Category: Gender

In Disc Golf’s Year of Fear, A New Push for Diversity Hits the Mark

by Parked, posted in Gender, Opinion, Race/Ethnicity

By Josh Woods ~

Like throwing hole D at Hi View, some of the best moments in life are a little scary. Photo Jason Goetz.

Part of the joy of disc golf comes from the fear of trying it. Leaving our comfort zones and walking onto the course can be daunting. “Can I do this? I got this. Nope, I can’t do this. What am I doing!?”

All of us, from top professionals to first-time players, deal with insecurities as we navigate a course. And when we overcome those fears and throw a great shot, it feels fantastic. A shared sense of vulnerability may also explain why camaraderie and friendships are so quick to grow on disc golf courses.

While mild unease may heighten the pleasure of a well-thrown shot and encourage group solidarity, too much fear can hamper performance and create conflicts in groups.

Continue reading “In Disc Golf’s Year of Fear, A New Push for Diversity Hits the Mark” →

How Disc Golf Isn’t Inclusive and How It Can Be

by Parked, posted in Gender, Grow the Sport

By Bailey Mareu ~

Paige Pierce at the Silver Cup in Manitowalk, WI (July 11, 2020). Photo Lauren Lakeberg.

During a recent online discussion about diversity and inclusion in disc golf, someone asked me to explain “How disc golf isn’t inclusive.”

The intention in the question was to prove that disc golf is open and welcome to all who want to play and that excluding people, on purpose, because of their race, ethnicity, gender or other characteristics simply doesn’t happen.

Calculated discrimination exists (even if you haven’t seen it), and it is a problem, but not being inclusive is sometimes more subtle than being overtly exclusive. I did research to better understand it myself as the discussion on how women are treated in disc golf increased in recent weeks.

Here are a few examples of how disc golf isn’t inclusive of women and girls.

Continue reading “How Disc Golf Isn’t Inclusive and How It Can Be” →

The Sociology of Disc Golf? Yep, that’s a Thing

by Parked, posted in Culture, Gender, Race/Ethnicity

Josh Woods ~

Cover 2

I am terrible at cocktail parties. I rarely say the right thing when meeting new people.

But don’t get me wrong. I’m not someone who looks down on small talk. I can chat about sports, the weather and Caribbean vacations all day long.

The problem is, when encountering strangers, the topics of careers and hobbies invariably arise.

“What keeps you busy?” Someone might ask.

For me, there’s really no way to answer this question truthfully without staring into a blank, confused face. Continue reading “The Sociology of Disc Golf? Yep, that’s a Thing” →

DiscGolfer Magazine Just Made History

by Parked, posted in Gender, Opinion

A woman lands the cover in back-to-back issues.

By Josh Woods ~

Cover
The covers of Discgolfer Magazine’s winter and spring issues of 2019 featured Paige Bjerkaas (right) and Eveliina Salonen (left).

Here’s an earth-shaker for you: When people go to restaurants, they order food from a menu.

A few picky eaters may request off-menu items, but most people stick to the script. According to researcher Brian Wansink, customers are especially likely to choose items that are next to pictures, bolded or placed in boxes.

These are not controversial claims, are they? Continue reading “DiscGolfer Magazine Just Made History” →

Who Gets Hooked? The Demographics of Disc Golf Involvement

by Parked, posted in Gender, Race/Ethnicity

By Josh Woods ~

Cover art

One of my best friends almost died from a disc-golf addiction.

He and I had recently discovered disc golf and were still in the honeymoon stage. Some days we’d play three rounds in the high hills of West Virginia under the hot summer sun.

Old men trying to relive their childhoods rarely ends well. This was no exception. Continue reading “Who Gets Hooked? The Demographics of Disc Golf Involvement” →

Gender Divides in the Language of Disc Golf

by Parked, posted in Gender, Media

Six examples of gender bias on the disc golf course.

By Josh Woods, PhD ~

Cover art 2

The M in MPO stands for “male,” right?

MPO is an abbreviation for “male pro open,” a PDGA tournament division for professional male disc golfers. I walked around with this idea for months. Walked around knowing, without question, what the M means.

Of course, I was wrong. The M stands for “mixed,” not male. Both men and women can compete in a PDGA division that has M in the code. There is no men’s division in disc golf. Continue reading “Gender Divides in the Language of Disc Golf” →

A Demographic Portrait of Disc Golf Land

by Parked, posted in Gender, Race/Ethnicity

Results from the 2017 Parked Facebook Study – Part 1.

By Josh Woods, PhD ~Cover art

In early 2017, we collected the first large-scale random sample of disc golfers and estimated the size and characteristics of the organized disc golfer population in the United States. The results discussed in this post will appear in the International Journal of Sport Communication early next year.

If you haven’t read my last two posts, consider taking a look at the theory behind this study and the method we used to explore it before plunging into the findings below. Continue reading “A Demographic Portrait of Disc Golf Land” →

Why Do People Play Disc Golf?

by Parked, posted in Gender, Race/Ethnicity

A brief look into the psychology and sociology of disc golf.

By Josh Woods ~

Cover

The other day my seven-year-old daughter asked me, “Why do people get married?”

I gazed into her curious brown eyes, knowing that my answer would not satisfy her. “Because they want to,” I said.

“Why do they want to?” She chirped, of course.

“Because it makes them happy,” I said.

“Why does it make them happy?”

I tried to explain that people get married for different reasons, that not everyone wants to, and that the reasons for getting married usually depend on where people live, when they live, and what the people around them think about marriage.

“I’m going to be a zombie bride for Halloween,” she said. And that was that. Continue reading “Why Do People Play Disc Golf?” →

2018 PDGA Women’s Global Event

by Parked, posted in Gender

By Valarie Jenkins ~

Cover Photo
Players in the West Virginia Cup at the Seth Burton Memorial (SBM) course in Fairmont, WV. The NCWV Women’s Disc Golf Club will help organize West Virginia’s first PDGA Women’s Global Event at SBM on May 12. Photo by Jesse Wright.

Every other year sparks fly as women from all over the world meet up and play two rounds of disc golf.

The PDGA Women’s Global Event is a series of satellite tournaments hosted in several different countries. The fourth edition of the event will be played on May 12, 2018. Continue reading “2018 PDGA Women’s Global Event” →

The gender gap in disc golf: Social research suggests two strategies for growing the sport

by Parked, posted in Gender, Grow the Sport

Whip it

Drew Barrymore directed and starred in one of my favorite movies. Whip It, released in 2009, tells the story of a misfit teen from Texas who finds refuge from the doldrums of small-town life by joining a women’s roller derby team called the Hurl Scouts.

In one scene, the Hurl Scouts come together after a bout. Despite losing the hard-fought contest, the women are all smiles and fist pumps and laughter.

Razor, the male coach of the Hurl Scouts, is beside himself in disbelief as his team joyously chants, “We’re number 2! We’re number 2!” Continue reading “The gender gap in disc golf: Social research suggests two strategies for growing the sport” →