In college I played a lot of Ultimate Frisbee and, in no uncertain terms, loved every minute of it.

But as I’ve gotten older and slower and…well…even older and slower, laying out for a pass or sprinting back and forth across a field is in the rearview. But you know what isn’t? The simple pleasure of throwing a disc.

So it’s probably no surprise I’ve started to dabble with disc golf.

Family + Mountains
I’m a huge fan of the fact it’s slow-paced, inexpensive (or sometimes free), and the kids enjoy plodding along and tossing discs with us. But part of the fun comes from where these are at: mountains. Specifically ski resorts.

My best guess is that there are probably 100-150 ski resorts in the US with disc golf courses.

But there’s a difference between all of those courses and Smugglers’ Notch. Because Smuggs didn’t just build a course, they built an incredible course. A course that they’ve nurtured and built the brand around so it’s not just a series of baskets, but a part of the disc golf community; holding tournaments and making it a part of their events line-up for years.

Disc golf tournament here 8/31-9/1; sign ups still open! Sat pm music & microbrews w/sponsor @fiddleheadbrew pic.twitter.com/WyTSqfT4Xj

— Smugglers' Notch (@Smugglers_Notch) August 21, 2013

But they’ve gone even further. Because in 2018 they actually hosted the Pro World Championships.

Here’s some footage from the final round.

Wait, coverage?
At this point, I’m probably getting some eye-rolls.

“Wait, play-by-play coverage of a disc golf tournament? Who in heavens name watches that?”

If you look at that video, only about…oh… 98,000 people!

In fact, if you add up JomezPro’s coverage of events held at Smugglers’ Notch and do a little math, you’ll find that those video combine for a total of more than 1,250,000 views.

Don’t Just Dabble
Resorts dabble in a lot of activities and events. But I think what Smuggs’ proves here is the value of going big on one.

After all, hundreds of resorts have disc golf courses, but only one has put enough effort into theirs become part of the disc golf community. And like any community, if you show them some love, they’ll return the favor.

A million times over.

About Gregg & SlopeFillers
I've had more first-time visitors lately, so adding a quick "about" section. I started SlopeFillers in 2010 with the simple goal of sharing great resort marketing strategies. Today I run marketing for resort ecommerce and CRM provider Inntopia, my home mountain is the lovely Nordic Valley, and my favorite marketing campaign remains the Ski Utah TV show that sold me on skiing as a kid in the 90s.