Disc golf has a reputation for attracting society’s more rag-tag citizens …
This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise:
- Point No. 1 – Gear is cheap.
- Point No. 2 – It’s usually free to play.
- Point No. 3 – You can hide out in the woods.
But as the sport’s grown, the image associated with it has changed, too …
For the better.
Live coverage, mammoth contracts and a full-time field of touring golfers is hardly the stuff of laughingstocks. Cringe all you want at the prospect, but the way players look out on the course should align with the sport’s newfound professional appearance – it’s only a matter of time.
Never have I felt stronger about this than when I saw Angus Barstow rocking a pair of Crocs at this year’s Green Mountain Championship. The Disc Golf Network (DGN) camera crew kept flashing back to him because of it. At first, yeah, I’ll admit it – it was mildly amusing …
Quickly, though, it started to feel like something you’d see at a cornhole tournament in a trailer park. NOT a signature DGPT event at one of the most beautiful disc golf courses on the planet.
And Barstow’s far from the sole offender within the fashion realm …
Recognize these names?
- Case No. 1 – Joel Freeman looks like he’s just barely dropped acid.
- Case No. 2 – Ricky Wysocki looks like he’s headed out to Pro Bowl practice.
- Case No. 3 – Chandler Kramer looks like he’s playing pickup basketball at church.
- Case No. 4 – Nikko Locastro looks like he’s got tickets to a Salvador Dali convention.
Obviously, how DGPT peeps dress doesn’t affect me …
Disc golf already has my time, attention and hard-earned money.
What disc golf doesn’t have, however, is an abundance of fans, courses, big-name sponsors, media partnerships, elite-level professionals and MONEY – can’t forget that last one.
See why this starts to matter a bit more?
If disc golf wants X-Games, it should keep doing what it’s doing.
If it wants Augusta National, something’s gotta give – a tighter dress code is an easy place to start. Kick and scream all you want, Mr. Chaco Sandals, but Jeff Spring’s driving this bus …
And it’s following the trail first blazed by ball golf long ago.
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Let me start by saying each to their own but I can’t understand some people’s overwhelming desire to grow the sport. As it is due to the influx of new players all of the local courses are overrun. What used to be a nice peaceful round has devolved into sitting and waiting on people who generally can’t play, you know Mom Dad and six kids under the age of 10. They typically don’t know any course etiquette and don’t have any inkling that letting someone play through is something that should happen. Also what’s happening more and more is pay to play courses. Don’t get me wrong I have no problems dropping money at the idgc or sugaree or something like that but I certainly don’t want to get into paying for every round of disc golf. And trust me the world is greedy enough to where if enough people want to play the courses will begin to charge a fee. You mentioned Augusta national, I live 10 minutes from Augusta National and I can tell you for sure what 99% of the locals can’t do and that is attend the masters or even play on that course because of the exorbitant membership fees required. I get your point on the clothing to some degree but whether a player is is playing Barefoot or in cowboy boots shouldn’t matter at all. Perhaps that’s his lucky crocs. Perhaps he can throw further with them on. Perhaps he just likes them and chooses to wear them. Again referring to Augusta National the players are required a specific dress code and a good portion of that is because the patrons are dressed that way and are typically very wealthy attendees. I am certainly not suggesting the sport stagnate but on the other hand I would love to be able to play a round without constant delays and interruptions which apparently comes with growing the sport
I think players should wear whatever the fk they are comfy with. Their sponsors are going to drive half their clothing choices anyways.
Live a little mate.
It is a matter of perception. And that perception has its hands on the purse strings, from advertisers outside of the sport, that could increase the payouts for DGPT events. Right now, what they see are useless, yerk-toting, frisbee-chucking cheeba-monkeys. And because of that perception, they are staying away. And going out onto the course wearing chinos and a polo shirt is not the answer either, that kind of elitist snobbery can stay with ball golf.
