Intro:
Our sport is growing and is growing fast one facet of our sport that is not growing on the same growth curve is Women players. We have addressed some of the those issues in our earlier article. Below Brianna give us all some great resources to learn more about Disc golf from other women, and not just other women but some of the best women’s promoters, players, and disc golf entrepreneurs.
Women’s disc golf. You have heard about it, you like it, and now you want to get involved in some way. There are many ways for both men and women to get involved in women’s disc golf. The internet is an essential tool in finding ways to get involved in women’s disc golf.
The first resource is Ladies First Disc Golf. This website offers a fantastic consolidated list of beginner friendly and lightweight discs. This is essential when trying to get involved in women’s disc golf. For some women heavier discs are difficult to get distance on. These lightweight discs allow for easier snap and therefore more distance. Introducing someone to the world of lightweight discs might just get them wanting to try out more within the sport.
The next resource is Disc Golf 4 Women. This is another site that offers many resources for women’s disc golf. Where Ladies First offered information about discs and discs to buy, Disc Golf 4 Women offers articles about learning how to play the sport. There are articles about learning how to increase your distance, the x step, how far you should expect to throw, and more. Trying to teach a woman or even beginner how to play disc golf? This website is a great resource for you. Trying to learn more about playing disc golf? This is a great site for you as well.
Are you trying to find a local women’s disc golf league? Disc Golf 4 Women has a list of women’s disc golf leagues based on state. Joining a women’s disc golf league is one way to put your toe in the water of disc golf. Also check out Facebook and ask locals to see if there is a women’s league near you. If there isn’t one, think about starting one or even just go to a mixed league night and enjoy yourself. The key is to get out there and find what you like.
Guess what? The PDGA has their own women’s committee as well! This site has information about running a women’s only event as well as a women’s disc golf league. There is also information about the Women’s Global Event where all women in the world will play two rounds of disc golf on May 12th, 2018. There is also information about women’s pro disc golfers. Watch the women play disc golf as well as get news and information on events.
One final place to visit is YouTube! Yes, YouTube! There are many podcasts as well as other videos offered to give insight in to disc golf. Disc manufacturers offer videos as well as other people on YouTube. Use that search feature and find the gold that it offers.
Finally, do not forget to check out your local disc golf shops as well as your local disc golf club. People around you are willing to help further women’s disc golf. Get out there, throw some discs, and have fun!
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Intro
Disc golf is a game for all, I have been playing competitive disc golf for 25 years and although I have seen a growth in the women's game it has not happened as fast as any of us would like to see. Not only does the lack of women make it hard to get new women involved it also makes disc golf events not the most enjoyable place to be. I believe all of us TDs, players, spectators could learn a lot from listening to the women that do play Why they love it and the things that are difficult. I hope any of us involved in running events, leagues, clubs, and ETC...... will listen to these strong and graceful women in all our communities. And finally make this great sport inviting to all.
Disc golf is one of the fastest growing sports in the world with over 100,000 members in the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) and over 7,000 courses around the world according to the PDGA. Just like most sports disc golf has a more prominent men’s field than women’s. In 2017 the PDGA reported that there were 29 pro women who qualified as touring pros, versus the 148 pro men. So why should more women be involved in disc golf and what improvements could be made to the game for women?
Pros
There obviously have to be some good things about the sport for women to be involved in it. What are some of the good things about women’s disc golf? Well we went out and asked some of our local ladies why they liked to play the sport.
One of the top reasons the local ladies liked to play disc golf was the relationships that are built as well as the support system that women offer each other. Christie Hundley, one of our local advanced women’s players, stated that, “the ladies are almost always having a good time with each other. There are tips given, we root for one another, and we seem to have a lot more fun than the men do”. This camaraderie is one of the most important things in women’s disc golf according to the PDGA as well as many women involved in disc golf. Mandi Haller, one of our local intermediate women’s players, stated that “the ladies become your beloved friends. When you’ve spent hours in the scorching heat playing a difficult course or trudging through feet of snow trying to keep an eye on each other’s discs (or ribbons really) it all brings you together in the best way”. The social aspect of disc golf is key for its success amongst women.
The men have a tie to the pros of women’s disc golf as well. The support that the male players offer women is a pro of women’s disc golf. The men can be the necessary jumping point for the women’s disc golf community in a local area. Christie stated, “When they [male disc golfers] are willing to give you tips and help your game and you see yourself improve because of this help, it is an amazing feeling”. With 80% of the pro touring field consisting of men in 2017 it is key that men get involved in growing the sport for not only themselves, but the ladies as well. So get on out there guys and be the support that is needed.
