The boom, the WGE, and start of your era

In 2012, three women played in Australia’s first PDGA Women’s Global Event. One event across the whole country. Three players. By 2022 that number reached a hundred women across seven events, from Perth to Sydney. The numbers kept climbing. While the pandemic accelerated the growth of the sport worldwide women did not get left behind. Female participation kept pace with overall growth, remaining steady at around 14% of the playing base even as total player numbers exploded.

And the playing standard has gone to another level. While still fragmented and geographically dispersed, the era of a single dominant player has passed. This shift was signalled when Kairi Koobakene claimed the Women’s Tour title in 2019. Players like Emma Winkworth, Toosje Frequin, Nicole McPherson and Julie O’Donoghue formed a strong base, and soon a wave of high‑level Ultimate players transitioned into disc golf and began contending regularly for top honours—Gina Hill, Sarah Lee, Sue Summers, Kirsty Murray, and Clare Hussey among them. What has emerged is a competitive field with genuine depth. Other divisions have grown too, the newly created masters division is often the largest women’s field at an event. And the pipeline is stronger. A new generation of juniors is coming through with skill, confidence, and ambition. Anita Weber, Miley Nicholson, Lily Nicholson‑Love, Charlotte Davies, and Lydia Philpott are among the names to watch as the next era of women’s disc golf in Australia continues to unfold.

A lot came together in the 2020s. COVID was part of it. Lockdowns shut down team sports and gyms and people found disc golf – something you could play outdoors with a single disc that cost less than lunch. Courses that had been sitting quietly in suburban parks for years suddenly had traffic on them.

But COVID just accelerated something that was already building. The real story is the work.

But it is not just on the course that has seen growth. Women are out the front in leadership positions ensuring women play a role in guiding our sport and across the country they are creating spaces specifically designed to bring other women in. Leagues, social days, beginner clinics, mentoring, dedicated women’s events. No one embodies this more than Sue Summers. In 2021, Sue ran Run the Chains for WGE in Perth, achieving the highest female participation ever for an Australian disc golf event. At the time Sue was on the ADG board and was president of Mundaring Disc Golf, becoming the first woman to hold the presidency of an Australian disc golf club. Currently, Sue serves on the WFDF Disc Golf Committee, where her primary focus is women’s participation, gender equity, and inclusion. Sue was integral in bringing the WFDF World team championships to Australia in 2024, taking the event to the next level as co-TD with husband Ken Summers. 

The Women’s Global Event has been a valuable stepping stone for new female TDs: in 2022, five of the seven Australian WGE events were run by women. Women are also leading the country’s largest tournaments. In 2024, Michelle Shultz of SA won the inaugural Tournament Director of the Year award for her work on the Eruption, widely regarded as the most sought-after event on the ADG Tour. That same year, Sharon Costa co‑TDed the Australian Disc Golf Championships in Molong, NSW and was awarded volunteer of the year award along with husband Kevin Costa for their work at Central West Disc Golf. The award nomination cited their work encouraging women across all divisions from Juniors to Masters.

Helping with the visibility of women in the sport are groups like the Birdie Babes. Run by QLDs Tenyse Dark and Ash Dooley, Birdie Babes provides a place to see women playing, to hear what women are doing to help grow female participation and to celebrate women around the country

And the women who started all of this haven’t gone anywhere. Gail P. Lynch, who was the only woman in the room when the AFA formed in 1976, is still on the Melbourne Disc Golf Club board, still securing grants, still pushing for access and inclusion fifty years on. Emilie Cameron guided the national body through its most transformative period before stepping into a general member role after 15 years as Secretary. Cassie Sweetten is still making the national team. The pioneers didn’t just start this. They’re still here.

That’s what fifty years of women in Australian disc golf looks like. 

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This year marks fifty years since a group of curious players gathered in a South Melbourne park and threw their first Frisbees. In the five decades since, women have been at the heart of Australian disc sports as players, organisers, mentors, and pioneers.

To celebrate this milestone and the 2026 PDGA Women’s Global Event, we’re telling that story in a four-part series. Each week, we’ll share a new era – from the very first throws in 1976 to the thriving community we have today. Along the way, you’ll meet the women who built this sport, often as the only woman on the card, and the new generation who are making sure that’s no longer the case.

Be sure to follow the 50 Years of Flight campaign on Facebook for even more stories, photos, and celebrations as we honour half a century of disc sports in Australia.

