Zaria Bryant
palmettoreport@gmail.com

(Rock Hill, S.C.) — Winthrop University is considered by many to be one of the top destinations in disc golf, with some even calling the school’s Gold course the “Augusta National of disc golf,” a comparison to the Master’s, one of the most prestigious events in golf.

The sport will be on display this week, as university will host the College Disc Golf national championship April 8-11.

Rock Hill also features some important disc golf venues, as the college championship will also be played at the city’s Camp Canaan Disc Golf Course and the Westminster Park Disc Golf Course.

Last fall, Winthrop hosted the prestigious U.S. Disc Golf Championship for the 27th time, which consistently brings some of the world’s top players back to Rock Hill.

As popularity of the sport continues to grow, so does a debate about what the future of disc golf might look like.

Disc golf has existed for decades, but interest in the sport surged after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tournaments are now drawing larger crowds, participation is increasing and some players believe the game is on track to becoming a mainstream sport.

Ken Climo, a professional disc golfer with nearly four decades of experience, has witnessed the sport evolve from its earliest days.

“I’ve been playing disc golf since May of 1987,” Climo said. “COVID gave this sport a big boom. Disc golf is on the rise and I expect it to be a mainstream sport within 10, 15, 20 years for sure.”

Climo is a 12-time world champion and has won the U.S. Disc Golf Championship five times. He says the increased visibility is a natural and obvious next step for the game.

While many in disc golf welcome the growth, others worry about losing the community culture that helped build the sport.

Veteran player Jake Key says expansion should not come at the cost of losing the sport’s close community feel.

“I’d love to grow the sport more, that’s not what I’m saying,” Key said. “I think we could use some of the ways we’ve found success already and implement them in today’s game.”

Key says disc golf can evolve while still preserving the close-knit community that has long defined it.

While many players at last fall’s U.S. Disc Golf Championship agreed the sport is changing very rapidly, it’s unclear how the game will grow in the future.

Regardless, Winthrop and Rock Hill will likely play a role in the evolution of the game, as the sport’s top players will continue to visit the campus for some of the game’s most prestigious events.

* Editor’s note: The majority of the reporting for this story was originally done during the fall 2025 semester.