From Shop Shelves to Digital Fairways: How Disc Golf Retail Has Changed in 15 Years
Fifteen years ago, when Disc Golf Station was a physical retail shop, the disc golf world looked completely different. Back then, the market was simple, small, and easy to manage — a far cry from today’s explosion of brands, plastics, and online superstores.
The Early Days of Disc Golf Retail
Around 2010, there were maybe eight real disc golf brands worth mentioning. Most of the time, it came down to Innova and Discraft. Other names like Lightning, Millennium, and DGA existed, but they weren’t launching new molds every month or pushing marketing like we see now.
Gateway had a solid fanbase, but let’s be honest — most people only cared about the Wizard. Starting a disc golf retail business back then was straightforward. With about $10,000, you could order a decent selection of discs, a few of each mold and plastic type, and call it a day.
The Explosion of Disc Golf Brands
Fast-forward to today, and the landscape looks completely different. The PDGA now lists over 200 approved disc golf manufacturers — that’s 202 to be exact. These aren’t just one-off molds; they’re full-fledged brands producing discs at a staggering rate.
Lone Star Discs alone has 50 PDGA-approved molds. Doomsday Discs has 34 approved discs — plus a few not yet certified. The wild thing? These companies didn’t even exist in 2010. Their founders probably hadn’t even thrown a disc yet.
The Plastic Revolution
One of the biggest changes since 2010 is the sheer variety of disc golf plastics. Back then, you had basic options — maybe four or five plastic types from the big brands. Today, nearly every manufacturer has a dozen unique blends, each with its own grip, durability, and look.
Doomsday Discs, for example, now makes at least 12 different plastic types: Toxic Waste, Landfill, Survival, C-4, Clandestine, Glow Isolation, and more. If a mold like the Chemtrail is released in ten of those blends, that’s ten SKUs for one disc. Multiply that across dozens of molds, and it’s clear why retailers today need massive inventories to keep customers happy.
How to Start a Disc Golf Business Today
This was the question we asked ourselves when we decided to bring Disc Golf Station back. To succeed as a retailer now, you can’t just “carry some discs.” You need the right molds, weights, plastics, and colors — otherwise players will shop elsewhere.
Online superstores like Infinite Discs and OTB boast inventories of over 100,000 discs. Competing with that scale isn’t realistic for most small businesses.
Building a Digital Inventory
Instead of stacking shelves, we’ve built a different kind of inventory — a digital inventory made up of disc knowledge, hands-on reviews, and experience. The number of options today can be overwhelming. If it was hard to keep up with Innova molds in 2010, imagine keeping up with 200+ brands in 2025.
Our mission now is to cut through the noise and share honest, experience-based insights so players can find discs that truly fit their game.
Partnering with Trusted Retailers
That’s why Disc Golf Station has relaunched as an affiliate-based disc golf resource. Instead of running a warehouse, we connect players with retailers we know and trust:
We highlight discs we believe in and link to stores that have them in stock. You get accurate recommendations and solid prices — without us worrying about shipping, customer service, or storage space. It’s a modern way to keep the old shop spirit alive.
The New Chapter
This affiliate model is new for us, but we’re approaching it the same way we did our first shop — with honesty, curiosity, and a genuine love for the game. We’ll share what works, what doesn’t, and everything in between as we navigate this new kind of disc golf business. Heck, Infinte Discs started as an Affiliate business, so who knows what will happen.
Disc Golf Station may not have shelves anymore, but our mission is the same: to help players make sense of all the choices, find great discs, and keep growing this sport we love.
