Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on disc golf

[7][8][9] On 6 March, five days before the World Health Organization classified the spread of COVID-19 as a pandemic,[10] the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) issued its first statement about the COVID-19 outbreak to announce that it was "evaluating its potential impact on [its] membership across 43 countries on six continents, as well as disc golfers everywhere" and encouraged tournament directors to follow the directives of local authorities when making decisions related to their events.

On 19 March 2020, Release Point reached out to Robert Jonas, professor at Texas Lutheran University, and published an article endorsing the continuation of play: playing a round solo or with cohabitants at a course that is not seeing high traffic levels would be both relatively safe and ethical.

[16] The following day, disc golf think tank Parked tackled the issue of baskets,[17] which were thought to be a transmission vector for the virus, based on a new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine about the virus's decay rate on various surfaces, such as metal baskets and plastic discs.

It also encouraged the disc golf community to share pictures and videos of homemade baskets and practice throws online using the "#discgolffromhome" hashtag.

[21] By 16 April 2020, the PDGA had temporarily furloughed more than half of its staff members and contract support in response to the pandemic.

Board of Directors president Justin Menickelli posted a "Letter on Responsible Recreation" with guidelines for "returning to the course for casual play," since sanctioned events were still postponed until 31 May.

[21] In his letter, he stressed the importance of following recommendations from local health authorities, and reminded players to adhere to common sense measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

[25] Several news outlets reported that disc golf was gaining traction as a form of outdoor recreation compatible with social distancing mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[37] On 18 March 2020, Australian Disc Golf suspended all ADG-sanctioned events, including all A, B, C and X tier tournaments and league, until 18 May 2020.

[50] On 16 April 2020, the Federal Council announced that businesses referred to in article 6, al. 3, of Order 2 COVID-19 would be authorized to reopen starting 27 April 2020, provided that they draft a COVID-19 protection plan (in Swiss Standard German: Schutzkonzept, French: Plan de protection).

[55][56] The Junior Disc Golf Association (J.D.G.A) amended its rulebook by adding Section 7.1, which includes rules pertaining to COVID-19 safety.

[90][88][91][92] The United States Disc Golf Championship (USDGC) unfolded on 7–10 October 2020 as scheduled originally, but no spectators were allowed on site, and smaller events were suspended: Opening and Closing ceremonies, Big Arm Big Heart Distance Showcase, EDGE (Education Disc Golf Experience) Learning Village, Competitor and Fan Hospitality Areas, and Tournament Pro Shop On-Site.