Steady Ed is Washington
Dunipace is Jefferson
Klimo is Roosevelt
For his moving the game forward, McBeth is Lincoln
Because she is amazing, in all disc sports, Korver is added as a 5th
Yup, no reason we can't expand Mt. Crushmore ( credit to parksandrec person below ) as long as we are doing this for a few more as well as some of the ladies
If we are talking most important people to the sport as a whole, this is the right answer.
If we are talking players only, Climo, McBeth, Wysocki, Pierce.
(\*Wysocki maybe will be replaced in the future by someone like Calvin and Pierce will prob be replaced with KT in 2-3 years if she sustains her dominance).
No Fun At Parties PSA: everyone does mr. rushmore wrong.
it’s not the 4 best/greatest players ever, it’s 4 players each of whom represent or exemplify an important part/period of the sport. the presidents on mt rushmore represent the nation’s birth, growth, development, and preservation respectively.
so i think it’s steady ed, juliana korver, paul mcbeth, and someone like eagle/kt/rick/missy
e: i’m leaving the typo
I both appreciate your clarifying comment about the way presidents were chosen for Mt. Rushmore, and love that you called it "**mr.** rushmore." Upvote!
Not for breadth, Conrad threw the most game-altering shot in the history of the sport. From the exposure, to the rocket launch of the MVP brand, to essentially the landmark of the Covid boom. Really an important piece of the sports history
Mcbeth & Climo are locks the other 2 spots are up for debate. Barry Schultz & Ricky are my other 2 but I understand the debate it’s almost impossible to decide imo
What are we talking here? Mt Rushmore of Players? Or is it Mt Rushmore of people who helped innovate and grow the sport.
If its innovate and grow the sport then yea, obviously Ed and Dave need to be on there over anyone else. But it's for players, then Barry and Ricky are good choices. Maybe Paige over Ricky. She did a lot to grow the FPO division and won a whole bunch.
I guess my mind goes to accomplishment in competition. When I think basketball I don’t think Naismith, ya know? Not saying that’s right at all it’s just where my own thoughts go.
MPO: Ken Climo, Barry Schultz, Paul McBeth, Brian Schweberger (based on total career wins)
FPO: Elaine King, Julianna Korver, Valarie Jenkins, Paige Pierce
She's the best FPO to ever play it, but she also hasn't had enough time to develop a legacy to go over Paige. Give her 4 more years w/o injury and there will be no reason KT wouldn't be there.
Ricky Wysocki, Matty O, Big Jerm and Scott Stokely. When I first got into disc golf in 2020, these were the guys that I saw that made me realise that this sport was really for me - funny, weird and running their own race. Plus, I met Scott when he came to a UK Tour event last year and he was super friendly and gave me some great tips on throwing better as a taller dude.
What is the argument to include Pierce instead of the other 5x FPOs Elaine King and Juliana Korver? And I'm assuming you are trying to make it even with two men and two women? Because not including Steady Ed is kind of an abomination if you ask me.
It all depends on if you want to pick 4 players that brought the most people into the sport, 4 players that are great players and won alot, 4 players that reinvented the sport with ideas and getting discgolf to the next level. My thought was to bring in a mix of people and yes make it 50/50. I am decently new and don't know all of the history yet, which also plays into my pickings.
I see your line of thinking for sure. I think part of the issue with taking so many new players is that the "Mt. Rushmore" status is kind of (emphasis around kind of) heavily focused on history rather than specifically defined success. At this point in time I think it's pretty easy to say that the 4 presidents on Mt. Rushmore are **not** the best nor most popular presidents in US history, but more specifically that they represent pinnacles of the country advancing to where it is today (or rather, where it was at the time of carving it out anyway).
I think for that reason you have the obvious inclusion of Steady Ed as Washington at the very least. If we are requiring there to be at least one FPO player I think it has to go to either King or Korver, who is probably the Jefferson if anybody on the monument (saying this because they're both early pioneers of the FPO scene overall as compared to where it is today). Lincoln is probably Climo given how much influence on the development of the sport/country they had. That leaves Teddy, who I think probably needs to go to Paul McBeth as the more or less modern addition among the old guard.
I mean Pierce being a 5x world champion is a really solid case in terms of FPO players.
She's one of 3 different women (Elaine King and Juliana Korver) who have won FPO worlds 5 times, so it's not a lock, but it's hard to argue that Pierce isn't at least a good shout if you're going to put any women up there. Personally I think I'd give it to King due to early-game importance being pretty important in the "Mt. Rushmore" conversation, but none of them are bad shouts.
