I Wannabe Ken Climo

Referred to simply as “The Champ”, Ken Climo of Clearwater, Florida is easily the greatest disc golfer to have ever played the game. His record of 9 consecutive World Championship titles (1990-1998) 12 total (00, 02, 06), is likely to never be broken. Ken has been named by the PDGA as their Player of the Year an amazing 10 times and he is the all-time leader of both points and money earned on the Pro Tour. Ken’s career began 19 years ago and he has since established a reputation as one of the most fierce competitors in any sport. In his first trip to the World Championships in 1989, he placed 5th among the best golfers in the game at that time. Not satisfied with a 5th place finish, he returned the following year and won his first World Championship title. The streak had begun and he continued to dominate Disc Golf’s most prestigious event for nearly a decade. In 1995, Ken won an incredible 23 out of 26 events. He finished second 3 times.
Not only is Ken the man to beat in the United States, he has also established himself overseas traveling to Japan on 6 occasions. For Ken it was 3 appearances and 3 wins at the Japan Open 93-95, Japan’s premier event. Ken also won the 2001 European Championships in Oslo, Norway. In 2006 Ken helped represent the USA disc golf team on their way to victory in the Lipton Cup and the Presidents Trophy matches.

In 1997, Innova decided to create a new line of high-performance golf discs, designed specifically to meet the needs of the world’s best players. It seemed logical that the best discs on the market wear the name of the most accomplished player in the game. The K.C. Pro Series was established and quickly became the most popular discs on tour. Today, Ken’s line-up consists of the KC Aviar, Roc, Firebird, TeeBird, Wraith, T-Rex and Starfire.

Ken suggests that new players focus on learning control before power. Developing greater accuracy from all ranges is essential to shooting lower scores. He recommends the following discs for beginners:
Driver: T-Bird TL (light weights such as 150class or mid 160’s)
Mid-Range: Shark
Putter: Aviar
Roller: Stingray
Distance: Wraith (mid weights)

If you were to catch up with him at his home course in Clearwater (Cliff Stevens Park) he’d likely be throwing Aviars, Rocs, TeeBirds and Wraiths.