Enough is enough.
I’m not one to complain about disc golf tournaments – on the amateur circuit, at least. The Pro Tour is fair game, but local, C-tier stuff? The men and women who put those on do it for the love of disc golf and virtually nothing else. It’s a tough job – not to mention a thankless one, at that.
But I do have ONE complaint I can’t help but float out into the interwebs …
If a single current (or future) tournament director (TD) somehow stumbles upon this article, experiences a mighty change of heart and vows to never hold another event without at least one of these things somewhere on the course, the penning of this piece will have been worth it.
The key component in question?
Porta-potties.
During a disc golf tournament, I can’t even begin to tell you how many times my body has set off digestive (brown) and excretory (yellow) sirens at the most inopportune of moments. Sometimes all that’s required is a quick trip deeper into the woods to resolve the issue.
But other times …
Well, let’s just say that’s NOT the case.
I’ll spare you the details.
Depending on where the tournament takes place, there might be no bathroom on-site. And even if there is, double-check before your disc golfers arrive to make sure it’s at least open. Parks departments are notorious for randomly locking public toilets for no apparent reason.
In an ideal world, there’d be (at least) one at each of the following:
- Near tournament central.
- Near the middle of the course.
- Near the farthest point from the start.
I once took a par-plus-four because of an impromptu bathroom break. Incredibly, there was a restroom nearby, but it was about a half-mile from where I was. And for reasons I’d rather not discuss, I couldn’t exactly hustle. No clothing was harmed in the carding of that seven, though.
*** Breathes a Sigh of Relief ***
Also, I’m not a woman, but I did trick one into marrying me a number of years ago. I’m a blessed man, as my wife enjoys tackling the occasional disc golf tournament by my side.
She’s good, too.
Anyway, she once told me how she felt more women would be willing to formally compete in disc golf if there were bathrooms, even icky mobile ones, readily available at every event.
No exceptions.
Her reasoning?
For women, running off into the woods to answer nature’s call isn’t as easy as it is for men. Furthermore, if a woman – or man, for that matter – wants to compete, but is battling issues of self-confidence, there’s possibly no worse way to obliterate what little of it there is than denying someone literally any kind of access to a restroom in the company of complete strangers.
Ladies don’t like that.
The “pee dance” doesn’t exactly inspire a competitive spirit.
Case in point?
Bathrooms matter.
Running local disc golf tournaments is hardly a license to print money. But even if you can only spring for a single porta-potty, do it. And then, advertise to all the world that it’ll be there.
It’s the little things that make for a great disc golf gig.
Step aside, mediocre player’s pack …
Give the people what they want:
Peace of mind that a potty’s close by.
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