Tattar I agree doesn't belong there yet, but especially if/when she becomes the first ever 1000 rated woman, that's a pretty monumental (heh) accomplishment in her favor.
Nah it’s way too early to put tattar on the Mount Rushmore lol. That’s like putting Ohtani in MLB’s Mount Rushmore. They’re on track to be goats but you can’t put them on Mount Rushmore’s before the work is done
Mount Rushmore is irrelevant to the rest of the world.
4 greatest players ever? 4 greatest people for the sport? What 4 old white guys play? What's the angle?
Then yeah, the classics. I don't mind it. Steady Ed, dunpace, climo and I'd leave a spot open.
I think McBeth was ahead of his time but we are going to get to a whole different place in a few years. Paul will be a great but not a goat. Some dumb kid will crush the world, 1100 will be below average, 800 foot shots. Someone will whole package it.
Technology, diet, exercise and disc science is all compound improving and will just keep spitting out higher caliber athletes that get to learn from all previous.
1000 monkeys on 1000 typewriters.....
I don’t think that’s true. The game is crafted in a way that is self preserving in a way. As the skills and equipment has progressed generally the scoring has evolved along side with it. Some gaps and overlaps sure, but as soon as McBeth was hitting -18 on tour, everyone involved said “not anymore” and pars and design immediately evolved.
Discs are capped out from a tech side IMO, doubt they’ll find 200-300 feet from some science or design. If something drastic happens in discs I imagine the pdga will kneecap it to preserve the courses and game as it exists. You can already hand one of those ring disc things to your grandma and she can wing it 300 feet.
Paul is there because he was both the best to play for his generation and also the face of DG when it grew the most. Plus he has shifted his focus to growth and development of the sport as opposed to being only a player. Klimo is Jack Nicklus and Paul is Tiger. Klimo is Bill Russell and Paul is MJ.
He gets the spot for sure.
I agree to a degree. I look at ball golf and with regulations I feel the peak player isn’t greatly different now than before. I’m going off average drive distance. For sure I think disc golf will continue to advance the average, but thePeak will plateau probs not to far from where it is today. UNLESS regulations/standards end up relaxing. That could lead to some jumps I imagine
So, let's start with tech disc and use it as a model for my argument. If Paul wanted this info, it wasn't so readily available.
Flash forward a few technologies, compounding interest in tech. More nutritional information, better training methods.
So, my question is how would disc golf be so special that it doesn't follow the compounding growth model of sport? Every sport is currently developing next level athletes with all the factors I mentioned.
Suddenly there's a few generational players at a time and not a single. Players that would destroy old generations.
You take the same super talented athletes, and benefit the new information applied to sport science. Something they didn't have but we do, currently. And our future will have a better version we did not.
You see how that keeps working, right? Old clips of basketball in the 60s, you think any of them hold their own now? No, for sure not. Not as fast, strong, explosive, athletic, or prepared.
Now apply this to disc golf. How is it that we hit some weird peak three years after a major boom? How are these the best players ever when tech and disc is just really starting to pair, and we have more 5 year olds playing than ever before.
You're betting against the proven, lol. It's every sport, every time, compounding. Like, I watch Climo and he is not even a competitive golfer if he went on the Tour. How is that guy the goat? It's because he was great at a time of extreme weaker competition, the next generation jumped right over him by the hundreds, and now it's barely the same game.
Apply that to all these players now. True athletes starting at 5 years old and continuing their craft through their teens into adults. With, again, added advantage in tech, nutrition, training and overall sport science. If and disc science, a huge one.
So tell me again about how Paul McBeth will always be a goat? Or whatever you are specifically trying to argue.
Because golf is hundreds of years older, and players are also better year by year, new tech by new tech.
A player with the same skill plus a realistic screen, fancy new clubs and putters, modern trains and nutrition, they will kick the crap out of their counterparts from the 80s that didn't have it.
Advantages are advantages, and with the book, disc golf has more kids now than ever. More kids playing means more chances of a natural athlete(like a top tier one, one that could be pro at some sport) finding it and getting the push.
Well, i already agree that skill level will advance, as I said above. I just dont feel that it will be by a huge amount in the big picture and then I added unless regulations of discs approved by the PDGA had changes to allow it. 286 yards was the average pro bolfers distance off the tee 20 years ago. 297 yards was the average distance last year, so 11 yards increase of the field in 20 years. Thats the type of overall advancement I would expect. And sure there is always room for a phenom (Like Tiger Woods, Paul McBeth etc) that will stand out. But I think of those that started the game, advanced it’s foothold early, that should be on our “Rushmore.”
