A man steps up to the tee at hole 6. He plants his front foot, rotates his hips and pulls the disc, a blue plastic saucer about half the size of a Frisbee, across his chest. He launches the disc through the air, weaving between trees before it gently glides downward. For a moment, everyone watches in awe. Suddenly, the disc strikes a tree and tumbles to the ground, just feet from the basket. “Almost an ace!” one player shouts.
Gathered at Highland Park between Brooklyn and Queens, these excited players enjoy a game of disc golf, a sport in which competitors aim to land a flying disc into a metal basket with as few throws as possible. The game is traditionally played individually, with professional courses featuring 18 holes that include elevated metal chain baskets and a lower basket tray to catch discs.
The game was invented in Pasadena, California, in the 1970s by American toy inventor “Steady” Ed Headrick. Also the designer of the modern Frisbee, he earned his nickname by practicing target shooting with his friends and son, aiming at trees, trash cans and signs. These informal games led Headrick to found the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) in 1976 and to develop the classic chain baskets in 1977.
In the 1990s, disc golf legend Brad Keller designed, installed and paid for an 18-hole course on Randalls Island. However, despite his efforts, the course remained underutilized, prompting the New York City Parks Department to remove it after six years. Its baskets found a new home at FDR State Park’s disc golf course.
For decades, disc golf had no true presence in the city. This changed in 2024, when the New York City Disc Golf Association (NYCDGA) partnered with the Paul Macbeth Foundation. Together, they raised funds and donated a course to the NYC Parks Department through the Adopt-a-Park Program. Installed in just a day and a half, the Highland Park course celebrated its grand opening in June of that year, becoming the only permanent disc golf course in the five boroughs.
But NYCDGA’s impact extends far beyond installing a course. The group has transformed this obscure sport into a defender of the environment and a promoter of community.
It all began when NYCDGA President and Co-Founder Alex Bender, originally from Colorado, realized the sport had little presence in New York City. While biking past Prospect Park in March 2023, he met Alex Hoyle, his future co-founder, who had been running a small weekly disc golf meetup called the Brooklyn Disc Golf Club since 2022. Meanwhile, Bender had been working with the NYC Parks Department and the Paul McBeth Foundation to expand the sport, leading the two to team up.
In September 2023, NYCDGA officially became a nonprofit organization, paving the way for the Highland Park course just a few months later.
Since its founding, NYCDGA has built a strong and growing community. Its work centers around three core pillars.
On the recreational side, NYCDGA hosts disc golf events, leagues and tournaments at Highland Park, as well as pop-up events at other parks around the city.
At weekly leagues, NYCDGA utilizes numbered keychains they call “bag tags” for friendly competition. These blue-and-green tags switch from player to player each week based on their performance, with each player competing to earn the first-place bag tag. Competitors in these weekly leagues are as young as 8, while some are in their sixties.
“I’m playing with people who are half my age, if not younger, and that’s a joy,” member Michael Mena, 64, said. “I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to be involved on this level and have this interaction with a very diverse group of people, had I not discovered disc golf.”
As Mena suggests, the emphasis at most of these gatherings is more on growing their community and making the sport accessible to all people rather than the competition itself. This community aspect of the sport makes it easy for people of all ages and backgrounds to quickly start playing.
“It’s a group of people who really care about engaging with the community around them and figuring out the ways they can have a positive impact,” member Jack Hanlon said.
That positive impact is seen through the association’s hands-on involvement in caring for Highland Park itself. NYCDGA often organizes trash cleanups and invasive species removals with the NYC Parks Department.
For many volunteers, environmental stewardship has become their own way of building community, especially since disc golf itself is heavily dependent on nature.
“It has felt so natural,” Board Director of Membership, Carlos Pena, said. “I’m getting to meet other neighbors, getting them involved, not just in disc golf, but in caring about their park.”
Disc golf’s deep connection to nature is a major part of why so many people enjoy the sport. Many players have referred to it as “hiking with a purpose,” or as Mena puts it, “a sanity saver.”
“New York City, we’re always around concrete. Getting out in the park is so awesome,” member Jonathan Lee said.
Not to mention the health and accessibility of the sport. A person can walk over three miles in just one round of disc golf, as well as get some light cardio from the throwing. It is also a sport where people can often visibly see their gradual improvement and get outdoors, resulting in better mental health.
Traditional “ball” golf requires a large, manufactured course, whereas disc golf only requires three elements: a tee pad, a basket and signage. This difference makes it rather affordable to install courses on a wide range of environments—from dense urban parks to mountains, beaches and forests.
Additionally, no trees or bushes need to be removed, being one of the most environmentally-friendly sports, as oftentimes, these natural obstacles play a huge part in the disc golf challenge itself.
“It’s truly a sport that’s for the people,” Bender said. “We’re on a mission to introduce it to all kinds of people.”
Disc golf is a very simple sport to start playing; all you need is one cheap disc and a target. Once people become more interested in the sport, they begin collecting different types of discs, such as putters and drivers.
For NYCDGA, the accessibility of the sport works perfectly with the organization’s long-term goal: to have a course within 30 minutes of public transit for every New Yorker. Bender believes this goal is reachable, as there are over 11,000 disc golf courses in the U.S., according to UDisc – more than the roughly 10,000 Dunkin’ Donuts locations in the U.S.
Bender believes that in 10 years, disc golf will have become a “household name.”
One way to meet this goal is through NYCDGA’s youth programming. The association partners with local schools, including P.S. 7 and Leaders High School, to introduce youth to disc golf. Through field trips to the Highland Park course, NYCDGA is able to provide children with discs and instruction to the game.
“It’s one of the fastest-growing games or sports internationally,” Mena claims. “The key to sustaining this growth and really cementing its place is to introduce the game to young people.”
It is estimated that 3 new courses opened per day in 2025, according to UDisc, with over 17,000 courses worldwide. What’s even more impressive is that the majority of these courses were installed in the last decade, almost tripling the number of courses since 2015.
The sport first gained major attention in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, as it offered a way for people to get outside and remain a safe distance from others. PDGA reported a 33% membership increase from 2019 to 2020, while disc sales also doubled. Additionally, 11.4 million rounds of disc golf were played in 2020 as opposed to the 3.8 million in 2019, according to UDisc. Those numbers have only grown since, with a whopping 20.1 million rounds played in 2024.
However, exposing the youth to disc golf isn’t just about keeping up with the rapid growth of the sport, but it’s about the present impact on the community.
“It’s a sport where you can go out there and try something new,” Nathan Munster, NYCDGA Executive Director, said. “NYCDGA loves to see people coming out and enjoying the sport and the park. It’s a place you can go and feel accepted.”
The player scoops up his disc from beside the tree and steps into position. He plants his front foot, rotates his hips and pulls the disc smoothly across his chest once more. This time, the disc drops cleanly into the basket. “Birdie!” everyone shouts as they rush in with cheers, crowding around him to celebrate and trade quick fist bumps with each other.
NYCDGA will be hosting a beginner-focused event on June 13 at Governor’s Island. The event, Fly Off Course Open, will allow people to play in doubles, and discs will be supplied. For more information about this event or NYCDGA, visit nycdga.org.
