Paul McBeth, What Does He Have Left To Prove?

There is no shortage of accolades for Paul McBeth.

• He’s half of the conversation for the MPO GOAT in disc golf and he’s still out there crushing discs for the foreseeable future.
• Paul currently has 143 career wins in 393 events played. That’s a 36% win rate for his career!
• Peak rating of 1062 which is #1 all time.
• Highest rated round of all time 1132.
• He’s got 17 major victories.
• 6X World Titles.
• 3 USDGC titles.
• He was the first disc golfer to earn 7 figures per year in a contract.
• He’s got his own line of discs.
• He’s probably the most famous disc golfer of all time.
• They’re going to play Worlds in 2024 on a course that he designed.
• He’s won MPO tournaments in 25 states and 6 different countries!
• (USA,Finland,Denmark,Sweden,Australia, and Estonia)

So my blog this week is about what does Paul have left to complete in the sport of disc golf?

• He’s a great player ambassador. He threatened to not play a DGPT event in 2016 until the PDGA clarified rules in another touring pros suspension. I’ll always respect Paul for that. I think that when he’s done competing, he’ll probably continue to be one of the best player ambassadors for the sport. He toured in the earlier days when players had to win to make a buck so he understands the struggles.
• He asks questions of the direction of the sport. I think his video about grip substances in disc golf will eventually lead to some big change in the way people play the sport. Since his video dropped, it helped to push Max Wax to market. He probably gets pitched more disc golf gear and gadgets than anyone.
• He’s got the Paul McBeth Foundation that brings disc golf to places without it. This will likely be a big part of his legacy. If you read my blog about Why Disc Golf isn’t in the Olympics, you’ll see it’s because it’s not a world sport yet. As we introduce people to the sport we love we know what happens. Folks fall in love with the flight of a disc, then they want to compete with friends, then strangers who become friends, and grow their leagues into clubs and host tournaments. Paul is providing the spark and helping out so many places. Check out what his foundation is working on here. Oh did I mention that he donates all his winnings to his foundation? Paul won over $100,000 from disc golf in 2022.

When Paul released his 2023 Tour Schedule he shocked some folks. He’s scheduled to play his first event of the year in Mexico, play in the All-Star weekend, hop onto the Disc Golf Pro Tour (which is normal for him), then fly to Europe to play in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Norway, Sweden, and Finland before coming back to the US in August.

Here’s his full 2023 schedule.

Some folks want to know what gives? Why is the best player taking late May, June, and July off from competing in the US DGPT?

He’s skipping the following events on the DGPT

• Portland Open
• Dynamic Discs Open
• Des Moines Challenge
• The Preserve Championship

That’s 400 potential points on the DGPT he’s missing out on!

I know that it’s statistically unlikely he will win all of them. But that’s still a lot of points to give up to your competitors, especially when DGPT points can help earn you a bye all the way to the semi finals of the DGPT Championship.

I guess at this point it’s about having fun and facing new challenges for Paul.
He won the 2016 DGPT championship so he has that feather in his cap.
He’s won the DDO before, 3 times when it was the Glass Blown Open.
He won the Des Moines Challenge in 2021.

So by skipping the 4 events on the DGPT he’s skipping over 2 he’s already won and he’ll still have enough points to make the championship. Albeit this time he’s less likely to have a bye straight to the semi finals.

Paul will get a chance to earn some points on the European side of the DGPT though. Silver Series events offer 50% of the points of a DGPT event. You’re also only allowed to keep your top 3 scores from Silver Series events.

Hypothetically if Paul were to win 3 Silver Series events while in Europe he’d have 150 points for his efforts. Last year Paul finished outside the top 10 on four separate occasions, and had multiple podium finishes. He’s losing points by going to Europe.

But it doesn’t matter. What’s a few points on the DGPT? He’s already won it before.

Paul’s trip to Europe will broaden disc golf across the pond and I’m happy to see it. I understand that folks want to see him at any event he’s in. When I went to the USDGC in 2022, the crowd following Paul’s card was massive. It was the same size as the lead card. And I know that folks in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, and Oregon will be sad to miss him in 2023 as he skips those DGPT events. When I volunteered at the 2016 USWDGC here at Sabattus I was very bummed to miss out on my favorite FPO disc golfer Val Jenkins as she had to miss the event.

Think of all of the folks in Europe who only get a chance to see players on YouTube. This is an excellent way to #GrowTheSport. He’s going to go out there and play in his prime in front of people who might not get to see one of the GOATS. The number of people who will attend those tournaments is going to be huge. He’ll get local media coverage when he comes to play, he’ll probably help Discraft push a few discs as well. But he’s going and adding his credibility by going and playing those courses.

Paul could skip every event except majors and he’d still be regarded as one of the best disc golfers, and a threat to any tournament he enters. At this point in his career I don’t think Paul has anything left to prove. He’s out there doing what he loves, playing in new tournaments in new places, and bringing disc golf to the masses. While I understand the people in the US want to see him, sometimes we have to share the greatness that is Paul McBeth.

If you want to support Paul, the easiest way to do it is to pick up one of his signature discs. At Sabattus everytime McBeth has come here he’s been a friendly dude and he’s a great ambassador for the sport. That’s why we carry his discs.

If you’d like to bag one of his awesome 6x commemorative discs, you can snag them here while supplies last.

6X Hades
6X Luna
6X Buzzz
6X Undertaker
6X Zeus
6X Zone

May your discs miss all the trees,
Andrew Streeter #70397