1940's Yale and Dartmouth students fling pie tins as a recreational activity. In 1949, California inventor Fred Morrison realizes that plastics technology can be used to make a disc-shaped flying toy. That year, his first flying disc, the Pipco Flying Saucer, hit the market.
Early 1950's On the east coast, Bill Robs markets the Space Saucer in college campus bookstores. In 1954 the first "Frisbee Match" was held at Dartmouth College. He then improves his invention with a second disc, the Pluto Platter, with the now famous "Play catch-invent games" engraved on the back. Was disc golf one of these games?
Late 1950's Wham-o begins marketing Morrison's Pluto Platter in 1957 using the name "Wham-o Frisbee." In 1958, the first International Frisbee Tournament was held in Eagle Harbor, MI.
Early 1960's Copar Company of Chicago markets a disc called "Sky Sauce?' that included a rulebook for the game of "Sky Golf."
1964 Wham-o introduces the "Official Pro Model" to be used for sports.
1964-1969 George Sappenfield organizes several Frisbee golf events in Southern California. Disc enthusiasts introduce the concept of disc golf to other parts of the country. "Object Courses" using anything from lamp poles to fire hydrants as targets begin to crop up in the Midwest and East Coast.
1971 The first "Frisbee Club" is formed in Rochester, NY; disc golf is played on a regular basis.
1973 Flying Disc World becomes the first magazine for disc sports.
1974 Dan Roddick wins a Datsun-B-210 at the disc golf portion of the American Flying Disc Open in Rochester, NY. The modern era of disc golf competition begins.
1975 Installation of the first permanent disc golf course is in Oak Grove Park, La Canada, CA. Wham-o introduces the World Class 119g disc, a marked improvement for discs in competitive sports.
1976 Ed Headrick patents the chain style target and organizes the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA).
1977 The first PDGA tournaments are held in Mobile, AL and Northern New Jersey.
1982 The PDGA becomes a player-run organization to schedule tournaments and formalize the rules of play. Harold Duvall wins the first PDGA World Disc Golf Championship.
1983 Dave Dunipace, past World Distance and Disc Golf Champion, invents and patents the triangle-rimmed disc. This innovation brings the advantage of distance with accuracy to the games of amateurs and professionals alike. As a result, courses begin to get longer and more challenging; the excitement grows.
1984 Disc Golf World News begins publication. This is the first magazine for Disc Golf.
1985 The World Flying Disc Federation organizes the first "World Championships" held outside of the United States, in Helsingborg, Sweden. Players from 21 countries attend. Around the world, players continue to lobby parks. departments, and college campuses for more disc golf courses. By the end of the decade, permanent disc golf courses are installed in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Japan.
1990-2002 Ken Climo of Clearwater, FL wins an unprecedented eleven World Championships, establishing himself as the best disc golfer to have ever lived.
1993 Lavonne Wolfe establishes the PDGA Hall of Fame. The PDGA begins to chronicle the history of golf.
1995 Innova introduces the DISCatcher Disc Golf Target and begins to promote new' courses. In the next five years, the number of courses triples to over 1,200.
1998 The inaugural United States Disc Golf Championship is held in Rock Hill. SC. Ken Climo is the first to win and be crowned the U.S. Champion.
2000 The number of permanent disc golf courses in the U.S.A surpasses 1,000.
2001 Disc golf becomes a featured event in the World Games in Akita, Japan.
DISC GOLF continues to grow with more courses, more tournaments, more players, and more fun!
