How did you first discover disc golf?

Disc golf actually chased me for years before I got hooked. My very first exposure to it was with floaters and light poles that played through our apartment complex in Fresno California. There were two semi pro hockey players who lived there named Reno and Esko Sepolo, they would play every day they weren’t on the road. They taught a few of us neighbor kids the game before being transferred to a different city in 1980.

My next brief encounter came during a physical training session in Kirchgoins Germany, 8 years later. Once a month we were allowed to draw straws to see who gets to lead the session, the soldier who won chose disc golf. It was fun and informative but complicated to do with a dozen or so floaters for 40 + soldiers.

I bounced off of disc golf again in 1990 while visiting family in Oklahoma City on my way home from Germany. It was during a bar b que at Will Rogers Park. It was my first time to see a basket or throw a real golf disc. We played about 5 holes before it got dark. I remember being stoked at how much farther I could throw the golf disc vs. my previous encounters with floaters. I never got a chance to play again before going back to California.

Disc golf finally caught me for good in 1997. I was up to my neck in the corporate world, living the California dream of commuting from Merced to Oakland every day. I was running 20/20 Recycle Centers across the central valley, which meant a bunch of employees to oversee. One day I got a call that one of my locations in Stockton was closed late after lunch. After racing the 60 or so miles there I found it to be locked up tighter than a drum. As I was opening it up and helping customers up rolls my employee on a bicycle with a bag of discs on his back.

As I proceeded to Mr. Manager him up and down he just grinned back at me so I asked him if he could think of a good reason he should not be fired. He explained that he had just got in to disc golf and was playing at Oak Grove up the road and was on his best round ever and couldn’t walk away. He further apologized for being late and said that “the game is getting popular so it’s crowded at lunch now”. All I could say at that point was “I’ll be back to pick you up tomorrow at lunch, be caught up so you can show me this place”.

The next day I bought a Innova Jaguar at a Play it Again Sports and he showed me the course, we made it back to work on time, he kept his job (in fact he worked his way up to my old one) and I have been a disc golfer every since that day.

Have your goals as player changed over the years?

Yes, early on my goals were about having fun, improving my play, moving up and going to more tournaments. Over the past few years I find my goals are more oriented towards enjoying, exposing, and promoting the sport.

What were you doing before you got into disc golf on the business end?

I STILL work in the transportation industry daily. I am amazed at how many people don’t realize MOST webmasters, movers and shakers and a majority of our top pro’s, still have day jobs. I hope to one day be able to focus my entire schedule, resources and ideas on disc golf as a career, for now I just do what I can do in the small amount of time I have to do it.

So how did Twisted Flyer get started? Pretty hip name…

Thanks. When I was working with the guys from Modesto on ideas for a shirt to sell to raise money for the first course in Modesto. During that time I realized I had many ideas for shirts and stamps that I thought would be cool to start a disc golf company. The tornado logo was first scribbled on a scorecard in angst at my cousin Mike’s house. I got the name from back in the day when I played with Kenny Lee, Andy Meixner, Jeff Michner, TC Bear and all those guys in California. When I would throw a disc they would sometimes say “nice twist”. From that I played on the word twisted and the flyer was obvious. I have to chuckle that I moved to Oklahoma and the tornado fit so well, it was actually supposed to represent my golf shots flying all over the fairway leading to the hole. I guess it’s like a Serj Tankian song… form your own meaning that best suits your mood and enjoy.

You were instrumental in the organizing of the 2006 Am Worlds in Tulsa. What do you think made that event such a success?

The event was a success because of the depth and experience of the Tulsa Disc Sports Association and its administrators. The TDSA not only acts as a family, it functions as a close knit operation. It grows, maintains and promotes disc golf throughout Oklahoma and is made up of golfers from every walk of life. They bring many talents, experiences and resources to the table. Add in the PDGA, a welcoming community and a long list of amazing sponsors and you have the key elements of Tulsa 2006.

Did you have any promotional revelations during your Worlds experience?

yes. Disc golf needs to be marketed on a more uniform basis. Right now there are millions of people in love with disc golf that have great connections to every arena. Unfortunately we all market disc golf on such a local level just to get what we need for our next tournament, league, series or tour that we sometimes forget the bigger picture.

An example of that would be the World Championships, it moves from state to state every year and settles in the next state that accommodates us or closely meets our needs. There currently is no premium on having a World Championships in your state. But if you look at the USDGC, it’s the same event in the same spot year after year with the same people courting sponsors, players and relationships that assure the growth of the event and in just 9 years has become the richest event in our sport. That’s the difference in uniform marketing vs. at will hosting.

I believe it is great events that will draw the huge sponsors that disc golf needs. I also found while getting sponsorship for Am Worlds large companies and corporations are not accustomed to giving cash to amateur events. That’s only following suit with 99% of the other sports that they sponsor. I can tell you from experience it is hard to walk in to a multi-million dollar company armed with one or two magazines, a PDGA pamphlet and the best disc golf DVD and ask for large amounts of cash for an amateur event.

What is your greatest disc golf memory?

The first time I met Steady Ed. It was a very inspiring event that has helped mold me as a golfer and promoter of our sport.

The second would be being on Ken Climo’s card at the 2007 USDGC. It was a very nice day. The weather was AWESOME as we traversed the Winthrop Gold Course. Ken is an incredible golfer and a super great guy, even during the round he helped me work on a few improvements to my shot! What an amazing feeling to walk up Hole 18’s fairway… The crowd clapping, every STAFF member on course I pass is wearing TWISTED FLYER gear and I just completed a round with the greatest player to ever play our sport. Ken won his 5th that weekend and I am still stoked to the fullest to have been a part of that.

Many people think disc golf is on the verge of something big. What do you think the future holds?

Growth. Right now we are growing in 3rd gear and the engine isn’t knocking so the shift to fourth should be smooth.

What does the future hold for Twisted Flyer?

Right now I am in the middle of the 5th anniversary Twisted Tour, that will take up the rest of my year. Next year I plan to re evaluate where we donate our time and resources in the sport currently and go from there. Twisted Flyer has a few major projects we are working on, some of them will launch this year. I know I will continue to promote and play as hard as I have over the years… it’s an addiction.

Thanks, Joe…

Twisted Flyer Web Site