Have you noticed the unusually quiet season from Emerson Keith this year?
No, it’s not because his play has taken an unforeseen turn for the worse – his health certainly has, though. A shoddy tooth caused the guy serious swelling and pain – he’s just now getting over it.
And it’s not just his health, but the health of his beautiful baby boy, Elijah. He was on full life support, due to a complete lung collapse. These are REAL issues affecting REAL people …
It’s easy to forget that watching the Disc Golf Network in your undies, huh?
Financial stability, health insurance, retirement – all of those “adult” things you lose sleep over. It’s this kind of serious stuff that brought about the following question for Jeff Spring …
* Question: How is the DGPT making disc golf a viable career path?
Here’s what he had to say:
The purpose of the DGPT
“This is one of the core missions of the Disc Golf Pro Tour – one of its central purposes, really. We spend every waking hour directing our efforts to create both better events and competitive standards, with the answer to this question as one of the resulting outcomes.
“The core structure of the tour allows for serious media efforts that result in lots of eyes on disc golf. This, in turn, helps to increase revenue across the sport, through which more opportunities are created for aspiring pros to find the ability to tour full-time.
“More amateur golfers than many ever thought possible will pursue professional careers in the coming years. The more we bring in, the deeper the pool of MPO and FPO players vying for Tour Cards of their own becomes. Obviously, the end result is a better on-course product for fans. This is a TOP priority – it has been for seven years since the founding of the tour.
“Thankfully, to improve the viability of disc golf as a career for gifted athletes, we have years of plans in place. For them to be realized, however, our industry needs to continue to grow. To date, the DGPT has been perhaps the game’s most driving force in that growth, more specifically on the professional side of the game.”
The DGPT’s Tour Card program
“As the industry grows, our resources grow, as well. We’ll continue to devote them to helping touring professionals build better careers for themselves. In 2022, complete with a number of player-centric benefits, we launched the pilot version of our Tour Card program. We’ve learned a lot and are ready for the first official year in 2023.
“The program comes with six benefit categories, ranging from early event registration to a host of on-site amenities – more player security, dedicated parking and shuttle transportation, for example – for all card-carrying disc golfers.
“Additionally, and perhaps most important of all, we have Seth Munsey, the DGPT’s health and safety director, physically present at 20 Elite and Silver Series events providing consultations for all athletes. Player-dedicated bathrooms and locker rooms, as well as warm-up and cool-down facilities for our golfers – it’s all included in the program.
“This has been a year of learning how much staff and funding we need to support these kinds of player-facing efforts over the course of a full season, as well as how to do it better next year.”
The health of professional disc golfers
“In the future, as best we can, we want to prioritize our players’ health and well-being above all else. Offering basic health insurance is an obvious place to start. As we’ve brainstormed possible solutions, we’ve placed Seth at the helm of a telewellness program that Tour Card players can use.
“He’s available to work on a case-by-case basis with our Tour Card holders. When they need advice or a consultation, he provides it and connects them with appropriate resources. He also helps them find the best-available – as well as the most cost-effective – healthcare resources, should that be necessary. With health insurance, we’re not there yet, but we’re laying the groundwork to one day make it a reality.
“We know the importance of it. We feel the weight of it.
“We’ll get there as soon as we can.”
More money, fewer problems
“I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but we’ve seen HUGE growth in purses and added cash from event to event this season. In 2019, $10,000 was the added-cash minimum. In 2020, in spite of an unexpected, tour-disrupting pandemic, average added-cash amounts still doubled that.
“In 2021, our minimums were around $25,000. This has continued for the 2022 season, as well. At the last five events of the year, the added-cash totals will be somewhere in the ballpark of $50,000 per tournament – that’s WELL above the minimum standard we originally set.
“These kinds of purses go a long way in helping touring professionals take care of themselves.”
The role of sponsors in player well-being
“Another thing worth mentioning are the conversations we’re having with our players to better understand the resources they have access to: disc sales, team contracts, sponsorship details, etc.
“Some fans forget about this, but manufacturers play the biggest role in helping players get what they need to not only survive, but thrive on tour. It’s the entire touring community that makes things work on the road for players. We are a big part of that and take responsibility for aiding players, offering advice and helping them assess value whenever possible.”
Growth. Resources. Expansion.
“I know I mentioned this already, but it’s where we’re at with everything: As the sport grows, resources increase. The more resources we have to work with, the better we’ll be able to serve the best our sport has to offer.
“We’ve got a ways to go, but I’m excited about the future – it’s bright.”
Professional disc golf is tough sledding …
To be a full-time professional disc golfer, you need to be a gifted athlete …
You also might need to be clinically insane.
For as often as I’ve dreamt of making the island on the 17th hole at Winthrop Gold, it’s having a home without wheels underneath it that has me happily married with a young family of my own.
Any given weekend, one of us can break an arm, and we’ll survive the medical bills. And yes, retirement’s a long way off, but a steady income and low-risk investment portfolio has me at least not completely terrified of my financial future. I’m no Evel Knievel – this is comforting.
Disc golf is a labor of love …
Don’t you dare forget it.
Have anything to add? Take to Twitter to let us know – we’ll actually (for real) get back to you.
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