Michelle Simpson took up disc golf during Covid lockdown, after an extensive background in ultimate. Photo: Supplied
Kiwi disc golf exponent Michele Simpson seems somewhat surprised to be taking on some of the niche sport's biggest names at the PDGA World Championships in Finland later this month.
The event is recognised as one of the four major tournaments in the discipline, which sees competitors trying to throw into metal cages around a course, much like their golfing counterparts.
The lingo is the same, the venues are often the same and the anguish is very much the same.
Simpson took up the game during Covid lockdown, after an extensive background in the team sport of ultimate frisbee, and admits she feels lucky to be included in such elite company.
"It's like being invited to the Masters at Augusta," she told Checkpoint. "This year, they decided to be a bit more inclusive.
"I wouldn't normally have qualified, but they decided to invite some of the smaller countries that might not usually get there, and they invited the top female and top male."
Simpson and Francis Orange will make up the Kiwi contingent at the cities of Tampere and Nokia, and are currently fundraising for the campaign.
"It's really nice and the first time they're holding the championships outside [North America], so I think the Finnish like to be inclusive."
The sport is still some way off Olympic inclusion, but commands a small, fanatical following around the world, with more than 100,000 members of the Professional Disc Golf Association and more than 15,000 registered courses.
"We very much follow the golf theme," Simpson said. "We often wear the polo shirts at tournaments like golfers and sometimes we play on golf courses, which are trying to make more money and get funding coming through.
"They even make us take our hats off when we come into the clubrooms. You have the same anguish as well, when you miss."
Disc golfers also carry a bag of frisbees, each designed for a different purpose, just like golf clubs.
"That's where all the disc manufacturers make so much money," she said. "They all look the same, but they're slightly thicker, some turn to the left, some turn to the right… 'putters' are slightly different to the others."
Also like golf, the game is big business. Estonian Kristin Lätt - the world's top female - reportedly signed a US$1 million deal for four years, with a stable sponsors that includes Porsche and tournament earnings of about US$100,000 a year.
She has seven major titles to her name and became the first woman to achieve a Grand Slam of all four majors in 2023.
"It's crazy," Simpson said. "There's so many fringe sports around the world that have a very small amount of people, but a very dedicated amount of people and they can make a decent living."
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