It’s true that the concept of disc golf itself has a long and blurry history, and its origins, like most sports, likely come from several different places since throw objects can date back a very long time.
Therefore, the history of disc golf isn’t 100% clear, but we’ve done our best to sypher through the information to give you as clear of a picture as possible from past to present!
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WEBSITES/REFERENCES
A big thank you goes out to the many contributors to this video. You’ll find below all the images, videos, and information sources used in this video (currently being updated):
Fore! (YT Channel) – Tin, Plastic, Monopoly, & Mutiny (The Early History of Frisbee & Disc Golf)
https://roguediscs.com/blog/the-history-of-disc-golf
No, Throwing Apples at People Was Not Considered a “Marriage Proposal” in Ancient Greece
www.hotelhistories.blogspot.com/search/label/Tom%20Anderson?m=0
www.prairie-towns.com/bladworth-images.html
https://i0.wp.com/www.heinsville.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/OldDisc.jpg
https://www.flyingdiscmuseum.com/antiques/pluto-platters/ha2db70ad#ha2db70ad
https://discsportshistory.com
https://skydmagazine.com/2014/02/birth-ultimate-1968-1974/
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2018/09/20/goose-lake-michigan-1970
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/sep/27/wipe-out-era-1970s-vanish-vancouver
https://www.flyingdiscmuseum.com/1981-wfc-program.pdf
https://www.pdga.com/news/historical-events-project-finally-complete
https://www.pdga.com/news/pro-worlds-history-101
https://www.facebook.com/InnovaDiscs/posts/on-august-1-1982-at-the-age-of-19-harold-duvall-became-the-first-pdga-open-world/10161369864489745/
https://www.pdga.com/news/2022-pdga-member-benefits
https://discgolf.com/wp-content/uploads/dga-disc-golf-1978.pdf
Best Disc Golf Brands In 2023: Top 9 Reviews And Buying Guide
https://www.pdga.com/explosive-growth-disc-manufacturing
https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/821484788258845533/
https://www.discgolfscene.com/courses/Oak_Grove_Hahamongna_Park/Hole_4
https://discgolfunited.com/blog/post/history-of-disc-golf
Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) approved as Associate Member of WFDF
https://udisc.com/blog/post/most-disc-golf-courses-per-capita-world-rankings-2022
https://discsunlimited.net/image/data/innova-discs/flight_numbers_right-and-left.pdf
https://www.pdga.com/pdga-documents/technical-standards/resources/pdga-disc-testing-equipment
https://www.pdga.com/news/decade-display-pdga-hits-100000-members
24 Comments
It was invented officially in Saskatchewan by a local school teacher.
At 5:06 I love how Antarctica is dark blue for per capita courses because it has 1 course for the handful of researchers that live there lol
My grandfather went to that school.
The last IFA world championships was in 1982 in New Brunswick NJ (not 81 in Pasadena).
Since this channel is all about discs, not mentioning the actual discs used in the 70s is an odd omission.
Only Frisbees were allowed in sanctioned Tournaments. The 119g 40, stable and 41, unstable molds were most used. Injecting these molds with glow plastic made them heavier. These became the first discs uniquely designed for DG. Same mold but weights between 120s and 150g. The Midnight Flyers were THE first DG disc. Before the MFs, the chains spit out 119s regularly. Other Frisbee discs were too wide for the sport
This video struck the perfect balance between brevity and detail. Thank you, and great work.
Great Video! although according to Udisc there are about14,000 courses that exist throughout the world, with that count increasing everyday! Also, the PDGA membership numbers have just passed the 250,000 mark of memberships on record. A good number of those are inactive, but the medical lockdowns we all experienced contributed to the massive growth of the sport that accelerated the numbers quickly!
Je ne m'attendais pas à du français pour finir 😁 Merci à toi pour cette vidéo 🙏❤️
Awesome video!!!! Nice switch up to speak on the history of the sport! JustDisc for the history books 2040!!
Loved your report and the vintage photos (and correct me if I'm wrong) but I don't think I heard any reference to The Champ aka Ken Climo.
Very interesting video! Great way to present all that information, well done!
@4:45 why and when did they add that 4" band around the top of the Hole? I notice the older nets did not have that .. more opportunity to sinking your hole without the deflector band.
Excellent historical video on disc golf! I first got introduced to disc golf in California in the early 80’s and have been loving it ever since! Thanks for all your passion and great work.
Excellent History, I’ve been playing for 40 years and never knew much of this comprehensive video. I got my first “WHAMO”😎frisbee 60 years ago
AWESOME VID! TY TY. ONLY HALFWAY IN AND TIME TO SHARE THIS CONTENT!
The first time I ever played was in the late 70s in cub scouts on the Texas gulf coast, throwing at marked trees. I took it up recreationally for fun in the mid 90s and I've been playing ever since minus some breaks for injuries over the years.
Great video
How many disc golf courses are on the south pole, as it's dark colored?
So, McBeth was the first to sign the biggest contract ever? Hmm.. I don't believe you..
"7,000 courses in the world" is way off, there are over 9,000 just in the US and over 14K in total n the world per Udisc!
Been playing since 2003/2004 but 2009–2015/2016 I was more out of the loop but still knew about the flight numbers now on discs in 2010 mainly from Innova only at the time but others soon copied.
Actually, the Innova Flight numbers were around since 2004 when the earliest of the longer lasting plastics came out like Innova Pro, Champion, Pro-X/now X and Discraft with pro-Z/now Z, Even in 2005 the flexible Proline plastic from semi-defunct Lighting Now Gotta Go Gotta Throw Last I heard and chatted with the company had the entire Lighting line and the molds, important as they used to import the disc golf bags for Lighting with Gotta Go Gotta Throw selling only the unstamped bags. HOWEVER, though the flight numbers were out in 2004 from Innova though never put on the discs and Discraft had its own system on the discs as did Lighting switching from the War Planes apparently in 1995 to picture of what the disc looked like in flight with a stamp in 1997 with only the rubber putter not having that logo or the plane system before this.
Oh in 2000's they had to limit the disc rim width that I think was due to the no longer made Aerobe Epic as Aerobe (PDGA approved still) and the other discs they stopped making after 2016 with really only one run of the PDGA approved Sharpshooter series. That was a big innovation in the 2000's missed as was the 2016 changes to minimum basket height for all tournaments past C tier, so most tournaments and courses now in developed counties use the higher baskets.
Flight numbers were put on the discs starting in 2009, but they were around before that, 2002 IIRC. Also, even a brief history of disc golf should mention Dave Dunipace and how the beveled edge was patented for many years and how once that patent expired, many of the manufacturers we have today got their start.
Really enjoyed. A couple details, Ed Headrick not Hendrick.
And Morrison created the Pluto Platter but Headrick is credited with the modern-day frisbee from the Pluto platter mold being retooled
Oldest pdga member ive met was Ralph Williamson PDGA number 10
Win a zucca cart if you correctly guess how many side swipes were in this edit!
interesting video, im not sure everything you said was disc golf, but it was throwing disc.. great job!