One of my favorite pros about women’s disc golf is the fact that the manufacturers make discs that allow players with less of an “arm” to throw farther. Most disc golfers who have “arms” can throw a disc over 300 feet. There are women that can throw this far, but for beginners and women with less of an “arm” this can be difficult. Discs that come in air plastics or lighter weights allow these players to get more distance on their discs compared to throwing heavier discs. Now air and lightweight plastics are not for everyone but they are offered by manufacturers to help level out the playing field and offer more of a variety when it comes to plastics and discs. Want to know a bit more about lightweight and air plastics? The Disc Golf Answer Man might be able to answer your question.
One last pro for women’s disc golf is the fact that growth is occurring. Christie mentioned the many women’s events that have recently been created that will help grow the sport including the Women’s Global Event (go find your local event) and even the fact that there has been an expansion of women’s disc golf coverage online. Christie mentioned the fact that growth is taking place “not only adult women’s divisions, but in the junior girl’s division as well”. Growing the sport is how we will keep it around.
Cons
Now let’s get down and dirty. In every sport there are cons that are involved. So what are some of the general cons about being a woman that plays disc golf?
Let’s start out with two cons that weave themselves together and are some of the most common problems in women’s disc golf. Tee pads and round duration are two hot topics in women’s disc golf. There is a large issue with difficult holes that are long and/or island shot holes. Christie illustrated this very well, “it’s difficult to play a tournament that has a 1200 foot hole that all of the ladies get a 10 or more on while the men can make it in four shots. Island shots offer their own difficulty and Christie shared a story that is a common experience for most women when they start out:“I played one of my earlier tournaments where there was an island, over water, with no drop zone. I was a new player and just could not make it across. I lost discs in the water, I unloaded my bag, some of the men’s cards were piling up behind me, and I cried. I took a 16 on that hole, I believe”. The length of time it takes for women to complete difficult holes can cause back ups on the course and slows down the speed of play.
There are solutions to speed up the speed of play and difficulty of holes which can include alternate tee pads for women as well as proper spacing of cards. Mandi suggested both of these solutions, especially advocating for alternate tees, “... make alternate tee pads for intermediate and advanced women’s cards…. the women feel more confident on the course, and they keep better pace with the men”.
One of the other things about women’s disc golf is the physical disadvantages and discomforts of being a woman. The first hot topic about women’s bodies is having to use the bathroom during a round. Many courses that are ideal for disc golf are wilderness courses which means there usually aren’t many bathrooms. Christie got real about this topic, “this is hard on women who obviously don’t urinate like men do and also have periods”. Mandi also got real about this topic, “trying to find somewhere outside to pee is not fun or easy”. Bathrooms are a must for women during tournaments and these would benefit men as well. Adding more bathrooms is an easy solution for this problem, but re-routing the flow of the tournament or a round can help this issue as well.
Now the second physical feature of a woman that can make disc golf hard is boobs. Women come in all shapes and sizes which can present issues in disc golf. What happens when your boobs are more voluptuous? Christie answered it perfectly, “... every so often, as your hand is coming across your chest, your disc will hit one [boob] mid-throw and will bounce in the opposite direction of where you’re throwing it”. Now boobs are not something that tend to be modified, but it is an actual con to women’s disc golf. The key here is to learn from other ladies on how to combat this issue. Finally, the last physical disadvantages about being a lady is getting pregnant. I cannot put it any better than Christie did “while birthing a human is quite the miracle, it can put a damper on your disc golf game”. Dependent upon your pregnancy you might be able to play all the way up until your due date or you might only be able to play during part of your pregnancy. Not only do you possibly lose time while you are pregnant, time is lost due to recovery. Time is also lost fulfilling your duties as a parent. Tag team parenting tends to offer the most amount of time to play disc golf, but on tournament days or even regular disc golf days a sitter has to be found for some parents.
I want thank all the ladies the contributed to the above a special thanks to Brianna Pitcock for putting the piece together. Hopefully we will be hearing more from her in the future about the ins and outs of being a women in this Dude heavy world. Speaking of Dude if you plan buying any Dude gear please use the link below to support Disc Golf Idaho.
See you in the course.
This blog is supported by Dude Clothing if you want to support Disc Golf Idaho and need new disc golf gear please click though to dude above.
In the spirit of the season we are writing to express our deepest thanks for your recent donation to Disc Golf Idaho’s City Of Trees Classic Charity Disc Golf Event. Generous gifts from donors like you provide the financial and and moral support needed to continue our mission hosting nonprofit, fundraising and educational disc golf events in Idaho. With you financial contribution, you’ve demonstrated your deep commitment to our work of providing a quality Recreational and competitive disc golf event that generate healthy donations to local nonprofits. Your support has played a key role in our success to be able to make a considerable donation to our City Of Tree’s non-profit partner Life’s Kitchen. There is no way to fully express our gratitude for your loyalty. We at Disc Golf Idaho are continually inspired by the dedication and generosity of donors like yourself who answer the call to give again and again. Happy Holiday season. See you on the links!
Best regards,
Mike Bachman
Justin Carlson
