Barry Schultz is one of the greatest players of all time. If there was ever a Mount Rushmore of disc golf, Schultz’s face would be etched in history. Schultz has been a consistent figure in the disc golf world since the early 90s and has been a part of history via his sponsorship deal with Innova. His playing career speaks for itself. Through 604 PDGA events played Schultz has won 268 of them. That’s a win percentage of over 44%!
Schultz is known as being a smooth backhand throwing rightie from Wisconsin. He has been a great ambassador for the state and was a founding member of the Wisconsin Disc Sports Association. Schultz said of his early days, “I had some great mentors in Wisconsin from a golf course standpoint and from a playing standpoint. So I was very fortunate to be where I was when I was.”
Schultz now lives in North Carolina. He was a contemporary of the greatest player in disc golf history; Ken Climo. Their epic battles made each other better and elevated the sport through the 90s and early 2000s. Simply put, without Schultz, there would be no Climo. The modern era of the game we know today is piled upon the shoulders of Schultz, Climo, and many who came before them.
History
Schultz started playing as a teenager at a time in the sport where few tournament divisions were offered. He decided to play either Junior or Open to begin his career because these were two of the only divisions offered. Many tournaments were unsanctioned by the PDGA so much of his early career went unrecorded. He opens up about this era in the Podcast “Running It With Nate Sexton.” I highly recommend giving this a listen as you get to learn about the man as well as some rich history of the sport.
The world of athletic competition was familiar to Schultz.
“I had grown up in the athletic world. I played all kinds of sports growing up so I just knew the whole model of practice, search out people that have more knowledge than you, look up as much as you can, learn from yourself, learn about yourself and always make forward steps. And that’s what I did.”
-Barry Schultz
Schultz became a PDGA member in 1992. He continued to gain skills and by the mid-’90s began to travel regionally for tournaments. In 1996 Schultz traveled to South Bend, IN to play in his first PDGA World Championship. He finished 13th and he gained confidence that he was on the right path. The following year he finished 5th at Worlds and continued his upward trajectory. This led to him quitting his job in 2000 to pursue disc golf full time. Schultz happened to work at a plastics factory and had a deep knowledge of the disc-making process. He gave some knowledge to his sponsor, Innova, which helped with the subtleties of the creation process.
As he continued to progress in disc golf he racked up wins at a staggering pace. As mentioned before, his win percentage is over 44%. What follows is a list of his accomplishments:
- 2x Open World Champion (2003, 2004)
- 2x Men’s Masters 40+ Champion (2013, 2017)
- Men’s Masters 50+ Champion (2021)
- 3x US Disc Golf Champion (2001, 2003, 2006)
- 17x National Tour (NT) Champion (Equivalent to present day DGPT)
- 7x US Masters Champion
- 15x Major Champion
- First man to win World Titles in Open, Open 40+ and Open 50+
- PDGA Hall Of Fame Member (Class of 2013)
- Wisconsin Disc Golf Hall Of Fame Member (Class of 1999)
Climo vs. Schultz
This is the greatest rivalry in disc golf history. Schultz is the second greatest disc golfer in history next to Ken Climo. He may be remembered for this rivalry more than anything else. The two of them were great friends and were heads and shoulders above their competitors for the better part of 20 years. Between the two of them from 1990-2006, they won 14 World Championships in the Open division. They are also the only two men to win both Open and Masters division World Championships.
In 2003 Schultz and Climo had one of the most epic battles in the history of disc golf. The scene was the United States Disc Golf Championship (USDGC) in Winthrop, South Carolina. Schultz was having the best year of his career and was tied with Ken Climo after four rounds. They were clear of the second-place finisher by 8 strokes! Off into a playoff, they went and went and went. They each rattled off 9 straight birdies in exhilarating fashion and Schultz took home the title on the 10th hole of the playoff. Scour this Ultiworld article for all details and videos of the scene.
Giving Back – Volunteering and Leading
What makes people special is what happens behind the scenes. How they spend their time and energy when the cameras are not rolling. Schultz is no exception.
“I was forced into a leadership role because our course pro passed away when I was a teenager so I ran leagues and stuff like that and had that background as well. So I really see big picture when I go to all these big events and that’s why I kind of gravitate to the people that volunteer and lead our events…We are still a volunteer-driven sport.”
-Barry Schultz
This sentiment is what makes disc golf so special. It is rooted as a homegrown sport based on giving back to your community. Schultz comes from a time in our sport where many events were put on by DIY volunteers with little to no media exposure. This aspect of the sport is very much alive to this day.
Sponsorship
My favorite driver growing up was my Barry Schultz Beast. I knew little about the man whose signature graced that tye-dye disc but it flew incredibly. I knew even less about Schultz being one of the pioneers of disc golf sponsorship. He happened to be a part of Innova’s first-ever sponsored players.
Schultz played the 1997 World Championships in Charlotte and was approached by Innova.
“That was when they took 20 or 25 of us aside…and said, ‘Hey we’re thinking about making a team.’ And the next year they came out with a team. So I was a part of the first team.”
-Barry Schultz
Schultz has been sponsored by Innova for 25 years and still is to this day. While many other players have had to let go of their sponsors due to a lack of quality or simply not playing, Schultz has continued to play at a high level throughout the entirety of his career. His consistency and longevity are what make him a legend. He has played in multiple PDGA sanctioned tournaments every year since 1992.
Bringing It All Together
Barry Schultz is one of the greatest disc golfers of all time. He is one of only two players to win World Championships in both the Open and Masters divisions. Schultz was a part of the greatest rivalry in the history of our sport as he competed for two decades against Ken Climo. Their hard work and perseverance grew the sport and led directly to the modern era of the sport that we enjoy today. He is a true student of the game and says, “This is why you play and you soak up as much disc golf as you can so when (you’re) in the moment you can be creative and think ’Oh I can do this…let’s give it a try.’” Schultz is a giant of our sport and you can still find him competing at tournaments across the country.
I love your site…your passion for disc golf really comes through.
