![Professional Disc Golf Assoc Appling GA near Augusta National Championship 2011 September](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Professional_Disc_Golf_Assoc_Appling_GA_near_Augusta_National_Championship_2011_September.jpg)
The Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit membership organization dedicated to the promotion and
sustainable growth
Sustainable development is an organizing principle for meeting human development goals while also sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and society depend. The desir ...
of
disc golf
Disc golf, also known as frisbee golf, is a flying disc sport in which players throw a disc at a target; it is played using rules similar to golf. Most disc golf discs are made out of polypropylene plastic, otherwise known as polypropene, which ...
. The PDGA is the global
governing body
A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken ge ...
of disc golf. The organization promotes the sport through tournament development, course development, rules and competitive standards, media and sponsor relations, and public education and outreach.
As of September 1, 2022, the current PDGA Board of Directors consists of PDGA President Nate Heinold, Vice President Wilbur Wallis, Treasurer David Schreff, and Secretary Geoff Hungerford, as well as Laura Nagtegaal, Leah Tsinajinnie, and Conrad Damon.
Organizational structure
The PDGA is a membership organization with Professional-class and Amateur-class members who pay yearly dues to belong to the organization.
Board of Directors
Strategic planning and oversight is handled by the Board of Directors, usually comprising seven Board members elected by the active PDGA membership from a pool of self-nominated candidates who must themselves be PDGA members in good standing. Board members serve three-year terms, and elections are staggered such that only two or three members of the Board are elected each year. In 2022, Laura Nagtegaal was re-elected to her second term on the Board and Conrad Damon was elected for the first time since his prior service (1999-2002). In 2021, the members elected Leah Tsinajinnie, David Schreff, and Wilbur Wallis to their first terms on the Board. In 2020, Nate Heinold was re-elected to his second term on the Board, and Geoff Hungerford was appointed to complete the term of
Will Schusterick
Will Schusterick ( ; born May 4, 1992 in Reno, Nevada) is an American professional disc golfer.http://www.schusterick.com/about-will.html
Schusterick has won the United States Disc Golf Championship three times. He turned pro in 2008 at the age ...
. Heinold and Hungerford's spots on the Board will be up for election in 2023.
The Board votes to elect four officer positions from its seven members: President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. The current officers are: Nate Heinold, President; Elaine King, Vice President; David Schreff, Treasurer; Wilbur Wallis, Secretary. The other three Board members are Directors with no specific officer role. Board decisions require a quorum of four members, and most decisions are made by majority vote.
Staff
The PDGA also has a professional staff that handles tactical planning and day-to-day operations, led by Executive Director Joe Chargualaf. The staff is split into several directorates which address organizational operations, membership services, quality control and operations at large events, support for tournament directors and events of all sizes, marketing and media, and technological advancements and event administration tools.
Volunteers
Finally, the PDGA has a dedicated team of volunteers. The State Coordinators, Province Coordinators, and Country Representatives manage the event calendars and serve as a front-line point of contact between the organization and the grassroots local clubs and Event Directors.
Committees
The PDGA's Committees are primarily volunteer-based, with most having a liaison from the staff and the Board. The current Committees are:
Legislative Committees
*Rules - dealing with all matters related to the Official Rules of Disc Golf
*Competition - jurisdiction over the Competition Manual for Disc Golf Events and Tour Standards
Policy Committees
*Technical Standards Working Group - ensures all approved equipment meets a standard set of dimensions and safety regulations.
*Environmental - examines the challenges and solutions for disc golf's ongoing environmental stewardship and sustainability.
*Youth and Education Committee - focuses on expansion of disc golf in schools and in youth sports.
*Medical Committee - examines potential harms to player safety and well-being.
*Course Design Working Group - explores and creates general, non-binding standards for disc golf courses.
*Disciplinary Committee - creates, promulgates, and enforces standards of conduct and disciplinary action.
Constituent-Based Committees
*Pro Touring Players Committee - represents the interests of full-time touring professional players.
*Women's Committee - advocates for women in the sport.
*Military Committee - acts as the voice for the large veteran community in disc golf.
*Senior Committee - ensures the needs of disc golfers aged 50 and over are made clear.
PDGA Majors
Majors are the highest level of disc golf competition. The current PDGA Majors held annually are: the
Professional
A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...
, Amateur, Masters, and Junior Disc Golf World Championships; the United States national championships (
United States Disc Golf Championship
The United States Disc Golf Championship is a disc golf tournament held at the Winthrop Gold Course, on the campus of Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The professional event has been held annually as a PDGA sanctioned Major since 1 ...
