Disc Golf Growth In The Age Of COVID

Disc golf has exploded in popularity throughout the pandemic. What started as a few more people on courses has turned into disc golf on major TV networks, massive PDGA membership growth, and disc golf manufacturers running out of stock. Who knew that a pandemic would be so good for the growth of disc golf?!

COVID What?

Remember in early 2020 when word started to spread about a pandemic? The buzzword “COVID” became normal speak and the list of shutdowns and disruptions in everyday life swirled at an unthinkable pace. Once the initial dust settled, folks were left wanting an outlet. It was spring and one of the only places left open was the great outdoors. However, the PDGA still did not feel comfortable unleashing their members onto courses.

On March 25, the PDGA issued a statement to members; “Skip the course. Stay home.” The state of the pandemic was very uncertain and little was known about the science of how COVID spreads. So, as a result, the PDGA played it safe and wanted to help flatten the curve. What follows is a statement from the memo; “We know it’s hard, but please skip the course and stay home — at least for now. And share how you’re doing it using #discgolffromhome. We want to see your homemade baskets, bedsheet driving ranges, and more! When things calm down, the competition will start back up and we’ll all be better for it. #stayhome.”

As a result many PDGA members avoided courses. To be fair, many courses were even closed to the public. However, this allowed plenty of newbies ample room to socially distance and enjoy this wonderful sport in the safety of the great outdoors. They flocked in droves.

People Find A New Hobby

While COVID stopped the competitive side of disc golf in its tracks, the recreational side flourished. People were cooped up from a Spring with very little stimulation. Sports were canceled from the professionals down to the recreational leagues. People wanted to get outside and compete and have some fun, but how? Enter disc golf. Disc golf has an incredible ease of entry both monetarily and physically. People of all ages and socioeconomic classes showed up at the course.

Local disc golf activities gain popularity during COVID-19

As a result of all the interest, people needed to buy new discs. And they bought LOTS! Disc golf online retailer InnovaStore.Net released a statement during the Summer of 2020 entitled “Product availability in Covid-19 era.” It stated; “The Covid-19 pandemic has created a situation where the demand for disc golf products has gone up drastically (especially in the Nordics), while manufacturers are struggling to keep up the production due to shutdowns and regulations offsetting the production
volumes. This has caused our suppliers to sell out on practically all pre-existing inventory, while restocks are few and far between.”

This sums up the state of the supply chain once the explosion in popularity set in. Beginners were buying massive amounts of discs and production simply could not keep up. And while there may have been frustration in purchasing discs, these new eyes turned their gaze in a new direction; YouTube.

More Eyes, New Horizons

JomezPro has distanced itself from the rest of the media outlets as the most consistent and quality purveyor of disc golf content. Their YouTube channel has seen steady growth over the last decade. It took them 7 years but in 2019 they hit 100,000 subscribers. This was a massive accomplishment not just for Jomez, but for disc golf. And now, just over one year later, Jomez has 263,000 subscribers.

With the cancellation of major sports leagues and local recreational leagues, people were left with a hunger for sport. Due to disc golf’s growth and the fact that the PDGA tour was one of the only professional sports being played during the late summer of COVID, CBS Sports Network reached out to the PDGA. They enlisted JomezPro to help film and produce coverage of the Dynamic Discs Open. Then, on August 26, 2020, they released the footage on national television. This created waves in disc golf circles. Was this really happening??

Then another major TV network came knocking. This time it was the big kahuna; ESPN. They spoke with the Disc Golf Professional Tour (DGPT) and JomezPro to produce and air the 2020 Disc Golf Pro Tour Championship. Then, during the evening of Tuesday, November 28, 2020 disc golf was officially aired on ESPN2. Not just some ace that made its way into the top 10 list at the end of Sportscenter, or a feature on the comical ESPN The Ocho, but an actual tournament produced and aired! Whew, something is in the air.

Bringing It All Together

Where disc golf goes from here is anyone’s guess. But the facts remain; disc golf is experiencing massive growth with more people playing and viewing and pumping their hard-earned dollars into disc golf companies. Many factors throughout the years have led to where we are, but COVID has had a HUGE impact. While COVID has ravaged so many aspects of life, may we in the disc golf world remember these days as the year disc golf prevailed as the sport of the people.