PDGA #200,000: Another milestone in disc golf's most explosive year for growth. Photos courtesy of: Joe Feidt, Scott Holter, Jonathan Gomez, PDGA

41 years passed between the PDGA issuing #001 in 1976 and #100,000 in 2017. 

Four years after that six-digit milestone, PDGA #200,000 was awarded on December 24, 2021. 

#001 - 1976 | #100,000 - 2017 | #200,000 - 2021

The trajectory for the sport and its members has been absolutely meteoric in the past four years. And this 200,000-seat rocket isn’t slowing down.

A look back over the past 20 years illustrates just how much the PDGA and our membership has grown; a representation of the momentum we have all contributed to the sport of disc golf.

What does this mean for disc golf?

While joining the PDGA gets a player certain benefits, the true impacts of membership and the growth therein are enumerable. The strength of the PDGA membership body enables disc golf to pierce its way out of the recreational and niche-sport bubble and into popular culture and global recognition. 

This isn’t limited to initiatives the PDGA undertakes directly like the Marco Polo program, Youth and Education grants, and sanctioning of more than 6,800 events. This growth also props up numerous organizations and groups that foster stewardship of the game. Partners like the Disc Golf Foundation, Educational Disc Golf Experience (EDGE), UPlay Disc Golf, Paul McBeth Foundation, and more also support the greater mission of building disc golf into a global pastime. 

Similarly, strength in membership numbers, viewership, and commercial interest has driven the partnership between the PDGA and the Disc Golf Pro Tour starting in 2021, elevating the elite tier of competitive disc golf. Likewise, rebuilding a partnership with the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) will also create further opportunities for exposure and advancement of disc golf in emerging countries.

PDGA Board of Director President, Nate Heinold, remarked on the milestone, "It seems like yesterday the PDGA was celebrating our 100,000th member number, and yet here we are celebrating 200,000. For many years people have asked, when will disc golf move on from being a recreational sport? That time is definitely upon us."

Heinold continues, sharing thoughts on how every PDGA member is responsible for the growth of our shared membership and the sport itself, saying, "The sport is growing, and the PDGA is incredibly grateful for all of our members who have helped in the sport's growth. From giving a disc to a new player, running a league or tournament or just spreading the love we all share for this sport, disc golf continues to grow and, thanks to the members, the PDGA continues to push forward.”

#200,000 strong

While the PDGA is steered and driven by the elected Board of Directors and Staff, the PDGA is not located at the International Disc Golf Center or at the offices of its employees. The PDGA is located on every course worldwide and in the communities where clubs and players meet.

The PDGA is the membership itself, all 200,000 lifetime members. Thank you to every member that has made this milestone a part of disc golf’s emerging history.

And here is to the next 100,000 that join our community and help propel disc golf further into the future.