America's Earliest Disc Golf Courses
| Course # | Course Install | Basket Install | City | Course Name |
| 1 | 1976 | 1976 | Huntsville | Brahan Springs Park |
| 1 | 1976 | 1976 | Robertsdale | Styx River Resort |
| 3 | 1977 | 1977 | Huntsville | Redstone Arsenal |
What are America's earliest disc golf courses?
America's Earliest Disc Golf Courses Course # Course Install Basket Install City Course Name 1 1976 1976 Huntsville Brahan Springs Park 1 1976 1976 Robertsdale Styx River Resort 3 1977 1977 Huntsville Redstone Arsenal 42 more rows ...
Who invented disc golf?
Headrick coined and trademarked the term "Disc Golf" when formalizing the sport and patented the Disc Pole Hole, the first disc golf target to incorporate chains and a basket on a pole.
When was the first Frisbee golf course designed?
In California, the Berkeley Frisbee Group established a standardized 18 hole object course on the Berkeley campus in 1970. University of Michigan Nichols Arboretum, Ann Arbor had an object Frisbee golf course designed in the early 1970s.
How many disc golf courses are in the world?
There are disc golf courses on every continent, including 24 in Latin America, 8 in Africa, and one in Antarctica. Åland has been defined as the world's largest single disc golf park, with one course in each of the 16 municipalities of Åland. * indicates "Disc golf in COUNTRY or TERRITORY" links.
Where was the first ever disc golf course?
PasadenaThe First Disc Golf Course 1975 was also the year that the first official (and permanent) disc golf course—Oak Grove Park Disc Golf Course—was installed in Pasadena, California.
What was the first disc golf disc ever made?
The Eagle (U.S. Patent #4,568,297) was the first disc designed specifically for disc golf. Innova was formed in 1983 and production of their earliest golf discs began.
When was the first official disc golf event?
1969The first official disc golf tournament was held in Brookside park, Pasadena, CA, USA in 1969. It was one of the events during the “All Comers Meet” Jay Shelton won golf. The goals were natural objects marked with a ribbon.
Who invented modern disc golf?
“Steady” Ed Headrick“Steady” Ed Headrick: The Father of Disc Golf, The Modern Day Frisbee and Founder of DGA. Established and organized the first World Frisbee Championships and the Junior World Frisbee Championships. Established the first Disc Golf tournaments and a $50,000 landmark Frisbee Disc Golf Tournament in 1979.
What country invented golf?
ScotlandGolf originated from a game played on the eastern coast of Scotland, in an area close to the royal capital of Edinburgh. In those early days players would attempt to hit a pebble over sand dunes and around tracks using a bent stick or club.
What is the golden rule of disc golf?
Basically, the Golden Rule of Disc Golf is to have respect and manners while you're on the course and interacting with other players. Not only is it about treating other players how you'd like to be treated, but it's also about respecting their property, the course, and the game as a whole.
Where is disc golf most popular?
Where Is Disc Golf Most Popular in the U.S.?RankStateTotal Disc Golf Rounds in UDisc (2021)1Maine169,8622Minnesota458,9883Vermont51,5754New Hampshire110,92046 more rows•Jan 26, 2022
Who is the father of disc golf?
Ed HeadrickEd 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 golf?
Charles Blair MacDonald, who attended St. Andrews University and learned the game at the St. Andrews Golf Links, is considered the father of American golf course architects. In 1893, MacDonald built the Chicago Golf Club, which was the country's first 18-hole course.
Who invented the disc golf?
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 International Disc Golf Center?
The facility now boasts three championship courses, a pro shop, office space for the PDGA staff, the “Steady” Ed Headrick Memorial Museum, the Disc Golf Hall of Fame, picnic pavilions, and more.
What year did the Datsun B210 win the American Flying Disc Open?
