We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cole Redalen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cole below.

Alright, Cole thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

There is a way more to learn in the sport of disc golf than I could have ever imagined. Between the mental and physical sides of the game; it will challenge your body, mind, temperament, and character. Many will say the game of disc golf is 80%, some even 90% mental. They perceive the game as rather simple in a physical sense. The goal of the game might be the most simple out there, but most challenging above all else. The game of disc golf is about staying fully engage in your mind. You must control every thought that rings present for a 2-4 hour period during competition. It will mentally exhaust you as each throw feels like its own individual puzzle. It’s certainly a mind game! I believe perfecting the physical movements can tremendously improve your performance, however it will only get you so far. The game of golf is all about putting things in perspective. Thinking about what lies ahead and not behind. Our minds become so quickly trapped in the past based on the mistakes we often make on the course. Golfers have to learn to perform in every possible circumstance: weather, course conditions, equipment, card mates etc.

I played a lot of sports growing up and my personal favorite was basketball. In basketball, you have the same team, same court, same temperature, and the same plays to run every game. It’s easy to get comfortable in that consistency. In the outside very slow paced sport of disc golf, you can’t just run through adversity with effort. You can’t change the tide of the game by grabbing the ball and scoring with a new found energy. In disc golf, you have to mentally prepare and adjust to every possible circumstance. Examples being: After a bad shot, how do you react? When the weather is cold and wet, how do we mentally block out the discomfort of our surroundings? When we can’t throw any good shots, how do we evaluate mid-round and get back on track? All of these things must be learned through professional experience.

At the professional level, you learn to tap into a “flow state”. This is a headspace that carries you through each round with the necessary control, confidence, and tempo. That is the biggest challenge and advantage a golfer can have. The goal every round is to find a way to tap into that state. That’s why you see all these incredible records being broken all the time. Athletes are continuing to identify ways to maximize their potential and tap into the flow of their sport.

In August of 2023, I experienced this highest possible level of flow state. I had never won an event on the Disc Golf Pro Tour, but was primed for the big moment. After the first 3 rounds of competition, I was leading the event by 4 strokes. 18 holes to play, all the nerves, around a lake, in the rain, with slick mud on the ground. It was terrible conditions for the outcome I was so desperately wanting. I quickly realized that was also my biggest asset. I came up with this rhythm and routine in my head that I executed every time I walked up to my next shot. No matter if it was good or bad, I stuck to my flow. I let the other players get frustrated about their own circumstances. When I made a deal with myself to say “only control the variables you can, and let go of what you cannot”, I was able to relax and think clearly. Even through all of the nerves of the moment, I was able stick to it and stay confident in my flow state. I ended up firing off a -14 course record tying score to win the event by 5 shots. My first victory on the Disc Golf Pro Tour with comfortable margin. The power of your mindset and the perspective you give yourself, can mean the difference between winning and losing. Disc Golf is a game played against yourself.

Cole, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Cole Redalen, I am 19 years old, and I am a professional disc golfer traveling full time on the Disc Golf Pro Tour. I was born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina until I was 8 years old. In 2012 my family moved to Hillsboro, Oregon where I reside now. I was homeschooled for most of my life, 1st grade all the way till high school graduation. I have incredible supportive parents and an older brother about to go into the Marines. We have 2 dogs to keep us company and run outside on our property.

I have always been the athlete type participating in all different kinds of sports: soccer, baseball, basketball, tennis, swimming, track and field, gymnastics, and parkour. Once we moved to Oregon I really took on a love for basketball. While playing basketball, I discovered disc golf in 2015. Disc golf started as a weekend hobby with the family playing small local tournaments and learning together. Unfortunately, because I was homeschooled, I could not play for the school I wanted unless I attended it. I tried out for the local public school, but had a difficult time with the leadership and environment. I was forced to make the sad decision to quit competitive basketball at the beginning of 2019. At that time, I had been investing into disc golf a bit more anyway. I had moved into the advanced division in tournaments and started winning. In November of 2019, I traveled to Austin, Texas for the National Amateur Disc Golf Championships where I accepted cash payout for the first time! I officially became a professional disc golfer at 15 years old.

In the year 2020, I only played locally signing up for the professional division in every event I competed in. Taking home 5 wins in professional division my first year! In 2021, I signed my first deal with a major disc manufacturer to start playing on the Disc Golf Pro Tour. I traveled part time all year with my mom trying to gain experience at the highest level. With a couple good finishes I was able to sign a much better deal in 2022 beginning my first full year on tour. Towards the beginning of the second half of tour, I took a leap to purchase a 25 ft Class C RV. My mom was on the road with me at the time, so we used the remainder of that year to learn the responsibilities around taking care of a vehicle that big. 2023 turned out to be the biggest year yet! I was able to sign my second touring professional level contract and hit the road full time in the RV. By myself, at 18 years old, I drove my RV around the country playing in different cities almost every weekend. I was able to accomplish all of my goals for the year: DGPT Most Improved Player of the year award, win an event on the Pro Tour, and become a DGPT All-Star (top 12 in the world). At 19 years of age as of September, 2023 I have big ambitions for new heights and pushing the sport of disc golf to another level.

Something I want to be known for is what it means to be a professional athlete. You have to earn every bit of it. If you are going to play a sport for your job, you should treat it like your job. Not just something you do for fun and get a small paycheck on the side. Participating in many workouts with a personal trainer throughout the off season has helped immensely with stability and stamina on the course. Diet is extremely important for keeping your mind and body in sync. I have ambitions of flying to tournaments in the future and not having to ride in the RV anymore. I see a full time road warrior as a part time solution until the sport grows even more. Couch hopping and finding free places to stay isn’t the answer for a professional, productive, and healthy lifestyle. It’s not a job, it’s a lifestyle, a mentality. It’s a choice to push yourself past your own limits and show people what’s possible. I want to pave the way for a sustainable career in a young sport at a young age doing all of the necessary things to be successful. Being a professional athlete goes far beyond checking in and out of work for the day. It’s a daily lifestyle to better yourself as an individual and push others to do the same.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

What makes being a professional disc golfer so rewarding, is the ability to form your own journey. The accomplishments and trophy’s will come with the hard work; but if you are constantly fixated on the result, you will never enjoy the process. The ability to make your own schedule can be your greatest ally but also your worst enemy. Because no one is telling you to practice, the reward is so much greater. In the end, you know you are the one that got you there. Apart from the trophy’s, one of the most rewarding things is the influence I can have on peoples lives. All of the messages and in person comments about how you have made a difference it their life is incredible. I had one guy I didn’t know come up to me and talk about how winning that tournament in august brought him out of a depressed state in his life. To know I can inspire people with my life and not only my work ethic is very rewarding. The journey and influence over anything else.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Definitely the book “Golf is Not a Game of Perfect” by Bob Rotella. Because Disc Golf is very similar to Golf as a whole, it’s easy to compare the mentality of them together. Another book called the “14th Club” by Bob Rotella.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Cole_redalen
• Facebook: Cole Redalen
• Twitter: Cole_redalen

Image Credits
Disc Golf Pro Tour