Tag: Facebook

The Rise of Disc Golf Twitter: 97 Accounts to Follow Right Now

by Parked, posted in Media, Opinion

By Josh Woods ~

Cover art
Artwork by Chris McDowell.

In summer 2016, I started a Twitter account, followed my favorite disc golfers and groups and sat on the edge of my seat waiting to be amused and enlightened.

Unfortunately, not much happened. Four years ago, disc golf Twitter was little more than a weigh station for disc advertisements, lackluster notes about personal accomplishments and links directing Twitter users to Instagram posts.

It’s still not great.

But gradually, inexplicably, it has gotten better. In the last year or so, like Steven Seagal waking up in Hard to Kill, more and more players, brands and independent accounts are getting active. Continue reading “The Rise of Disc Golf Twitter: 97 Accounts to Follow Right Now” →

Should Disc Golf Warm Up To Cannabis?

by Parked, posted in Cannabis, Opinion

By Ben Owens ~

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As the popularity of disc golf grows, the sport’s relationship with cannabis is also evolving. Historically, disc golfers were stereotyped as “pot heads,” a negative image that groups such as the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) have worked to overcome by legitimizing the sport. More recently, disc golf has developed to the level of other established sports, while cannabis has become legal in some form in more than half the country. Continue reading “Should Disc Golf Warm Up To Cannabis?” →

Who Gets Hooked? The Demographics of Disc Golf Involvement

by Parked, posted in Gender, Race/Ethnicity

By Josh Woods ~

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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” →

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” →

What We Know and Don’t Know about Disc Golf

by Parked, posted in Grow the Sport

A new method for studying the sport

By Josh Woods ~

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I’m not a fan of phrases like “close, but no cigar” and “close only counts in horseshoes.”

They make it sound like close is a bad thing. As if anything short of first place, anything other than perfection, anything besides certainty is a grave defeat.

Even Reese Bobby’s celebrated absurdity – “If you ain’t first, you’re last” – was debunked by Reese himself at the end of Talladega Nights.

Black-and-white thinking doesn’t work well as a sports mentality, and it’s even worse for science. Scientific research never leads us out of the grey, not entirely. At best, we merely increase our confidence in fundamentally questionable propositions. Continue reading “What We Know and Don’t Know about Disc Golf” →

A New Study Estimates the Size and Demographic Characteristics of the U.S. Disc Golfer Population

by Parked, posted in Grow the Sport

By Josh Woods ~

Announcement cover art D2

I’m thrilled to announce that the initial goal of Parked is finally gaining traction.

I’ve been working on academic research on disc golf for two years. I just received word that my first peer-reviewed journal article on disc golf will be published early next year in the International Journal of Sport Communication. Continue reading “A New Study Estimates the Size and Demographic Characteristics of the U.S. Disc Golfer Population” →

Rise of an Unknown Sport (Part 3)

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)” →

Without a net: All professional disc golfers are underdogs, even Paul McBeth

by Parked, posted in Opinion
Paul McBeth
Paul McBeth at the Pittsburgh Flying Disc Open, 2017 – Moraine State Park, hole 3, final round. Photo by James McDonald, editor at Full Metal Basket.

Paul McBeth is feeling small.

On September 16, 2017, shortly after dropping out of the Green Mountain Championship due to an injury and carding his first-ever DNF in a PDGA event, McBeth posted a message on Facebook:

“Being 5’8″ 160 lbs you’ll never be the favorite in sports. That’s why I like my story. #MyMindIsReady #USDGC” Continue reading “Without a net: All professional disc golfers are underdogs, even Paul McBeth” →

The astonishing rise of Devan Owens, and the “secret sauce” of Tulsa disc golf

by Parked, posted in Disc Golf Clubs, Grow the Sport
Devan Owens Putt by Frisbeenet
Photo: Frisbee.net

In August 2005, a young Devan Owens embarks on an unlikely journey. He leaves his home near Tulsa, Oklahoma and travels nearly a thousand miles to Flagstaff, Arizona for the PDGA Amateur Disc Golf World Championships. Owens is sixteen years old, a precocious lefty with a sidearm and a dream. Continue reading “The astonishing rise of Devan Owens, and the “secret sauce” of Tulsa disc golf” →