Last year, I did my first-ever triathlon. It wasn’t an Ironman or Half Ironman or anything, so nothing too insane. It was enough of a challenge, though, that I’d need to stretch myself.
Growing up, I was a good runner. And in addition to competitive soccer, I cycled with a local club. Like, actual road racing – spandex, skinny tires, shaved legs, blood doping, etc. I wasn’t special, but I could hold my own against guys who were much more talented than I was …
I still didn’t know the first thing about swimming, though. To date, I’m not sure the hours I put in at our city’s lap pool made me a better swimmer, but my confidence in the water improved.
Anyway, in preparation for the cycling and running portions of the event, I’d train to music:
- The Killers
- Arcade Fire
- Band of Horses
- Smashing Pumpkins
- Gregory Alan Isakov
Two weeks out from the race, however, I learned something that would prove to be a MUCH bigger deal than I would’ve thought: There’s no listening to music during actual triathlons.
So, over the course of the 14 days leading up to the race, I cut out music cold turkey …
It sucked.
I struggled to maintain an adequate pace while running. Keeping my cadence high on the bike felt harder. My heart rate wasn’t where it needed to be when I needed it, as well. Also, I flat-out didn’t have as much fun training. I got there, but it was something I had to consciously work at.
Enough about me, though: Let’s get this thing back to disc golf.
Jamming out to a mid-tourney playlist isn’t that popular, but if you pay attention, you’ll see that it’s definitely a thing: On occasion, Sarah Hokom, Barry Schultz, Jordan Castro, G.T. Hancock and Jennifer Allen all listen to tunes while competing – there are certainly others, as well.
This shouldn’t be a part of sanctioned disc golf.
* Note: BTW, this includes the United States Disc Golf Championship, too.
For starters, listening to music is a REAL competitive advantage – I learned that the hard way during my triathlon training, remember? Physically, disc golf and triathlons have nothing in common. Mentally, however, they’re cut from the same cloth – success starts in the head.
It’s a whole heckuva lot easier to pick yourself up after a bogey, bounce back following an errant drive or numb yourself to the pressure of a final-round putt with Coldplay blaring in your ears.
Next, music takes you far away from what’s going on with your cardmates – noise-canceling headphones do the same thing. Whether you agree with it or not, at sanctioned events, you’re an official. It’d be inappropriate for NBA referees to run around with Beats Studio Buds, right?
The same goes for you, Slick.
Lastly, the majority of sports don’t allow for this kind of behavior during competition. And while I fully agree that disc golf doesn’t need to play by the rules of other professional sports, it’s not great to have your game’s best looking like Kyler Murray warming up before an NFL game.
This’ll blow your mind: Contrary to popular belief, it’s NOT against USGA rules to listen to music while ball golfing – have at it, Rory McIlroy. The rules do stipulate, however, that it can’t be used to “eliminate distractions,” which feels like pretty much the only reason you’d do it.
Regardless of how “big brother” ball golf does things, music and headphones and anything else of the like (keep reading) shouldn’t be present during sanctioned rounds of disc golf …
My first order of business?
You just read about it – fight the good fight.
Next, getting the guys with portable, mega-loud bluetooth speakers to dial the rap back a notch during casual rounds on Saturday mornings: You know who you are; I’m coming for you.
#GetOffMyLawn
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