Disc Golf & HeadShops

Members of different off-beat underground scenes usually have things in common. It’s inevitable - at some point they band together. Head shops and disc golf have been dominating forces in America’s counter-culture for many decades, so it’s not a coincidence that they go hand-in-hand. Both of these antiestablishment phenomenons broke onto the scene in the mid to late 60’s. Now in 2014, these “slackers” have endured years of anti-conformity and have grown stronger in numbers. Some try to hide it, but it’s undeniable that pot smokers have always been Frisbee and disc golf enthusiasts.

Disc golf is just like traditional golf but is played with Frisbee-like discs. Being drawn to the sport, pot smokers have been popularizing Frisbee and disc golf since the 1960’s, some suggest even earlier. It did not take long for glass blowers to start selling their pieces on disc-golf courses. This gave many head shop owners the opportunity to sell their wares outside of their stores for some extra revenue and provided a valuable service to “forgetful” disk golfers. Talk to any disc golf player and they will inevitably admit to a time when they forget their glass pipe or one hitter out on the course. Thankfully, these solo salesmen entrepreneurs have come to their rescue.

Aware of this trend, head shops have begun to cater to disc golfers’ needs. The actual discs that are used to play the sport are rarely sold in many “regular” stores and if they are they there is usually a lack of selection. Predicting that disc golfers will come to their stores, some head shop owners have shelf space dedicated to discs and other paraphernalia related to the sport. Having discs in head shops is growing in popularity because shop owners are becoming more aware of their customer base. For reasons that we have suggested, many disc golfers find themselves inside a head shop. They are constantly looking for new discs to add to their collection. Discs are a great impulse buy for participants of the sport. Some store owners are taking it a step further and calling their establishments a “disc and smoke shop outlets”. These days, manufacturers have even developed novelty items that bring the two activities together. For instance, someone came up with the idea of a pipe that is inside a Frisbee. Now you can take a toke and toss the “bee” man!

Despite what the official overseers of disc golf may say, pot is a driving force in the sport. Go to any course in the US and you will eventually hear a lighter strike and someone coughing shortly after. Perhaps it’s the closeness to nature or trying to become one with your disc that draws herb to the game but pot and disc golf go together like pizza and beer, baseball and chewing tobacco, motorized scooters and WalMart, well you get the idea. There are no indications that this sport will ever be herb free. You would have a better chance seeing Bigfoot walk into your head shop before that happens. Knowing your customers and their habits are keys for thriving in any business and understanding how members of seemingly unrelated groups are actually connected creates a welcome synergy.