DISCS & ZEN

HOW WE WILL GROW THE SPORT

Today I would like to talk to you about how we are going to grow the sport of Disc Golf. But first I want to talk to you about something I call investments in the spirit. I first mentioned this term investments in the spirit in my book Zen and the Art of Disc Golf. And I identified this concept is any activity that you do that only require small amounts of your time or resources in which you give to others and eventually will come back to you in much larger amounts then you initially gave.I want you to picture yourself as a vessel that holds all the good things that want out of life. This vessel grows as you receive more and more of the good stuff. I'm talking about love, affection, friendship, wisdom, but also success and money as well.  There is room for all of this good stuff in your vessel. Until it gets full.READ MORE

JOHN HEATON

John is a player, an inventor and innovator, an entrepreneur, and a DG philanthropist who has a DEDICATION to growing our wonderful sport.

John's bio:

I grew up in a small town in Northern IL; Seneca.

I’ve been a Frisbee fanatic since the 5th grade; freestyle and then some ultimate in college.

In 1984, right out of college, I moved to Kansas City.  I played serious club ultimate for years, which was on and off throughout my disc golf career.

In the summer of 1987 I was told of a "disc golf course" in town.  I went there (Swope Park) and was immediately hooked.

I went on to become the PDGA Rookie of the Year in 1988.

I’ve played in hundreds of tournaments. No 1st in majors but some good finishes.

25 years in medical / surgical device & equipment sales, marketing & product development.

I’ve traveled a lot for work, which has allowed me to play well over 600 courses.

I am now trying to use my product development experience to create some helpful devices for disc golf.

Founded Whirld Sports LLC in 2010

-Scepter Disc Golf Caddie™

-Scabbard

-NexTEE™

As for the St. Jude effort … I had read some time ago, a bit of history on the PGA and how involvement with charity was one of the things that were attributed to the explosive growth experienced in the PGA Tour from the 70’s through the 90’s.  That stuck with me.  Then in 2012, Dana Vicich went to PDGA worlds and used his disc golf as a means to raise money for the American Cancer Society.  Both his aunt and mother had gone through battles with cancer.

His raising nearly $5000 was the trigger for me to realize that our sport could become a powerhouse for charity and that just as it help the PGA, it could significantly impact the growth and trajectory of disc golf.   Dana and I did a lot of scheming and plotting as to how we might make something significant happen.  We didn’t really get much more than a plan developed but then I received a call from a long time friend, Crazy John Brooks.  He mentioned that the wife of a friend of his was now working with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and had contact him to discuss how disc golf might become involved in helping St. Jude.  As it turns out, Brian Graham, at the PDGA, had just been given the green light by the PDGA Board to seek out a national charity partner that the PDGA could support.   It was all a bit of divine providence, if you ask me.  Well, long story short, things came together very quickly.   Annabelle Udo-O’Malley at St. Jude, Dana Vicich, Crazy John, Brian Graham, and I, along with others, put together the plan that lead to the Inaugural St. Jude Disc Golf Charity Invitational.  The epic location of Bayonet Golf Course was chosen and the rest is history.

All in all, it amounted to about 200 disc golfers becoming actively involved in fundraising.  Through their efforts, we raised over $225,000.  My sincere belief is that if we got more disc golfers involved in this effort we could raise millions of dollars.  If we did that, disc golf would be on the evening news, ESPN, Good Morning America, The Today Show, etc, etc.  The story of disc golfers raising money to help kids faced with cancer and other life-threatening diseases, is so compelling, the news would reverberate like nothing disc golf has ever done before.

All we need to do is to get more disc golfers involved in the fund raising effort.

Making the Whirld Better,

John Heaton
Event Chair
St. Jude Disc Golf Charity Invitational

Chief Executive Officer
Whirld Sports LLC
[email protected]
(PDGA # 4409)

Try the Scepter use discount code: MBD10 on WhirldSports.com

PRODUCT REVIEWS

CHRIS -

TIM -

PAT - Bug Spray.

JOIN MIND BODY DISC IN DONATING TO  ST. JUDE!

events.stjude.org/mindbodydisc

Every little bit counts, please give what you can. Together we can make a difference.

Remember, kids are the future of our sport. And for many kids, St. Jude is the key to their future.

How your donation helps:

• Thanks to donors like you, no family ever pays St. Jude for anything.
• St. Jude will continue to improve the treatment of childhood cancer and other deadly diseases through its groundbreaking research.

events.stjude.org/mindbodydisc

SIGNED BOOK GIVEWAWAY

Every podcast we give away a signed book to a random person who left a 5 STAR review on Amazon! 

5.0 out of 5 starsAmazing book read then rereadBy Marcelle Louise Papp on March 22, 2016Format: Paperback|Verified PurchaseChanged my whole game and even my mood at work. Amazing book read then reread.

HELP US KEEP GOING AND GROWING!

Funny thing about podcasting... Success costs money. As we continue to reach record numbers of listeners the costs rise with syndication, web development, and GIVEAWAYS, I am constantly plagued with the question, how can I keep the podcast self-sustaining.

The answer: $1. That's it.

If you love the ZEN DISC GOLF PODCAST, please consider donating as little as $1 a month and help keep this show alive, going and growing.

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!

Once we receive 50 supporters monthly, by supporting, you will be entered to win a $20 gift card from Infinite Discs. You will get one entry per donated dollar per month (i.e. Putter level =1 entry per month, Distance driver level = 3 entries per month). Cancel anytime!

$1 per month - Putter Level  $2 per month - Mid-range Level $3 per month - Distance Driver Level