Tag: Paul McBeth

Chapter 1: Disc Golf, Like Paul McBeth, Is an Underdog in the World of Sports

by Parked, posted in Rise of An Unknown Sport

By Josh Woods ~

Photo PDGA

Watch the essay here:

Chapter 1 Video Version

Back in 2017, Paul McBeth dropped a sympathy bomb on social media. He was like, check me out. I’m only five and a half feet tall and I weigh less than a panda. I’ll never be the favorite in sports. I’m the OG underdog. Send me some love.

Of course, he didn’t say it quite like that, and he had just dropped out of the Green Mountain Championship due to an injury that was only going sideways. And so, his fans did send love.

Continue reading “Chapter 1: Disc Golf, Like Paul McBeth, Is an Underdog in the World of Sports” →

20 Questions – Denmark

by Parked, posted in Culture

By Asbjørn B.V. Hauberg ~

Discoboyz cropped
The Disc O’ Boyz of Denmark, along with clinic hosts Philo Brathwaite and Gregg Barsby in July 2018. Photo: Martin Erichsen.

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“20 Questions” is a series of articles about the global culture and commerce of disc golf. The goal is to better understand the sport’s growth by comparing the scenes in diverse regions of the world. Continue reading “20 Questions – Denmark” →

Three Reasons Brodie Smith Could Be A Game Changer for Disc Golf

by Parked, posted in Grow the Sport, Opinion

By Josh Woods ~

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If you go back to late November 2019 on Brodie Smith’s Twitter feed and scan the posts until December 27, this is what you’ll find:

  • Pro football
  • Pro football
  • Pro football
  • Pro football
  • Pro football
  • More pro football
  • Ball golf
  • Naked dude on roller skates
  • College football
  • John C. Reilly
  • Flaming baton twirler
  • Ball golf
  • Ball golf
  • Ball golf
  • More ball golf
  • Just, like, tons of ball golf stuff (and without Bill Murray … yeesh)
  • Ball golf
  • Ball golf
  • A nodding Robert Redford in Jeremiah Johnson looking like Zach Galifianakis
  • Ball golf
  • Cool Runnings
  • Excellent puffin shirt
  • Over-the-top wedding video
  • Nostalgic Christmas card photo

And then this:

1 Disc golf journey begins

Wait, what? Continue reading “Three Reasons Brodie Smith Could Be A Game Changer for Disc Golf” →

It’s Never Too Late to Fall in Love with Disc Golf

by Parked, posted in Participant Observation

By Robert H. Hooker ~

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Robert Hooker at the 2019 USDGC. Photo Robert Hooker.

I don’t remember the exact day or year, but I do remember the exact spot where I first tried disc golf.

Hole 7, Winthrop Gold.

Roughly 10 years ago, I arrived at Winthrop with my son, an avid disc golfer. At his insistence, we stopped at the course during a weekend trip to see family in South Carolina. The United States Disc Golf Championship was to be played there in a few weeks and he wanted to take on one of disc golf’s most iconic courses. Continue reading “It’s Never Too Late to Fall in Love with Disc Golf” →

Has Frisbee Culture Delayed the Rise of Competitive Disc Golf?

by Parked, posted in Culture, Grow the Sport, Media

By Josh Woods ~

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Should we call it “Frisbee golf” or “disc golf”?

Few questions have generated more discussion among disc enthusiasts than this one. Opinions on the topic are as wide-ranging as they are divisive.

And yet, what matters most to the future of competitive disc golf is not what insiders think about these terms, but what outsiders think of them. Continue reading “Has Frisbee Culture Delayed the Rise of Competitive Disc Golf?” →

Now it is Official – Disc Golf is Enormously Popular in Finland

by Parked, posted in Finland, Grow the Sport

By Kari Toivonen ~

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The young Finnish star Henna Blomroos at the 2019 European Open. Photo: Kari Toivonen

The European Open was held in Nokia, Finland a few weeks ago. It was a fantastic battle between the best players in the world, but the comeback victory of Paul McBeth was not the only thing that made people gasp. Continue reading “Now it is Official – Disc Golf is Enormously Popular in Finland” →

The Ultimate Guide to Disc Golf in Popular Culture

by Parked, posted in Culture, Media

I need your help.

By Josh Woods ~

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I’ve been researching portrayals of disc golf in American movies and television shows. So far, with the help of friends and fellow disc golfers, I found more than 70 references. I included the list below, along with a description of each case.

The sample is focused on disc golf references in U.S. feature-length films (40 minutes or longer) and television shows. I’m only looking for verbal references or images of disc golf, Frisbee golf, frolf, and disc-golf-related equipment such as baskets, discs and bags. Continue reading “The Ultimate Guide to Disc Golf in Popular Culture” →

“Fair is Foul, and Foul is Fair”

by Parked, posted in Culture, Media

ESPN’s Recap of McBeth’s Historic Round Doesn’t Make Sense, But It’s Mindbogglingly Beautiful

By Josh Woods ~

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Not since Bob Dylan wrote “Desolation Row” has poetry like this flowed from the gumball world of popular culture.

Not since Matthew read W. H. Auden’s “Stop All the Clocks” in Four Weddings and a Funeral have the popular and the poetic been paired so neatly.

On the ninth of July 2018, having heard news of disc golf’s greatest round in history, ESPN’s SportsCenter held the nascent sport in its arms, raised it to the sky like Rafiki holding up baby Simba, bathed it in articulate spot light, and jammed Shakespeare in the background. Continue reading ““Fair is Foul, and Foul is Fair”” →

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)” →

Rise of an Unknown Sport (Part 2)

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)” →