Public Messaging Guide

What works

The public story should not be “force BLM to build courses.” It should be:

• Low-cost outdoor access
• Family-friendly recreation close to communities
• Adaptive and accessible potential
• Youth and veteran wellness
• Volunteer stewardship and maintenance
• Better use of existing developed recreation nodes
• Complementing — not displacing — other recreation and conservation values

That message is much closer to the EXPLORE Act than a sport-first message, and it travels better with BLM offices, counties, chambers, and foundations.

Audience-specific messaging

For BLM field offices

Lead with how disc golf helps them meet EXPLORE Act mandates they’re already working on — accessibility, underutilized site activation, volunteer stewardship, youth/veteran programming, shoulder-season use. Disc golf is a tool in their toolkit, not a demand on their resources.

For the disc golf community

Lead with the opportunity: 245 million acres of public land with essentially zero disc golf, a new law that creates the authorities to change that, and an organization building the bridge. Emphasize free, world-class courses on America’s most spectacular landscapes.

For outdoor recreation coalitions

Lead with the growth data and the gap: disc golf is the fastest-growing outdoor recreation activity in America with zero federal advocacy infrastructure. Inclusion strengthens the coalition’s recreation-hour and economic-impact arguments. The sport’s nonpartisan demographic profile is an asset for bipartisan advocacy.

For local governments and gateway communities

Lead with economic impact, visitor diversification, and the EXPLORE Act’s gateway community tools. Disc golf draws visitors to lesser-known areas, extends shoulder seasons, and requires minimal public investment.

For funders and foundations

Lead with access and equity: 89% of courses are free, the sport has a low barrier to entry, it’s adaptable for accessible and adaptive programming, and it reaches underserved communities and youth. The EXPLORE Act creates the authorities; what’s needed is the organizational capacity to use them.

For veterans and adaptive sports organizations

Lead with wellness outcomes: 93 minutes outdoors, physical activity at self-directed pace, social connection, low equipment cost, adaptable for wheelchair users. Frame disc golf as a complement to existing outdoor recreation therapy programs.

Key talking points

30-second version: “The EXPLORE Act gives BLM new tools to expand recreation on public lands. Disc golf — with 11,000 courses nationally and 21 million annual rounds — is one of the best fits for those tools: low-cost, low-impact, volunteer-maintained, and accessible. But there are only 3 disc golf courses on 245 million acres of BLM land. We’re building the organization to change that.”

10-second version: “The EXPLORE Act opened the door for recreation on public lands. We’re putting disc golf through it.”