The Glitch from MVP Disc Sports didn't take long to go from oddity to sensation after it was released in 2022. Ultra-slow, super-glidey, and designed to hold exactly the angle you release it on, it's shaped like a disc, feels like a disc, but flies like a high-quality Frisbee.
As the disc's popularity rose, MVP Marketing Director Andrew Johnson and co-founder of the legendary Maple Hill disc golf course Steve Dodge got an idea. Why not create an event that would show off just how much this unique disc was capable of while also, as Dodge put it, "get[ting] people outside having fun in a low-stress competition."
And thus was the Glitch World Championship born in 2023 when it was played out on a special version of Maple Hill designed by pro Simon Lizotte to produce maximum fun (something he's better at crafting for everyday players than you might expect).
Two years later, the event is still going strong. Like in 2024, players can compete in a huge number of qualifier events to earn a spot at the Glitch World Championship at Maple Hill – again on a layout from the mind of Lizotte. UDisc is excited to be a part of the fun as its free scoring platform UDisc Events will be used at all qualifiers and the championship.
We talked with Dodge to learn more about this year's festivities. Read it all to get the full picture or jump to a section that answers a burning question by clicking/tapping below:
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- What discs are allowed at the 2025 Glitch World Championship & qualifiers (it's more than just Glitches!)?
- When and where is the 2025 Glitch World Championship?
- How can I qualify for the 2025 Glitch World Championship?
- What's the point of a Glitch World Championship?
- Why should I play a Glitch World Championship Qualifier?
- Can I still sign up to host a 2025 Glitch World Championship qualifier?
What Discs Are Allowed In The 2025 Glitch World Championship & Qualifiers?
Though it's still called the Glitch World Championship, competitors can actually use three different discs at qualifiers and the World Championship. Here are the discs participants are allowed to throw:
| Brand | Disc | Speed | Glide | Turn | Fade |
| Axiom Discs | Pitch | 1 | 7 | -0.5 | 0 |
| MVP Disc Sports | Glitch | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Streamline Discs | Parachute | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0.5 |
Everyone who competes in a 2025 qualifying event will get a Glitch and a Parachute in their player's pack and the option for a specialty stamped Pitch. Non-player pack discs in these molds are also allowed.
When & Where Is the 2025 Glitch World Championship?
The 2025 Glitch World Championship (GWC) will be on September 12 and 13, 2025, at Maple Hill disc golf course in Leicester, Massachusetts.
"The first day, Friday, all competitors will have tee times and play the first round," Dodge explained. "Saturday, the top 72 will make the cut for the morning round and compete for the Glitch World Championship. Everyone else will be enjoying the food, fun, and beverages while competing in mini competitions and watching from the Zuca Deck as the groups play hole 18. It was good last year. This year we are turning it up to 11."
Players have to qualify to take part in the competition and festivities.
How to Qualify for the 2025 Glitch World Championship
Players can earn a spot in the 2025 Glitch World Championship by winning the Open or Open Women division of a Glitch World Championship Qualifier (GWCQ). While tournament directors can create as many divisions as they like when they run a qualifier, you'll have to enter and win in one of those divisions to get an invitation to the big dance at Maple Hill.
GWCQ events will take place throughout the month of May with the last one taking place at the MVP Open at Maple Hill on June 1 (where there's a secret "something special" planned according to Dodge).
You can search "Glitch world championship" on UDisc Events either in the app tab or on the web to discover qualifiers as well as find locations of many GWCQs here.
Why Crown a Glitch World Champion?
Though the Glitch, Pitch, and Parachute were all first released in the last few years, they feel like throwbacks. In the earliest days of what would become disc golf, people took low-speed flying discs like Pluto Platters and Frisbees and made their own courses using whatever they saw around them.
Even when formal disc golf competitions started up in the 1970s, the "discs" were slow, glidey, straight-flying Frisbees – as you can see in this 1977 video:
Though they can take a bit more torque due to their smaller diameters, the discs used for the GWC enable many of the same shots as those 70s saucers and enhance the importance of similar skills. By crowning champions at the GWC and its qualifiers, it's like we're honoring disc golf's origins – a time when finesse mattered more than power and the bags weren't full of endless choices.
For evidence, look no further than how the young Landon Brooks absolutely dominated three grown men – including multi-time Disc Golf Pro Tour event champion Simon Lizotte and 2021 Pro Disc Golf World Champion James Conrad – during a round at the 2023 GWC:
Why Play a Glitch World Championship Qualifier?
Competing at a GWCQ event is a unique experience that will force you to get creative and, most likely, play a very different style of disc golf than you ever have before. Though you won't be throwing quite as far or have the crutch of overstability to lean on, the discs' typically soft landings and direct flights make it feel safe to run the basket from almost any distance.
"The throw-ins are the most fun for me," said Dodge, discussing his favorite aspect of Glitch events. "If I’m 50-90 feet [15-27 meters] away, I feel like I’ve got a chance. At slow speeds, the disc is ridiculously straight. For me, those upshots, which are normally kind of boring in disc golf, are the glory of the Glitch."
Along with freshening up your disc golf experience, all GWCQ TDs and players get entered into a contest for a VIP experience at the 2025 MVP Open x OTB from September 25-28.
The Disc Golf Pro Tour Playoff event will feature the top men and women in pro disc golf competing for a title at a legendary event, cash, and points that will matter a lot with just under a month to go before the Tour Championship in October. Though the package winner will need to fly at their own expense to Boston Airport, from there it's all covered – shuttle to a top-notch hotel, food, and tickets to watch all four days of the action.
TDs get one entry per player at their event(s) and players get one entry per GWCQ they play. There will be two winners: one TD and one player, and both get a plus-one who'll enjoy every benefit they do.
Of course, no matter if you win the event you play or the big contest, you'll take home special editions of a Glitch and Parachute that all GWCQ competitors recieve as part of the player's pack.
Can I Still Sign Up to Host a Glitch World Championship Qualifier?
Events will take place throughout May 2025. If you have the time and local player interest to host one in that timeframe, sign up to host a GWCQ here.