They called the event the American Flying Disc Open (AFDO), and to attract the attention of the Frisbee community, they put up a brand new 1974 Datsun B210 to be awarded to the winner. Jim Palmeri #23 (left) handing Dan "Stork" Roddick #003 (right) the keys to his prize for winning the 1974 American Flying Disc Open.
Where was the Wham O's disc golf tournament held?
Another significant turning point for disc golf was an event organized by, you guessed it, “Steady” Ed in 1979. Held in Huntington Beach, California, Ed named the event the $50,000 Disc Golf Tournament, boasting its massive payout right in the title.
Who were the players on the 1985 disc golf championships?
According to Rick Rothstein ’s Disc Golf World News (the source of accurate informative disc golf news for decades), the players approved a steering committee of Ted Smethers, Ed Headrick, Lavone Wolfe #580, Patti Kunkle #283, and Roy Culbertson #1814 at the 1985 Disc Golf World Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Do people play golf with flying discs?
There are many historical accounts of people playing golf with a flying disc, some of which pre-date the advent of the plastic flying discs by many years. Each account was an isolated instance of recreational disc golf play, and none of the participants knew of anyone else playing disc golf.
Is there a frisbee golf course in the book?
Surprisingly, there was only a very brief mention of the concept of Frisbee golf, and that was buried in a section titled “the obstacle course.”. There was no further description of Frisbee golf anywhere else in the book.
When was disc golf invented?
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. 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.
What was the first disc golf target?
Ed Headrick's Flying Disc Entrapment Device Patent 4039189. The first disc golf target made with chains that became the standard for disc golf. In 1977, Headrick and his son Ken developed the modern basket catch for disc golf, US Patent 4,039,189, [4] titled Flying Disc Entrapment Device, which they trademarked "Disc Pole Hole". The Disc Pole Hole created a standardized catching device that had a chain-hanger that held vertical hanging rows of chain out and away from a center pole. The vertical rows of chain came together forming a parabolic shape above and angling down towards a metal basket that attached to and surrounded the center pole, and could catch a disc from all directions.
What is a disc golf tee box?
A disc golf tee (commonly referred to as a tee box or the box) is the starting position of a hole. The PDGA recommends that the tee box be no smaller than 1.2 meters wide by 3 meters long. The tee box is usually a pad of concrete, asphalt, rubber, gravel, or artificial turf. Some courses have natural turf with only the front of the tee position marked or no tee boxes at all and players begin from a general location based on the course layout.
How many holes are there in disc golf?
Disc golf courses. Most disc golf courses have 9 or 18 holes, and exceptions most often have holes in multiples of three. Courses with 6, 12, 21, 24 or 27 holes are not uncommon. The PDGA recommends that courses average 200–400 ft (61–122 m) per hole, with holes no shorter than 100 ft (30 m).
What is the most common type of target in disc golf?
Targets. A disc resting in a basket, the most common type of target. Main article: Basket (disc golf) Although early courses were played using trees, fence posts, or park equipment as the target, standard disc golf baskets are by far the most common type of target on modern courses.
How many disc golf courses are there in the world?
There are disc golf courses on every continent, including 24 in Latin America, 8 in Africa, and one in Antarctica. The Åland Islands have been defined as the world's largest single disc golf park, with one course in each of the 16 municipalities of Åland. Country. DGC.
What is disc golf?
Disc golf is a flying disc sport in which players throw a disc at a target; it is played using rules similar to golf. Most disc golf discs are made out of polypropylene plastic, otherwise known as polypropene, which is a thermoplastic polymer resin used in a wide variety of applications. Discs are also made using a variety ...
When did DGA send Pocket Guides?
On August 24, 1982, DGA sent a Memo to All Sales Reps and Regional Pros "We have finally received our order of Pocket Guides to the Game of Disc Golf. We feel that these are an excellent sales tool and educational aid to be given to people who have little or no knowledge of Disc Golf".
When did Allen Risley and Tom Monroe drive to New York?