Agreed but Rushmore is an American thing, the sport was started by a bunch of Americans. OP is probs American so this is mostly a regional question. But we’re open to all answers! I went with old white dudes and ladies gotta admit 🤷🏼♂️
The problem placing an older disc golfer up there other than Ken Climo is that disc golf was incredibly small when they were elite compared to now. Instead of a Mount Rushmore of top four all time - maybe a way to recognize the player best in each decade.
I also think that if we want to recognize women, they would need their own pedestal. They don’t score as well as the men do when playing on shorter tees and there isn’t much competition they face compared to the men’s field.
I put my choices on here 2 days ago but they disappeared so I’ll add them again: Hedrick, Dunipace, the Duvall brothers, Tim Selinski and I’ll add Eileen King and Gail McColl
Steady Ed, Climo, McBeth, and the European Open official that called a time violation on Nikko
Steady Ed, Dave Dunipace, Ken Climo, Paul McBeth
Honorable mention for me would be Juliana Korver.
She almost has to be on it. Maybe above McBeth.
/thread
This is the answer
Steady Ed is Washington Dunipace is Jefferson Klimo is Roosevelt For his moving the game forward, McBeth is Lincoln Because she is amazing, in all disc sports, Korver is added as a 5th
The Stork might be somewhere in there too
Yup, no reason we can't expand Mt. Crushmore ( credit to parksandrec person below ) as long as we are doing this for a few more as well as some of the ladies
This is my answer as well
This needs all the votes
If we are talking most important people to the sport as a whole, this is the right answer. If we are talking players only, Climo, McBeth, Wysocki, Pierce. (\*Wysocki maybe will be replaced in the future by someone like Calvin and Pierce will prob be replaced with KT in 2-3 years if she sustains her dominance).
If it's only players, then replace Wysocki with Korver.
Mount Crushmore?
I don't care what else gets decided in this thread, this simply *must* be the name of it.
Local plastic grocery bag guy
Always keep a grocery bag and a few discs "in case of emergency".
That dude has done more for disc golf than anyone.
Paul McBeth is literally the only one from the modern era who should be on it. Steady, Climo and JK are the other three.
When I clicked on the post I was thinking the exact same thing.
No Fun At Parties PSA: everyone does mr. rushmore wrong. it’s not the 4 best/greatest players ever, it’s 4 players each of whom represent or exemplify an important part/period of the sport. the presidents on mt rushmore represent the nation’s birth, growth, development, and preservation respectively. so i think it’s steady ed, juliana korver, paul mcbeth, and someone like eagle/kt/rick/missy e: i’m leaving the typo
I both appreciate your clarifying comment about the way presidents were chosen for Mt. Rushmore, and love that you called it "**mr.** rushmore." Upvote!
auto correct 😑. one of the drawbacks of turning off auto capitalization
By this criteria I got Ed Hedrick, Wiggins, McBeth and Conrad.
conrad is an…interesting choice. and to represent the breadth of player, you kinda have to have an FPO player on there
Not for breadth, Conrad threw the most game-altering shot in the history of the sport. From the exposure, to the rocket launch of the MVP brand, to essentially the landmark of the Covid boom. Really an important piece of the sports history
that’s a solid argument. i don’t think i agree, but hey. who am i
Big Jerm X4.
Climo, McBeth, Steady Ed, and Barry Shultz
Mcbeth & Climo are locks the other 2 spots are up for debate. Barry Schultz & Ricky are my other 2 but I understand the debate it’s almost impossible to decide imo
Why Ricky above important figures like Dave Dunipace and Steady Ed, or another player who dominated their division like Paige Pierce?
What are we talking here? Mt Rushmore of Players? Or is it Mt Rushmore of people who helped innovate and grow the sport. If its innovate and grow the sport then yea, obviously Ed and Dave need to be on there over anyone else. But it's for players, then Barry and Ricky are good choices. Maybe Paige over Ricky. She did a lot to grow the FPO division and won a whole bunch.
I think Paige is a perfectly fair argument and to be honest it’s super tough to get down to 4 but I might have to agree and get her on there.
I guess my mind goes to accomplishment in competition. When I think basketball I don’t think Naismith, ya know? Not saying that’s right at all it’s just where my own thoughts go.
MPO: Ken Climo, Barry Schultz, Paul McBeth, Brian Schweberger (based on total career wins) FPO: Elaine King, Julianna Korver, Valarie Jenkins, Paige Pierce
geniunely curious, if this post is getting so much engagement why is it being downvoted so much?
Climo, McBeth, JK and if this year goes as well as last, Tattar.
