Disc golf’s rising star: Isabella County’s Luke Taylor eyes the top

The temporal limitation of athletic success is generally well known and accepted, as the vast majority of high school athletes don’t go on to compete in college. Fewer still make the leap from the collegiate level to professional athletics.

However, in rare cases, there are top talents who skip the intermediate step altogether, going directly from high school to the professional level. 

Luke Taylor, an Isabella County resident and recent graduate of Sacred Heart Academy, is one of these talents. 

Courtesy Disc Golf Pro TourTaylor finished 27^th this year in the Disc Golf Pro Tour world rankings, at the age of 18. While he’s still young by professional disc golf standards, Taylor has been around the sport for over a decade, playing in his first tournament when he was just eight years old, and achieving his first tournament victory at the age of 12. 

Since then, his talent and dedication have landed him near the top of the internationally popular sport—a rise which is showing no signs of slowing. 

“I had a very successful season [this year] that certainly exceeded my expectations,” says Taylor. “I ended up tying for fourth at the Professional Disc Golf World Championships this year, and it was a huge moment for me … I had the utmost confidence in my game at that point in time and just believed that this is where I’m supposed to be.” 

Despite the contrast between his age and the level of success he has experienced so far, Taylor is far from complacent, saying, “[I’ve seen my] success and I know there’s another level, and there’s always something else to push for. I’m always seeking to better my best, both mentally and physically, in this game.”  

Each level of a given sport is harder to reach than the one preceding it, and each success carries its own weight, compounded with all that achieved before it.

Taylor readily admits this, saying, “I think the more success you see, the more pressure you put on yourself to perform like that every time … you know that people are watching and kind of expect you to be up there every week.” 

After the consistent pressure of a full season on the pro tour, the offseason provides Taylor with a reprieve, with valuable time to reflect and refocus on his goals for the next year.

“The biggest focus for me during the offseason is to try to get back to being the top-ten player I was during the pinnacle of my season and try to make that the new norm going into next year,” he says.

To have goals of being top-ten in the world in any endeavor requires a special amount of talent. However, talent can be wholly insignificant without the comparable mental profile to manage it. 

Taylor’s mentality is more than sufficient to make the most of his talent. 

“It takes a long time to get to where you want to be,” he says about the mental side of his game. “But if you’re obsessed with the game, and you truly believe that you can go somewhere, then just put in the work and you will see results. I can speak from experience this year, seeing the practice finally pay off.”

Consistent success for Taylor has brought—and will surely continue to bring—increased popularity, attention, and earnings. Yet, through all the changes, he remains enamored with the sport.

“Disc golf is a part of me in a very real way. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without this sport. [In my basement], I have six racks filled with plastic circles. Most people might see that and say ‘oh, this kid is weird,’ but I see it as just hundreds of opportunities waiting to take place on the course,” Taylor explains.

Taylor makes it clear that his purpose has been aligned with his passion when it comes to disc golf. 

“This sport is a really special part of my life and the life of my family,” Taylor adds. “I wouldn’t be the person I am, and I wouldn’t have learned the lessons I have without the sport. Tour or not, career or not, this sport is a part of me.”