I am pretty sure that a number of these courses had already been removed, but Ed was unaware of it. In July of 1984 Allen Risley and Tom Monroe #033 drove from Florida to New York for the 1984 World Championships in Rochester, and, unaware of any directories, played as many courses as they knew about on their route.
When did Steve Hartwell become involved with P.D.G.A.?
In 1986 , Steve Hartwell became involved when Allen Risley got married and started grad school and no longer had time to devote to the directory. The 2nd edition of the “P.D.G.A. Course Listing” was published in October of that year with 229 United States, six Canadian, and eight Scandinavian courses.
When was the first disc golf pole hole invented?
In July of 1977 the inventor of the original Disc Golf Pole Hole, founder of Disc Golf Association (DGA), and former VP of Wham-O Inc., "Steady" Ed Headrick #001 sent a letter to the Executives of Wham-O listing 22 courses that he had installed (or was about to install).
When Did Disc Golf Start?
Disc Golf began as a game formerly called Frisbie Golf at Yale University in Connecticut. Not to be confused with the name Frisbee™, but more on that later.
Disc Golf History
The history of “Disc Golf” as it is known today began with “Steady” Ed Headrick, the father of disc golf and modern day disc sports and the driving force responsible for the modern era of Frisbee sports.
Early Frisbee Targets
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 First Disc Golf Course
The first formal disc golf course was designed and installed that same year in Oak Grove Park, (Pasadena, California), by Headrick and was an instant success. He also founded the Professional Disc Golf Association in 1975, which he turned over to the players in 1983.By the time of his death, Ed has designed over 200 courses.
The First Disc Golf Basket
The Disc Pole Hole has evolved continuously since the first Mach I. For the past two decades our products have been established and accepted worldwide as the industry standard for the sport of Disc Golf. All of our hardware is hot-dipped galvanized from head to toe and guaranteed for 20 years against rust and corrosion.
What was the first city in the world to hold a disc golf championship?
1972–Rochester, New York becomes the first municipality in the world to hold an Annual City Disc Golf Championship. 1974–Dan Roddick wins a brand new 1974 Datsun B-210 at the disc golf portion of the American Flying Disc Open in Rochester.
How many qualifying events were there for the disc golf tournament?
The tournament was groundbreaking because of the cash involved, its massive payout right in the title, but also because the competitors had to qualify for an invitation. 72 qualifying events were established around the country, bringing in the best disc golfers from across the United States.
What was the name of the group that used hula hoops as targets?
They used hula hoops as targets. It was one of the events during the “All Comers Meet.”. In attendance, were members of the Berkeley Frisbee Group. In 1970, the Berkeley Frisbee Group established an object course on the UC Berkeley Campus in California.
When did Wham-O start playing 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 for children at nine of the city’s playgrounds he supervised. This culminated in 1965 with a fully documented, Wham-O sponsored, citywide Frisbee golf tournament.
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 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.
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.
What year was the American Flying Disc Open?
In 1973, the group from Rochester discovered a newsletter that “Steady” Ed has created that was all about Frisbee, and the group decided to promote the 1974 City of Rochester Disc Golf Championship as a National Tournament and called it the American Flying Disc Open (AFDO).
What did Wham-O send him?
He asked them if they could help him host a “Frisbee Golf” contest with his recreation program. Wham-O, responded by sending him Frisbees and Hula Hoops, which they also manufactured, so he could use the hoops as targets for the Frisbees.
What are some examples of disc golf?
From accounts of people throwing objects at particular targets of trash cans, fire hydrants, street lamps, to the modern-day flying disc targets.
When was disc golf invented?
Ed had invented a disc golf basket, started a company, and now was founding the Professional Disc Golf Association in the summer of 1976. The PDGA, Professional Disc Golf Association is still the governing body of the sport today.
When did Ed Johnson start disc golf?
Ed decided to resign from his VP position at Wham-O and started the Disc Golf Association (DGA) business in April 1976. Disc golf continued to rise in popularity via some of the pioneers of the sport. Ed had invented a disc golf basket, started a company, and now was founding the Professional Disc Golf Association in the summer of 1976.
