PDGA tightens bylaws, bars former staff from board races for five years

The Professional Disc Golf Association has put more distance between its staff and its boardroom, adding a five-year cooling-off period for former employees and independent contractors who want to seek a first term on the Board of Directors. The change raises the bar for who can move from running the sport day to day to helping govern it at the top.

Under the updated bylaws, no former employee or independent contractor of the corporation may run for election to a first term on the board for five years after the end of employment or contract service. The rule does not apply to independent contractors whose work is seasonal, gig-based, or event-based in nature, a carveout that preserves eligibility for the kinds of short-term roles common around tournaments and one-off assignments.

The PDGA said the May 22 bylaws update more precisely reflected the intent of the board’s January 26 revision, rather than signaling a brand-new policy direction. The earlier language had been framed differently, including a shorter disqualification period and references to termination for cause. The practical result of the new text is cleaner and stricter: a longer wait before anyone with recent operational ties can seek a seat that helps oversee the organization they once served.

That matters because the PDGA’s bylaws are not just housekeeping. They are the governing document for the corporation, whose main purpose is the promotion and governance of disc golf. The board’s job is strategic planning, oversight of the budget and operations, and hiring and evaluating the Executive Director. By extending the gap between staff work and board eligibility, the association is drawing a firmer boundary between those who execute policy and those who are supposed to supervise it.

The move fits a broader governance overhaul. In 2024, the board approved a full rewrite and modernization of the bylaws, describing it as the largest change since the original bylaws were approved two decades earlier. That rewrite was aimed at making the document easier to read and clarifying the separation between board leadership and paid staff. The May 22 update reads like another step in that same direction, reinforcing the idea that independence in oversight matters as much as experience.

The timing also places the rule squarely inside the 2026 election cycle. PDGA elections run from July 1 through July 31, with elected candidates taking office on September 1. The first call for candidates falls on April 1, and members current as of June 25 receive ballot instructions in the first week of voting. For members, the consequence is straightforward: the field of eligible board candidates is narrower now, and some of the most experienced recent staff and contractor voices will have to wait before they can seek a vote.