What’s up, discgnerates! Welcome back to The Disc Golf World. It’s Swiss here—that one disc golf YouTube channel with the titles that trick you into thinking you don’t need to speed them up. You’re watching This Week in Disc Golf, where I cover everything that went down in the sport this past week.
PDGA 2026 Rule Proposal: Less Drama Than You Think
Let’s get into the PDGA’s 2026 rules proposals—because if your barometer was how loud Brodie’s reaction was, you’d think this week was way more dramatic than it actually was.
Yes, there was community uproar about time extensions and pace of play. And sure, using podcast exclusives to announce stuff was an interesting move by the PDGA. But really? It felt about the same as every other proposal drop.
Headlines vs Reality
Forget the YouTube clickbait, the “addressing vs determining” jokes, and the screaming about pace of play—most of these rule changes only impact the professional level.
Lost in the noise are the proposals that actually matter to most players. And the good news? They’re all available to read and comment on during the month-long grace period before voting this offseason.
Yes, the document reads like someone licks their finger before turning each page. But that’s most rule books. Still—some real positives in there, especially for league and flex-start events, which are how many players get their start in competition.
Some of the Sensible Proposals
- Allowing players to enter an event more than once.
- Permitting beer consumption (if the TD and venue approve).
- Clearer rules on moving obstacles, caddie age limits, provisionals, and the benefit to the player call.
- Empowering TDs to set deeper cut lines beyond the current payout thresholds.
- Expanded disqualification powers to enforce scorekeeping and rulings.
Honestly? Stuff most people can get behind. And yet… here we are screaming about time extensions that are intended to make players more willing to actually call violations or extensions. Player committee supports it, too. Maybe let’s turn down the volume a notch and see how it works.
But yeah—the criticism is also fair. The PDGA’s habit of dropping these proposals on limited channels without sharing them with some of the sport’s most-watched platforms? That’s just weird. Even if it got more attention, maybe not the type they wanted. Still, overall it’s a step in the right direction with some solid new ideas.
Northwestern Disc Golf Championship: Worlds Preview on the West Coast
This week also brought us the brand-new Northwestern Disc Golf Championship, an Elite+ event uniting two iconic Portland-area courses: Milo McIver and Glendoveer.
It’s a legit preview for the 2027 World Championships. The PDGA and DGPT giving these locals a few years of trial runs is a smart move. Time to work out kinks, improve presentation, tweak layouts. It already worked great for this season’s first major, and will help ensure Worlds is dialed in when it gets here.
Even if those baskets can’t catch anything. Couldn’t even catch neckbeard simps trying to buy Sydney Sweeney bathwater soap. Sorry. Had to.
Still, after day one of action and a packed week of events, the decision to pick this location for Worlds feels justified. It helps cement the West Coast swing as some of the best stops on tour—even with split player pools thanks to the European schedule. Names like Latt and Anttila might be missing, but Vilman still impressed after day one.
FPO: All Discraft Lead Card
After day one at Milo, the FPO field is led by an all-Discraft crew:
- Missy Gannon: Clean 8-under opening round.
- Holyn Handley: Also 8-under, with more birdies overall.
These two favorites are holding strong in Kristen Latt’s absence, both needing big results for Player of the Year talks. Paige Pierce continues her solid West Coast run with a 5-under despite some early-release issues, while Valerie Mandujano, a former winner here, also carded 5-under. Kat Mertsch is right there too—backwards cap making her look like Argyle from Stranger Things and all.
MPO: Uli Leads (with Style and Jabs)
Paul Ulibarri, co-host of the Tour Life Podcast, sits solo atop the MPO leaderboard after a ridiculous unofficial 1079-rated 11-under first round. That’s two strokes clear of Bradley Williams, with a logjam of players at 8 and 7 under.
Sadly, Uli’s hot round got minimal love on the live broadcast so bad even he couldn’t help but throw some friendly shade during the coverage.
Ulibarri relied on the putter big-time, notching four C2 birdies. But he’ll need another big round at Milo before moving to Glendoveer, where the power arms might eat:
- Eagle McMahon
- Ricky Wysocki
- Calvin Heimburg
- Kyle Klein
- And last year’s winner at both stops, Gannon Buhr
Plenty of others are lurking too—Paul McBeth, the Robinson brothers, and AB all at 6-under. Lots of time to close the gap with three more days of action ahead.
Quick Hitters On and Off the Course
- Scott Stokley randomly gifted a signed Wren in someone’s backyard. Legend move.
- Brodie didn’t stop at YouTube rants—he also complained about basket greens and backstops. Even with cruises and golf/trick shot side hustles, he still finds time to yell into the void.
- Players enjoyed tubing, kayaking, and bald eagle views.
- Väinö Mäkelä made a new friend in Europe, while Parker Welcke found a new use for AB’s trophy. Innovative.
- Tristan Tanner takes the big leap stateside, while Henna Blomroos was the reason she and Eveliina missed Konopiste.
- Joel Freeman shot an absurd 18-under at the Spring Fling event. Casually.
Wrap-Up and Thanks
And that’s This Week in Disc Golf! Huge shoutout to our Patreon supporters and to everyone who stuck around this long. If you enjoyed the update and haven’t subscribed yet—seriously, what are you waiting for? Let’s hit that 30k goal together. Smash the like button, leave a comment, and share with your favorite doubles partner. See you all next time!
