Think about the first time you threw a disc it probably wasn’t the prettiest of flights. Now think of the first time you threw a shot that was just fantastic and you saw the flight of the disc and how the shot was shaped. It’s exhilarating to see the perfect flight and all your hard work finally paying off. It’s also extremely frustrating to not improve or improve enough to your standards and when it gets frustrating, that’s when you lose sight of that flight.

The Flight Got Me Hooked

The flight is what got me hooked on disc golf just watching the disc fly through the air so perfectly, soaring above our heads, just the perfect contrast to the blue sky background. Most of us play in tournaments and don’t realize how lucky we are to be able to do that. We get caught up in tournament play, practice rounds, our ratings, and how big the payout is. With that we can stress ourselves out when most of us will never make a living playing disc golf. We play because we love that flight and we love the camaraderie of the sport and the friends we have made through it. It happens to the best of us and if you have been caught up by all that that is perfectly fine to want to get better. In your quest to become better always remember why you started.

I was in the middle of a practice round and talking to a friend about how the local scene is changing and how what people are doing are making a difference and it is a positive difference. We were discussing all this and I got bogged down with the thinking and it being a tournament prep round and I threw a poor shot and got frustrated. When I looked up and saw my friends shot, I immediately snapped out of my frustration because I saw the flight, I felt the air, the weather was just perfect and it reminded me of when I first started playing disc golf. Pure joy was what I felt because it reminded me that I was out there creating this flight that I am always searching for.

If we can pass that same joy and pure happiness along to someone else and we see their face when they get that perfect flight that makes us remember our beginnings. As disc golfers we can pass on this feeling of freedom and clear mindedness that lead us to playing in the first place. If we are able to create this flight we can show this to newer players and they can enjoy this same feeling. Take a step back and go enjoy a round, let everything sink in, let your surroundings take you over. Go take someone that has never played a round of disc golf in their life out there let them experience this. Show them that they can feel the same way.

Take a step back from your regular tournament prep routine if you have a few weeks off and rediscover disc golf. What I mean is just go out and have fun, don’t keep score, don’t worry about how many putts you hit within the circle, introduce the sport to someone new. Let someone else’s spark reignite yours and see how by just introducing a few people to disc golf how it can change your outlook and theirs. You might discover that you really enjoy organizing events and that is how you are going to make your biggest impact in the disc golf world is.

For the love of flight take someone out and introduce them to disc golf. Let them see why you are so passionate about “just throwing Frisbees in the park.”

Daniel George

Think Global.Throw Local.

#GrowDiscGolf