Whether you’ve been playing for decades or you’ve never picked up a disc, this story is yours too. The 2026 WGE runs May 15–25, and every woman who shows up is writing the next chapter. Find your nearest WGE event on our website.

We want to take a moment to thank everyone who has helped put this together. A project like this doesn’t happen without the people who capture and embody the spirit of our sport. A special thank you to Emilie Cameron, Cassie Sweetten, Gail P. Lynch, Tenyse Dark, Kingsley Flett (for his photography), and the many other photographers and historians, both known and unknown, whose images and stories help tell the story of Australian Disc Golf. Your contributions are what make something like this possible.

If you would like to help grow the game for women and girls, consider making a donation through the Australian Sports Foundation. This fundraiser is dedicated to supporting the 2026 Women’s Global Event, helping to lower barriers to entry, get more women and girls on the course, and build a future where no one has to be the only woman on the card. Every donation is tax-deductible, and every dollar goes directly toward making disc golf more welcoming and accessible for women at every level. Donate at asf.org.au/preview/back-women-s-disc-golf–wge-2026

From national champion to world stage

It was Cassie who pulled ahead and became the dominant force in Australian women’s disc golf. An eight-time Australian Women’s Champion, 2023 New Zealand Women’s Champion and the first Australian woman on the International Innova Champion Disc Team, Cassie raised the bar for what was possible in Australian women’s disc golf.

Cassie saw the benefits of training- growing stronger, throwing further and mastering the mental game. She showed what was possible and the wins and accolades flowed in. She became the first Australian female player to be sponsored (Innova), pushed for a true FPO division to be opened up on the tour and released a signature disc with help from daughter Lily. 

In 2019, Cassie and her good friend Toosje Frequin travelled to the US for 4 weeks to compete in the US Women’s Disc Golf Championships. They visited the Innova warehouse in California and then played courses we all could dream of playing like DeLa, Golden Gate Park Disc Golf Course, Maple Hill, La Mirada Disc Golf Course, Winthrop University Disc Golf Course and then headed to the US Women’s Disc Golf Championships in Virginia.

The bigger stages were still to come. In 2024, Australia hosted the WFDF World Team Disc Golf Championships at Mundaring in Western Australia. Cassie was part of the Australian team and was named Team Australia Co-Captain alongside her good friend Patrick Robinson. Unfortunately, Cassie broke her ankle in a freak accident the day before the event was to start and could not play. That didn’t stop her from taking an integral role on the team and leading by example. Australia ended up playing in the Gold Medal match against Estonia taking silver, a huge achievement from both Cassie and the Australian Team. Cassie’s contribution was summed up by Australian Manager Kris Kohout .

“Cass moved quickly past her disappointment and became an amazing leader/selector/administrator/motivator/mentor across the campaign, hobbling around in her moonboot and even caddying entire rounds for the team (not sure how that moonboot looks after trekking 35km through Aussie bushland Cass!). She was tireless and amazing as co-captain both in the lead-up and during the campaign and I for one hope the silver lining from her injury cloud is a rekindling of the fire in her belly to be a front line Sugar Glider either in Chengdu and/or Lithuania, we’re a better team with Cass leading from the front.”

Cassie was then selected to represent Australia at The World Games in Chengdu China, The first time disc golf has been included in that event in 27 years. She will again join the team as they head to Lithuania in August 2026. 

Here’s a little bit from Cassie: 

From earlier days in 2007 when I started playing all the way through to 2026 the sport has grown so much. With the help of women all over the country, our women’s divisions have grown and we are seeing higher numbers at events right across Australia. 

Women in each state are running women’s global events to encourage friends / family to come and try disc golf. Perth – Western Australia being the biggest state hosting 34 players at their last WGE Event. A huge shoutout to Sue Summers and Joanne McCamish.

We see new women players pushing for female participation and with the Australian movement of Birdie Babes created by Tenyse Dark and Ash Dooley this has really directed a new and exciting time for Australia Women’s Disc Golf.  

I can’t wait to see what’s next for women’s disc golf here in Australia.

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This year marks fifty years since a group of curious players gathered in a South Melbourne park and threw their first Frisbees. In the five decades since, women have been at the heart of Australian disc sports as players, organisers, mentors, and pioneers.

