This Week in Disc Golf: UDisc is dropped by the DGPT, the Northeast disc golf EXPO has another successful year, some tournaments get fans the disc golf they’re craving, Tattar gets a new whip and so much more.
It’s Swiss Cheese with the Disc Golf World, and you already know the one with all the holes in his game. Welcome to ‘This Week in Disc Golf,’ where we cover all things disc golf from the past week.
Thanks, everyone, for taking the time to watch, especially those who have subscribed. The Disc Golf World will be on tour for the entire Texas swing and finalizing a possible Chess.com Invitational. We’re looking for recommendations on unique courses, must-try local food, and any other must-hit stops.
Now, let’s dive into the biggest news of the week.
UDisc Live and Disc Golf Pro Tour part ways
In some shocking news, UDisc announced that they will no longer provide real-time scoring and statistics, as DGPT will no longer be using the app. This marks the end of an eight-year relationship between the two, during which UDisc served as the core app for DGPT live scoring. Unfortunately, this announcement comes on the heels of UDisc’s recent increase in monthly subscriptions.
Now, most disc golfers use the app to track their rounds, monitor their progress, view stats, and participate in tournaments. For them, the loss of the DGPT live scoring feature might seem minimal.
However, if the PDGA expands to be the sole platform for sanctioned events, coupled with its recent rule changes, UDisc’s future becomes quite shaky.
For those who rely on UDisc for DGPT live scoring and tournament results, there are more concerns. UDisc, widely adopted in the community, has become familiar, accessible, and easy to use. It is arguably the most consistent aspect of tour coverage throughout the entire partnership with the DGPT.
This means the DGPT does have some large shoes to fill, leaving many feeling less than optimistic.
DGPT announces new scores & stats platform
DGPT has released a statement of its own, announcing a partnership with the PDGA to host live scoring and stats on DGPT.com. It’s noteworthy that the PDGA recently acquired StatMando in late December, encompassing not only the brand and its employees but, most importantly, all the StatMando data.
This acquisition played a crucial role in solidifying the partnership and developing the DGPT scoring page. The StatMando team, along with the PDGA technological team, will collaborate to create new features and analytics for DGPT.com and live broadcasts.
Furthermore, they’ve mentioned that a basic version of the new live scoring platform will be available for the first tournament of the year, the Chess.com Invitational, with promises of expanding the scoring page even further in the near future.
This move aligns with the DGPT’s business practice of acquiring additional revenue streams and consolidating their entire product under a single umbrella while retaining all rights to information usage.
You only have to look at the company’s acquisition of Jomez, the recent unification of the European tour, and now its own scoring platform to see the DGPT’s strategic moves.
The DGPT makes it clear that this platform will also launch a concerted effort to prepare DGPT scores and stats for licensing to third-party platforms as a potential future revenue stream. This suggests the possibility of their use alongside future television productions, sports news organizations, or, as many hope, in gaming possibilities for fantasy or gambling sites.
While the consolidation of resources, products, and now stats could certainly further the growth of the game and add revenue for DGPT, for some, it comes at the cost of losing the partnership or grassroots aspect that has long been a part of the game’s history. In the past, more people and companies had a slice of the pie, working together to grow the sport.
On the other hand, some view this consolidation as necessary for the game to reach the heights many hope it could attain, citing examples from other major professional sports organizations.
With the season right around the corner, DGPT coverage is set to be far different than what we have been accustomed to. This offseason, DGPT announced an update to its streaming service, the expansion of a unified tour in Europe, and now a new location for live scoring and stats.
Personally, I’m not sure where I stand on this. UDisc has become a comfortable app that helps with our content, so it’s difficult to see them no longer with the tour. However, I understand DGPT’s reasons.
I want to hear from each of you, though. Does this affect your viewing, and are you happy or upset with the latest moves?
Check out the full DGPT announcement here – https://www.dgpt.com/announcements/scores-and-stats-update-2024/
Northeast Disc Golf EXPO
In some lighter news, the second annual Northeast Disc Golf Expo, or what might be considered our sports Comic Con minus the cosplay, was held this past weekend. Probably for the better, as that’s how you end up with those Dune fleshlight promo cups. Jefferson was able to attend, so make sure to check out his highlights from the trip.
