📉 Is disc golf flatlining?

Hello and welcome, this is The Players Meeting. The only newsletter that reworks its backhand every off-season.

Let’s get into it.

Email Read Time: 4 Minutes & 45 Seconds

DISCUSSION
Has the Bubble Burst?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that disc golf has undergone significant growth since Covid. The number of players, courses, and money has skyrocketed for the past few years.

Thanks to The Upshot podcast and the Finnish government, we have numbers to back that up. In Finland, every individual and corporation has their income published each year.

Here’s what we know about one of the smaller brands - Discmania:

• In 2018 & 2019, Discmania operated at a slight loss

• In 2020, they generated a profit of €1.7M

• In 2021, profits ballooned to €4.65M

• In 2022, they fell back down to €3.7M

• Of note: Discmania’s founder and CEO (at the time), Jussi Meresmaa’s taxable income was €836,700 in 2022

So did the bubble burst already? A Tour Life podcast listener pointed out that his local C-Tier used to fill up instantly but now takes weeks.

And if we look at the disc market, it’s clear that supply has surpassed demand. Resellers can’t flip like they used to, and the # of new molds/brands is overwhelming.

Now, we’re entering into everyone’s manufacturers’ favorite season - mystery boxes. Companies are going all out this year, likely in hopes of dumping excess stock.

Discmania has weaved an elaborate story with a “popular Finnish influencer”, while Lat64 has a box specifically for Kristin Tattar. Who knows… Maybe Eagle McMahon’s or Gannon Buhr’s new contracts will be made public and blow expectations away.

Regardless, the market is not where it used to be, and everyone knows it.

But remember, all this isn’t to say disc golf hasn’t grown to crazy levels. The evidence is all around us, so continue to soak it in.

UP YOUR GAME
Backhand Breakdown

We live in an insane time filled with information overload. And when it comes to the backhand form, videos on proper technique are endless.

The latest off-season coaching phenom comes from Austria. 18-year-old Leon Sonnleitner impressed spectators at 6 Euro Tour events with his best finish of 17th place at the Swedish Open.

Now, he’s making waves on YouTube as a certified pro, bomber, and instructor. In the last week, he’s broken down the backhand into 3 videos on hips, throwing arm, and runup.

Here are the quick hits from: “How to fix your throwing arm (and your nose angle)”

• Feeling is everything: Most of our brains don’t work by thinking of specific angles or timing, instead focus on the feeling of a proper throw

• Simplify your throwing arm: Create lag and make it feel like your body is pulling your arm through (not the opposite)

• Stay loose: Keeping your arm loose will automatically put the disc in a “good” position, and you can stop worrying about nose angle

• Avoid common reach back mistakes: Bringing the disc too far behind (rounding) or too far away from you

For all things including disc golf, YouTube is an amazing classroom. Subscribe to his channel as he continues to pump out gem after gem.

POWERED BY POWERGRIP USA
Fresh Plastic

👉 Powergrip’s Highlight: Kastaplast K1 Stig DIY (6|5|-2|1)
We’ve got something a little different today with the newest and most popular mold from this Swedish brand.

The Stig has become iconic to their lineup and flies very neutral with tons of glide. This special run is blank with only a small bottom stamp.

So feel free to let little Johnny go at it with markers/dyes or keep it minimalistic. These DIY runs are a great way to add some personality to your bag.

Stamp aside, there’s been talk about Kastaplast’s revered plastic having an identity crisis. Podcasts and online posters are saying the now House of Discs brand is identical to its brethren (Lat64 & DD).

While the plastic blends feel more similar now, there are still differences. The latest K1 is softer and grippier than the Royal Grand/Supreme plastic.

We’ll never know for sure, but the Powergrip USA crew has done several blindfold tests and correctly distinguished K1 from Royal Grand every time.

See for yourself, and shop Powergrip USA for any of your favorite House of Discs brands!

BABY FACES, WORLD GAMES & DISC SWAP
Random Triples

1️⃣ There’s nothing better to jumpstart a boring, off-season Monday than an Instagram trend. Started by Niklas Anttila, touring pros took a trip down memory lane and posted the time they met their 1st pro.

Here are my favorites:

2️⃣ Over Veterans Day weekend, the inaugural WFDF Pan-American Team Championships took place in Warrenville, SC. For 3 days, Teams Canada, USA, and Colombia competed in doubles and singles matchplay.

Touring pros like Thomas Gilbert, JohnE McCray, & Emily Beach competed for their respective countries. In the end, Gilbert pushed Team Canada to win over USA.

So does this tournament matter? The World Flying Disc Federation described this event as a way for countries to earn “world ranking points” toward the 2025 World Games (competition for sports not in the Olympics).

Then why did most known names not participate? Pros are scattered across the country in the off-season and come 2025, they’ll likely skip out on The World Games.

So was the Pan-Am event a preview of how disc golf could look in the Olympics? It’s safe to say yes, but who knows if/when that day will come.

3️⃣ The season of giving is officially upon us. Up until Friday (11/17) at 7 PM ET, you can sign up for Trash Panda’s 4th annual Holiday Used Disc Swap.

This is your chance to participate in disc golf’s largest disc exchange. It’s simple: sign up here, get your random assignment, ship your disc(s), then wait for your package.

It’s an awesome way to give your shelved backups new life. Last year, I gave away 3 discs and got 4 in return.

Note: “Don’t be a Scrooge, and send someone an absolutely trash disc that no one wants.” - Jesse Stedman

Meme of the Week

Thanks for reading today. Get out and hit the gap this week!

- Charlie