I understand what you’re getting at, but personally I disagree. Disc golf is NOT ball golf, and the appeal is for people who probably aren’t into ball golf. The outcasts, the less privileged, the goofballs. The courses are rougher, The run ups and stances more physically demanding, so players should wear what they are comfortable in. Pros in everyday clothes makes success seem more attainable to newbies. If we’re going to grow the sport let’s do it in a way that doesn’t alienate the people that brought disc golf to the point it is at today.
This isn’t pga so stop comparing them. Nobody cares how disc golfers dress. It’s about the game itself. This isn’t a sport for the rich pricks that worry about how good they look on the course.
God save us from those who would turn the fun, casual and accessible sport of disc golf into just another corporate money image fest. This article exactly represents the worst instincts of those who would “grow” the sport. Disc Golf is Fantastic because people play in Crocs, and ratty shorts, and tie dye etc. Disc Golf is great because Zack Melton looks like a crazy hermit and Dickerson rocks camo and Joel Freeman dresses like a Jackson Pollock come to life! Good Grief, take this desire for corporate dress code and bury it deep in the rough of the back nine!!!
Thus is so conceded it hurts my head. Get over your superficial self. Disc golf isn’t ball golf, and the pros and players don’t want it to be. How dare players wear flashy colors and things that they like. How dare they.
I don’t care about anything except quality free courses that aren’t full of people. And that was all achieved already. I don’t need it to be anything more than that.
Joel* Freeman
Thanks, Blake – will get that fixed!
I wish people would stop comparing disc golf to golf in the lense of that’s what we should aspire to be. Many of disc golf’s best attributes are the ways in which Disc Golf differs from Golf.
Requiring anything more than athletic wear and we persue the same classist history that golf has. Dress codes prevent low income access. They also set a tone for a sport that in my opinion should still be wierd and creative.
Stay wierd Disc Golf.
Wow, this is so ridiculous it’s almost laughable. Taylor (stupid name, btw), not only are you embarrassing yourself; you’re degrading the sport with your pettiness and elitism. Just play the game, and let each player’s skill and sportsmanship speak for itself.
–Charles Barstow, proud brother of the CrocSensation.
PS: Obviously, how DGPT peeps dress does affect you on some level– you just wrote an article about it. But yo, give yourself a pat on the back for spending your hard-earned money on disc golf. We thank you for your philanthropy.
Why should our athletes only imitate ball golfers? Pro skateboards and snowboards dress to express their personal style, have a massive following on commercial television and sell billions of dollars worth of sponsored apparel… think beyond the polo!
What is this drivel? Polo shirts, khaki pants and brown shoes is what you want? Go play ball golf. Join a country club so you don’t have to sully your elitist self with the presence of the unwashed masses. Then your delicate sensibilities won’t twist up your knickerbockers by a pair of crocs.
After reading this, I’m gonna wear my crocs even harder. Gonna pain ‘em too.
Paint*
Wow just wow. Let’s just make this the stuffy disc golf players league…Respect is earned through action not appearance. Basically GTFOH
Lol what? As a newcomer, and solely watcher of the sport (due to chronic illness I can’t play myself), this sounds really silly.
You allude to the fact that disc golf already has “mammoth contracts.” That undercuts your argument that a dress code is necessary to draw money into the sport.
Hi Taylor,
I appreciate your opinion here, and I think that people misunderstand your point. I don’t believe that you’re asking people to wear polos to league night; I believe you’re saying that DGPT events should have a stricter dress code. Awesome, I’m all for it.
I will concede that I don’t know how this opinion makes you conceited. And I certainly don’t know how wanting the pro-scene to grow relates at all to crowded or pay to play courses.
I love crocs. I love polos. I can throw max distance in a polo, and I definitely can’t throw max distance in crocs.
All the best,
Kyle Barstow
We ain’t ball golf. We will never be ball golf. We are cooler, hipper and younger than golf. We have nothing to be ashamed of and we should not try to be something we are not. We will attract our audience our way. We ain’t gonna fool anybody anyway.
