Future in this "Sport"....?

I just wanted to start a discussion about the future of this game. Or lack there of as some would like to look at it.

More and more I see the best players in the world playing less tournaments each year. Opting out instead for the security of a $10/hour job. I believe this to be a huge waste of talent. It is up to each of us to look in the mirrors and say "What have I done for Discgolf lately?" What can we do to get over that "Hump" ? I have been hearing for almost 10 years now how close we are to major sponsors etc etc. I just don't see the major steps being taken that are needed to become truly a legitimate sport.

I'm as "guilty" as anyone I've been relying on someone else to shoulder the load. Well no more, if we want to see something tangible we need to go out and work full time for the sport. It doesn't pay that well to start but the retirement package could be sweet.

I could go on and rant but give me some of your feedback. Am I totally crazy and should just continue to play the game for what it is, fun? Or is there something more out there for those of us that truly LIVE this game. Thanks for your time.

Andrew Rich
Team Innova Member
Roots Roc Reggae
www.purediscgolf.com

[Larry Mann I am]

I left the game in 1993 after being the winingest masters player from 1988 to 1990 in Texas and the midwest. I was selling discs and running Bartholomew Park in Austin, Tx. I traveled on a small budget often sleeping in my truck. I connected Austin with the pdga by talking to players and tournament directors and had many serious discussions with John Houck. The pdga was afraid of letting the masters div. get too large, and there was only one , a pro masters div. I told them their fears were unfounded because the masters would bring their children to the game. What the pdga did next made no sense. They raised the age to 40 and opened all kinds of amateur divisions. Now very few pro masters. The other issue is the so called tour. There has never been a real tour that went from city to city in a sensible way. Criscrossing the country is not a tour. With travel so high why not resonable distances between stops. I got into cycling for 12 yrs. and had many masters aged races with full fields and great competition. Now at age 59 I built a course and am teaching new players this game we love. I will not run pdga events here. They let me down in the past. I don't want any big headed ama. and adv. jerks playing here. I'll have open tournaments someday but I am not in a hurry to cater to tournament geeks. I've played a lot of ball golf tournaments and I do not like the handicap system as there is always sandbagging. From my point of view I am looking at the future of the sport and I don't see anything different. Sorry, Larry Mann #3946