, United States Women's Disc Golf Championship, United States Amateur Disc Golf Championship, Tim Selinske United States Masters Championships, and the National Collegiate Disc Golf Championships); the
European Open; and the PDGA Champions Cup. The current FPO World Champion is
Kristin Tattar
Kristin Tattar (born 3 July 1992 in Pärnu) is an Estonian professional disc golfer and former competitive cross-country skier. Tattar is Estonia’s most successful disc golfer of all time, and as of 2022 she has achieved the highest PDGA rati ...
, and the current MPO World Champion is
Paul McBeth
Paul McBeth (born July 9, 1990) is an American professional disc golfer from Huntington Beach, California. He won the PDGA World Championships four times in a row (2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015) and again in 2019 and 2022, making him a six-time ch ...
.
Disc Golf Pro Tour
The
Disc Golf Pro Tour
The Disc Golf Pro Tour was founded in 2016 by Steve Dodge and Nate Heinold. The DGPT is the highest level of competition in professional disc golf. The tour currently operates two tours, the Elite Series and Silver Series, both featuring men's ...
(DGPT) is the Official Pro Tour of the PDGA. The DGPT is a private enterprise which partners with the PDGA (and in which the PDGA has a minority ownership interest). In addition to the 14 main
medal play events and the DGPT
Match Play
Match play is a scoring system for golf in which a player, or team, earns a point for each hole in which they have bested their opponents; as opposed to stroke play, in which the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 h ...
Championship, the top touring pros can qualify for the DGPT Tour Championship, a seeded bracket of knockout golf performed at the end of every tour season. The 2021 DGPT Champions are Missy Gannon (FPO) and Nathan Queen (MPO).
International Disc Golf Center
The PDGA International Disc Golf Center features a modern clubhouse with of amenities, art, and disc golf attractions. The clubhouse is home to the Ed Headrick Memorial Museum, which showcases many historical items from the early days of the sport including the first prototype Disc Pole Hole and flying discs from the
Frisbie Pie Company
The Frisbie Pie Company is an American pie company located in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It was founded in 1871 by William Russell Frisbie in Bridgeport, Connecticut, when he bought and renamed a branch of the Olds Baking Company. The company wa ...
pie pan, to the
Frisbee
A frisbee (pronounced ), also called a flying disc or simply a disc, is a gliding toy or sporting item that is generally made of injection-molded plastic and roughly in diameter with a pronounced lip. It is used recreationally and competitive ...
(c), to today's modern high tech golf discs.
![PDGA Entance Appling GA](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/PDGA_Entance_Appling_GA.jpg)
The IDGC also features the Disc Golf Hall of Fame. Located in Wildwood Park
Columbia County, Georgia
Columbia County is a county located in the east central portion of the US state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 124,035. The legal county seat is Appling, but the ''de facto'' seat of county government is Evans. on
Clarks Hill Lake
Lake Strom Thurmond, officially designated J. Strom Thurmond Reservoir at the federal level, and Clarks Hill Lake by the state of Georgia, is a reservoir at the border between Georgia and South Carolina in the Savannah River Basin.
Description
...
. It is 22 miles from Augusta, Georgia. This 975 acre park is home to PDGA Headquarters and holds three disc golf courses.
Courses at the IDGC
The "Steady" Ed Headrick Memorial Course, presented by
DGA, features special edition Mach III baskets on rolling terrain along the shores of Clarks Hill Lake. The course was designed by Disc Golf Hall of Famers, Chuck Kennedy and
Tom Monroe. Multiple target locations and tee areas make it very adaptable for all levels of play.
The Jim Warner Memorial Course is the newest course at the International Disc Golf Center. It features
Discraft
Discraft is a company that originated in 1978 in London, Ontario. It was started by a group of disc sport enthusiasts including Jim Kenner, Gail McColl,Chris and Mary Greenwood and Wallace Kenny. In 1979 Jim and Gail moved to Michigan and started ...
Chainstar targets and was designed by Disc Golf Hall of Famer, Jim Kenner, with assistance from Ron Russell and Pad Timmons.
The WR Jackson Memorial Course
is the longest and most challenging course at the IDGC. This course was designed by Disc Golf Hall of Famer,
John Houck
John Houck was born May 15, 1960 in Long Beach, California. He has designed more Championship disc golf courses than anyone living today. Since 1983, he has been devoted to the evolution and promotion of disc sports, including golf, ultimate, and ...
, and features
INNOVA DISCatcher baskets set in a very challenging championship configuration.
References
External links
PDGA web site(Information about PDGA sanctioned tournaments, the rules of disc golf, and other important disc golf data)
DGPT web site(Information about the DGPT, the official pro tour of the PDGA)
WFDF web site(Information about the International Governing Body for all Disc Sports)
{{Sports governing bodies of the United States
Disc golf governing bodies
Sports governing bodies in the United States
Disc golf