If you look at the gender divide in disc golf, female disc golf players are few and far between. Currently, women make up less than 10% of the professional disc golf player population. But don't despair! The sport has come a long way since its beginnings, and each year, more and more women are getting involved.
An added bonus of growing the sport and including more women: disc golf lists like these will become more popular and hopefully inspire recreational players to follow more badass female disc golf pros.
In no particular order, let's dive into our favorite female disc golf pros who absolutely crush it on the course!
11 Badass Female Disc Golfers
1. Paige Pierce
We'll start things off with World Champion Paige Pierce, one of the best female disc golf players in the game. Born in Plano, TX, she has played disc golf since the age of 4. In 2009, she entered the professional world and took it by storm when she began touring as a pro disc golfer not even a year later.
Paige's signature style combines a slow walk-up with an explosive and powerful swing. She's super detailed about her technique and focuses on building muscle memory for slight changes.
Her timing is impeccable. Her top three tips for beginners: "Stick to your game, don't throw what everybody else is throwing, and don't aim for the basket; aim for the ground."
Paige is a badass not only for her accomplishments and sharing of wisdom but also for her beliefs regarding thePDGA treatment of women's divisionsand advocacy for positive change.
Paige's two favorite discs are the Rubber Blend Fierce and her ESP Passion.
2. Catrina Allen
Catrina recently won the Las Vegas Challenge, making it the 11th Disc Golf Pro Tour win for her and her first win as a DGA-sponsored player. Her steady grind of "Wake up, gym, fieldwork, and putting" has clearly paid off!
Before disc golf, Catrina was a bartender and got into the game through a friend. She took to disc golf quickly, and as an amateur, she was initially sponsored by DGA. In 2011, she went pro and never looked back. Catrina has racked up accolades and first-place titles such as PDGA World Championship 2014 and the Scandinavian Open and European Open in 2015.
3. Kristin Tattar
Kristin Tattar signed a four-year deal with Lat 64 for half a million dollars and is one of the world's best-paid disc golf professionals. She started playing in 2014, and within a year, she was considered one of the best in her home country of Estonia. Her hard work and talent paid off because only 5 years later, she won her first Major title at the USWDGC.
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She is an incredible competitive player to watch, so keep an eye out for her and her excellent putting power. She admittedlydoesn't throw full force at competitions, which is crazy to think about what her full power could look like!
Kristin also has a daughter she hopes to bring to future tournaments to inspire her to dream big!
4. Keiti Tätte
Another Estonian on our list, Keiti, has been making waves. She won the 2021 Estonian Championships, the Estonian Pro Tour in 2020 and 2021, and the Baltic Disc Golf Championships in 2019 and 2021.
She is a significant contender that is definitely worth keeping an eye out for! She's a massively smooth player who has been able to hold her own against fellow Estonian Kristin Tattar.
Keith favors straight tunnel shots and anhyzer putter shots and is currently sponsored by Lat 64. She's a self-proclaimeddisc golf addictand pushes herself with "the soul of an athlete."
Just for fun: Here's a clip of her effortless, jaw-dropping426-foot ace.
5. Eveliina Salonen
Hailing from Finland, Eveliina Salonen is a highly talented player who has won several championships at a young age. Because of this, Innova asked her to join as a sponsored player in 2017.
She started playing disc golf at the age of 12 and has quickly established herself in the professional world with her determined attitude and killer sidearm throws. She considers versatility to be her biggest strength.
Eveliina is encouraged by the number of women in disc golf, especially in Finland, where disc golf is gaining significant traction. In her free time, she likes to stay active with floorball and golf (ball golf, that is). She used to play ice hockey, soccer, and motocross when she was younger- what can't she do?!
5. Henna Blomroos
If you've heard of Eveliina Salonen, then you've gotta be following her bestie and competitive rival, 2021 European Disc Golf Champion Henna Blomroos.
Her three favorite discs are the Star Destroyer for max distance, Roc3 for shot shaping, and the Classic Aviar for putting. Henna is also sponsored by Innova, and we'll hopefully be seeing a lot of her in the US.
Henna's form is killer, and she's able to get a ludicrous amount of distance, making her one of our favorite female disc golf pros in the game.
6. Sarah Hokom
2012 World Champion Sarah Hokom is known for her unique and beastly forehand and is a top 10 FPO player. Her confidence and individual style have made her a standout competitor. Many things make Sarah a badass, but one major event comes to mind.
In 2015, Sarah was in a car accident where she was rear-ended at nearly 50mph on her way to Deer Lakes Park, resulting in her missing two holes and eventually losing to Paige Pierce by a single stroke.
