Prodigy Disc is a company that was founded to innovate disc golf. Players were seeking autonomy and new disc molds in a sport where only a few brands monopolized the market. Granted, it was a niche market. But many world-class players felt claustrophobic due to the limited options of disc manufacturers and even more limitations on making disc golf a career. Enter Prodigy Disc. Among many other innovations, Prodigy was the first company to pay their sponsored players a salary. Let’s take a step back and learn the origin story of Prodigy and then see how they may be able to help your game.
The Prodigy Story
Prodigy Disc was an idea conjured up by a plethora of world-class disc golfers (there were also two non-world-class disc golfers credited with founding the company; Phil Arthur and David Greenwell) to “inject innovation” into the sport. Many of them felt their needs were not being met by the current standard of discs on the market and they began testing prototypes in 2011. Their original mission was to “develop a more consistent range of golf discs.” Prodigy is based out of Dalton, GA, and their discs are produced at a facility west of Atlanta in Douglasville, GA.
After two years of testing and innovation, they released multiple runs of discs to some of the highest-ranked players in the world. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive and they knew they were on the right track. Many players began to seek out their discs as Prodigy began to sponsor players. They ended up with an all-star cast that later led to issues because of the number of talented athletes on Team Prodigy. What follows is a list of their original sponsored players:
- Catrina Allen
- Paige Pierce
- Sarah Hokom
- Cale Leiviska
- Paul Ulibarri
- Garrett Gurthie
- Cameron Colglazier
- Nikko Locastro
- Ricky Wysocki
- Jeremy Koling
- Will Schusterick
These players were all considered “founders.” They were given a certain stake in the company and were allowed to have more access and influence in how the company moved forward. Players appreciated the autonomy and Prodigy was the first disc golf manufacturer to pay their players a salary. This set a precedent in the modern disc golf world that continues to this day.
As Prodigy gave more power to its players, other companies took note and followed suit. Within a few years, many of these players left for lucrative offers from other disc manufacturers. This led to a mass exodus of these founding players from Prodigy. Currently, only four of the founding players are still on Team Prodigy; Catrina Allen, Will Shusterick, Cameron Colglazier, and Cale Leiviska.
The reason for the exodus is multifaceted. As previously mentioned, one of the main reasons is due to other companies offering lucrative contracts. It was difficult for Prodigy to pay its players properly as they had an all-star lineup who all deserved large contracts. Another reason for their early struggles is that Prodigy allowed players to throw mixed bags as they developed a full lineup of discs. While this may seem odd by today’s standards, this was right in tune with their branding strategy of giving more power to the players. However, this strategy led to questions from the disc golf world as players threw multiple brands of discs. How could Prodigy be a quality company when their players don’t even throw their discs?!
Another thorn in the side of Prodigy was the domination of Paul McBeth throughout this era. McBeth was sponsored by disc golf giant Innova from 2005-2018. He won the PDGA World Championship for the first four years that Prodigy existed (2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015). What was Prodigy to do with all of these challenges?
Prodigy in Contemporary Times
What originally made Prodigy successful is what still makes them successful today; Prodigy gives freedom to its players. Prodigy players appreciate the autonomy and input into the disc manufacturing side of the company. Prodigy now sponsors over 150 players including some of the highest-rated players in the world (i.e., Kevin Jones, Chris Dickerson, Matt Orum, Thomas Gilbert, and Seppo Paju).
“Prodigy Disc has continued to push the boundaries of what defines a modern disc golf manufacturer, expanding into forward-thinking equipment, accessories, events and course design. We offer high-quality, innovative disc golf targets, bags, and accessories alongside our discs. Our latest venture, Prodigy Apparel, has utilized athlete insights in collaboration with seasoned sportswear designers to create performance apparel engineered specifically to the technical needs of disc golfers.”
-Prodigy Disc Website
One of the main innovations Prodigy brought to the disc golf community was its disc naming system. They developed a straightforward approach to naming their discs. The naming system is designed to help players figure out what disc they need for each shot quickly and easily.
“The letter in the model name represents the type of disc…The number in the model name represents the stability of the flight path. Our models range from 1 to 7 – ‘1’ being the most overstable and ‘7’ being the most understable.”
-Prodigy Disc Website
Below is a breakdown of the letters attributed to their discs:
- D – Distance Driver
- X – Extra Speed Distance Driver
- H – Hybrid Driver
- F – Fairway Driver
- M – Midrange
- A – Approach
- PA – Putt and Approach
- V2 – Version 2 (Updated Version of a Disc)
Their plastic naming system is also designed to be straightforward. The plastics are based on a numbering system ranging from 200-750G. The lower numbers are entry-level base plastics and are less durable and less expensive. The higher number of plastics are premium plastics and are more durable and more expensive. Below is a flight chart from the Prodigy website that breaks down their entire disc naming system.
Where Does Prodigy Go From Here?
The future is bright for Prodigy Disc. Disc golf is currently booming and as the old cliche goes, “A rising tide lifts all boats.” Prodigy is an innovative company that paved the way for modern-day contracts for professional disc golfers. Their quality plastic, straightforward naming system, and elite sponsored players combine to form a world-class company. Do yourself a favor and try out some Prodigy products from the Rogue Discs website.
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