As a business model, subscription boxes are money.
I mean that literally, of course.
There’s no difference in disc golf – brands love ‘em. More often than not, however, it’s the buyers who least benefit. If you’re new to this, in disc golf, a subscription box is a consumer’s monthly commitment with a retailer. In exchange for an automated payment, new discs arrive.
There are always exceptions, but most monthly disc subscriptions include high-quality stuff. I’m talking about misprints, one-off stamps, limited-run frisbees, unique plastic-mold combos, etc.
And unlike a one-off mystery box that’s filled to the brim with discounted, shelf-clearing discs nobody wanted for years, as a faithful subscriber, your value comes from your long-term commitment to the monthly program – it’s in a company’s best interest to impress you.
To that end, the discs are cool.
For greenie disc golfers, this isn’t the worst way to go about onboarding new plastic. New to the sport, there’s a great deal of passion for and excitement about the game – and the gear that goes along with it. Not to mention, with less disc-golf years under your belt, there’s a good chance you’re not (yet) swimming in discs. You try out new frisbees; you discover what works best.
But as I see it, unless you’re somewhat fresh to the sport or collect (and resell) discs like a madman, pull the plug. Or better yet, don’t connect the plug to the outlet in the first place.
The more time you spend in disc golf, the more you identify what works for YOUR game. Because of this, when it comes to bag-building, you want control – and lots of it. For example, once upon a time, I lost my freaking marbles over the two or three discs I received in a player’s pack. Nowadays, with so many crappy, unused discs in my house, I’d just assume pass on ‘em.
The same goes for that PDGA disc all new members get.
To the used bin, por favor.
For a serious, seasoned disc golfer, six months of subscription boxes MIGHT land you one or two throwers. But it’ll also leave you with at least a dozen-plus dust-collecting discs to deal with. That’s a steep price to pay for the task of making space for discs that are merely “fun to look at.”
Once you know what you throw, shop smart …
Focus on it.
That’s not to say it’s evil to branch out with new molds. Your experimentation should be targeted, though. It should be calculated – focused on filling micro-gaps in your bag …
Not pay-and pray methods.
Both the bored and shopaholics live for the thrill of cutting open new, crisp boxes.
Look elsewhere for your disc-golf kicks.
The course would be a good place to start.
Have anything to add? Take to Twitter to let us know – we’ll actually (for real) get back to you.
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