Taking off
A new disc golf course opens as popularity of sport grows
Even after playing several times, it wasn’t until Nate Langer threw his driver farther than he had before that he truly connected with disc golf.
“It was basically an ‘ a ha’ moment,” Mr. Langer, 25, of Bellevue, recalled. “It really clicked that this might be something that I could play for the rest of my life.”
Disc golf has grown considerably over the past several years, with new courses, leagues and competitions being held all over Western Pennsylvania.
Like regular golf, the object of disc golf is to score the fewest number of “strokes,” but by throwing a disc to land in a metal basket instead of hitting a ball. There are several different types of discs that represent drivers, mid- range irons and putters.
“The grassroots growth of disc golf in general is obviously due to the inexpensive, lifetime nature of the game.” Pittsburgh Flying Disc Course Superintendent J. Gary Dropcho explained. “Anyone can play a round in one to three hours and, since almost all courses are free, for as little as the cost of one disc.”
Something of a local legend in the Pittsburgh disc golf realm, Mr. Dropcho has won more than 30 Professional Disc Golf Association titles and is an member of the Disc Golf Hall of Fame.
Although he’s still an avid player, Mr. Dropcho has adopted a more managerial role these days as the course superintendent for all Pittsburgh Flying Disc affiliated courses in Western Pennsylvania.
There are more than a dozen courses in the Pittsburgh area, and PFD regulates much of their league play and competitions.
One of the newest additions that Mr. Dropcho helped design, a course at Cranberry’s North Boundary Park, is more than 10,700 feet in length, making it one of the longest and most difficult courses in the state.
Not only is it the length that makes it difficult, but also the terrain. Much of the course is heavily wooded and, in true Western Pennsylvania style, hilly and uneven.
For these reasons, Mr. Dropcho recommends that only more experienced players should attempt to tackle the new course, so as not to hold up other players. There also is a new beginner’s course in the same park for both experts and novices.
Mr. Dropcho is also the founder of Grip It and Rip It Disc Golf, a company that designs courses and manages disc golf events.
Since its inception, he has helped design more than a dozen courses, including four used in the 2015 PDGA Pro Disc Golf World Championship.
“Pittsburgh Flying Disc hosting the 2015 world championship was really the catalyst for growth of the game in our region.” Mr. Dropcho said. “The public’s exposure to the game’s highest levels via the crowds, coverage on social media and live streaming the event I think spurred the interest of hundreds of new recreational players.”
According to the PDGA, there have been more than 115,000 total registered PDGA members since the organization’s founding in 1976. In the past four years, the amount of active members has jumped from 30,000 to more than 46,000.
Despite the surge in interest however, national coverage of disc golf remains a challenge.
Invented in the mid1960s, disc golf has stably, but slowly, gained traction as a popular pastime. Champion players aren’t widely known, and competitions are rarely covered by major sports outlets.
Though these conditions are true of any upandcoming sport, Mr. Langer said he believes that a particular stigma against disc golf is at least partly to blame.
“Most of the public consciousness about disc golf really started, and I think still stays, in the early ‘ 90s. They picture college kids and hippies throwing Frisbees around on campus. It as a serious sport still hasn’t really crossed a lot of people’s minds.” Mr. Langer said.
Because of the somewhat underground nature of the game, much of the league and player communication happens on social media, especially in Facebook groups.
It was in one of these groups that Mr. Langer first connected with PFD and Mr. Dropcho while trying to learn more about local competitive play.
Through them, and after gaining enough experience under his belt, Mr. Langer eventually became one of the PFD course promoters at Knob Hill Park. He also runs a doubles league there on Tuesday nights.
If its growth in this region is just one indication however, disc golf is steadily climbing out of its niche.
PFD chairperson Lorri Merriman said that although it’s been difficult to attract media attention and major sponsors in the past, celebrity endorsements and strategic TV spots have helped disc golf raise its profile.
Holes- in- one are starting to be shown on ESPN highlights, and other sports stars like pro golfer Bubba Watson aren’t shy about their love for the game.
“We really have come so far in the past few years.” Ms. Merriman said. “Our own local claim to fame is that Pittsburgh Penguins backup goalie Casey DeSmith is often spotted on the courses. He even has disc golf basket artwork on his goalie helmet.”