David Wiggins Jr.

Rise of an Unknown Sport (Part 3)

July 11, 2018June 2, 2021 by Parked, posted in Culture, Grow the Sport

Disc Golf as Lifestyle Sport

By Josh Woods, PhD ~

Wheaton books — In this installment of “Rise,” I examine disc golf through the lens of Belinda Wheaton’s research on lifestyle sports.

“At least give the dog a chance to catch it first” – N.B.

“Sports is a reallllly loose term nowadays” – J.C.

“Not a real sport” – J.L.

These were just a few of the snippy comments posted on ESPN’s Facebook page when the media giant uploaded a video clip of Eagle McMahon’s 380-foot field ace at the Glass Blown Open in April 2018. By the end of June, the clip had received more than 14,000 likes, 5,200 shares, 2.3 million views and 4,000 comments. Continue reading “Rise of an Unknown Sport (Part 3)” →

Rise of an Unknown Sport (Part 2)

June 26, 2018June 2, 2021 by Parked, posted in Grow the Sport

Disc Golf as Modern Achievement Sport

By Josh Woods ~

Cover Art D1 Modern Sport — Photo: Innova Disc Golf (NBC logo added)

Defining disc golf is like describing the taste of water. The task seems at once obviously possible and extremely difficult.

The hard part involves the utter plurality of what disc golf means to those who play it. As I argued in Part 1 of “Rise,” disc golf is not one thing, but many. Like Waldo’s world, its definition depends on where you look. Continue reading “Rise of an Unknown Sport (Part 2)” →

The most important problems facing disc golf courses in the United States

January 17, 2018January 31, 2018 by Parked, posted in Course Design

Results from the 3DiscGolf Survey (Part I)

By Josh Woods, PhD, and Dee Leekha ~

Cover art — Garbage on disc golf courses, long grass on fairways, uneven or small tee pads, erosion, and no bathrooms top the list of concerns among experienced course developers.

Disc golf has changed a lot over the last twenty years.

Two decades ago, there were 4,776 active members of the PDGA in the United States. Today, there are more than 28,861. Americans played in 329 PDGA sanctioned events in 1998. They will play in no fewer than 2,368 in the coming year, per the PDGA.

In 1998, Scott Stokely broke the World Record for distance with a jaw-dropping throw that carried 693 feet. In 2017, Simon Lizotte parked a 726-foot hole during tournament play, and the World Record is now held by David Wiggins Jr. with a distance that exceeds Stokely’s by nearly 400 feet. Continue reading “The most important problems facing disc golf courses in the United States” →