Has the PDGA looked into making a Disc Golfing Merit Badge? Or will it take an Eagle Scout project to get the project goin. There's a fake one on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/DISC-GOLF-MERIT-BADG...VQQcmdZViewItem (http://cgi.ebay.com/DISC-GOLF-MERIT-BADGE-FAKE-NEW-PATCH_W0QQitemZ320150306271QQihZ011QQcategoryZ7980 4QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem)

except I like the image of a person putting better. The putting logo is the PDGA's, so I don't know how well that'd go over. Anyways, I think this would be an excellent way to get youths involved in the sport, as well as aligning itself with an already established organization. I know I would have gotten it when I was in Scouts.

Nic,

PDGA Board member, Ron Convers, recently got approval from the Board to create a youth committee. We even discussed the Boy Scouts and the potential to get them more involved in our sport. BOD president, Bob Decker, director of special projects, Dan "Stork" Roddick and myself are all Eagle Scouts. I will certainly encourage and assist the youth committee in introducing disc golf to the Scouts. We have several hundred scouts camping and playing disc golf at the Hippodrome Disc Golf Course, here in the Augusta area in about a week.

Regards,
Brian Graham
PDGA Executive Director

PDGA member Steve West is in the process of developing a training unit for teaching disc golf to Boy Scouts. Once this training is available, it should be a great first step in adding or writing up an official Disc Golf Merit Badge. Until the Disc Golf Merit Badge receives BSA approval, you could design a temporary badge or your local council could offer a Disc Golf related ribbon or award.

I am also an Eagle Scout, and would have done something like this had I been introduced to Disc Golf earlier. Our summer camp up here in South Dakota is on the Missouri River, on the Gavin's Point **** (Lewis & Clark in Yankton, SD) Anyways, it is a fairly large camp, and I would have loved to put a course in there. They have plenty of room, and it is swarmed with scouts ever summer. My thinking was that if there was a Disc Golf Merit Badge, they could be introduced to it and earn it while at summer camp. All you would need is one counselor who knew the rules, and it'd be that simple. There are three courses in Yankton already, but as you know, Scouts can't leave the camp during that week. One on site would be needed.

I think if a proper presentation / proposal is put together, the BSA will approve it no problem. There are many paralleled values shared between the two, and I think if Cycling can be a merit badge, Disc Golf can be one too.

Let me know if there is anything I can do to help

See announcement:

http://www.pdga.com/msgboard/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=803157&page=0&vc=1

http://www.pdga.com/course/courses_by_city.php?id=2017

There is a course at Gavin's Point.

There are at least 40 scout camps with disc golf courses, including ones in Australia and Japan. Not all are in the PDGA Course Directory.

I am also an Eagle Scout, and would have done something like this had I been introduced to Disc Golf earlier. Our summer camp up here in South Dakota is on the Missouri River, on the Gavin's Point **** (Lewis & Clark in Yankton, SD) Anyways, it is a fairly large camp, and I would have loved to put a course in there. They have plenty of room, and it is swarmed with scouts ever summer. My thinking was that if there was a Disc Golf Merit Badge, they could be introduced to it and earn it while at summer camp. All you would need is one counselor who knew the rules, and it'd be that simple. There are three courses in Yankton already, but as you know, Scouts can't leave the camp during that week. One on site would be needed.

I think if a proper presentation / proposal is put together, the BSA will approve it no problem. There are many paralleled values shared between the two, and I think if Cycling can be a merit badge, Disc Golf can be one too.

Let me know if there is anything I can do to help



Thanks for the offer. To anyone who would like to help, send an email to Youth@PDGA.com. Let us know if you have special skills, or connections, or can offer the resources of a group or company.

I think a nice long list of names of Eagles who would like to see the badge would be a nice touch.

The DFW area always thanks the Eagle and other Scouts for their work at the Lake Course in Lewisville..if it wasn't for them we would have lost the course to water last year!!!!

This is moving forward on several fronts. Here is some spin-off from a draft of the proposal.

The BSA will want to make sure disc golf is readily available to all boys. So, I took the PDGA Course Directory as of 2-18-08, mixed it with the 2000 U.S. Census tracts to compute how far away people live from their nearest disc golf course.

For U.S. citizens, the average distance to the nearest disc golf course is 11.25 miles.

One-fourth live within 3.5 miles of a disc golf course.

Half live within 7 miles of a disc golf course.

Three-fourths live within 14 miles of a disc golf course.

Nine out of ten live within 25 miles of a disc golf course.

95 percent live within 34 miles of a disc golf course.

99 percent live within 65 miles of a disc golf course.

And, while it won't go in the proposal, someone is sure to ask, so:

The 5 people on Midway Island are 933 miles from the nearest course. For people actually living in a state, the remotest are on Koniuji Island, Alaska at 849 miles. Moving onto the mainland, the farthest town from a course is Barrow, Alaska 99723 at 700 miles. Within the contiguous forty-eight states, Battle Mountain, Nevada 89820 is the remotest at 176 miles.

Within the contiguous forty-eight states, Battle Mountain, Nevada 89820 is the remotest at 176 miles.



Osama has a portable...

Just did a demo for Boy Scouts on Saturday. Definitely need a Disc Golf merit badge. Probably could pair it with "Tee Pad Pouring", "Creek Bridge Building", and "Erosion Control" badges.

My troop up here is actually going camping this summer in a campground that has a course on it. This would be an excellent time/opportunity to tie in a merit badge with the campout. I also know that in South Dakota, there are at least 13 state parks/campgrounds that have courses in them.

What design was chosen to be submitted with the proposal?

The design hasn't been chosen yet. In the meantime, here's some news:

John R. Andrews, Scout Executive/CEO, Northern Star Council, BSA polled the attendees of the April 12, 2008 Youth Leader College. Here are the results, in John's words:

"Strong results!

There were about 150 present, and 90% of them have played disc golf, about 92% of them have played ultimate, and about 85% of them would like to earn a disc sports merit badge."

I am told that the Disc Sports merit badge proposal is currentlly being considered by the Boy Scout Advancement Committee.

From the BSA Innovation team, regarding the disc Sports Merit Badge:

"8/10/09

From: Bob Scott, Innovation Team Coordinator

After review by staff, volunteers and professionals, it has been decided not to move forward with this proposal."

From the BSA Innovation team, regarding the disc Sports Merit Badge:

"8/10/09

From: Bob Scott, Innovation Team Coordinator

After review by staff, volunteers and professionals, it has been decided not to move forward with this proposal."


TOTAL BUMMER!!!

Was there any feedback provided that could help get this rewritten so it could possibly get approval next year?

They don't do feedback, with good reason.

In the meantime, remember that Boy Scouts can use disc golf as one of the sports to earn the Sports merit badge. Cub Scouts can earn the "Ultimate" belt loop and pin by playing disc golf, and Venturers can earn the Bronze Award with disc golf as their chosen sport.

The Youth Committee is looking into putting together a "guide" on how to help scouts earn these awards with disc golf. If anyone wants to help, send an email to Youth@PDGA.com.