A growing sport is getting ready to host a championship in Green Country.
Next summer, the PDGA Junior World Disc Golf Championships will come to Tulsa.
Tulsa is one of the top cities in the country for the sport of disc golf, which is why it was chosen as the event destination.
“I just like the flight of the disc. It helps me calm down. It’s very stress-relieving,” said Broken Arrow 8th grader Ryan Turner.
Turner is a disc golf athlete hoping to qualify for the PDGA Junior Disc Golf World Championships in July 2024.
He said to prepare, he’ll practice on more courses and get in more reps.
“It’s definitely really exciting because I haven’t seen anything like that happen around here in a while, so I mean it’s looking like it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Turner said.
The championship will take place at several area parks.
Tulsa County Parks Director Vincent Trinidad said the Tulsa Disc Sports Association has helped update equipment like baskets and tee pads.
“They regularly invest and improve in it that way, not just their members, but also the general public can play, and we see that in our parks,” Trinidad said.
Joel Koester is the Director of Sports Sales for the Tulsa Sports Commission.
He said the event will bring in 350 junior athletes from around the world and around 2,500 spectators.
Plus, the championship is expected to make an economic impact of more than $800,000.
“It’s really going to put Tulsa on the map, and we really couldn’t do these types of events here if it wasn’t for our local community,” Koester said.
Koester said disc golf in Tulsa dates to the 70s and the sport continues to grow.
“From a tourism standpoint, this is really going to not only affect just Tulsa, but the surrounding areas, utilizing nine disc golf courses all over the place,” Koester said.
It’s a score for the disc golf community and the city of Tulsa.
You can find more information here:
2024 PDGA Majors Awarded | Professional Disc Golf Association
2024 PDGA Junior World Championships | TDSA (tulsadiscsportsassociation.com)
.