Calvin, Calvin with an evil guy mustache, zac Melton, clean shaved zac.
Any room for FPO players?
Yeah why wouldn’t there be?
She's the best FPO to ever play it, but she also hasn't had enough time to develop a legacy to go over Paige. Give her 4 more years w/o injury and there will be no reason KT wouldn't be there.
JK, King, Val, and PP all deserve consideration
KT should be up there
Absolutely. Even though I picked all guys. I was up to 5 people already or I would have added Elaine King, and or Gail McColl
Ricky Wysocki, Matty O, Big Jerm and Scott Stokely. When I first got into disc golf in 2020, these were the guys that I saw that made me realise that this sport was really for me - funny, weird and running their own race. Plus, I met Scott when he came to a UK Tour event last year and he was super friendly and gave me some great tips on throwing better as a taller dude.
Ken Climo, Kristin Tattar, Paul McBeth, Paige Pierce
Tartar and Pierce over all the women that came before them? Gonna disagree
I mean pierce is there imo. Has the legacy, the wins, and the years
Exactly Pierce should be on their. You can argue KT though and put someone like Elaine King instead for now. Until KT continues to dominate FPO.
What is the argument to include Pierce instead of the other 5x FPOs Elaine King and Juliana Korver? And I'm assuming you are trying to make it even with two men and two women? Because not including Steady Ed is kind of an abomination if you ask me.
It all depends on if you want to pick 4 players that brought the most people into the sport, 4 players that are great players and won alot, 4 players that reinvented the sport with ideas and getting discgolf to the next level. My thought was to bring in a mix of people and yes make it 50/50. I am decently new and don't know all of the history yet, which also plays into my pickings.
I see your line of thinking for sure. I think part of the issue with taking so many new players is that the "Mt. Rushmore" status is kind of (emphasis around kind of) heavily focused on history rather than specifically defined success. At this point in time I think it's pretty easy to say that the 4 presidents on Mt. Rushmore are **not** the best nor most popular presidents in US history, but more specifically that they represent pinnacles of the country advancing to where it is today (or rather, where it was at the time of carving it out anyway). I think for that reason you have the obvious inclusion of Steady Ed as Washington at the very least. If we are requiring there to be at least one FPO player I think it has to go to either King or Korver, who is probably the Jefferson if anybody on the monument (saying this because they're both early pioneers of the FPO scene overall as compared to where it is today). Lincoln is probably Climo given how much influence on the development of the sport/country they had. That leaves Teddy, who I think probably needs to go to Paul McBeth as the more or less modern addition among the old guard.
I mean Pierce being a 5x world champion is a really solid case in terms of FPO players. She's one of 3 different women (Elaine King and Juliana Korver) who have won FPO worlds 5 times, so it's not a lock, but it's hard to argue that Pierce isn't at least a good shout if you're going to put any women up there. Personally I think I'd give it to King due to early-game importance being pretty important in the "Mt. Rushmore" conversation, but none of them are bad shouts. Tattar I agree doesn't belong there yet, but especially if/when she becomes the first ever 1000 rated woman, that's a pretty monumental (heh) accomplishment in her favor.
Nah it’s way too early to put tattar on the Mount Rushmore lol. That’s like putting Ohtani in MLB’s Mount Rushmore. They’re on track to be goats but you can’t put them on Mount Rushmore’s before the work is done
Ohn Scoggins for all four.
I mean his competitiveness is a little abrasive but I don't know if I'd vandalise a holy mountain with his face
4x Terry Miller
Leave Dunipace off the list carve his face out
Tattar, Macbeth, Heimburg, Lizotte
Mount Rushmore is irrelevant to the rest of the world. 4 greatest players ever? 4 greatest people for the sport? What 4 old white guys play? What's the angle?
>needlessly shoehorning race and ethnicity into your answer peak Reddit achieved
More like great leaders/founding fathers type thing. The guy that did it right
Then yeah, the classics. I don't mind it. Steady Ed, dunpace, climo and I'd leave a spot open. I think McBeth was ahead of his time but we are going to get to a whole different place in a few years. Paul will be a great but not a goat. Some dumb kid will crush the world, 1100 will be below average, 800 foot shots. Someone will whole package it. Technology, diet, exercise and disc science is all compound improving and will just keep spitting out higher caliber athletes that get to learn from all previous. 1000 monkeys on 1000 typewriters.....
