The bad (and good) impact of Pokémon GO on disc golf

Crowded disc golf courses blow major chunks. It’s one thing to have the course packed with other disc golfers. Even everyday park-goers doing all sorts of different things makes sense.

However, it’s an entirely different kind of beast when every square inch of the course is crawling with pimple-faced dorks who can’t be bothered to unbury their heads from their smartphones.

Such was the state of many disc golf courses back in 2016 when Pokémon GO came out. I don’t know if you remember the “Dark Ages” of disc golf quite as vividly as I do, but it was all but impossible to get in 18 holes in a timely fashion. Again, people as far as the eye could see.

The sudden influx of additional bodies was only half the problem, though. Getting these people’s attention seemingly required divine intervention. Remember: They had cartoons to capture, train and battle with other lonely people. Keen on avoiding manslaughter, this made disc golf tricky.

Thankfully, Pokémon GO has since lost much of its shine.

Things are (relatively) back to normal.

Yes, you’ll still see Poké-people out in the wild. But these days, they’re few and far between. There were some positives to the trend, though. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention them.

First, even with their gadgets, greasy hair and immaturity, more people outdoors is never a bad thing – looking at you, LARPers. Secondly, I personally know of people who either 1) discovered disc golf, or 2) got back into it after a years-long hiatus, thanks almost entirely to Pokémon GO. They were walking around anyway, so might as well double-up on the entertainment value.

THAT is logic I can get behind.

I will never stop making fun of Pokémon GO. And if that means losing readers, that’s a consequence I’m prepared to accept. Perhaps there’s a world in which both Pokémon GO and frisbee freaks can coexist. Maybe it’ll take those with a passion for both to bridge the divide.

Until then, stay away.

But while I’ve got you here …

Keep your head on a swivel.

“Fore!”

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