Disc golf was first invented in the early 1900s. The first game was held in Bladworth, Saskatchewan, Canada in 1927. Ronald Franklin Gibson and a group of his Bladworth Elementary School buddies played a game of throwing tin lids into 4-foot wide circles drawn into sandy patches on their school grounds.
What was the first disc golf course?
Oct 31, 2001 · Disc Golf Association, (DGA) was established in 1976 by Ed Headrick to form a new international sport and to promote the installation and use of disc golf courses around the world. Headrick coined and trademarked the term “Disc Golf” after inventing and patenting the original Disc Pole Hole. Headrick had originally wanted to call his invention a Frisbee Pole Hole but ran …
When was the first disco ball invented?
From Frisbees to Disc Golf “Steady” Ed Headrick #001 is considered the Father of Disc Golf. Of his dozens of patented inventions, two of them hold infinite importance to our sport. The first was the Frisbee (U.S. Patent #3359678) in 1966 as an employee at Wham-O.
What is the history of disc golf?
No one invented disc golf, like ultimate Frisbee, disc golf evolved from ball-minded athletes slightly altering rules and the play of similar ball sports that replaced the ball with a flying disc. John and Jim Palmeri, disc golf pioneers.
When was the first Frisbee invented?
The name Disc Golf Association (DGA) was established when Headrick coined the term “Disc Golf” after inventing and patenting the original Disc Pole Hole to be installed in the first formal disc golf course. Headrick had originally wanted to call the device a Frisbee Pole Hole but ran into issues over the Frisbee trademarked belonging to Wham-O.
What was the first disc golf disc ever made?
When was the first disc golf course created and by who?
The first formal disc golf course was built in Oak Grove Park, (Pasadena, California), by Headrick in 1975 and was an instant success.By the time of his death, Ed has designed over 200 courses.Oct 30, 2001
What country invented golf?
Was disc golf called Frisbee?
Who is the father of disc golf?
Disc Golf History. “Disc Golf” as it is known today began with “Steady” Ed Headrick, the father of disc golf, modern day disc sports and the driving force responsible for the modern era of Frisbee sports. Disc Golf Association, (DGA) was established in 1976 by Ed Headrick to form a new international sport and to promote the installation and use ...
Who invented disc golf?
“Disc Golf” as it is known today began with “Steady” Ed Headrick, the father of disc golf, modern day disc sports and the driving force responsible for the modern era of Frisbee sports.
Who invented the Frisbee?
The roots of the sport begin when “Steady” Ed Headrick designed the modern day Frisbee (US Patent 3,359,678, issued 1966) while working for Wham-O Toys back in the 60’s.
Is disc golf safe?
If they could kill something from a safe distance it would be much safer than a club or a sharp stick.
What was the first disc golf game?
Since that time disc golf evolved from man’s natural competitive nature. Early games used targets of trees, trash cans, light poles, chicken wire baskets, pipes, and coeds. The game was formalized when Headrick invented the first Disc Pole Hole catching device, consisting of 10 chains hanging in a parabolic shape over an upward opening basket, US Patent 4,039,189, issued 1975.
When was disc golf invented?
Disc golf was first invented in the early 1900s. The first game was held in Bladworth, Saskatchewan, Canada in 1926. Ronald Brandon Cain and a group of his Bladworth Elementary School buddies played a game of throwing tin lids into 4 foot wide circles drawn into sandy patches on their school grounds. They called the game Tin Lid Golf and played on a fairly regular basis. However, after they grew older and went their separate ways, the game came to an end. It was not until the 1970s that modern disc golf would be introduced to Canadians at the Canadian Open Frisbee Championships in Toronto and Vancouver, BC.
Who was the first person to play Frisbee golf?
