Scores of kids with elite arm talent will soon descend on Western Pennsylvania to show what they\u2019re made of \u2014 just not in the sport you might think.<\/p>\n
The PDGA\u2019s Junior Disc Golf World Championships<\/a>, hosted by Pittsburgh Flying Disc<\/a>, are coming to courses in and around Pittsburgh July 7-11.<\/p>\n The primarily invitational competition will pit some of the most talented young disc golfers the world has to offer against one another. The sport combines elements of golf and Frisbee by tasking players with throwing a disc into a basket in the fewest attempts on specially designed courses.<\/p>\n Contested across age and gender-separated divisions (the youngest, the under-8 division, and the oldest, the under-18 division), the competition will bring several hundred kids from as far afield as Germany, Iceland, China and Japan to compete on a series of courses at Deer Lakes Park in West Deer, Brush Creek Park in North Sewickley Township, North Boundary Park in Cranberry, Moraine State Park in Butler County and Knob Hill Community Park in Marshall.<\/p>\n A series of ancillary events, including doubles, long drive and putting will also be in the mix, outside the main competition.<\/p>\n Spectators are welcome to the courses to watch free of charge.<\/p>\n \u201cWatching these athletes exceed in the sports, they make it look easier than it actually is,\u201d said Lori Merriman of Franklin Park, chairperson of Pittsburgh Flying Disc. \u201cWe have a lot of juniors who are social media influencers; they\u2019re good at what they do and they have followers. And they\u2019re going to be the next pros.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are people out there getting paid decent money to do it, and the sport is growing. A lot of these kids are looking to take things to the next level and make a career out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n As an example, South Carolinian under- 18 competitor Eva Lutsenko boasts more than 20,000 followers, while 12-year-old Canadian Nikko Forbes<\/a> has 16,800 followers and under-12 Tennessean Preston Hunt <\/a>boasts 10,800 followers.<\/p>\n According to the UDisc Golf Growth Report<\/a>, participation has risen 86% since 2020. Globally, there are 17,000 courses in 99 countries with an average of three new ones being set up daily.<\/p>\n The kids work hard, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey do their full-time school and as soon as they get home they\u2019re practicing,\u201d said Merriman of competitors who were invited to the tournament by merit of last season\u2019s points. \u201cThey are true competitors who want to be the best and excel to the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n As she explained, the strategy and skills required to succeed are similar to \u201cball golf.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve gotta have good drive. You want to have good distance off the tee,\u201d said Merriman.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you don\u2019t have full distance, you sure as heck need accuracy, placing it in the fairway to attack for your next shot. Then you have your mid-range game, your short game, trying to get that next shot as close to the pin as possible \u2026. and then you must have a great putting game. They always say \u2018Drive for show, putt for dough.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n An opening ceremony will be held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, kicking things off July 6 at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n The final rounds will take place at Lakeview Disc Golf Course at Moraine State Park and Knob Hill Community Park Disc Golf Course on July 11.<\/p>\n For competitors, it will be a challenge to reach the final round.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the mental game that is the hardest,\u201d said Merriman. \u201cSome days your putts are on and some days they\u2019re not and it\u2019s just adjusting and staying within your capabilities and trying not to [crumble under the pressure.] If you\u2019re off the fairway, you have some roughs, and some courses that rough is pretty rough. You just gotta pitch out and get back on the fairway, always focusing on the next shot.\u201d<\/p>\n The junior tournament is a feather in the cap of the nonprofit Pittsburgh Flying Disc itself, which oversees 11 courses in the region with the help of dozens of volunteers. In 2015, it hosted the PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Championships.<\/p>\n \u201cWinning the PDGA Junior World Championships is an incredible opportunity to show the disc golf world what Pittsburgh has to offer,\u201d read a release from Pittsburgh Flying Disc events director Mark Fedorenko. \u201cOur tournament team and community will put on a fun, professional and exciting event that will generate lifelong memories.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are ecstatic to bring the challenge of a PDGA major to our area. I know our courses, volunteers, tournament staff, local competitors and parks partners will all benefit from what this event will bring to our disc golf scene.\u201d<\/p>\n For a complete schedule of events, visit pdga.com\/2026juniorworlds<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t