Absolutely TERRIBLE take.
Disc golf does not and should not look the way YOU want it to, just because YOU think it would be better for the sport. We don’t want robots, dresses the same, acting the same, and throwing the same.
Let the players of this precise sport feel comfortable and use their image to grow a fan base. The sport is not just about competition, but expression as well. Especially I’m a small market, image makes fans, fanfare makes money.
Disc golf is growing faster than ever. Not just because it’s an outdoor sport that already had a fuse lit before the pandemic, but because the players have personality and their own energy.
They certainly don’t need you, or anyone for that matter telling them how to dress
hOw DaRe U eXpRESs oPinOns aBOuT dIsC GoLF DrREss cODe, hERe iZ aN aD HomiNem AtTaCK
You cannot have an opinion unless it’s the same as mine! IDIOTS
The great thing about disc golf is that it’s an individual sport that’s more fun playing with other people. Seeing that individuality in pro players does grow the sport. Our sport is great in it’s goofiness.
I hope the PDGA reads this and gets a good laugh and that’s all that ever amounts to anything of this drivel. There’s a lot that could be worked on with the DGPT and PDGA. This isn’t one of the issues.
Don’t let all the negative comments dissuade you Taylor. From a purely marketing and branding aspect, dressing to impress can go a long way in developing respect for the sport at a professional level.
Your post is obviously addressing the elite level of play, not the run of the mill C-tier (or even A-tier) events. It’s also going to appeal more to those who have a higher level of disposable income.
The implications of a sharper dress code are difficult to quantify, but would absolutely have a net positive effect on the cash outcome of these elite level events in the long term.
I’m all for this take.
Love it, actually.
Watching Chandler Kramer during the final round of the European Open this year made it feel less like a Major and more like someone’s tagalong child at a casual round.
But what I think most people are missing with this take and this article is just what is meant by “stricter dress code.”
Personally, I love that Joel Freeman looks “like he just dropped acid” because he still looks professional.
I also love watching Chris Dickerson rocking camo because he makes it look professional.
The DGPT needs a stricter dress code, yes, but we can’t lose the freedom of expression and individuality that makes disc golf accessible and fun.
Yes, if we want outside sponsors then eventually we will need to look professional up and down the DGPT.
I’m not advocating that a local B-Tier have the same dress code as the USDGC. That’s silly.
But on coverage? Thousands of people watching? How absurd is it to see someone wearing neon yellow basketball shorts?
If we want prestige and big-money outside sponsors, our sport needs a stricter dress code.
Call me crazy, but professionals should look professional.
we don’t have to conform.. that’s the beauty of it. Let them come to us. It’s OUR sport. Our terms. The way it’s always been. Don’t judge a book by its cover. Although similar this is not golf. We have way more john dailys’ and that’s a GOOD thing. Y’all are going to Destroy the best part of the sport. Just keep creating awesome tournaments and let it ROLL so to speak?
Actually, I agree with the article. I don’t mind the differing of opinions on uniform, but the words and phrases that are being used in the comment section are definitely proving the point—and kind of make me ashamed that a sport that is so welcoming in my 20 years of experience, that this is how we would treat and talk about one of our own, even resorting to name calling…. I agree that folks should wear what is comfortable, but I think in a professional capacity there ought to be some level of decorum. I do however agree that we are not the PGA and it doesn’t have to be an exact copy of golf attire. There are highly athletic polo shirts, athletic tops and shoes that can be used in a “hiking capacity” that can exemplify a professional. Ultimately, if we want it to be taken seriously as a professional sport with millions eventually on the line, in some ways, we will have to take it seriously. In any case, that is obviously just my opinion and I am but just one disc golfer.
