All-Star Weekend was great (cut the DGPT some slack)

By: Lucas Miller

Alas, the 2022 DGPT All-Star Weekend is in the books.

In dramatic fashion, Team Catrina beat Team Paige seven points to six. Team Calvin took down Team Eagle by the same score. Sunday was a wild ride for the fans who tuned in to watch …

Catrina Allen shot the FPO’s hot round with a new bag. Nikko Locastro hit a 536-foot ace – the first of the 2022 season. Eagle McMahon smashed a near-impossible putt to almost force a playoff. And Calvin Heimburg drilled a clutch one of his own to seal the final victory.

If this weekend is any indication, the DGPT will have something very special in store for 2023.

Which brings me to the actual point of this article …

Let’s cut the DGPT some serious slack.

Run by the DGPT, from the moment the Disc Golf Network (DGN) started offering live coverage of Pro Tour events, disc golf fans were out in mass to voice their displeasure.

Change is hard, right?

For years, the disc golf community had become accustomed to post-produced coverage of major disc golf events being offered by JomezPro and Central Coast Disc Golf. It was neat and tidy. The quality of the coverage and commentary was great – top-notch stuff, to say the least.

DGPT: Calvin Heimburg

On top of that, it didn’t take three to four hours to get through, either. You’d wake up on a Saturday morning, watch lead-card coverage for an hour and get on with the rest of your day.

But most painful of all, perhaps?

YouTube is free; the DGN isn’t.

What these same fans fail to realize, however, is that – regardless of the sport – live coverage is hard for everybody involved: producers, broadcasters, the film crew, etc. JomezPro offers a great visual product, but do remember that the videos they create are 100% produced in post …

In other words, they can take as long as they want to get things right.

If Jonathan Gomez and his team were to cover the 2022 DGPT All-Star Weekend live, that sexy, mega-polished video footage you’re used to? Yeah, that’s not happening – not even close.

Next, paying for something sucks, but the larger disc golf gets, the more of a business it becomes. This is the (literal) cost of the #GrowTheSport campaign you’ve openly supported for so long. For businesses to remain viable, they need to make money …

Revelatory info, I know.

What’s even more maddening about this “cash-strapped” complaint is how embarrassingly affordable a DGN subscription is. Nationwide, do you know the average monthly cost of a cable bill? According to U.S. News, in 2021, it came in at $217.42 – again, that’s a monthly payment.

If you can afford Hulu, Netflix, Peacock, Disney+ and Amazon Prime, you can do this:

  • Without a PDGA membership, you pay $10.00 monthly for the DGN.
  • With a PDGA membership, you pay a mere $5.00 monthly for the DGN.
  • Go annual and pay only $75.00 once – that’s $6.25 per month for the DGN.

Everyone’s finances are different – I get it.

For some, the above simply isn’t in the cards, and that’s perfectly understandable. And for you, I have great news: JomezPro and the million other YouTube channels just like ‘em will still offer high-quality, post-produced disc golf coverage – completely free of charge, as always.

You’re patient with your game out on the course, right?

You allow for bad drives, shoddy approaches and ghastly putting – they’re growing pains. It’s the price you (gladly) pay for doing things the right way. If you put in the work, you’ll get better. Well, it’s time to extend that same courtesy to the DGPT and DGN – they’ll get there, too …

Just be patient.

And a quick word to the wise: It really speeds things up if you’re supportive.

Have anything to add? Take to Twitter to let us know – we’ll actually (for real) get back to you.

Editor’s Suggestions:

Photo of author

Lucas Miller

Lucas Miller is the founder and editor-in-chief of Green Splatter. When he’s not out tossing a Champion Rhyno in his native Utah, he’s watching true-crime documentaries with his wife, wrestling his twin boys and praying the Oklahoma City Thunder’s rebuild passes quickly.

2 thoughts on “All-Star Weekend was great (cut the DGPT some slack)”

Leave a Comment