This story is part of a series of member spotlights, featuring players of all ages and skillsets.

• Name: Tita Ugalde Ⓗ
• Member #: 83
• Age: 62
• Hometown: Los Angeles

Favorite course: La Mirada (La Mirada Back 18, La Mirada Lake 18) because it is so beautiful year round but most especially when the jacarandas bloom. Oak Grove, after a rain, because the tree bark darkens, the leaves shimmer with droplets, and sunbeams stream through the branches. But to be fair, I have not visited all the courses and look forward to meeting new courses.

Profession: First Grade Dual Language Teacher

When and how were you first introduced to disc golf?

In 1975, (47 years ago– I was 15), the Los Angeles Frisbee Club kicked off its first gathering at the world’s first Frisbee golf course at Oak Grove Park in Pasadena, California with a Frisbee golf event. I tagged along with my three older brothers and we all learned how to play. I “borrowed” a Master Frisbee from Mario, the brother that brought Frisbee into our household. I also used a 1975 World Frisbee Championships promotional Rose Bowl Frisbee that I had just bought at the World Championships. I didn’t realize it then but it was a bit warped. Hmmm. I just might return it 😊. The LA Frisbee Club was the brilliant idea of one Dan “Stork” Roddick. This was also when I heard about the IFA– International Frisbee Association. Member #704504.

Tita with her parents after the World Flying Disc Championships in 1979.

How often do you play?

I am a weekend warrior but do try to play at least once during the week. I also dabble in freestyle and jam every so often with my 71 year old brother, Jesse, when the breeze is just right for airbrushing.

Who do you play disc golf with?

Well, I am incredibly spoiled and blessed because when I think about playing disc golf I think first of the Oak Grove Mamas. When we get together we have so much fun and we talk about everything as we golf. If it weren’t for them I would play with the legendary Stork because he has a great sense of humor. When I get Stork to chuckle that is a red letter day for me. Given I couldn’t golf with the OG Mamas or Stork, I’d want to golf with Dave Dunipace. In fact I would like to golf with Dave first. I mean, he designs the discs that I throw, he is a great coach, he is a hoot, and he makes time to golf with me. Isn’t that the definition of being blessed? 

What is your favorite thing about disc golf?

Wow. Where should I start? The fun – I never play alone. The friendships, the laughter, the exercise, the beautiful discs, the youthful feeling, the highlights, the travel, and watching the way the disc flies, even when the throw is not mine.

Honestly, it humbles me every time I play. I go out thinking that I know how to play, then the challenges begin as every day is different; the wind, the course, the discs, the choice of disc, etc., No matter how good and prepared I think I am, disc golf tends to humble me.

What makes disc golf different than other sports/hobbies for you?

I have a couple of gray hairs these days and in the time that I have been playing I have witnessed the evolution of the disc, the trees that have matured, going from object golf to baskets… everything has changed for the better. Absolutely for the better. But how often do you get to watch a sport evolve around you as you are playing it?

What is your favorite ever disc golf memory?

Remember that initial gathering at Oak Grove in 1975? That was my first Frisbee golf tournament. My first tournament was also my first win…in a sudden death playoff. I won a 141gm packaged Frisbee. My family was so happy.

A second most recent sweet memory was driving hole #9 Lakeside at La Mirada (my first ace in 1979). Since then the hole has changed but it's mostly the same downhill backhand hyzer hole. There was a wait at this hole with several people watching as I parked a disc under the basket. One of the gentleman watching asked me, “Are you on tour?” 😊 He was serious.

You are a member of the PDGA Diversity and Outreach Task Force. What made you want to be a part of this task force?

What made me want to be a part of this task force was the chance to give back because I remember growing up with the sport and it was not nearly as friendly or embracing to a female minority kid as it could have been. I persevered through, and I am happy that I did as it has added a lot to my life. But I don’t want the people, young girls, that come after me to have that same struggle to experience that same richness. So yes, by being part of the Diversity Task Force I am pushing very hard to make it easier for others to play so that they can find and enjoy the same things that I have found in my life.

What are you most excited / interested in accomplishing as a member of the task force?

I appreciate the excitement of supporting groups with their creative ideas in their efforts to reach out to newbies, teach disc golf, make connections, and grow our beloved sport.

"This [photo] is particularly Sweet because we had just returned from Emporia– the Hall of Fame induction. John, my husband, picked us up ( Mark, Susie, me) from the airport and met Stork and Janet for lunch. Stork is holding my commemorative disc."
 

Anything else you'd like to share with the disc golf community?

At our first Diversity Task Force meeting Stork asked, “Why should we care? Why should we care that BIPOC, the underrepresented, and minorities play or be introduced to disc golf?”  I said that we are that much richer as a community when we build bridges and connect people … with a piece of plastic. How cool is that?

Thank you Tita for being a PDGA member, serving on the diversity and outreach committee and sharing your disc golf experience with all of us.