“And I got pretty good pretty fast, so after three months of playing this guy who taught me how to play was like ‘hey man, the world championships are in Flagstaff, do you want to play?’”
Is there a more unforgiving sport than golf? A more isolating, soul sucking, stare at the devil in the face experience than trying to hit a ball out of the sand only to hit the ball one foot forward, even deeper into the trap? If it exists I sure haven’t found it. Yet somehow, disc golf, a sport that shares the same name, rules, and terminology, has none of the same estranging experiences and steep learning curve that make golf so exclusive and bittersweet. Disc golf is a sport that truly anybody can pick up and play, and on their very first outing have a really fun time. A sport that, like a good board game, doesn’t have a correlation between skill and fun factor. Today’s guest, Paul Ulibarri, fell in love with the simple yet sophisticated sport and three months after picking it up took home 4th place in the amateur world championships. Paul has since turned pro and now makes a living as a professional touring disc golf player. Yes, Paul is a prodigy, and you probably won’t have the same life changing experience with the sport that he did, but he’ll explain why just about everyone could and should pick disc golf and give it a try.
“Some people think it’s bad to call it frisbee golf, but I really like all of the terms, it all goes back to the same place”
“He’s like, ‘4th? Are you sure [you placed 4th]?’, and I’m like, yeah! He’s like ‘Dude, you’re supposed to play the final 9 right now then!’ So I had to run across the whole course to make it [to the tournament finale]”
Contents
Last name pronunciation.
Is it bad to call it Frisbee golf.
How Paul got started.
Gaining entry to the world championship as an amateur.
What are the old guys doing right when they’re playing disc golf?
YouTube resources.
A Game changer for Paul as a beginner disc golfer.
Paul at the Disc Golf world championship.
The rounds at a disc golf championship.
Funding/sponsorship for disc golf.
Prize money for the biggest disc golf events.
Paul’s places 4th at the world championships.
The world of disc golf before youtube.
Disc golf’s popularity in Paul’s hometown.
Why Paul was so drawn to disc golf.
Disc golf within 20 minutes from where you live.
Build your own baskets to practice.
Paul’s high school principal supports his disc golf.
Disc golf: Mental vs. physical.
Disc golf rules. Going out of bounds.
Time needed for disc golf
Advice/videos to look up for technique.
Having lots of discs in your bag.
Seeing a roller for the first time.
The popularity of the sport around the world.
Money and prize pools in the sport.
Who should try out disc golf?
Equipment recommendations for beginners.
Links
Driving and X Step Video Paul Recommends