The successful second year certainly displays proof of concept and the possibility of expansion into other cities. Thanks to the large efforts of owner Ben Kennies, the event featured pros, announcers, content creators, over 40 vendors, and some absolute sick exclusive disc drops, including the Axiom Pixel, Discraft Kratos, and Clash Discs Salt using the new TONE tech. It even had a nine-hole and mini course.
With the Northeast boasting one of the strongest disc golf scenes I have ever witnessed, it is no surprise that the expo is a success. It’s likely to grow larger each year.
However, its success also shows that this concept can be carried over to multiple other locations with other popular regional areas like Charlotte, Minnesota, and California, just to name a few. All have strong disc golf scenes and could achieve similar success to the Northeast Disc Golf Expo. With Jeff Springs attending and witnessing its success in person, it might not be too far off to imagine a similar expo around DGPT All-Star or Championship events.
Pre-DGPT-season Disc Golf
There was some disc golf action both in the States and overseas.
The Maricopa Open highlighted Tristan Tanner’s outstanding performance, as he had an exceptional round, going 14 under on the final day to force a playoff with Andrew Marwede, who had a costly double bogey late. Tanner ultimately secured the event victory, marking his first win since 2021. Anthony Barella, last year’s winner, claimed third place, while Jennifer Allen secured her third consecutive win.
In Mexico at the MX Disc Golf Championship, Kevin Jones experienced either a slip off the tee or blowing a final day lead, and, in this case, both happened. Despite his two-stroke lead going into the final day, he lost it on hole 17, eventually losing the playoff to Nikolas Culver. Culver’s impressive 9-under round secured his first A-series victory.
Meanwhile, in New Zealand, the Tapou Classic kicked off its Tour Down Under 4-stop event. The tournament featured the only 1000-rated New Zealand disc golfer, Levi Stout, who shot the hot round of the tournament on day one with a 10-under, going six down through the first six holes.
Corey Ellis managed to share the lead on day 2 and coasted to a two-stroke victory over Levi, with Nate Perkins putting on a strong showing and finishing tied for third.
Juliana Korver wins her 250th PDGA event
In the FPO, Hall of Famer Juliana Krover took down the event and earned her 250th PDGA win!
Here’s a closer look at JK’s wins by decade. Simply put, these are some serious GOAT NUMBERS!
Final player movements before the 2024 season
The first, famous JomezPro cameraman Joey Temali, who beat the GOAT of disc golf AKA Paul McBeth at a European stop last year, just announced a sponsorship deal with MVP.
Jake Hebenheimer is officially announced with the long-time rumored Lone Star Discs.
And lastly, forehand specialist Chandler Kramer announced that he will be rocking an open bag this year with no major sponsor attachments.
This week’s social media quick hitters:
Kristin Tattar announced her sponsorship and new ride while being in her home country, Estonia. It’s only a Porsche Macan… No big deal…
Pictures by Celin Lannusalu.
Scott Stokley is not only getting back on tour but will also be followed by a filmmaker to showcase all the behind-the-scenes action of touring:
Simon Lizotte showcasing his insane touch with a piece of plastic...
Alden Harris beats the 2023 MPO Disc Golf World Champion, Isaac Robinson, for a slushie:
Ezra Robinson chooses Alden Harris over Gannon Buhr in a Zombie Apocalypse. Terrible options, as no one would ever take a lanky teenager who doesn’t have a driver’s license and is too afraid to go in the water to retrieve a disc.
Ezra Aderhold pokes fun at himself and Drew Gibson, announcing that he has registered for the Champions Cup, which was a problem for him last year.
And that wraps up another This Week in Disc Golf AKA TWIDG. If you’ve stayed this long and you aren’t subscribed, make sure to do so. While you’re at it, like, comment, and share. And if you want more, be sure to check out all the previous episodes.
If you’re interested in some Swiss tour stories, be on the lookout over on the Swiss Cheese Disc Golf Channel.
Since you’ve made it this far, be sure to check out Brodie Smith’s HOT TAKE spree on Twitter!
Brodie tweeted “Give me your best disc golf hot take right now.” so naturally, we have to react! Continue reading here – https://discgolffanatic.com/brodie-smith-disc-golf-hot-takes/