A growing number of organizations, such as Netflix, have realized how important getting outside and being active is to their employees' mental health, focus, and productivity. When they promote outdor activities that happen regularly and in groups, it can improve workplace culture and build stronger relationships across departments.
Thriving disc golf leagues at branches of Fortune 500 companies Costco and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals show how the sport's combination of accessibility, affordability, and healthy activity make it a great option for promoting after-work camaraderie.
The Costco Disc Golf Club
As any Costco member knows, when Costco – a wholesale retailer that requires customers to be members – does something, they do it big. Established less than two years ago, in October, 2022, the Costco Disc Golf Club already boasts over 350 registered members from 80 different locations. The club has organized seven events at six different courses, with an average turnout of 65 players. More than 150 of those players were brand new to the sport of disc golf.
"We really encourage new players that have never played before to come out to our events," said Anthony Cartwright, Los Angeles Regional Marketing Manager and co-founder of the Costco Disc Golf Club, which currently holds events solely in southern California. "Our goal is to get people outside and active and grow the sport of disc golf at the same time."
Cartwright and fellow co-founder Sidney Zeledon utilize a number of different methods to promote their events, such as company newsletters, posters in break rooms, slides on staff televisions, and text messages to registered club members. They even create short YouTube videos that they share with employees to keep the excitement going after an event.
Cartwright and Zeledon are very intentional about organizing events that appeal to new and experienced players alike.
"We use UDisc to keep score, and we have two divisions," said Cartwright. "One division is a group play, best disc format, and the other is a singles division. We want current players, but we don't want to scare away new players. The group division is inclusive and approachable for someone who's never thrown a disc before."
The Costco Disc Golf Club has also collaborated with disc golf equipment manufacturer Innova to help add an additional layer of excitement to their events – and to make it even more likely that new players will stick with the sport.
"We partner with Innova as they're right nearby in Rancho Cucamonga," said Cartwright. "They've done mini-clinics for players to teach them basic skills, and they usually bring a tent and provide small freebies. Last time we gave away a signed Calvin Heimburg disc that Innova donated. We try to add something new every time."
Calvin Heimburg is one of the world's top professional disc golfers, and he is sponsored by Innova.
Though the club's events have all been in SoCal so far, that could change after Costco invited Cartwright and Zeledon to present about the club at their latest corporate health and wellness meeting.
"Costco has monthly health and wellness calls for all the Costco locations," said Cartwright. "We presented about the disc golf club during last month's call. The call to action was to find the disc golf players in your warehouse. You may not know who they are, but we promise that they exist. I've already had colleagues from Florida, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and other states reach out. We're trying to expand. How big can we make this?"
The Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Disc Golf League
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is a global corporation with offices in 12 countries and over 13,000 employees. Its office in Rensselaer, New York, though, boasts something none of the others do: a disc golf league.
Like many disc golfers nowadays, the Regeneron Disc Golf League got started during the COVID-19 pandemic. Employees were searching for something safe and active to do together.
"Regeneron had a bunch of regular ball golf players, but when COVID came around, they closed down all the municipal golf courses in upstate New York," said Willy Harrison, Lead Biotech Production Training Specialist at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. "Someone said, 'Hey, this local park just had a disc golf tournament – why don't we get together and play some frisbee golf instead?"
Regeneron provides funding for clubs and team building activities, so Harrison and his colleagues decided to see what kind of interest they could get in a disc golf league by creating a small website homepage and writing about the league in the company newsletter.
"For us, the biggest hurdle was where to start," said Harrison. "My advice for others is to find five or six people that you know are into the same activity. A good core group of people that really enjoy the activity is essential. Encourage players to come and try it, bring extra discs, encourage them to bring a friend, and be excited. It's mostly about your attitude."
The enthusiasm of Harrison and his fellow club leaders, along with strategic promotion within the company, has led to consistent turnout and sustainable growth at their events.
"The first week we had 10 participants, the second week we had 25, and over the course of the past two years we've had 180 people in total participate in the club," said Harrison.
It doesn't hurt that as a training specialist Harrison has the perfect job to introduce new employees to the league as he typically meets new hires during their first week of training.
"Most new employees are fresh out of college," said Harrison. "They're previous athletes and are trying to figure out what to do as an adult. A frequent question I get is, 'What do you do for fun here?'"
While many of these new hires played sports in high school and college, they are frequently brand new to disc golf. To make sure they don't get scared away after their first time out, the league organizes events that cater to beginners.
"We make a point, especially with newer players, we try to do one or two disc events at the shortest course possible, like Colonial Acres," said Harrison. "It's beginner friendly, wide open, and has something for everybody. Experienced players want everyone to sign their disc after an ace, and new players want their first par."
The league runs from spring to fall and moves through a few different courses within the region, such as Central Park in Schenectady and Prospect Park in Troy to keep it fresh and exciting. Along with their main disc golf league, they host an indoor putting league during the long winter months of upstate New York at a local cidery.
They have also put together a few special events, such as tournament where participants could only use the MVP Glitch disc for all throws and a round during the total solar eclipse which was visible in upstate New York earlier this year.
"We went to Colonial Acres for an eclipse round," said Harrison. "We played nine holes. Watched the eclipse. Then played nine more. Someone got their first ace. It was a pretty special day."
At the end of the day, the league is designed as a way for people to get together, relax, and have some fun with coworkers outside of the office setting.
"There's been a lot of networking that inadvertently happens," said Harrison. "People are always asking what department others are in, and it's really breaking down departmental barriers. We make it easy, and we make it fun. That is, to our core, how we look at our league."
Make Running a Disc Golf League Easier
The directors for both leagues discussed above use UDisc Leagues, a platform that makes scoring, registration, organization, and more a breeze for league organizers. It's free to be a UDisc League, and participants can track their rounds using the basic free version of the UDisc app. Learn more on our UDisc Leagues info page.
