People are going to think I’m a jerk for this:
On the disc golf course, I don’t want to high-five.
Well, let me back up a bit …
Involuntarily, I don’t want to high-five.
I don’t like it forced upon me.
You know …
Like before the final hole of a tournament round.
If you’ve never heard of this or experienced it before, in the culture of competitive disc golf, there’s a widespread tradition in which, right before the first disc golfer tees off on the final hole of the round, everyone on the card high-fives. I don’t care where you live; I don’t care if it’s a league night, trashy C-tier or something prestigious like the European Open, without fail …
This is happening.
I don’t know where this practice originated, but if I had to guess, it’s likely been around for decades – well before I got started with the game. The reasons for it are obvious, really:
- The high-five is a nice thing to do.
- The high-five is a great way to wrap up a round.
- The high-five is a solid means for projecting “positive vibes.”
Not everything is hunky-dory, though …
The timing of this makes ZERO sense to me.
During a round, if you want to slap skin after a great shot, go for it. Who am I to stop you? For my own part, I do this all the time over the course of 18 holes. It’s this kind of camaraderie that makes disc golf fun – even when things are tight. However, speaking of things being tight …
If ever there was a time to (understandably) want to keep to yourself, it’d be at the end of a hard-fought round of disc golf with lots riding on the success of your final tee shot. For some, a smile and fist-bump might do nothing to distract them from the task at hand. For others, though, it could well be enough to get ‘em off their game, and again – right when it’s needed most.
Seated courtside, can you imagine a world in which you’d ask LeBron James for a quick selfie literally seconds before an attempt at a game-winning bucket coming out of a final timeout?
Nope.
That’d be stupid.
As I see it, the obligatory high-five is slightly less cringe.
More than anything, though, it’s the social pressure to do it that’s not cool. Like you, at all costs, I try to avoid tossing frisbees with tools. But for reasons already mentioned, it’s totally possible a perfectly nice guy wants to wait to give stones to the card only after the final putt’s been sunk.
Seriously, when someone acts like the final-hole high-five is sacred, it’s hard for me to not feel like I’m living out an episode of “Seinfeld” in real life – Kramer would back me up on this:
Don’t be a self-righteous “knuckles bully” with this thing.
Be the change you want to see in disc golf.
Wait until the round’s over.
Together, we can put a stop to disc golf’s dumber traditions.
THIS is one of them.
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LMAO! I’ve always wondered about this too… But one caveat … It’s always a fist bump here. Maybe it changed during covid, or maybe they always fist bumped up in my corner of the PNW. Every long time golfer keeps this tradition. Never once had someone try to high five though.
Would it change if it was just a fist bump and a “good round” vs a high five?
No, and that must’ve not come through in the article …
I edited this piece.
In my mind, at least, knuckles, slapping skin and high-fives are all the same thing. Haha.
Never played a tourney. Never seen this before. But…
After the final disc hits the chains in the last basket, you take you hat off, look your playing partner in the eyes and shake his hand. Maybe say good game or something.
High five before the final basket? That’s just stupid. Dumbest thing ever.
Fletch, the bigger issue is this …
Why have you not played in a tournament before?!
I guess scheduling. I got a course a mile from me. I work from home, whenever i got a gap in my schedule i go play. Can play 18 in about an hour. Play 2 or 3x a week. Never once on the weekend.
90% of the time in playing solo and love it
Hey, more power to you, man …
If you’ve got a free weekend, give one a go!
Even a simple league night is good, too.
I’m knee-deep in kids right now, so I can’t compete much these days …
That should change in the next two to three years, though.
Knee Deep in kids too. And it won’t get easier in 2-3 years. It gets harder!
You’re killing me, Fletch …
Slowly, but surely, you’re killing me. Haha.
(in all seriousness, though, kids trounce disc golf – that’s the good news)
Hey, all you need is one kid that will go with you, and you get a free pass with the spouse.
Depending on the kid, you can walk/play a full 18 when they’re 5-8 years old(especially if you condition them accordingly).
Playing casual, or competitive, with my 11 year old son is one of the highlights of my life.
Yeah, I’ve got three boys under 2.5 years of age, so they’re all pretty close …
They’re active, so my hope is they’ll be down to tag along in the coming years.
If they love to disc, great!
And if not, I’m sure I’ll learn to love whatever passion they’re into …
As long as it’s not opera. Haha.
(but yes, that’s the dream)
I think it’s intended as a show of respect as it’s a one-on-one sport. In boxing they touch gloves at the beginning of the first round and beginning of the last round. I think tennis has something like that as well. Interesting that what is shown as a sign of camaraderie and respect is interpreted as interfering with someone’s game. Disc golf proportionally has more pretentious douchebags than any sport that I have ever played. If the worst of it is a fist bump before the final hole then I’m good. Of course each to their own though.
Hey, those are great examples!
The main difference would be that they happen BEFORE the start of competition …
I can see it both ways.
Ultimately, you’re right …
To each, his (or her) own.
Excellent topic! I always wondered where the final-hole high-five came from. I would have never thought it would have been a thing in our sport until I saw Central Coast Disc Golf about 10 years ago show it. I played many tournaments after seeing that and can’t help but also wonder if any of the players was emulating what they saw on Youtube earlier. I guess you can call me an instigator of the final-hole high-five but like the previous poster mentioned is it brings a sense of camaraderie among the group in what they played through in the previous 2 hours, maybe 3 or maybe 4 hours. Seems to me that the more challenging or exciting the round was, the more this event will happen.
It’s hardly a massive deal …
But with the right person in the right situation, it could be.
That “Seinfeld” clip sums it up pretty nicely. Haha.
(for the record, I high-five without issue)