Who invented the flying disc?
One of the most direct traces to the sport can be linked to “Steady” Ed Headrick and the invention of the flying disc. “Steady” Ed invented many things but his two that are most important to the sport today are the Frisbee (1966) and the Disc Golf Pole Hole about 11 years later.
What is the game of throwing tin lids?
They called the game Tin Lid Golf and played on a fairly regular basis.
How many qualifying events were there for the disc golf tournament?
The tournament was groundbreaking, first and foremost because of the cash involved, its massive payout right in the title, but also because the competitors had to qualify for an invitation. 72 qualifying events were established around the country, bringing in the best disc golfers from across the United States.
Where was Frisbee Golf played in 1968?
In 1968 Frisbee Golf was also played in Alameda Park in Santa Barbara, California by teenagers in the Anacapa and Sola street areas. Gazebos, water fountains, lamp posts, and trees were all part of the course.
Who invented disc golf?
"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 Dunipace invented the modern golf disc in 1983, with the revolutionary change of adding a beveled rim, giving the disc a greater distance and accuracy. Dave was one of the founders of Innova, a well-known disc manufacturer. In 1982 Ed Headrick turned over control of the PDGA to the players and Ted Smethers to be run independently and to officiate the standard rules of play for the sport.
Who was the first coordinator of 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.
When did disc golf start?
Modern disc golf started in the early 1960s, but there is debate over who came up with the idea first. The consensus is that multiple groups of people played independently throughout the 1960s. Students at Rice University in Houston, Texas, for example, held tournaments with trees as targets as early as 1964, and in the early 1960s, ...
Who was the park supervisor for Conejo Recreation and Park District?
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.
Overview
Disc golf courses
Most disc golf courses have 9 or 18 holes, and exceptions most often have holes in multiples of three. Courses with 6, 12, 21, 24 or 27 holes are not uncommon. The PDGA recommends that courses average 200–400 ft (61–122 m) per hole, with holes no shorter than 100 ft (30 m). The longest holes in the world measure more than 1,500 ft (460 m) long. Course designers use trees, b…
Origin and early history
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. 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. I…
Gameplay
The sport of disc golf is set up similar to a game of golf. A "round" is played on a disc golf course consisting of a number of "holes", usually 9 or 18. Each hole includes a tee position for starting play and a disc golf target some distance away, often with obstacles such as trees, hills or bodies of water in between. Players begin by throwing a disc from the tee, without crossing over the front …
Disc types
Disc golf discs are smaller than Ultimate flying discs or general-purpose recreational frisbees. They typically measure 21–22 cm (8.3–8.7 in) in diameter and weigh 130–180 g (4.6–6.3 oz). All PDGA-approved discs measure 21–30 cm (8.3–11.8 in) in diameter and weigh no more than 200 g (7.1 oz). Discs used for disc golf are designed and shaped for control, speed, and accuracy, while g…
Throwing styles
While there are many different grips and styles to throwing the disc, there are two basic throwing techniques: backhand and forehand (or sidearm). These techniques vary in effectiveness under different circumstances. Their understanding and mastery can greatly improve a player's game, and offer diverse options in maneuvering the disc to the basket with greater efficacy. Many players use what is referred to as a run-up during their drive. This is practiced to build more forw…
Scoring
Stroke play is the most common scoring method used in the sport but there are many other forms. These include match play, skins, speed golf and captain's choice, which in disc golf is referred to as "doubles" (not to be confused with partner or team play).
Regardless of which form of play the participants choose, the main objectives of disc golf are conceptually the same as traditional golf in the sense that players follow the same scorekeepin…
Tournaments
Tournaments are held nationwide and year long in the United States. Sanctioned Tournament play is communicated through the Professional Disc Golf Association Membership. The PDGA provides international, professional, and amateur disc golf tournaments as well as communicates event results, opinions and other information beneficial to the sport via electronic and printed media. I…