I will say, I was at the MVP Open this week and I take much more issue with some of the actions of spectators and line officials than their dress—though there were some things that probably needed addressed there. I had beer spit in my face, was shoved to the ground (along with several men and women near me) with people jockeying for position, incredibly explicit swearing in front of children and littering. That is all pretty “rag-tag” in my mind and something that the DGPT should be highly focused on.
The one part that I appreciate about the sport and spectators, every player gets a cheer and booing is an absolute minimum.
Please let’s not gatekeep the sport. Next we’ll be looking at $30-40 for 18 holes and renting bag carts charging to use an open field for throwing practice. When it starts where does it stop? There is a reason why the sport is picking up. Be proud of that, support the sport, and teach course etiquette where needed.
When and if the wave calms down there will be a whole new generation of players and increased skill. But again please do not start gatekeeping the sport.
Why is asking professional athletes to look professional gatekeeping the sport?
There are already plenty of pay-to-play courses out there.
I recently paid $27 to play a round at Eagle’s Crossing (and I thought it was way too much).
But the future of the sport is more pay-to-play courses whether we like it or not. And that’s despite any effort to keep gatekeepers out of the sport. That’s just what happens when a sport grows and there’s more money to go around.
But I disagree that we’ll ever lose free courses. Like many people in this thread have said, this isn’t ball golf. Municipal parks will never be able to enforce a pay-to-play structure, and if they try, they’ll have to keep their prices low because of the abundance of free courses.
The dress code referenced in the article isn’t meant to be imposed on casual golfers or tournaments outside of the Elite Series and Majors.
No one expects a local C-Tier to be held to the same dress code as the USDGC. That’s insane.
But asking professionals to look professional? Call me crazy but I think that’s alright.
“Obviously, how DGPT peeps dress doesn’t affect me …”
Obviously it does affect you else you would not have whined this article.
If you want disc golf to grow and become more like ball golf then say good bye to free disc golf courses. Probably its biggest selling point is that the vast majority of the nearly 8,000 courses in the country are free. Start “classing up” the sport and it will not be long before the owners of the courses realize they can start charging money for the “privilege” of playing the game. And I know you’re talking about “dressing up” the pro tour, but what they do does trickle down.
I have been making this argument from the opposite perspective. It seems disc golf is more the way of the x games. If you go see Willie Nelson you don’t expect him to come out in a tux.
Then again…Rodman.
Out of touch, passive aggressive pandering takes will definitely convince people that you lack substance. This is the type of opinion that seems to be the vomit seen on many personal posts, not a platform that reaches an audience. Sit down please.
+1^ Well said sir
Thanks for reading, CJ!
Oh yeah maybe we can just regulate the fun out of everything. I mean after all more regulations are better right? I mean maybe we’ll be lucky enough to be issued PDGA uniforms and only throw PDGA logoed discs in the color that they choose for us, after all greed is better than fun isn’t it? But hey at that point we can sit back and go yes our sport “made it”. Even though it’s no longer fun to play. It’s always amazing that people’s drive to improve things ends up ruining the thing that was successful to begin with.
Fair points, Joseph!
Overregulation can be a problem …
Hoping that’s not the case with professional disc golf.
I do think there should be a dress code, but I think it should stay loose. I love the way joel freeman looks. It’s amazing!! Color for days and spunk!
I love tha Locastro looks like he’s not sure whether to shoot a deer or go to war.
Ricky? Come on he looks great and he’s not embarrassing anyone.
Kramer doesn’t have some big contract. Maybe he doesn’t have a lot of money for special disc golf outfits. I would prefer a little more than “pickup basketball”.
Otherwise I’ve never had a problem with any attire. I like that Paul dresses well and many up and coming players are doing the same. Image is important. To an extent, and honestly I think we are pretty much there. I would personally be put off if all the players dressed like golfers.
Thanks for chiming in, Birdie Crow!
Always appreciate new readers stopping by, reading and sharing – again, thank you!
Bad takes get clicks I guess.
Thanks for clicking, Mr. Person!