a chance to improve.

As you think about disc golf and the many motions involved, some simple stretches to start your round
could include; torso twists, arm circles or simply rolling your head around to loosen neck muscles. If
you’re looking for other resources several pros refer to the Disc Golf Strong blog. They have a Youtube
channel where you can see exactly how to do specific disc golf stretches.

2018 Disc of the Week–Week 7–Westside Harp

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Happy President’s Day!

Time for this week’s Disc of the Week from Infinite Discs! And this week we are featuring one of the best selling discs in recent years, the Westside Harp!

The Westside Harp is considered by many to be the best driving putters in all of disc golf. The Harp is an overstable putt and approach disc that features a flat top and a somewhat deep dish. The rim is beadless, which allows the Harp to fit in the hand comfortably for both backhand and forehand grips. The Harp will fly straight when given a lot of power, but you can always count on it to have a strong and consistent fade at the end of the flight. As I previously mentioned, the Westside Harp has sold very well in recent years. There are a few factors that likely contribute to this. For one thing, it has become one of the staples in the bag of two-time world champion Ricky Wysocki.

He has become famous for slinging his BT Hard Harps exactly where he needs to out on the course. Another contributing factor is the Harp is available in pretty much every plastic blend made by Westside Discs, including the new and beautiful Tournament Burst blend. No matter your preferences in grip and feel, there is a Westside Harp for you! And of course, maybe the most important reason this disc is a great seller is how it performs. This disc is a consistent staple in the disc golf world, and if you have been thinking about giving one a try, now is the time!

This week only take 15% off all Westside Harps in stock at Infinite Discs by using the discount code: DWHARP18. If you already throw the Harp and love it, this is your chance to stock up on some backups! And if you haven’t thrown it yet, take advantage of this offer and find out what you have been missing out on! And of course, don’t forget to check out our Facebook page later today to enter a giveaway!

 

Who Participated in the State of Disc Golf Survey – Demographics

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We plan to spend the next few weeks and months looking over the data from the 2018 State of Disc Golf Survey and sharing the information with the public through this blog. To kick things off, let’s take a look at who participated in the survey this year.  First of all, there were 6,194 survey participants. That is down from last year’s participation, but still represents a large cross-section of players from many locations. Here are the top ten states in the USA in terms of survey participation:

#1 – California – 6.5%
#2 – Texas – 6.1%
#3 – Michigan 5.8%
#4 – New York – 4%
#5 – Ohio – 3.9%
#6 – Illinois – 3.8%
#7 – North Carolina – 3.3%
#8 – Colorado – 3.2%
#9 – Wisconsin – 3.1%
#10 – Utah – 3.0%

There were also several other countries represented with the Scandanavian countries outpacing others.

We were surprised to see Utah hit the #10 spot since it is the home state for Infinite Discs. We admit that we’re happy that our home crowd made their voices heard. That brings up the question, how did survey participants find out about the survey? Here is where they said that they heard about the survey:

 

That is a full 50% of survey participants coming from Facebook, with another 34.2% coming from either the Infinite Discs website or email newsletter. Other contributing sources were social media sites like Reddit, Instagram, Twitter, DGCourseReview.com, Instagram, as well as from notifications from the PDGA.

Other interesting demographics from the survey are the male vs. female participation, the age of participants, marital status, and employment status. The biggest gap was between males, making up 94% of participants, while the females made up only 6% of those who took the survey.

The majority of survey participants are also married or in a domestic partnership at 59.4% with 35.6% being single and 5% answering as widowed, divorced, or separated.

Here is the age spread from the survey participants:

We’re excited to see a wide age spread participating in the survey and in the sport of disc golf. We’re also happy to see that disc golf is becoming a popular activity even among those over fifty with survey participants reaching well into their sixties, seventies and a few in their eighties. We’re hoping to see more growth among a younger, teenage crowd, bringing up the next generation of exciting professional and recreational players.


2018 Disc of the Week–Week 6–Infinite Discs Exodus

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This week is a very special one in Infinite Discs History! The Infinite Discs Exodus has been released TODAY!!! And we are celebrating by making it our disc of the week!

The Infinite Discs Exodus is the first disc to be released as part of our new partnership with Innova Champion Discs. This initial release of the Exodus is only available in the grippy and durable S-Blend plastic. We got in a few prototypes of the Exodus a few weeks ago, and we have been ecstatic with the way it has performed. It is a stable fairway driver that flies true to its flight numbers of 7/5/-0.5/2. In our experience, this disc will hold very straight for a long time–sneaky long for a 7 speed driver–and then have a strong and predictable fade at the end of the flight. Some of the old timers have even compared it to the old Eagle-L mold. So if this sounds like this disc could be right for you, give it a shot! This first run is only 800 discs, so we expect they will sell out fast!

For this first release week only, you can also take 15% off the Exodus by using the code: DWEXODUS18. And make sure to check out our Facebook page for a giveaway that we will be posting later today! We are pumped about this new chapter at Infinite Discs. Make sure you are a part of it by picking up an Exodus today!

 

State of Disc Golf 2018 Prize Winners

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Infinite Discs has now completed the 2018 State of Disc Gold Survey, and that means we have some prizes to send out. These prizes were donated by some great brand sponsors, who we would like to thank once again for contributing to the success of the survey.

This year’s survey had 5,930 responding participants, so we have a lot of fun data to use as we share those results with the disc golf community in the coming weeks and months. We gave away a couple of prizes while the survey was in progress, to encourage participation.

Here were two of the prize winners along the way:

From the Infinite Discs FACEBOOK Page: Kim Zomberg won a Discraft Chainstar Lite, an excellent new portable basket!

From the Infinite Discs INSTAGRAM Feed: Kevin Stroud won a Dynamic Discs Ranger H2O Backpack, which is one of the top backpack bags out there.

Here are the winners from the random drawing at the conclusion:

Discmania Glow C-Line FD3 Winners:
Thomas Brown
Jacob Worlie
Zaq Jones
Christopher Coles
Caleb Miller
Justin Ponsor
Dave Bogaards
Nadia Coccaro
JT King

Innova Hat Winners:
Chad Klodowski
William Shinol
Daniel Panzer
Steven Poppler

Innova Starter Bag Winner:
Jason Bedell

Innova Heropack Winner:
TBA

Innova Super Heropack Winner:
Scott Hill

Dynamic Discs Ranger H2O Backpack Winner:
Michael Eiting

Axiom Pro Basket Winner:
Andy Hock

THANKS AGAIN to these QUALITY BRANDS that donated prizes!

 

 

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