Once a fringe activity played with portable baskets in public parks, disc golf in Singapore is now preparing for its most visible moment yet – its debut as a demonstration sport at the 2025 SEA Games. But long before medals or national selection were ever discussed, a small, stubborn community spent nearly 20 years keeping the sport alive.
Wait, what exactly is disc golf?
Disc golf is, quite literally, golf with a flying disc. Players throw discs from a tee area toward a metal basket lined with chains, counting strokes the same way golfers count swings. Lowest score wins.
“Pretty much all the rules are the same as ball golf,” explained Lance DuBos, founder of the SG Disc Golf Club. “Par, birdie, bogey, out-of-bounds; the mental game is the same. You’re just throwing a disc instead of swinging a club.”
It sounds simple, but as anyone who has tried it learns quickly, mastering disc flight is both technical and addictive.
Physiotherapist Joleen Tan, who has played Ultimate Frisbee for 16 years, puts it best, “The way a disc flies is honestly mesmerising. You don’t realise how technical it is until you try it and then you just want to get better at it.”
How disc golf started here and why 2025 matters
Disc golf first surfaced in Singapore around 2006, when a small group from the Ultimate Frisbee community bought foldable baskets and started setting up makeshift courses at parks.
In 2018, the group formalised into the SG Disc Golf Club, which now runs regular tournaments sanctioned by the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA), meaning every competitive round played here counts on the global ranking system.
This year, disc golf will be part of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games under the flying disc category, alongside Ultimate. Singapore has been allocated two male and two female athlete slots, selected through a series of tournaments held throughout 2024.
Even if disc golf will only be a demonstration sport this time, the milestone is bigger than it looks.
“We hope it’ll become a full medal sport by 2029, when Singapore hosts the Games,” DuBos said.
“Right now, awareness is the biggest barrier. The SEA Games helps change that.”
A sport without a home, literally
Unlike tennis courts or stadiums, disc golf doesn’t have a permanent venue in Singapore. The most active course today is at Kallang Riverside Park, an SLA field shared with cricket players, drone flyers, baseball groups and weekend walkers. The baskets are allowed to remain there, for now.
“When this place eventually gets redeveloped, we’ll have to move again,” DuBos explained. “Like any sport, we need space. But unlike most sports, we need trees, slopes, wind. A disc course is meant to be played through nature, not on a flat field.”
Instead, the community builds “pop-up courses”, carrying baskets in, setting them up for tournaments, tearing everything down after.
Scientist Justin Tan, who first learned disc golf in San Diego, said that’s what makes the Singapore scene special, “It’s a very scrappy, cooperative community. Everyone helps run events, build holes, carry baskets. You feel like you’re building the sport together, not consuming it.”
The players who are quietly pushing the sport forward
Disc golf in Singapore isn’t built on academies, talent pipelines or youth leagues. People enter through chance and then stay.
Joanne Soh, 38, a special needs officer, only picked up disc golf this year. “I didn’t even plan to be competitive. I just tried it because someone needed players for a tournament,” she laughed. “But once I understood the mechanics — the way wind, angles and discs interact — I was hooked. Now I just want to outdo myself every week.”
For Joleen Tan, the draw is both technical and emotional: “That moment when the disc follows the exact flight path you had in your head, it’s just beautiful.”
(Justin) Tan sees the sport through the lens of physics: “A disc is basically a spinning wing. It generates its own lift and flight path. Every throw is a mix of science and creativity. That’s what keeps people obsessed.”
And Vijay Ranganathan, 45, a software engineer, sees the magic is in how accessible it is. “It’s fun, it’s outdoors, it’s for all ages, and it’s a lot cheaper than golf. One disc can last you years. You can play it with your kids or with seniors. That’s what makes it so welcoming.”
They didn’t arrive through the same background but they all describe the same moment: the first perfect throw, and the sudden realisation that this isn’t just “throwing a frisbee”.
Why disc golf makes sense for Singapore
- Beginner-friendly but endlessly skill-based
- Low-impact, suitable for seniors, youth and mixed-ability players
- Played outdoors, but at walking pace
- Requires minimal equipment (a starter disc costs under S$30)
- Can be set up in existing parks without permanent structures
“It’s basically taking your disc for a walk in the park,” DuBos added. “You don’t have to be fast, you just have to think.”
What happens after the SEA Games?
The hope is simple: land, legitimacy, and long-term access.
“If we can get just one permanent course, the sport will explode overnight,” (Justin) Tan said. “We already have the players, we just need the space.”
With the right support, disc golf could become:
▪ A CC-based weekend sport
▪ A school programme for all fitness levels
▪ A senior-friendly activity
▪ A tourism sport, like in Japan, Korea, Finland and the U.S.
▪ A SEA-level medal event by 2029
Singapore is uniquely positioned. It has more accessible green pockets than most cities of its size. The only missing ingredient is approval.
The flight path ahead
Disc golf may not have arenas, grandstands or broadcast deals yet, but it has something harder to build: a patient, creative, community-first culture.
“There’s nothing as beautiful as a flying disc following the exact path you imagined,” DuBos shared. “That’s what keeps us playing and that’s what we hope more people get to experience.”
Should anyone be keen to try, the SG Disc Golf Club runs beginner-friendly casual sessions weekly. Discs are provided, no experience needed.
