I have a theory that every disc golfer that enjoys the sport even a little bit has daydreamed about going pro. To take the thing that you love some much and turn it into a career would be amazing. To actually get paid to practice and play disc golf would be so great. But daydreaming and actually putting in the work are two different things. So if you are serious about wanting to play at the professional level, I’ve put together some tips for you. Remember, it is possible if you put the time and hard work into it. After all, there are professional players on tour right now that where one day in the past where you are now. Let’s take a look at the tips on How To Become A Professional Disc Golfer.
Practice Like A Pro
The first step to becoming a professional player is improving your disc golf game.
The most effective way of doing this is through continued practice.
This may seem like an obvious point but a lot of disc golfers that want to get better don’t practice enough or even at all.
Also, when I say practice, I don’t just mean playing more rounds of disc golf.
Don’t get me wrong, you will see some improvement if you play more rounds of disc golf.
But this method has its limits. If you want to be a professional, you’ll need to really improve your game by starting a practice routine.
This means specifically practice each aspect of your game.
Improve your putting, driving, scambling and other key pieces of your game by devoting specific practice sessions to each one.
Train Like A Pro
While practice is very important, increasing your fitness level will go along way to take you to your goal of going pro.
It is true that most anyone can play disc golf and that’s one of the reasons so many people can enjoy the sport.
But if you are looking to play at such a high level increasing your strength and conditioning will help you stand out.
Just like creating a practice routine is important for improving your disc golf skills, you’ll want to develop a strength and condition routine to help build muscle and improve your endurance.
While they may look great, building huge muscles and doing on mass shouldn’t be your main focus when it goes to training for disc golf.
The sport requires power, flexibility, and stamina. If you are looking for how to set up a routine for disc golf check out the following video.
Avery Jenkins, a pro himself, gives some great tips on the topic.
https://youtu.be/dls-fzCWGUQ
Know The Rules
To be a great disc golfer, you’re going to need to be a student of the game.
And one piece of the game that you’ll really need to focus on is the rules.
There will be plenty of times during a tournament round where you can eliminate strokes because you just know the rules well.
For instance, are you committing a foot fault while you are putting? You can earn a penalty stroke for that.
Or did you calculate your scorecard correctly? Again, you’ll get penalty throws for that too.
Not only will being an expert on the rules of disc golf lower your score, but it will also help you call other your opponents when they mess up?
This will give you a bit of an edge and at such a high level even a small edge can reap big rewards.
Hire A Coach
A great way to accelerate your development as a disc golf player is to find a great coach.
A coach will not only help you develop your strengths but will also be able to identify your weaknesses.
You might think you can do this on your own and a lot of players do but having a great coach whose been there and played at the highest level will definitely increase your chances.
Not having to train yourself and relying on an expert in the sport to develop a training program tailored to your specific needs is invaluable.
Finding a disc golf coach might be difficult but will surely pay off.
If you don’t want to go this route or are having trouble finding a coach, you might start your search at the local level.
Finding players in your area that are better than you and playing with them will go a long way to improving your game.
Taking a disc golf clinic is another good option.
A lot of these are taught by pros and you will get at least some temporary exposure to some great coaching.
Go On Tour
If you want to be a professional and aren’t yet playing in disc golf tournaments, you should start right now.
That’s right, stop reading this article and go sign up for one now!
Still, reading? At least check out this list of upcoming disc golf tournaments on disc golf scene.
Now, if you are playing in local disc golf tournaments, the next step would be to actually take the plunge and go on tour.
That’s right, start now before you have sponsorship. This will do two things.
First, you’ll be exposed to more courses and a higher level of play than what you are probably getting locally.
Second, it will give you exposure. The more tournaments you play in, the more eyes you’ll get on you while playing.
If you do well this will certainly increase your chances of getting an offer.
At the very least, you’ll be able to network with other players.
Market Yourself
This may seem like an odd tip but being able to market yourself will help you on your way to becoming a sponsored professional.
While being great at disc golf is the ultimate goal, Disc Golf manufacturers, like Innova and Discraft, also want players that can market their brand.
After all, they sponsor players to get exposure to their brand and sell more discs.
If you can market yourself well, this is sure to impress potential sponsors.
After all, a lot of the top pros don’t just play disc golf and tour.
They do clinics, commentate for disc golf evens, appear in advertisements and much more.
While you are improving your disc golf game and ensuring you can play at the highest level, you may also want to work toward improving your personal brand.
You could start a youtube channel or a website. This way you will already have an audience disc golf brands can market their products to.
It will also show them that you will do well in the spotlight.
Flickr Image Creative Commons Credit – MarkScottAustinTX