To celebrate this milestone and the 2026 PDGA Women’s Global Event, we’re telling that story in a four-part series. Each week, we’ll share a new era – from the very first throws in 1976 to the thriving community we have today. Along the way, you’ll meet the women who built this sport, often as the only woman on the card, and the new generation who are making sure that’s no longer the case.

Be sure to follow the 50 Years of Flight campaign on Facebook for even more stories, photos, and celebrations as we honour half a century of disc sports in Australia.

Whether you’ve been playing for decades or you’ve never picked up a disc, this story is yours too. The 2026 WGE runs May 15–25, and every woman who shows up is writing the next chapter. Find your nearest WGE event on our website.

We want to take a moment to thank everyone who has helped put this together. A project like this doesn’t happen without the people who capture and embody the spirit of our sport. A special thank you to Emilie Cameron, Cassie Sweetten, Gail P. Lynch, Tenyse Dark, Kingsley Flett (for his photography), and the many other photographers and historians, both known and unknown, whose images and stories help tell the story of Australian Disc Golf. Your contributions are what make something like this possible.

If you would like to help grow the game for women and girls, consider making a donation through the Australian Sports Foundation. This fundraiser is dedicated to supporting the 2026 Women’s Global Event, helping to lower barriers to entry, get more women and girls on the course, and build a future where no one has to be the only woman on the card. Every donation is tax-deductible, and every dollar goes directly toward making disc golf more welcoming and accessible for women at every level. Donate at asf.org.au/preview/back-women-s-disc-golf–wge-2026

The 2000s & 2010s: Competition begins

The Eras of Women in Australian Disc Sports 50 Years of Flying Disc Sports in Australia · 1976-2026

In the mid-2000s, disc golf in Australia started to come back to life. Australian Disc Golf Inc was formed in 2004, permanent courses started appearing across the country, and by 2007 both the Australian Disc Golf Championships and the Australian Disc Golf Tour were underway. Over the next decade, three women’s names are etched on the women’s tour trophy: Sal, Cass and Em.

They were friends and fierce rivals on the course, but just as importantly, each played an integral role in building the clubs, courses, and governance structures that allowed the sport to grow into what it is today. As Em later reflected: “We all lived in different areas, so we were often the only women playing and organising at local events. At the bigger tournaments it was really great to come together and actually compete against each other.”

Sally Hill was there from the beginning of the Sydney revival. Coming across from Ultimate, she was part of a group (including Albert Munoz, Luke Williams and Kurt Karlsson) that would set up a temporary course at Macquarie Uni, including a shot through the fountain. Sal won the tour in 2008, 2009, 2014 and 2015. In 2016 she was one of four players to represent Australia at the WFDF World Team Championships in Vancouver, and she later played a role on the inaugural ADG High Performance Committee, helping shape Australian teams.

Cassie Sweetten (née Anderson), from Geelong, found disc golf on a trip to Queenstown with now-husband Jarrath Sweetten. They came back and, with friends Andrew Ferguson and Patrick Robinson, founded Geelong Disc Golf, eventually getting a local course in the ground. She was the inaugural winner of the Australian Tour in 2007. She started her run at the championships well, with wins in 2007, 2008, and three more in those first ten years (2012, 2014 and 2015), but stay tuned for what came next!

Emilie Cameron took up disc golf with husband Jonathan Jonas during a two-year stay in New Jersey, USA. Playing with the Disc Devils at Rutgers University, Em found a welcoming local scene and, notably, a strong group of women competitors. Returning to Australia in 2010, Em helped found the Newcastle Disc Golf Club and they soon had a course in the ground with more on the way. At the national championships that year, when no one else put their hand up, Em became Secretary of ADG and held the position for the next fifteen years. 

During that time she played a critical role in shaping the direction and position of ADG, consistently ensuring that women’s voices were represented across committees and decision-making spaces, even when that meant joining them herself. Em won the tour for four consecutive years (2010–2013) and was the highest-placed Australian woman at the national championships in 2010 and 2011, finishing behind a visiting US pro. One of her favourite disc golf memories remains taking the box from Valerie Jenkins after Val’s tee shot landed on a boat! Em finally claimed the national crown in 2016. Her nomination for PDGA Women’s Disc Golf Week in 2023 described her as “a wonderful and trusted mentor for women right across the country, who all feel comfortable contacting Em if they have any question on matters of disc golf.”

