Disc golf is soaring in popularity, but the sport is not new. The assumed father of disc golf (also called frisbee golf or “frolf”), “Steady” Ed Headrick, patented the frisbee and basket that are still used in the sport today in 1974, but it’s not certain whether the sport began growing in popularity before or afterward.
As per the name, disc golf is just like golf, but when you step up to tee, you throw a disc as far as you can instead of hitting a ball with a stick. The goal of the game is to throw the disc as far as you can so you can make it in the basket with as few throws as possible. Just like golf, many disc golf courses can have between 9 and eighteen holes (or in this case, baskets), and one game consists of a lot of walking!
On average, golf can cost anywhere from $200 to $700 for new clubs, depending on how new you want your equipment to be, and if you want a starting set of 9 or a full set of 14. In contrast, disc golf ranges from $20-30 for a starter pack that includes a fairway driver, a midrange, and a putter. And if you want to start with well-reviewed discs, it would cost you $40 to $60 for all three starters. The sport is much more accessible than golf, and you still get the benefits of a nice walk and some time outside.
Until recently, disc golf had a small following, but when COVID-19 hit, the sport took off. Because of the use of outside spaces and it being easy to social distance while playing, people started going out to their local courses and playing to their hearts content. In 2019, the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) demographics reported about 53,000 active registered disc golfers, while the 2020 showed 71,000. As of the latest demographics report in 2023, there are over 136,000 active registered players.
Disc golf continues to grow, but it is heavily male-dominated despite being a coed sport. The 2023 report showed that only 10,000 of the players were women, which is just 7% of the total active players.
Disc Golf Days…
I’ve played disc golf for almost 2 and a half years, but I only competed in my first tournament in May 2025. Although I’m still new, I’ve grown a lot, and recently competed in the College Disc Golf Rocky Mountain Regional Qualifier for UNCO. This tournament was three rounds – two of which were teams and one singles – and two days of competition. Out of all of the universities playing in this event, only 4 of 80 players (5%) were women.
I was able to play all three rounds with the other three women there, but there was only one official women’ s team, made up of Utah State’s Chelsea Harding and Reagan Rogers. The other team consisted of myself and Texas Tech’s own Taylor Moore. Because we were from two different schools, we couldn’t compete officially as a team, but we still participated so we could enjoy a few rounds together.
The four of us officially competed together in the singles round, and placed in the Qualifier. I placed 4th with +17, Reagan placed 3rd with +12. Chelsea with +9, and the Rocky Mountain Regional Qualifier Champion was Taylor with a score of +4.
 It was incredibly fun to play with these women who have been playing disc golf for a range of two to eight years. I learned so much talking to them and watching their style of throws, but it still makes me sad. Why aren’t there more women in disc golf?
Lets Go Girls!
Disc golf has been around for about 50 years now, and it’s going to keep growing. The sport has so much to offer to not only the college women reading this, but also younger girls too.
At the Professional Disc Golf World Championship in Finland 2025, Ohn Scoggins won with a total score of -10 under par after 5 rounds of play. Scoggins has been playing since 2011, when the number of female disc golfers was even lower than it is today., But she still plays her best, even as the number of women players is rising day by day (yay!).
This year’s Female Junior worlds tournament in Kansas led lots of young girls into this sport. Of the five divisions, the FJ18 was won by Ann Deputy, who led the round with a -14 under par. Although she’ is quite young, she looks to have a great future ahead of her in disc golf. Then there’ is Kristin Lӓtt, who is the first and, so far, the only female disc golfer to achieve a rating over 1000, the men’s division professional standard. Kristin achieved this in May 2024, and continuously places first and second in tournaments.
I hope these women inspire you just as much as they inspire me to play disc golf. They prove that no matter your age or skill level, you can also pick up a disc and try throwing it around. Maybe one day we’ll get that 7% up, and officially make this sport ours.Â