Disparities in disc golf course distribution in the United States

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research questions To what extent are racial, socioeconomic and health characteristics of US counties associated with access to a specific recreational resource – disc golf courses? We contribute to the literature by using a national scope and exploring how these relationships vary along the rural-urban continuum. Research methods We use data from six sources to (1) map the county-level locations of disc golf courses, (2) provide descriptives of the sociodemographic and health characteristics for US counties, including by rural-urban distinctions and by presence/absence of at least one disc golf course and (3) show via multivariate logistic regression the relationship between these county-level variables and the presence of at least one disc golf course for US counties and by rural-urban distinction (N = 3,138). Results and findings Disc golf courses exist throughout the US, but are prevalent in the upper Midwest, the mid-Atlantic I-95 corridor, the Pacific Coast and New England. A greater proportion of urban counties have disc golf courses than rural counties. Counties are more likely to have a disc golf course as poverty and the percent of black residents decrease and as educational attainment and percent of residents under age 25 increase. However, when looking only at urban counties, the relationship between poverty and disc golf availability reverses – poverty is positively associated with the presence of a disc golf course. Healthier counties are associated with a higher likelihood of disc golf presence but do little to improve model fit. Implications The findings provide evidence in favor of both sides of an ongoing empirical debate about racial and socioeconomic inequities in access to recreational resources. At the national level, the findings support the many studies showing that poorer, black communities tend to have fewer activity-supportive resources than richer, white communities. However, the results also partially support several urban-based studies that have refuted these relationships. While contributing to this important debate, we also argue that disc golf courses can be creatively built in areas with fewer financial resources, thereby lessoning the inequities in access to health-benefiting public recreation.