Disc Golf… really? Ultimate Frisbee…maybe.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Some activities just don’t constitute an actual sport. Disc golf, or Frisbee golf, happens to be one of them.

Growing up in sports and playing quite a few of them throughout my younger years and even in high school, I believe that in order for an activity to be considered a sport, you must have to spend much time training physically for it.

‘Physically’ being the key word.

In the game of disc golf, players throw a Frisbee into a basket. Disc golf follows similar rules to the actual game of golf, which I do believe is an actual sport. For scoring, disc golf also follows similar rules to the actual game of golf, where players try to get through the course in as few as possible throws.

To back myself up, let me go a little deeper into why I don’t think disc golf is considered an actual sport.

There is no actual running involved or necessary for these supposed athletes to play disc golf. Now, for an actual golfer, running isn’t necessary either, but I think there is some physical training that must be done in order to be a golfer. Strength training is necessary, along with physical conditioning. Golfers need to be physically fit and mentally sharp.

Also, in order for an athletic activity to be considered an actual sport, I think it should be enjoyable for fans to watch. Can you imagine watching disc golf? Boring!

Although I don’t agree that disc golf is an actual sport, I do believe that ultimate Frisbee is.

For those familiar with Ultimate, there is a lot of running involved and it can become tiresome if you are playing the entire game.

Because of the physical activity that goes into playing Ultimate, I gladly call it a sport and would praise those few professional athletes that are out there. And according to my stipulations, I would much rather be watching people play Ultimate rather than disc golf.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Although I do not believe disc golf should be considered an actual sport, this does not mean that it couldn’t be a fun activity. I played disc golf once and it was pretty enjoyable, but I think if I had to choose just one game to play that involved a flying disc, it would definitely be Ultimate.

*Disclaimer: This article is an opinion piece and appeared in The V, which is a tabloid.  For the counterpoint, see the article ‘Toss Up: The legitimacy of disc games as sports,’ also an opinion piece.*