2023 In Review: 10 Years In The Making - Prodigy Disc
2023 marked a decade since Prodigy Disc was announced to the disc golf world, changing the landscape of professional disc golf.
Even after 10 years, 2023 was a monumental season for the Star. Here's a quick look back at just a few of the myriad highlights from the year that was.
JANUARY
We kicked off the season with a brand refresh, updating our logo suite to have a more modern, sleek, and professional look. The colors remained true to what you have known as Prodigy, but with a more vibrant look and feel. The start of 2023 was also an opportunity to reevaluate our supply chain and pricing, and we took the bold action of LOWERING prices across all plastic types.
Kevin Jones got his season started with a victory at the 2023 MX Disc Golf Championship in Mexico.
FEBRUARY
The first edition of the Prodigy Club box made its way into members' hands. Prodigy Club is a premium curated quarterly subscription that launched in 2023. Through four boxes in the first year, Prodigy Club members received two unreleased discs, several pre-release discs, exclusive apparel and accessories, and more new artwork than we care to count.
Cale Leiviska got his inaugural season of eligibility in the MP40+ division by winning the Las Vegas Challenge.
MARCH
Every season's Signature Series tour fundraiser discs are a must-get. The collection in 2023 was inspired by the elegant simplicity of playing cards and highlighted our top players' personalities on the course with a two-foil card design. Earlier in March we also debuted our first 10 Year anniversary edition disc, an M4 midrange in the new Special Blend plastic.
Gannon Buhr and Cale would win their respective divisions at the Memorial Championship, and while no Prodigy player would win the Waco Annual Charity Open, Gannon did get his first Disc Golf Pro Tour Elite event victory at The Open at Austin in a final round comeback.
APRIL
Continuing to keep the brand fresh, we released our reenvisioned Stock Stamp for production discs in the Prodigy lineup. The changes allow for more creative possibilities while still communicating key information our players are looking for. Prodigy enthusiasts will see many similarities in the new stock stamp to current and past design language.
Isaac Robinson captured his first career Major title at the PDGA Champions Cup at the International Disc Golf Center in Appling, Georiga. Gannon won the DGPT Silver Blue Ridge Championship. Both players were also top 10 at the Jonesboro Open.
MAY
The Team Prodigy store officially opened, offering our Core Team members another opportunity to earn revenue, build deeper connections with fans, and have some of the best-looking and coolest disc golf gear on the market. Each item in the Team Prodigy store was designed and approved by the players to provide products they will also be wearing and throwing on the course.
May also saw the first new disc model release of the year. The ACE Line P Model OS is a beadless putter with a straight flight and pronounced fade that instantly found a spot in many players' bags.
JUNE
A second 10 Year anniversary disc was released in Special Blend plastic, the famed PA-3 putt and approach disc. We also debuted a new budget-friendly backpack, the Ascent, in a variety of eye-catching colors and patterns.
On the course, Parker Welck overcame the odds to win an Elite event at DDO in Emporia, Kansas, and Gannon won his hometown tournament, the Des Moines Challenge.
JULY
A double disc release kicked off the month, with the hotly anticipated Feedback overstable fairway driver from the Kevin Jones Prodigy Collabs Series and our most understable disc ever, the F9 fairway driver, both dropping. We also released our complete listing of updated Flight Numbers for the Prodigy lineup, and introduced Prodigy Day - a sales celebration during our founding month.
Many touring players spent several weeks during the summer in Europe, and Luke Humphries came home with a win at the European Pro Tour Järvä Open in Sweden. Gannon continued his stellar season with a win at Kansas City Wide Open.
AUGUST
The first disc in the Isaac Robinson Prodigy Collabs Series was released. The Archive is a beadless midrange that can soar effortlessly through the sky with enhanced glide, and a touch of overstability to give it unwavering accuracy. To support Parker's hometown of Lahaina, Maui in Hawaii, we made special edition black 750 Glimmer A5 approach discs with proceeds going directly to the Hawai’i Community Foundation.
In a warm-up to Pro Worlds, Ezra Robinson and Chantel Budinsky won their first DGPT events at the Jim Palmeri's 50th American Flying Disc Open in Rochester, New York. Casey Hanemayer won his first career Canadian National Championship. Gannon won his fifth DGPT event of the year at the Idlewild Open.
SEPTEMBER
Isaac Robinson won the 2023 PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Championship by two strokes at Smugglers’ Notch Resort in Jeffersonville, Vermont. It is the 22-year-old’s first World Championship and second career Major championship. He won his first Major earlier this season, the PDGA Champions Cup.
To commemorate Isaac’s historic achievement, Prodigy released three commemorative discs and new apparel as part of a Championship Collection.
OCTOBER
Prodigy Disc announced a multi-year licensing agreement with the National Hockey League (NHL®) to become the first disc golf licensee of the NHL. Prodigy will produce and market an exclusive range of licensed products featuring the League and all 32 team marks in Canada and the United States.
NOVEMBER
As a special offer, we introduced the Warehouse Sale, putting big discounts on products for the entire month of November. The Prodigy Warehouse Sale was up to 50% off select discs, apparel, and bags, with Black Friday deals early, with new products and Flash Sales dropping all month long.
Isaac and Gannon finished second and third, respectively, in the final DGPT Standings. The finishes earned both players DGPT All-Stars honors on the first card.
DECEMBER
Dalton Public Schoolsannounced the recent addition of disc golf courses to each of its schools, thanks to a collaborative effort with Prodigy Disc and Cyra's Simple Goodness. The initiative, aimed at promoting physical fitness and positive mental health among students and staff, has been met with enthusiasm from the community.
