Disc Golf: History of the Game

The 1970s
1976 - Installation of the first permanent disc golf course in Oak Grove Park, Pasadena, California.
1976 - Ed Headrick organizes the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA).
1977 - The first PDGA tournaments are held in Mobile, Alabama and Northern New Jersey.

The 1980s
1982 - The PDGA becomes a player-run organization to schedule tournaments and formalize the rules of play. Harold Duvall wins the first PDGA World Disc Golf Championships.
1983 - Dave Dunipace, past World Distance and Disc Golf Champion, develops the triangle rimmed disc, creating the first true golf disc. This innovation brings the advantage of distance with accuracy to the games of amateurs and professionals alike. As a result, courses begin to get longer and more challenging – the excitement grows.
1984 - Disc Golf World News, the first magazine for disc golf, begins publication. Sam Ferrans wins the PDGA World Disc Golf Championships.
1985 - Around the world, players continue to lobby park departments and college campuses for more disc golf courses. Frank Aguilera sets world distance record with an INNOVA Aero disc. By the end of the decade, permanent disc golf courses are installed in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Japan. Harold Duvall wins his second World championship.
1988 - Sam Ferrans sets new world distance record with an INNOVA Phenix golf disc.
1989 - Steve Wisecup wins PDGA World Disc Golf Championships.

The 1990s
1990 to 2000 - Ken Climo of Clearwater, Florida wins an unprecedented ten world championships.
1993 - Lavone Wolfe establishes the Disc Golf Hall Of Fame. The PDGA begins to chronicle the history of disc golf.
1995 - INNOVA introduces the DISCatcher Disc Golf Target. In the next five years, the number of courses worldwide triples to over 1200.
1999 - INNOVA produces the inaugural United States Disc Golf Championship in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Ken Climo is the first to win and be crowned the U.S. Champion.

2000 and beyond
2000 - The number of permanent disc golf courses in the U.S.A. surpasses 1,000.
2001 - Disc golf becomes a featured event in the World Games in Akita, Japan.
2002 - Christian Sandstrom, throwing an INNOVA Valkyrie disc, sets new world distance record of 820 ft. Ken Climo wins his 11th PDGA World Disc Golf Championships, extending his record. The EDGE program opens doors to teach disc golf as a lifetime sport to kids of all ages.
2003 - Juliana Korver wins her 5th PDGA World Championships. Barry Schultz wins both the U.S. and World Championships and wins more than $40,000 on the PDGA Tour.
2004 - Barry Schultz continues to dominate in 2004. Ken Climo wins the US Championships. Over 900 players attend Pro/Am world Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, the largest disc golf event ever.
2005 - Team Champion dominates on the National Tour as well as the Nordic Tour held in Europe. Disc golfers raise $25,000 for EDGE, with the goal of getting disc golf curriculum into more schools.
2006 - Over 2000 Disc Golf courses worldwide!

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