Liz Carey

It may be a testament to disc golf’s growing popularity that a line had formed outside of Bomb Discs before the doors were even open.

Stephen Cassity, who co-owns Bomb Discs with Jimmie Newsome, said the shop’s opening day was a busy one. Located on Moore Drive, the disc golf retail store and training facility opened on April 9 to a steady stream of customers.

Disc golf has grown in popularity, especially since the beginning of the pandemic, Cassity said.

“It gets people outside. It’s cheap, and there are disc golf courses in several of the local parks around here, so playing is free. It became something people could do safely,” he said.

In fact, getting involved with disc golf during the pandemic was the impetus for starting the business, he said. Cassity, a disc golf player for years, introduced Newsome to the game.

“I got started in disc golf last summer. There was not a lot going on because of the pandemic, and Stephen actually reached out to me and asked me if I’d ever played disc golf before and I hadn’t,” Newsome said in a video on the company’s Facebook page. “He invited me out for a round. We played at Botts Park in Mount Sterling, and ever since that round I’ve been hooked.”

As Newsome got more involved in the game, he turned to the internet to buy discs to use. But, after about six months of buying new discs online and realizing they sometimes weren’t exactly what he wanted, Newsome suggested to Cassity that they start a retail store that specializes in the sport.

The store sells new and used discs, as well as other disc golf items like grip enhancers, bags, water bottles and other accessories. Cassity said a starter set of discs — a putter, a mid-weight disc and a driver — starts at about $15.

The store is also home to a training facility where players can practice putting at one of three nets and learn more about how to play the game.

“We have a throwing net for people to throw into, and we can take a video of them and help them with their throw,” Cassity said. “And we have a speed gun, not just because everyone wants to see how fast their throw is, but because the speed of your throw helps us figure out what kind of a disc you should get.”

Cassity said he doesn’t see the popularity of disc golf fading any time soon. Nationally, the sport continues to grow in popularity. Locally, disc golf groups have grown exponentially. One group that plays at Shillito Park had about 70 members prior to the pandemic and has grown to about 120, Cassity said.

The sport’s popularity led ESPN to air the Disc Golf Pro Championship for the first time in November. And, on March 2, professional disc golfer Paul McBeth signed a 10-year, $10 million contract with Discraft Disc Sports — becoming the highest-paid disc golfer in history.

“I don’t think we’re in a bubble. I think this is going to continue to grow,” Cassity said.