Then, in 2021, she had to withdraw from the DD Open National Tour Event due to an impinged nerve in her throwing arm.
After some much needed rest and recovery, she's back. Not one to be kept down; we know we'll see some strong performances (more backhand, hopefully) this year.
She's also a badass in our book for calling out thegender and pay gap in professional disc golf.
7. Missy Gannon
Discraft Elite Team member Missy Gannon closed out an epic year of disc golf with wins at the Throw Pink Women's Disc Golf Championship and the Disc Golf Pro Tour Championship, which puts her at the top all-time FPO single-season earning record ($67,029).
Like many of the stars on our list, she has an athletic background. She played volleyball, basketball, and softball growing up. Missy Gannon is also an ambassador for Uplay, a non-profit that promotes health and well-being in communities through educational disc golf programs!
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Her tagline, "Missy Don't Miss," is a definite promise. We know the Gannon Cannon will crush things in 2024!
8. Kona Panis
Kona Panis signed a 4-year, $500K deal with Dynamic Discs at the start of 2022. If that amount sounds familiar, that's because it's similar to Lat 64's deal with Kristin Tattar. She is a badass because she asks for what she knows she deserves. It's a big deal for the women's division!
She's coming off a hot 2021 season where she won the DGPT All-Stars event and the Waco Annual Charity Open. She's a super consistent player and has significant distance, and we hope to see some incredible stuff from her in 2024. She's feelingsuper confident, and why shouldn't she? She's also well known for her strong off-season work ethic.
With her Dynamic Discs partnership, Kona also advocates for growing the sport with youth disc golf and will be devoted to furthering her already strong social media game.
9. Ella Hansen
She's had some hot success in a short time, which places her on our list as someone to keep an eye out for. Currently signed to Team Discmania, Ella is a naturally talented athlete (from her Ultimate background) who played a ton of sports growing up. This rising star first picked up a disc golf disc in 2019 but has a background in Ultimate Frisbee at the University of Oregon.
In such a short amount of time, Ella signed up for tournaments on the West Coast and showed regular podium finishes. With Discmania's support, she hopes to promote the sport and develop her skills. She's hopefully well on her way to dominating the disc golf scene; did you see her massive550-foot rollerfrom the 2021 Portland Open?
Curious about her nickname "One Throw Ella"? It refers to her ability to throw a disc and nail a teammate in the end zone with one throw. She was a Callahan Award finalist, a prestigious MVP award given to one male and female player in the USA Ultimate collegiate division.
10. Juliana Korver
When it comes to professional female disc golf players, 5-time World Champion and Disc Golf Hall of Famer Juliana Korver is an established, inspirational badass who we are excited to see this year. She's a fountain of wisdom that we feel deserves a spot on our list for potentially being an incredible mentor to the newcomers.
When it comes to disc golf, women like Juliana Korver, who constantly evolve through the years, prove that there is staying power in developing your game! You can catch her talking a lot about her process, goal-setting, mindset, and mental health, which we admire. Here's her sharing"Wisdom after 10 World Championships"with Paige Pierce.
11. Heather Young
Heather Young is one rising star to watch. Not even 20 years old, she's already a high profile Lefty. Since she was sponsored by Prodigy, Heather hasn't been throwing plastic for a super long time (she started near the end of 2017 when she received her first disc for Christmas). By 2019, Heather was on the lead card at her first Disc Golf Pro Tour Event!
This homeschooled disc golfer already has a natural talent for clean putting and a strong sidearm. Her father built an 18-hole course on the 16 acres of land in Tennessee, where she learned to dominate! Heather's form is incredible, and she's already working towards putting even more power behind her distance. She will definitely be a force to be reckoned with in the near future!
Fun fact:Heather loves purple so much that she strictly carries purple discs. If it's not purple, it won't be in her bag.
12. Hailey King
This rising star recently signed to Innova at the start of 2022 for a one-year agreement. She was previously sponsored by Discraft since turning pro. In 2021, Hailey won four Elite Series evens and received first place in the National Tour points standings.
Check out her Hailey King Halo Star Mako3 and help support Hailey on tour!
Fun fact: when she started playing disc golf with her dad in Wisconsin, she took to forearm throws like a duck to water and later developed her backhand.
She's the youngest competitor to even win the PDGA National Tour Series title at the age of 19, and her effortless and powerful throws caught the eye of Dave Dunipace, who has said Hailey "plays like a warrior out there." Safe to say, we can expect to see great things come from this young gun, especially under Innova's mentorship.
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