Today is the birthday of a guy who took two sports and fused them into one: Ed Headrick, known today as the Father of Disc Golf.
As the head of research and development at Wham-O, Headrick had developed, among other things, the classic Frisbee design that’s still used today.
He was particularly good at throwing the disc at targets; that’s how he got his nickname “Steady” Ed.
In the 1970s he and his son, Ken, would build flying disc targets and obstacle courses with their friends, or sometimes drop by local golf courses to test their frisbee skills.
In other parts of the country people had the same idea.
Some of them even held competitions and tournaments.
Eventually Headrick left Wham-O, and he and Ken Headrick founded the Disc Golf Association.
He also invented the metal disc golf catcher that’s become the standard on disc golf courses all over the world, with chains and a basket hanging off a pole.
Today there are thousands of disc golf courses all over the world, some designed by Headrick himself, and some named in his honor.
It may also interest you to know that when he passed away in 2002, Steady Ed Headrick had his ashes pressed into a series of flying discs.
He really did use everything he had to promote the sport he loved.
June 28th is Pride Day, part of Pride Month, and there’s still time to see the original rainbow Pride flag, the one Gilbert Baker designed for San Francisco’s Gay Freedom Day Parade in 1978.
There’s a 10 foot by 28 foot section of the flag on display at San Francisco’s GLBT Historical Society Museum.
The Father of Disc Golf (Disc Golf Association)
History of disc golf (part 1): the early days (Murray Ledger)
The Original Pride Flag Is Now on Display in a San Francisco Museum (Travel and Leisure)
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Photo by Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington via Flickr/Creative Commons
