It feels like it was just yesterday when we first heard of the Disc Golf Answer Man podcast. Bobby Brown, also known as CoolDaddySlickBreeze, started things up with 2010 PDGA World Champion Eric McCabe, a few years ago with the goal of bringing a Q&A format disc golf podcast to listeners around the world.

What started as a small idea has evolved into one of the premier disc golf media outlets for disc golfers of all skill levels. Today, Brown and McCabe are releasing their 100th episode! We talked with the podcasting duo about how the Disc Golf Answer Man went from idea to this long running show.

---

Congrats on 100 episodes of the Disc Golf Answer Man! Let’s go back to the very beginning. The first episode was released in July 2013. When did the idea for the podcast first come up and what was going through your head once it was decided it would become a reality?

Brown: “Back in 2013 I was still working on CoolDaddySlickBreeze Productions as being a source for Disc Golf Media. I had been listening to podcasts on other subjects and the idea came to me to have a Disc Golf podcast. When I searched for Disc Golf podcasts I found a couple of podcasts to listen to, The Local Route and Disc Golf Talk Radio. I found that they had plenty of good content but, a few podcasts that I listened to were more like question and answer type shows. I thought this format would work very well with Disc Golf. I had known Eric McCabe since 2009 and so I asked him about being on a podcast. Eric being the Disc Golf Ambassador that he is, quickly agreed to be part of the project.”

Over those first few episodes, what did you learn the most that you didn’t expect to that you’ve applied to future episodes?

Brown:
 “I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of questions that started to come in for the show. We used Eric’s connection with Dynamic Discs and his already built up following to get the word out for the show and in the first few months we would get a handful a questions. In the beginning it was not hard to get through all the questions in one short episode. Now, we have so many questions per week that we are months behind on answering them. It is a nice problem to have.”

How long does it take you to fully produce a show? We’re talking prep, recording, editing, etc…

Brown: 
”In the beginning it did not take long at all. I would just call Eric and read the questions and he would answer them. We slowly started to incorporate interviews from pros and that takes a little longer to produce. It takes about an hour or so to record, then about 2 hours for editing, adding music, and writing up the blog post that goes with that episode.”

Did either of you have any podcast or broadcasting experience going into this? Knowing what you do now, do you wish you started sooner?

McCabe:
 “Aside from a handful of radio interviews, I didn’t have any experience in broadcasting. I had, at that point, listened to a few podcasts, but that’s about it. Part of me wishes we would’ve started earlier, but I feel our timing was perfect.”

Brown:
 “Other than a Mass Communications class I took in high school a long time ago, everything that I have done with Disc Golf media has been self-taught. I learned about podcasting from other podcasts that I listened to and reading articles online. I don’t think starting sooner would have been a benefit. I think everything has worked out really well so far. I was glad that once I was hired by Dynamic Discs back in 2014 that they allowed me to continue to pursue this medium of communication.”

What do you have planned for the next 100 episodes? What are some things that you’ve been wanting to do, but haven’t had the chance to yet?

Brown:
 “After more than 100 episodes we have really noticed that we got a lot of the same questions. How do I improve my putting? How do I get more distance? We love that a lot of our listeners are new to the sport and we want to help them get better but, we also do not want to lose the interest of people that have been listening for awhile and have heard the same questions repeatedly.”

“With that in mind, we will continue to answer questions that come in but, we are going to work on a sort of a FAQ section on the site, DiscGolfAnswerMan.com. We are also going to filter through the questions more to avoid repeat questions.”

“We are also going to start having more topical segments. We just recently started this with Miles Seaborn. Miles is a Team Dynamic Discs member and has recorded several segments for the show. We plan to do this with more pros.”

“We also want to continue our relationship with Tim at MindBodyDisc.com. I had been reading Tim’s blog and was very impressed at his style of writing and his message. Early in the podcast I had reached out to Tim to see if he wanted to send me audio segments for the show. He agreed and his segments have become a very popular part of the show. If you have not been reading his blog you are truly missing out on good content.”