Two early coordinators of the sport are George Sappenfield and Kevin Donnelly, who, through similar backgrounds and the help of Ed Headrick at Wham-O, were able to individually spread the sport in their California cities. Donnelly began playing a form of Frisbee golf in 1959 called Street Frisbee Golf. In 1961, while a recreation leader and then recreation supervisor for the City of Newport Beach, California, he formulated and then began organizing Frisbee golf tournaments at nine of the city's playgrounds he supervised. This culminated in 1965 with a fully documented, Wham-O sponsored, citywide Frisbee golf tournament spearheaded by "Steady" Ed Headrick at Wham-O. This highly publicized tournament included hula hoops as holes, with published rules, hole lengths, pars, and prizes; an event in which Walter Frederick Morrison, inventor of the Pluto Platter and Frisbee inventor "Steady"' Ed Headrick, was in attendance. In 1965, Sappenfield was a recreation counselor during a summer break from college during which, he set up an object course for his children to play on. When he finished college in 1968, Sappenfield became the Parks and Recreation supervisor for Conejo Recreation and Park District in Thousand Oaks, California. Sappenfield planned a disc golf tournament as part of a recreation project and contacted Wham-O Manufacturing to ask them for help with the event. Wham-O supplied Frisbees for throwing, and hula hoops for use as targets.
Seeds of Change Sown at First Disc Golf World Championships
Ed was a control freak. He liked being the man in control of the PDGA and resented attempts by players to control the direction of the organization. It’s important to remember that, until 1982, he was doing essentially everything by himself.
PDGA Player Ratings – A Game Changer
The PDGA has seen dozens of Commissioners and Executive Directors come and go over the years. From “Steady” Ed to DGHOF members like Elaine King #3090 and John Houck #1688. One of those was DGHOF member, Jim Challas #160, serving as Commissioner in the late 90s.
Explosive Growth - PDGA Membership & Events
As pointed out by PDGA Ratings guru Chuck Kennedy, the number of PDGA members and the rate at which membership is expanding is far different today than it was in the early days. As of 11:00am EDT on July 6th, 2016, the PDGA’s newest member was assigned the number 87248 with nearly 31,000 active members.
Now What?
Decades later, one can only wonder, would the Father of Disc Golf be happy with where the sport is today? Few people would be able to speculate better than Stork, so we asked him.
When was disc golf invented?
Disc Golf is First Played in 1926. According to The Complete Book of Frisbee, disc golf’s earliest recorded history was in Bladworth, Saskatchewan, Canada in 1926. Ronald Gibson and a group of his Bladworth Elementary School buddies played a game of throwing tin lids into 4 foot wide circles drawn into sandy patches on their school grounds.
Who was the first person to play Frisbee golf?
Frisbee Golf History in the U.S. Two early coordinators of the sport are George Sappenfield and Kevin Donnelly, who, through similar backgrounds and the help of Wham-O, were able to spread the sport in their California cities. Donnelly began playing a form of Frisbee golf in 1959 called Street Frisbee Golf.
Did disc golf originate from Frisbee?
No one invented disc golf, like ultimate Frisbee, disc golf evolved from ball-minded athlete’s slightly altering rules and the play of similar ball sports that replaced the ball with a flying disc.
Where was the first disc golf course built?
Headrick designed and installed the first standardized target course in what was then known as Oak Grove Park in La Cañada Flintridge, California. (Today the park is known as Hahamongna Watershed Park). Ed founded “The International Frisbee Association (IFA)”. Headrick coined and trademarked the term “Disc Golf” when formalizing ...
When was the first Frisbee tournament?
The first official Frisbee disc golf tournament was held in Brookside park, Pasadena, CA, USA in 1969. They used hula hoops as targets.
Who invented the Frisbee?
Headrick abandoned his trademark on the term “Disc Golf,” and turned over control and administration of the PDGA to the growing body of disc golf players. “Steady Ed” Headrick began thinking about the sport during his time at Wham-O Toys where he designed and patented the modern day Frisbee.
Who is Ed Headrick?
Ed Headrick, Hall of Fame, Disc Golf and Frisbee Pioneer. Ed Headrick died in 2002 at the age of 78. As per Ed’s wishes, his ashes were incorporated into a limited number of discs.
When was disc golf invented?
2. The game of disc golf was invented in the very early 1900s by a group of elementary school friends. Ronald Cain and his friends began playing a game where they would throw lids into circles drawn into the sand. This is the first known idea of disc golf and the first known game happened in Canada back in 1926. 3.
Is disc golf a fast growing sport?
7. In the United States over the past few years, disc golf has been the fourth fastest-growing sport.
Is disc golf open to the public?
