It’s a (really) good idea to be an in-shape disc golfer

By: Taylor Larsen

This was a couple of weeks back, but do you remember when Drew Gibson got “loud and proud” about how good of an athlete he is over on Twitter? I don’t know the vast majority of MPO disc golfers on a personal level, so heck – he might very well be the “Bo Jackson” of the bunch …

His impassioned declaration was odd for two reasons, though:

  • Reason #1 – He deleted the tweet almost immediately.
  • Reason #2 – He listed 11 sports – five require zero athleticism.

Here’s the original tweet to confirm what we already know to be true:

Still, intended or not, Drew might be onto something …

Disc golf’s for everybody: short, tall, fat, skinny, old, young, etc. It really doesn’t matter. Blind of build, there’s a way for you to 1) enjoy the game, and 2) get good at it, as well. But if you have plans to make it on the Pro Tour one day, it’s a REALLY good idea to be in shape.

To be a professional athlete, you should be just that – an athlete.

This hasn’t always been the general consensus, though …

For starters, let’s take a look at “ball golf.”

Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth, Bryson DeChambeau and Tony Finau: What do all of these golfers have in common? They might not all be protein-saturated meatheads (sorry, Bryson), but apart from relative youth, they’re cut, trim and in good shape.

Change is what made that a thing – it took time. Back before I was born, it was all but impossible to tell the difference between a professional golfer and your uncle at a Fourth of July barbecue.

Eldrick Tont “Tiger” Woods changed all of this …

Since taking the PGA by storm in the ‘90s, Tiger’s been known for his incredible talent and clutch play, but also the insanity of his workout regiment. This is hardly a ball golf blog, but I know this much, at least: Lifting weights wasn’t a thing in the sport before Tiger Woods.

These days? It’s a mainstay of a professional golfer’s training routine – see the above names.

Ball golf’s been around forever; disc golf hasn’t. But if a gun was put to my head, and I had to decide who the “Tiger” of disc golf is up to this point, it’d be Paul McBeth – that’s easy.

To see what McBeth thinks of fitness in disc golf, watch 30 SECONDS of this clip – that’s it:

To compete with the best, you have to train like the best – and Paul’s the best.

Beating the “McBeths” of the world is one thing, but the value of both aerobic and anaerobic fitness in disc golf is fairly apparent. An in-shape body is a body that doesn’t get injured as easily. That’s a big deal, for sure. It’s also a body that’s able to adapt, as needed: tweaking form, putting from a knee, contorting the body to account for an awkward lie, etc.

Also, throwing far – it helps.

DGPT: Ezra Aderhold

Now these might seem like small, somewhat insignificant advantages, but remember: Disc golf’s a WAY more competitive game now than it was 10 years ago. And 10 years from today, the same thing will be said. As competition tightens, the most dedicated disc golfers will look for even the tiniest of “nooks,” “crannies” and “ledges” on which to gain a competitive foothold …

Fitness + Disc Golf = Collision Course

For now, poking fun at Ezra Aderhold’s biceps is a good time – they even have their own Twitter account. But something tells me we’ll soon see more “schmedium” polos on tour …

Lock up your daughters.

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

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Taylor Larsen

Taylor Larsen is a staff writer for Green Splatter. He uses disc golf to self-reflect, pondering questions like, "Where the heck did I throw that?" and "What happens if the disc lands on top of the basket?" He resides in Utah with his dog, Banks, who loves to chase frisbees of all sorts.

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