There’s a headline you don’t see every day …
But yes, in disc golf, the “chastity belt” is a thing.
It’s not an official, PDGA-backed term, but it’s one the game’s culture created and has continued to feed over the years. In disc golf, the chastity belt refers to the thick, metal band that runs along the top of many baskets. Not all baskets, but a good chunk of ‘em, if you’re paying attention.
Outside of disc golf, a chastity belt is a lockable, belt-like device from medieval times. Think of something Hulk Hogan would use to cover his crotch in the ring, but instead of spandex, cast iron. Its purpose was to protect women’s virtue while their husbands were away at war.
If that creeps you out, you’ll be pleased to know they never actually existed. Well, they did, but in the form of a 16th-century joke. Bored beyond belief? Take a look at a “real” one …
It’s from a torture museum in Amsterdam:
As for why the greater disc golf community feels the need to use this term to refer to the top of the pin is anybody’s perverse guess. Armed with my thinking cap, they’re both metal, they both (kind of) look like a belt and they both prevent certain things from going where intended …
Wipe that smirk off your face.
On a more serious note, however, I’m a fan of the chastity-belt look on baskets, especially on the Pro Tour. They’re clean. They serve as a camera-friendly canvas for advertisers. Also, if you putt poorly, on rare occasions, the disc will clank off the underside of one and find the tray below …
That’s how you know you’re living right.
If you’ve not yet added “chastity belt” to your on-course lingo, go for it.
It’s fun; it’s light-hearted.
And it makes missing putts slightly less painful.
Have anything to add? Take to Twitter to let us know – we’ll actually (for real) get back to you.
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