With more courses being open to the public as well as a lot of places being free to play, it’s no surprise that many are picking up disc golf right now.
When is disc golf day?
National Disc Golf Day takes place on August 1st each year. The PDGA founded the day to help celebrate the fast-growing game of disc golf and choose August since it’s such a popular month for discing. It was officially approved as a national day in July 2016 by the Registrar at National Day Calendar. 11.
What is the best portable golf basket?
One of the best portable baskets on the market, the DGA Mach Lite is modeled after the popular DGA Mach II which is more of a permanent target. Even though it isn’t built for courses, you can get some great putting practice in with this basket.
When was disc golf invented?
Disc Golf. Disc Golf Association, (DGA) was established in 1976 by Ed Headrick to form a new international sport and to promote the installation and use of disc golf courses around the world. Ed coined and trademarked the term “Disc Golf” and he envisioned a game that would explode in popularity. “Steady” Ed traveled around ...
Who invented the Frisbee?
Ed Headrick, also known as “Steady” Ed Headrick, (June 28, 1924 – August 12, 2002) was an American toy inventor. Headrick served in combat in the Army in WWII and was a deep-sea welder. He is most well-known as the father of both the modern-day Frisbee and of the sport and game of disc golf.
Who invented the flying saucer?
It was this job which led him to re-evaluate Wham-O’s flying saucer which had been created by the American Inventor Walter Frederick Morrison. With the flying saucer, Headrick envisioned not a better selling toy, but a redesign and invention of something bigger.
What was the purpose of the DGA?
The purpose of DGA was to manufacture discs and targets and to formalize the game for disc golf. The first disc golf target was Ed’s pole hole design which basically consisted of a pole sticking out of the ground.
What was the first disc golf target?
The first disc golf target was Ed’s pole hole design which basically consisted of a pole sticking out of the ground. In 1977, Headrick and his son Ken developed the modern catching basket for disc golf, US Patent #4,039,189, titled Flying Disc Entrapment Device, which they trademarked “Disc Pole Hole”.
How many disc golf courses are there in the world?
Ed and his company DGA revised and obtained patents for basket designs until his death in 2002. Today there are over 7,000 disc golf courses installed throughout the world, the majority of them are DGA Disc Pole Hole baskets Headrick designed.
What is the inner chain of disc golf?
Ed Headrick’s Inner Chain patent was another revolutionary step in the evolution of disc golf as a sport . As the sport grew and became more competitive Ed began designing smaller, heavier discs that could be thrown with more accuracy and speed. It was clear that smaller and heavier discs were becoming more popular and that they were going to replace the Frisbees for playing disc golf. Today most outdoor disc golf baskets make use of Headrick’s original inner chain invention.
Overview
Disc golf was first invented in the early 1900s. The first game was held in Emporia, Kansas, USA in 1926. Ronald Brandon Cain and a group of his Kansan Elementary School buddies played a game of throwing tin lids into 4 foot wide circles drawn into sandy patches on their school grounds. They called the game Tin Lid Golf and played on a fairly regular basis. However, after they grew older and went their separate ways, the game came to an end. It was not until the 1970s that mo…
Early pioneers of the sport
Two early coordinators of the sport are George Sappenfield and Kevin Donnelly, who, through similar backgrounds and the help of Ed Headrick at Wham-O, were able to individually spread the sport in their California cities. Donnelly began playing a form of Frisbee golf in 1959 called Street Frisbee Golf. In 1961, while a recreation leader and then recreation supervisor for the City of Newport Beach, California, he formulated and then began organizing Frisbee golf tournaments a…
Creation of the modern game
"Steady Ed" Headrick and Dave Dunipace are two inventors and players who greatly impacted how disc golf is played. In 1976 Headrick formalized the rules of the sport, founded the Disc Golf Association (DGA), the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA), the Recreational Disc Golf Association (RDGA) and invented the first formal disc golf target with chains and a basket. Dave Dunipaceinvented the modern golf disc in 1983, with the revolutionary change of adding a bevel…
See also
• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on disc golf
• International Disc Golf Center
External links
• The History of Disc Golf on YouTube
• The History of Flying Disc Sports in New England