Disc golf needs more fitted hats

I’m a hat guy.

And I have a full head of hair, too.

So my love of hats is more driven by style than public shame. As long as it’s not a fedora or fedora-adjacent, I rock all kinds of lids: visors, dad hats, flex-fits, beanies, snapbacks, bucket hats, etc. My favorite is the fitted hat, though. More specifically, the New Era 59FIFTY.

If you’re not big into hats, the 59FIFTY is what MLB ball players wear during games. A lifelong loser on the fantasy baseball circuit, the diamond is where my love of the fitted cap comes from. For the longest time, I’ve had an interest in more fitted-cap options, but not from baseball …

It’s disc golf I’m after.

For the record, I do own this …

I enjoy it just fine.

The problem?

It’s black and gold, which isn’t really my jam. But if you have a fitted disc golf hat, there’s a 90% chance it’s this exact one. And if it’s not, it’s five or six years old and looks like this …

I’m drooling.

For a full 15 minutes, this hat was also available in red, navy and black. Ricky Wysocki wore it during an in-the-bag video with Team Innova a few years back, so it was somewhat popular. And yes, though you can still buy a “low-profile” 59FIFTY on the Factory Store website …

Trust me:

• That’s a different hat – it doesn’t count.
• There’s a reason they’re still available.

They suck.

If you can’t understand why a disc golfer would want a firm, box-like hat sitting on his head that makes him look more like 50 Cent circa 2003 than Tristan Tanner, in large part, it’s for the same reason you’re protective of that beautifully beaten KC Pro Roc you’ve had for years …

Seasoning.

Regardless of whether or not it’s got the New Era logo slapped across the side of it, fitted hats age like a dream. What starts out as dorky, awkward, helmet-like headgear soon fits like a forehead sweat-stained glove. And with just the right amount of bill-bend, might I add …

Because you control it.

And don’t think for a minute the fitted-hat responsibility rests squarely on Rancho Cucamonga’s shoulders, either. All the “big guys” of disc golf should get in on this untapped apparel niche. 

Kastaplast would be sweet. I could see Discmania putting out a nice product, too. And the Latitude 64 logo on a crisp, clean-looking cap would make this writer weak in the knees.

The fitted hat isn’t for everybody.

I’m sure there’d be some pushback.

But given the frequency with which they adorn their domes during Pro Tour events, Paul McBeth, Simon Lizotte, Ricky Wysocki and Eagle McMahon would surely get onboard.

Thinking about starting a disc golf podcast?

Maybe another online disc retailer?

Don’t.

Do something different.

Fitted hats, please.

I can guarantee you at least one customer …

Moi.

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