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In the mid-2000s, disc golf in Australia started to come back to life. Australian Disc Golf Inc was formed in 2004, permanent courses started appearing across the country, and by 2007 both the Australian Disc Golf Championships and the Australian Disc Golf Tour were underway. Over the next decade, three women’s names are etched on the women’s tour trophy: Sal, Cass and Em.

They were friends and fierce rivals on the course, but just as importantly, each played an integral role in building the clubs, courses, and governance structures that allowed the sport to grow into what it is today. As Em later reflected: “We all lived in different areas, so we were often the only women playing and organising at local events. At the bigger tournaments it was really great to come together and actually compete against each other.”

Sally Hill was there from the beginning of the Sydney revival. Coming across from Ultimate, she was part of a group (including Albert Munoz, Luke Williams and Kurt Karlsson) that would set up a temporary course at Macquarie Uni, including a shot through the fountain. Sal won the tour in 2008, 2009, 2014 and 2015. In 2016 she was one of four players to represent Australia at the WFDF World Team Championships in Vancouver, and she later played a role on the inaugural ADG High Performance Committee, helping shape Australian teams.

Cassie Sweetten (née Anderson), from Geelong, found disc golf on a trip to Queenstown with now-husband Jarrath Sweetten. They came back and, with friends Andrew Ferguson and Patrick Robinson, founded Geelong Disc Golf, eventually getting a local course in the ground. She was the inaugural winner of the Australian Tour in 2007. She started her run at the championships well, with wins in 2007, 2008, and three more in those first ten years (2012, 2014 and 2015), but stay tuned for what came next!

Emilie Cameron took up disc golf with husband Jonathan Jonas during a two-year stay in New Jersey, USA. Playing with the Disc Devils at Rutgers University, Em found a welcoming local scene and, notably, a strong group of women competitors. Returning to Australia in 2010, Em helped found the Newcastle Disc Golf Club and they soon had a course in the ground with more on the way. At the national championships that year, when no one else put their hand up, Em became Secretary of ADG and held the position for the next fifteen years. 

During that time she played a critical role in shaping the direction and position of ADG, consistently ensuring that women’s voices were represented across committees and decision-making spaces, even when that meant joining them herself. Em won the tour for four consecutive years (2010–2013) and was the highest-placed Australian woman at the national championships in 2010 and 2011, finishing behind a visiting US pro. One of her favourite disc golf memories remains taking the box from Valerie Jenkins after Val’s tee shot landed on a boat! Em finally claimed the national crown in 2016. Her nomination for PDGA Women’s Disc Golf Week in 2023 described her as “a wonderful and trusted mentor for women right across the country, who all feel comfortable contacting Em if they have any question on matters of disc golf.”

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This year marks fifty years since a group of curious players gathered in a South Melbourne park and threw their first Frisbees. In the five decades since, women have been at the heart of Australian disc sports as players, organisers, mentors, and pioneers.

To celebrate this milestone and the 2026 PDGA Women’s Global Event, we’re telling that story in a four-part series. Each week, we’ll share a new era – from the very first throws in 1976 to the thriving community we have today. Along the way, you’ll meet the women who built this sport, often as the only woman on the card, and the new generation who are making sure that’s no longer the case.

Be sure to follow the 50 Years of Flight campaign on Facebook for even more stories, photos, and celebrations as we honour half a century of disc sports in Australia.

Whether you’ve been playing for decades or you’ve never picked up a disc, this story is yours too. The 2026 WGE runs May 15–25, and every woman who shows up is writing the next chapter. Find your nearest WGE event on our website.

We want to take a moment to thank everyone who has helped put this together. A project like this doesn’t happen without the people who capture and embody the spirit of our sport. A special thank you to Emilie Cameron, Cassie Sweetten, Gail P. Lynch, Tenyse Dark, Kingsley Flett (for his photography), and the many other photographers and historians, both known and unknown, whose images and stories help tell the story of Australian Disc Golf. Your contributions are what make something like this possible.

If you would like to help grow the game for women and girls, consider making a donation through the Australian Sports Foundation. This fundraiser is dedicated to supporting the 2026 Women’s Global Event, helping to lower barriers to entry, get more women and girls on the course, and build a future where no one has to be the only woman on the card. Every donation is tax-deductible, and every dollar goes directly toward making disc golf more welcoming and accessible for women at every level. Donate at asf.org.au/preview/back-women-s-disc-golf–wge-2026