The Story of Disc Golf Legend: Ken Climo

I found out about Ken “The Champ” Climo through throwing his signature line of Innova discs in the late 1990s and early 2000s. There was one that I especially loved; the Champion Eagle. Ohh could you carve lines with that 12x Champion Eagle! But at the time I didn’t know much about the man whose name graced my favorite disc. There wasn’t YouTube or social media or the Disc Golf Network or million-dollar contracts for disc golf players at that time. There was simply Ken Climo dominating the scene and selling plastic. Many aspects of his game led to his success. He was known as a precision thrower with one of the best putts on tour. His competitive spirit, clutch performances, and unflappable focus made him the greatest disc golfer of all time.

Climo was the originator of the modern era of disc golf and passed the baton off to our current generation of players to elevate the sport to what it is today. He was the first player to put his name on discs and get royalties. We’ll get to that in a bit. In Climo’s day, there was not much money in disc golf. Throughout all of his years as a touring Pro, he still held down a job in Clearwater as a carpenter framing homes. Can you imagine that in today’s game?! Just talk to Paul McBeth about how times have changed. And times have changed largely through the effort The Champ made throughout his career.

Let’s start back at the beginning.

Origins of the Champ

Ken Climo was born in 1968 in Clearwater, FL. He grew up playing many sports but especially had a love for ball golf. His father introduced him to the sport and they played together often. Climo played golf for his high school team and was able to play for free as a benefit of being on the team. After high school, Climo found the financial side of ball golf was a bit too expensive. Of this period in his life Climo said, “Damn, you gotta pay for this stuff?!”

Around this time (1986) a friend of Climo’s mentioned there was a disc golf course at a park near his home. This was an object course with wooden posts as the target. The “goal” area was painted red and you had to hit this area to complete each hole. Climo, having grown up in a beach town, had much experience throwing frisbees with friends and playing freestyle. He quickly took to disc golf.

Climo played his first PDGA sanctioned tournament in 1987. It was titled the “Cross Town Classic” in Orlando, FL and he entered the Amateur Advanced division. He won. Just like that he was off and running. Climo had a playing partner at the time named CR Willie. They pushed each other to get better as their competitive drives were fully focused on disc golf. Their home course was the legendary Cliff Stephens Park in Clearwater. It was a nine-hole track that they used to play upwards of ten times a day.

Climo then turned Pro in 1988 and entered his first World Championship in 1989. He took fifth place at his first Worlds and gained priceless experience amongst the world’s best disc golfers. He then went on a tear that will likely never be matched in the sport again. Climo won 9 straight world championships from 1990-1998. Let’s break down some stats.

Statistics

Ken Climo has entered 466 PDGA events and won 229. That is a win percentage of 49%. They don’t call him “The Champ” for nothing. Climo has won 12 World Championships with an average margin of victory over 7 strokes. He won 9 straight Worlds between the years 1990-1998. He has also won three World Championships in the Master’s Division (2012, 2014, and 2015).

Climo’s most dominant stretch was the 1990s. During this decade he played 201 tournaments and won 140 of them. He finished outside of the top three only 14 times. That decade saw him win 70% of the tournaments he entered! If the 1990s were his most dominant decade, 1995 was his most dominant year. Climo played in 26 tournaments and won 23. His three other finishes were all second place.

Climo held the highest rating of all time in 2002 at 1044 with much less disc technology than what is available today.

He was named “Player of the Year” seven times by the PDGA and was inducted into the PDGA Hall of Fame in 1995. He was only 27 years old.

Impact on the Game

Climo brought his ball golf mentality with him into disc golf. He always wondered why disc golf did not have par 4’s and 5’s. Even when holes were 900 feet, though rare, they would still be considered a par 3. “It just doesn’t make sense. I mean, let’s logically think about this here,” said Climo about this situation. So Climo set out to bring more strategy into the sport.

He would speak with tournament directors and course designers and let them know his passion for more decision-making on the course. He wanted to see longer holes with more risk/reward shots. He wanted to see more OB’s. One of Climo’s main legacies is through his input at the United States Disc Golf Championship (USDGC) in Winthrop, SC. The course is filled with shots that make you think and no two players approach the course the same. It is a true test of will as players must be patient and consistent throughout tight fairways lined with OB. This is the type of course that Climo willed into existence and has brought legitimacy for disc golf into the consciousness of casual observers.

Climo also grew the sport due to his dedication. He traveled extensively to tournaments and was a part of the pioneer days of the road warriors of disc golf. Due to his dedication to the sport, people loved to see him wherever he showed up. As a result of his success and recognizability, he was the first player to gain monetary sponsorship from a disc golf company, Innova Champion Discs. Many other players were sponsored with free products from various disc golf companies, but Climo was the first to ink an actual contract. He was also the first player to get a signature line of discs and earn royalties from their sales. This is a crucial source of income for many professional disc golfers to this day. This paved the way for our current generation of players to live the disc golf life full time without needing another job to supplement their income.

Conclusion

Ken “The Champ” Climo is many things to many people. Throughout all of his success, he always stayed a humble and gracious champion. Perhaps this is his most endearing quality. However you slice up his career, Climo is a pioneer who paved the way for our contemporary sport. Through Climo’s dedication, sponsorship, course design, brand marketing, and a multitude of other factors he is a legend of disc golf. Thank you, Champ for your years of dedication and domination.

Consideration

Much of the information from this blog came from a podcast entitled “Running It with Nate Sexton.” This episode is an interview with Climo where he expounds on a wide array of topics and insights. I highly recommend giving it a listen as it incorporates a great deal of rich disc golf history intertwined with Climo’s story.