During the 2015 PDGA Board of Directors Fall Summit, I made a statement that caused the room to go silent. A few of the staff looked up from their keyboards with muffled smirks on their faces. One veteran board member appeared to be aghast. A folded piece of paper was passed around the big table and when it got to me, I was thinking there might be YES, NO and MAYBE boxes next to the words “Do you want to be my boyfriend?” like the notes confiscated by middle school teachers. “My first summit and I’ve already caused a stir,” I thought to myself.

It is not so much what I said but to whom it was said. I made a comment that I thought one of Dan “Stork” Roddick’s #3 examples was an exaggeration. Critiquing Stork’s comments was apparently a bit of a faux pas. What most people in the room didn’t know was that my summit roommate (Stork) and I had been up until 1:00 AM the previous night talking about (among other things) personal responsibilities on the disc golf course. I may have been the new guy, but I had done my homework.

Stork has forgotten more about personal responsibilities in disc sports than most people will ever know. After all, he was instrumental in developing The Spirit of the Game used in Ultimate.

“Spirit of the Game. Ultimate relies upon a spirit of sportsmanship that places the responsibility for fair play on the player. Highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of mutual respect among competitors, adherence to the agreed upon rules, or the basic joy of play. Protection of these vital elements serves to eliminate unsportsmanlike conduct from the Ultimate field. Such actions as taunting opposing players, dangerous aggression, belligerent intimidation, intentional infractions, or other 'win-at-all-costs' behavior are contrary to the Spirit of the Game and must be avoided by all players.” Official Rules of Ultimate: 11th Edition

Stork’s charge was for us, the PDGA Board of Directors and PDGA Staff to come up with a code of conduct that applies to all disc golfers on every disc golf course. It is not enough to say “read the rulebook.” After all, newbies don’t likely own a rulebook and even experienced players don’t often read it word-for-word. The entire rulebook contents don’t fit well on a course sign and during casual or practice rounds, it is just fine not to abide by every rule.

Over the next few months the board and staff developed a concise, universal code of responsibilities that all disc golfers should adhere to at all times on the course. We hope that every player, from absolute beginner to seasoned veteran, will agree to obey the code and spread it far and wide. Simply stated, we think it can only help to improve the sport that we all love to play so much.

Play Smart Never throw into a blind area or when players, spectators, pedestrians, or other facility users are within range. Use a spotter. Respect the Course Observe all posted rules. No littering, graffiti, or abuse of equipment or flora. Represent the Sport Be positive and responsible. Teach others.

Stork, in his infinite wisdom, summarized the Disc Golfer's Code as follows.

"There aren’t many words here, but they may hold the key to the sustainable growth of our sport. Our previously exclusive pastime is expanding at a positively viral rate and we are no longer just a few kids fooling around in the park. If we have aspirations to be a significant part of the global (and local) sports scene, it’s time for us to step up and represent our very best. Consider how many disc golf shots are now taken every day. Each one of those flights is a tangible part of building and maintaining a bright future for our game. Our time has come to get serious about having fun. The Disc Golfer's Code - Know It and Throw It!"