by Mary Elizabeth Frandson
Disc golf is having a moment, and it’s not just about tree kicks and lucky skips.
Participation in the sport has nearly doubled over the last five years, making disc golf one of the world’s fastest-growing outdoor recreation activities. People with limb differences are embracing the game for the same reasons as nondisabled players: to spend time outdoors, improve their fitness, have fun with friends, and become part of a community. You don’t need a special prosthesis or a well-toned body to play. Whether you’re slinging a disc for the first time or are a seasoned basket bomber, the game has a way of teeing up a good time in an affordable, accessible format.
“I fell in love with it right away,” says Meredith Nichols, a bilateral Symes amputee from western North Carolina. “By the second summer, I was playing in tournaments and loving the female camaraderie.” Although she’s never been a hardcore athlete, Nichols loves the full-body workout that disc golf provides. “You’re hiking, bending, twisting—you’re using your lower body and your upper body,” she says. And having a blast while you do it.
Disc golf combines all those benefits with an inclusive vibe that welcomes players of all ages, abilities, and skill levels. That’s what drew Nichols to disc golf nearly 30 years ago, long before she experienced limb loss. It was a perfect fit for her as a new mom, offering family-friendly opportunities for sunshine, fresh air, and recreation. “When my son was really young,” she recalls, “I would play with him in a three-wheel stroller, and someone would always be willing to hold onto the stroller when it was my turn to throw, to make sure it didn’t roll down the hill.” Her mom often played alongside her—and still does today, at age 82.
When Nichols faced the health crisis that led to her amputations, the disc golf community showed up in droves to help. “They helped us remodel our house because I was in a wheelchair for several months,” she says. “They helped with fundraising and running tournaments to help me pay some of my medical bills. It was incredible.”
Sam Schaefer felt a similar sense of fellowship when he took up the game. An Air Force veteran and lifelong athlete, Schaefer shattered his ankle and fibula in a 2011 training accident and spent nine years battling complex regional pain syndrome before choosing amputation in 2020. He gave disc golf a try because it looked like a good way to spend time outside. It also fueled his competitive instincts, and it was something fun he could enjoy with his wife.
Over time, Schaefer found that playing disc golf had a positive effect on his body awareness and endurance, sharpening adaptive skills that carried over into his everyday life. “Disc golf is great at providing amputees a chance to learn unique coordination, timing and balance needs,” he explains in a YouTube video titled “Nine Holes, Nine Reasons You Should Try Disc Golf as an Amputee.” It appears on his Amputee Disc Golf channel (@AmputeeDiscGolf), which Schaefer launched to encourage more amputees to try the sport.
In the video, he rattles off the various ways disc golf improves his well-being, from mental health to physical fitness. “It is a little bit more challenging than if I had two feet,” Schaefer acknowledges. “But the reality is, the world doesn’t change because I lost my foot. I’m the one who changed, so I’m the one who decided to take on the task to adapt.”
Now five years post-amputation, Schaefer has returned to the type of high-intensity challenges he used to tackle before his accident, such as kickboxing and ultramarathons. But his enthusiasm for disc golf hasn’t waned. Just the opposite: Two years ago, he joined the Professional Disc Golf Association and has competed in 12 events across the country, already notching his first tournament win.
When comparing disc golf to regular golf, Schaefer explains, “You’re not swinging a club, but your swing and body mechanics are actually pretty similar to ball golf, except it’s all hand mechanics. It’s an accuracy game. Instead of having a bag of clubs that are for different distances or types of swings, I’ve got discs for different types of flights.” Some players carry three discs during a round, while others tote more than twenty. There are specialized discs designed for particular speeds, angles, and shot types, including skips and rolls. “There’s a huge variance in flights and styles,” Schaefer says. “And the great thing is, you don’t have to be good at everything. Just like in ball golf, you can lean into your strengths.”
Similarly, disc golf courses—like their conventional counterparts—come in a wide variety of designs, each offering its own kind of adventure. Some of the most common styles include wooded courses, where players wind through forest trails and navigate narrow fairways that challenge precision; open courses, often laid out in public parks, which allow for longer throws but can be tricky when the wind picks up; elevation-heavy courses, where players throw uphill, downhill, and across slopes, adding a layer of strategy; and skill-development courses, ideal for beginners or players looking to sharpen specific techniques.
For those who are new to the sport, both Schaefer and Nichols recommend starting with UDisc, an app that helps players find nearby courses that meet their needs. “UDisc is really good at helping people find the course that’s right for them,” Nichols says. “If you’re a beginner, or if you’re playing with any kind of disability and wondering about the accessibility of a course, the app will show you what the course has to offer as far as amenities. Even just knowing if there’s a bathroom on site is helpful. My husband actually designs courses for disc golf, so our focus has always been on accessibility. We’ve created courses to be family-friendly and, when the environment allows for it, flat and handicapped-accessible.”
While Nichols doesn’t have her own YouTube channel, she does use her creativity to raise awareness about disc golf. She’s the author of “The Disc Golf Gnome: Coloring and Activity Book,” which introduces kids to the game through a whimsical gnome. She’s currently writing a new children’s book inspired by stories she’s made up while walking through courses in the woods with her kids. “If we lost a disc or someone’s sunglasses or keys, we’d say a little gnome or troll living in the woods stole it,” she laughs.
Gnome encounters can be unpleasant, but Schaefer finds it even more disappointing to cross paths with an amputee disc golf naysayer. “I’ve seen experts promote avoiding everything that I like about it,” Schaefer says. “Why are we telling people to take options off the table? I can compete just fine with able-bodied people. There’s no special accommodation you need. We have too many people in our community telling people that they shouldn’t be doing things. Push beyond that. I’m definitely not giving away an experience because someone doesn’t think it’s catered enough to me. That’s a bigger disability than my amputation.”
In any case, disc golf doesn’t require special accommodations. It can unite people from diverse generations, ability levels, and perspectives in shared flight paths. Where else can a mom with a stroller, a person in a wheelchair, and an amputee YouTuber share the same fairway and call it par for the course? That kind of inclusion reflects disc golf’s affable, easygoing culture. “Like any social situation, it’s scary when you reach out and you don’t know what kind of response you’re going to get,” Nichols says. “But if you reach out to the disc golf community, you will get community.”
So the next time you hear the chains of a basket clanging through the trees, remember: That might be Nichols’s 82‑year‑old mom sinking a putt. Or maybe it’s the sound of Schaefer rising up the leaderboard, or a mischievous gnome pocketing somebody’s favorite mid‑range. See what you’re missing out on? Grab a disc (or three, or 20) and step up to the tee.
Sam Schaefer’s Nine Reasons to Try Disc Golf as an Amputee
From “Nine Holes, Nine Reasons You Should Try Disc Golf as an Amputee“
- Spend time outside: This offers many benefits for both physical and mental health.
- Build your step count: You’ll log a few thousand strides, depending on the course, and they’re easy steps.
- Get comfortable on hills: Leverage a fun activity to build a skill that’s useful in life.
- Improve balance: Most workout activities neglect cross-body movements that are crucial for balance.
- Develop coordination: Here’s another transferable skill that will help you on a day-to-day basis.
- Enjoy camaraderie: It’s a pleasant way to hang out with a few friends for an hour.
- Build confidence: Navigating a course’s various mobility challenges can build confidence in your overall mobility.
- Save money: Most courses are free, equipment costs are lows, and you don’t need a specialized prosthesis.
- Play anywhere: There are roughly 8,000 courses across the United States.
