By RON WILSON
Kansas State University

Let’s go to the disc golf capital of the world. We could travel around the globe looking for such a designation, or we could go directly to… Emporia, Kansas. 

Today we’ll learn more about a remarkable business in Emporia which, in many ways, has made its community the center of the disc golf universe.   

Last week we learned about Dynamic Discs, the disc golf products company that was founded by Jeremy Rusco in Emporia. 

Doug Bjerkaas is the president of Dynamic Discs today. Bjerkaas is an Illinois native who had a career in higher education administration and was playing disc golf for fun. 

In 2007, Bjerkaas was living in Denver and attended the disc golf Frontier Open in Hays.  He bought some Dynamic Discs t-shirts out of the back of Rusco’s truck. “I was very impressed with how approachable and friendly he was,” Bjerkaas said. 

As a player, Bjerkaas was sponsored by Dynamic Discs, as was his daughter in later years. After serving as a tournament director for Dynamic Discs, he joined the company in 2016 and moved up through the ranks to become president in 2021. Through the years, he has seen the remarkable growth of the company and sport. 

“Our purpose statement is simple: Dynamic Discs enriches lives through disc golf,” Bjerkaas said. 

What has caused the sport of disc golf to grow? “It really is inclusive,” he said. “When I go to the course, I see families with elementary school kids up to a couple of ladies in their 80s,” he said.  “Regardless of your skill level, you can play with other people and have fun.” 

“The athletic part of the competition takes about 5% of your time,” Bjerkaas said. “The rest of the time, you’re talking and…