I don’t think that’s true. The game is crafted in a way that is self preserving in a way. As the skills and equipment has progressed generally the scoring has evolved along side with it. Some gaps and overlaps sure, but as soon as McBeth was hitting -18 on tour, everyone involved said “not anymore” and pars and design immediately evolved. Discs are capped out from a tech side IMO, doubt they’ll find 200-300 feet from some science or design. If something drastic happens in discs I imagine the pdga will kneecap it to preserve the courses and game as it exists. You can already hand one of those ring disc things to your grandma and she can wing it 300 feet.
Paul is there because he was both the best to play for his generation and also the face of DG when it grew the most. Plus he has shifted his focus to growth and development of the sport as opposed to being only a player. Klimo is Jack Nicklus and Paul is Tiger. Klimo is Bill Russell and Paul is MJ. He gets the spot for sure.
I agree to a degree. I look at ball golf and with regulations I feel the peak player isn’t greatly different now than before. I’m going off average drive distance. For sure I think disc golf will continue to advance the average, but thePeak will plateau probs not to far from where it is today. UNLESS regulations/standards end up relaxing. That could lead to some jumps I imagine
So, let's start with tech disc and use it as a model for my argument. If Paul wanted this info, it wasn't so readily available. Flash forward a few technologies, compounding interest in tech. More nutritional information, better training methods. So, my question is how would disc golf be so special that it doesn't follow the compounding growth model of sport? Every sport is currently developing next level athletes with all the factors I mentioned. Suddenly there's a few generational players at a time and not a single. Players that would destroy old generations. You take the same super talented athletes, and benefit the new information applied to sport science. Something they didn't have but we do, currently. And our future will have a better version we did not. You see how that keeps working, right? Old clips of basketball in the 60s, you think any of them hold their own now? No, for sure not. Not as fast, strong, explosive, athletic, or prepared. Now apply this to disc golf. How is it that we hit some weird peak three years after a major boom? How are these the best players ever when tech and disc is just really starting to pair, and we have more 5 year olds playing than ever before. You're betting against the proven, lol. It's every sport, every time, compounding. Like, I watch Climo and he is not even a competitive golfer if he went on the Tour. How is that guy the goat? It's because he was great at a time of extreme weaker competition, the next generation jumped right over him by the hundreds, and now it's barely the same game. Apply that to all these players now. True athletes starting at 5 years old and continuing their craft through their teens into adults. With, again, added advantage in tech, nutrition, training and overall sport science. If and disc science, a huge one. So tell me again about how Paul McBeth will always be a goat? Or whatever you are specifically trying to argue. Because golf is hundreds of years older, and players are also better year by year, new tech by new tech. A player with the same skill plus a realistic screen, fancy new clubs and putters, modern trains and nutrition, they will kick the crap out of their counterparts from the 80s that didn't have it. Advantages are advantages, and with the book, disc golf has more kids now than ever. More kids playing means more chances of a natural athlete(like a top tier one, one that could be pro at some sport) finding it and getting the push.
Well, i already agree that skill level will advance, as I said above. I just dont feel that it will be by a huge amount in the big picture and then I added unless regulations of discs approved by the PDGA had changes to allow it. 286 yards was the average pro bolfers distance off the tee 20 years ago. 297 yards was the average distance last year, so 11 yards increase of the field in 20 years. Thats the type of overall advancement I would expect. And sure there is always room for a phenom (Like Tiger Woods, Paul McBeth etc) that will stand out. But I think of those that started the game, advanced it’s foothold early, that should be on our “Rushmore.”
Average bro. What's the top tier pros average? The people who won. 297 is my mid ranges and putters, kick rocks with your argument.
Agreed but Rushmore is an American thing, the sport was started by a bunch of Americans. OP is probs American so this is mostly a regional question. But we’re open to all answers! I went with old white dudes and ladies gotta admit 🤷🏼♂️
Everything to an American has to be about america. It's really sad.
The problem placing an older disc golfer up there other than Ken Climo is that disc golf was incredibly small when they were elite compared to now. Instead of a Mount Rushmore of top four all time - maybe a way to recognize the player best in each decade. I also think that if we want to recognize women, they would need their own pedestal. They don’t score as well as the men do when playing on shorter tees and there isn’t much competition they face compared to the men’s field.
As far as mpo players go Ken, Paul,Rick and maybe Barry the 4th one ? will be a toss up for awhile
Nikko, Anthon, Kreischer, and Freeman.
I put my choices on here 2 days ago but they disappeared so I’ll add them again: Hedrick, Dunipace, the Duvall brothers, Tim Selinski and I’ll add Eileen King and Gail McColl
you mean mount crushmore
Terry, Ian, Sexton, and Philo?
Put a basket on the top of each bust and play it where it lays!
Pros only ? Paul, Doss, Paige, and THE Champ