What’s up, discgenerates? It’s The Disc Golf World. I’m Jefferson, and with me as always the one with all the holes in his game—Swiss Cheese. Welcome to Soup, the weekly series where we round up all the disc golf content you probably missed
Today’s question: Is this gonna ruin disc golf? And no, I’m not talking about us. Let’s break down the big bad drug test controversy that’s got the entire disc golf world screaming “WEED!” like they’re talking to their senile grandma.
Spotlight on Social Media Struggles
First up—Andrew Fish dropped an excellent new episode of the Fish Gold Brah-dcast featuring Silas Schultz. Highly recommend checking it out. They talked candidly about why many pros don’t have the best social media presence. Honestly, it’s not hard to see why.
Look, being a pro disc golfer is hard enough. Now they also have to be an influencer? Film, edit, post, reply to randos in the comments—all on top of practicing? That’s a lot of hats to wear just to keep your sponsorship checks coming in. And not everyone is cut out for it. Or even wants to do it.
We’re even seeing players hire people to make their content now. Which—yes, please, because the sport desperately needs to bridge the gap to casual fans. But it’s worth talking about how the necessity of creating content might burn out the very athletes it’s supposed to promote.
Drug Testing: The Hot Topic of the Week
Ah yes, the real internet meltdown this week: the World Championships drug testing announcement. The PDGA dropped a warning letter to players a mere 33 days before Worlds that testing might happen. Cue forums, group pages, YouTube channels, and your weird uncle’s basement podcast all melting down about “cannabanoids.”
Honestly, listening to people try to pronounce “cannabinoids” was entertainment enough. But the conversation is serious:
- Who’s actually running these tests?
- What are the penalties?
- How long does weed stay in your system? (Hint: longer than those three days they gave you to quit.)
- And, most importantly, where the heck was the PDGA during all of this?
The Olympics Angle
We get it. If disc golf wants to be an Olympic sport someday, drug testing is part of the deal. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is involved because the Finnish Disc Golf Association (FDGA) is hosting. So they’re playing by those rules.
But even if that’s true—why wasn’t this in the Worlds bid process? Why wasn’t it communicated earlier? It’s like they realized with 33 days left, “Oh wait, the Olympics might care if you’re vaping dabs between rounda.”
Some Real Questions for the PDGA
“How did the PDGA not know about this until 33 days out?”
“Who in power made this happen? Blackmail? The Illuminati?”
Yeah, it’s a mess. Even if you think drug testing is the future, the timing and communication here are brutal. Imagine training all year and then getting blindsided with a “by the way, no CBD lotion for you” rule right before the biggest event.
The Community Reacts
Every channel covered it, with varying levels of tinfoil hats. Trevor from Grip Lock alluded to a possible sting operation targeting certain players. Spicy take, Trevor.
Others were more measured, pointing out that while testing might be necessary eventually, the rollout was terrible. At least there was some warning? But 33 days isn’t exactly generous if you live in a state where cannabis is legal and part of your daily routine.
And yes—the PDGA claims they got the info and turned it around as fast as they could. It was sent as a private email to competitors. But fans are right to ask how this wasn’t locked down earlier. Drug testing isn’t new in European events. Why act surprised now?
Key Questions
- How will testing work?
- Who issues penalties?
- What about medical cannabis users?
- Should players be disqualified for cannabis use at all?
Honestly, testing for steroids vs. testing for weed is a night-and-day difference. If you’re roiding up for distance, sure, that’s cheating. But getting DQ’d for an edible seems… a bit much.
The Bigger Picture: Growing Pains
Look, disc golf is growing up. And it’s gonna hurt sometimes. Drug testing is probably here to stay if we want big sponsors, mainstream legitimacy, and yes, maybe the Olympics someday. Doesn’t mean we have to like the way it’s being handled right now.
Other Highlights This Week
We also want to shout out other creators:
- Fish Golf Brah-dcast with Silas Schultz – real talk about social media pressures.
- Steak Battle with Matt Schlabach on the Titan Disc Golf channel – if you want ASMR chewing plus spicy pro takes
Disc golf is heading into a new generation. And that’s good. But let’s be real: it’s messy, it’s weird, and it needs voices willing to call out when things don’t make sense.
Final Thoughts
Will drug testing ruin disc golf? No. But it’s changing the sport in ways that are hard to ignore. And that means fans, players, and organizers need to figure out what kind of game we want to have in ten years.
Drop your thoughts in the comments. Are you for it? Against it? Still struggling to spell “cannabinoids”? Let us know. And while you’re down there, hit that subscribe button—not just for us but for all the creators keeping disc golf weird, fun, and honest.
