Tag: public parks

Disc Golf Is Winning Hearts and Minds, New Study Shows

by Parked, posted in Media

By Josh Woods ~

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Compared to most issues in our fury-fueled political landscape, disc golf is a blissfully uncontroversial subject of public interest.

But, if you plumb the depths of local news coverage, you will find at least some controversy over the upsides and downsides of disc golf.

The debate, when there is one, can be summarized with the following questions:

  • Does the inclusion of a disc golf course in a public park harm the natural environment, or is disc golf an environmentally friendly alternative to other, more destructive recreational activities?
  • Does the sport introduce unreasonable physical risks to participants and bystanders, or benefit public health and wellbeing?
  • Do disc golf communities encourage public intoxication, criminal behavior and community conflict, or provide safe, family-friendly recreation that deters crime in public parks and inspires community engagement, volunteerism and charity?

Continue reading “Disc Golf Is Winning Hearts and Minds, New Study Shows” →

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 ~

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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?” →

Two keys to growing the sport: Money and safer courses

by Parked, posted in Course Design, Opinion

Results from the 3DiscGolf Survey (Part II)

By Dee Leekha and Josh Woods, PhD ~

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Disc golf is a player-driven sport. For decades, the players have built their own courses, created their own clubs, and told their own stories. Their volunteerism and charity are legendary. Without their common desire to join with friends and build their own worlds, disc golf would hardly exist.

Yet, the willingness of players, by choice or necessity, to shoulder so much responsibility also has downsides. Continue reading “Two keys to growing the sport: Money and safer courses” →

Disc golf as social movement: A strategy for growing the sport

by Parked, posted in Community Outreach, Grow the Sport, Opinion

Is disc golf headed for the mainstream?

Last year, Steve Dodge, Director of the Disc Golf Pro Tour, predicted that disc golf would be bigger than ball golf by 2026.

Many observers share Dodge’s optimism, and there’s some evidence to support it. Continue reading “Disc golf as social movement: A strategy for growing the sport” →