If you’re anything like me, you both likely have a wishlist of items you’d love to get to in regards to the podcast. What are some of these features, additions to the show, etc… that you’d love to do, but know you’re not quite there yet.

Brown: “
We want to continue to add more segments to the show so that it becomes a resource for all skill levels to learn more about improving their disc golf game, getting more disc golf courses in their area, and building a disc golf community. All of this takes time and because the podcast is only a part of what we do at Dynamic Discs it can be difficult to get all of this done.”

Early on you did some video to go along with the audio portion of the show. Any plans to bring the video back?

Brown: “
We wanted to try bring a live aspect to the show by using YouTube’s live feature. It worked out ok but, we felt like it never really caught on. The number of views did not grow much for the videos but, for the audio it was growing quite a bit. Our thoughts were that we would rather put our efforts into the audience that was growing. our take on it is that video is an active activity. A person has to stop doing other things to watch a video. Audio is a passive activity. You don’t have to stop doing other things to listen to an audio podcast. You can listen as you workout, go on a walk, or practice your disc golf game.”

Eric, from a professional’s stand point, and Bobby, from an amateur’s standpoint, how has the podcast helped your game on the course?

McCabe:
 “I personally feel it’s helped my game quite a bit. Hearing different perspectives on the mental aspect from an array of players is truly helpful. Adding Paige Bjerkaas, and Tim of Mind Body Disc, to our episodes is great. Their knowledge is much respected from my end.”

Brown:
 “I always learn something when I am working with Eric and now recently with Paige Bjerkaas. There are times when I read a submitted question, one of them will answer it, and then I will ask more about the subject based on my experience. It sort of feels like I get a free one on one clinic every time we do the show.”

What has been the best part of doing the show?

McCabe: “
For me, simply helping people understand the game better, whether it’s through rules, form issues or something as simple as disc selection. We have a lot of fun recording DGAM.”

Brown:
 “Because of our personalities we always have a great time recording the show. Another aspect I enjoy is that I actually had advice to give. We began to notice that some people were specifically asking me questions since their skill level aligned more with mine than with a touring pro like Eric.”

What about the fans? Did you ever think you’d build up such a following?

McCabe: “
I knew the potential was there when we first started, especially seeing how it was such a unique idea for a podcast. Sure, there were other Disc Golf podcasts out there at the time, but none of them offering what we were, interaction with the listener.”

Brown:
 “Our podcast listeners are awesome. Of course I was hoping that the show would be a resource for people but, I had never thought about how big it would get. I just wanted to do something positive for the sport the only way I knew how and that was through media.”

“One of the coolest aspects of our followers are the nicknames. Early on in the show I started giving Eric different nicknames for our intro. This caught on with our listeners as they would start giving us nicknames when they submitted a question. It makes me smile every time I read a new nickname.”

Finally, looking back, how does it feel to know you’ve taken this idea to and turned it into something quite successful?

McCabe: “
It’s amazing, but I will say, we couldn’t do it without the help of Dynamic Discs, and of course, the friends and supporters of the show…the Disc Golf Community.”

Brown:
 “It is an awesome feeling to know that people listen to our show to learn and be entertained. When I travel for Disc Golf and people approach me and thank me for the show I am flattered and humbled that our show reaches out to so many people.”

Anything else you guys want to include?

Brown: “We are very excited about what is in store for the Disc Golf Answer Man in 2016. Having Paige Bjerkaas here in Emporia and on the show has added a new level to the advice you can receive when submitting a question. We hope to be able to continue to add more and more content to the show so our listeners can learn to improve their disc golf game.”

“We both want to thank all of our listeners for all their support and keep those questions coming in!”

---

Listen to Episode 100 of the Disc Golf Answer Man:

Congrats to both Bobby Brown and Eric McCabe!

The post Disc Golf Answer Man podcast celebrates 100 episodes appeared first on All Things Disc Golf.