Last updated on March 11th, 2024 at 09:19 pm
Last updated by Maredith Damasco
If you’ve been playing disc golf for a while and consistently excel in local competitions, the thought of going pro has likely crossed your mind. But how to become a sponsored disc golfer? What is the easiest path to take if you want to earn a living using your disc golf skills?
If you are looking for answers to these questions, you’ve got to read this article from top to bottom. We have compiled and listed different tips that can get you to become a pro disc golfer and start earning money from the sport you love. Also included is additional information you can use to increase your chances of becoming a pro disc golfer.
How to Become a Professional Disc Golfer
The best thing about doing what you love is to start earning money from it. This mirrors disc golf, where turning your passion into a career and earning a living is possible but challenging. Follow the tips below to kickstart your career as a professional disc golfer.
Practice, Practice, and More Practice
If you want to be a pro disc golfer, you need to polish your skillset, form, and every aspect of your game. Meaning, you must improve continuously and take your game to another level. When I am talking about practicing more, I am not talking about playing more disc golf rounds. Yes, playing more often will help you, but constant practice is all about fine-tuning every aspect of your game. That means doing fieldwork
Actual practice has a routine that should work in improving every aspect of your game. You need to devote your time to work on one part of each practice and try to improve it. For example, you can improve your putting first, then midrange shots, and so on. You need to develop a perfect routine that suits your needs in developing your game’s aspects. By doing this consistently, you are going to get better and play like a pro.
Train To Be a Professional
Besides ongoing practice to improve all aspects of your game, becoming a professional disc golfer requires you to physically prepare for the challenges ahead. This means achieving physical fitness and conditioning, which can be attained through dedicated training to build the necessary strength and endurance.
Just like your practice routine, you need to formulate a strength and conditioning routine for your training. You need to allocate time for this to be able to achieve optimal fitness levels. In disc golf, you do not need to build huge muscles like a bodybuilder. What you need are combinations of power, stamina, and flexibility, and these factors should be your focus of training.
Watch More Films and Be a Student of the Game
To become a pro disc golfer, watch more disc golf rounds on video and study the plays, focusing on how top golfers throw place shots, and other key details. Treat it like a film session to glean insights from the best and apply them to your game.
The good thing about having film sessions is you can rewatch it again at any time. You can evaluate what went wrong during the game and what needs to improve, especially in approaching the game. You can also learn from top golfers how they come to the game and their form when preparing for a shot.
Finding and Hiring the Right Coach
The fastest way to accelerate your development as a pro disc golfer is to seek a coach’s guidance. Having someone who can assess your form and techniques from an outsider’s perspective is invaluable. A coach can identify your strengths and pinpoint areas in your game that require improvement.
An expert coach should design a tailored training program to meet your specific needs as a disc golfer. While it may be challenging to find the right coach, investing in one can significantly enhance your overall skills. You can locate local coaches or hire professionals who possess the knowledge and experience to enhance your understanding of the sport.
Play in Accredited Tournaments and Go on Tour
If you plan to be a professional disc golfer, you must start signing up for official tournaments and competing. There are lists of events listed on the official website of the PDGA where you can refer for your planned games. Or you can look at Disc Golf Scene. I would suggest to start competing in tournaments near your area and take it from there.
If you’ve been consistently winning local tournaments and outgrowing local competition, it’s best to go on tour. Doing this will expose you to a higher level of competition and, of course, new courses to play. The more rounds you play, the more it will help in acclimatizing your game as a pro, while developing your game at the same time.
How to Get Sponsored in Disc Golf
Sponsorship on the disc golf sport is not given to a player on a silver platter. A player needs to earn it by getting noticed by sponsors and companies. The key to getting a sponsor is your performance in every tournament which you have participated. If you consistently outperform the field or appear frequently on the leaderboard, sponsors and companies are likely to notice as you make a name for yourself.
Building a name for yourself requires competing and winning high-level PDGA-sanctioned tournaments. Companies closely observe such events, scouting for potential brand ambassadors. Whether it’s a local brand or a major company, your passion and dedication to the game should shine to become an ideal ambassador.
Market Yourself to Get Sponsor
Another tip is to market yourself to become a sponsored professional in disc golf. Companies like Innova and Discraft are looking for players that can market their brand. Please take note that these companies want exposure to the brand so that they can sell more discs. If you deal with yourself well and have the ability to impress potential sponsors, then you are on your way to impress potential sponsors.
Other ways to market yourself are to hold clinics if you can regularly. You can do this while also improving your skills and play at the highest level at the same time. Having a personal brand on your own as a player will play a significant part in getting sponsorships.
Starting a website or YouTube channel is an effective way to build a brand and gain followers. With a substantial social media presence and a large following, sponsors will naturally approach you.
A good rule of thumb for sponsorship is to answer this question; “what can I do to make the sponsor more money?”
Conclusion
How to become a pro disc golfer is not an easy thing to do. Its pathway is rugged and rough, but if you are determined to achieve your dream and put in the work, you will become a pro disc golfer in no time.
The most important thing is to put your mind to it. Practice and train like a pro and look for other ways to improve your game. Whether it is hiring a coach or consistently studying the sport to enhance your game, or anything else that will benefit your skills and form.
Meanwhile, getting a sponsor as a disc golfer will not come easy. You’ve got to have a name for yourself and be consistent in winning. Not only that, you need to be the best version of yourself and act like a real ambassador for the sport or to possible companies and brands.
The most important thing is to make a name for yourself and get noticed by companies to get sponsorship deals as a disc golfer.
