Disc golf has long enjoyed coverage in two magazines: Disc Golf World
News, and Disc Golf Journal. Until now. The Journal is no more.
Back in July of this year, I traveled to Kansas City to cover the PDGA Disc Golf Amateur World
Championships. I was looking forward to hooking up with Disc Golf Journal
publisher Tom Schlueter, who was expected to be in town. He did indeed arrive,
but was gone by Tuesday, and rumors were flying that something big was about
to go down.
The following week, a letter arrived in the mail. In it, Schlueter announced
to his readers that he would no longer publish Disc Golf Journal. He also asked
for privacy while attending to personal matters.
Now the smoke has cleared, allowing us to find out exactly what happened, and
hear what Tom Schlueter has to say.
After eight years of work, why did you stop publishing Disc Golf Journal?
Burnout and the fact that DGJ was taking over my life -- I wasn't being the
husband and father I need to be. The two weeks after we mailed an issue was
good. I would have lots of free time and relaxed. But then the juggernaut
started again. I was relentless with always publishing on time. It became
DGJ's trademark -- consistent and always on time. I was proud of this
identity.
Was DGJ a full time job for you? What are you doing
now, and what are your future plans?
It was more than full time when we approached publishing deadlines. It was
pretty much a one-man show which contributed to the burnout. And I don't
think Ted would be insulted by my saying it was a one man show. When people
think of Disc Golf Journal they think of me because I was the front man. I
ran the business. What I really needed was an assistant, but there just
wasn't the funds to hire someone else.
Right now I'm taking care of my daughter Megan who just started
preschool. Megan is gone in the morning five days a week which gives me time
to clean house, do laundry, cook, and go to the gym. When she comes home at
noon I give 100% to her needs.
Is there a chance you'll change your mind and fire that puppy back up?
Not a chance in hell. The worst thing in the world I could do right now is
start the Journal back up. What would people think?
Who would subscribe? To be honest I'm not tickled about the way I have backed
out of the sport. But I did what I had to do for my sanity and my family.
When Megan begins Kindergarten in two years and is in school all day --
that's another story. My decision to fire the Journal back up depends on
three things -- first, does Ted even want to get back into it and can I
afford an assistant? Second, is Disc Golf World News going to change? DGJ was
always very different from DGWN. If I see DGWN hasn't changed much in the
next two years and still publishes the same kind of material, it might whet
my appetite. And third, is someone else going to step up to the plate? If
someone decides to start up a publication and gets a good foothold in the
market, I would be very reluctant to come back. There's definitely room for
two magazines -- we all know that. But I don't know about three.
Is anyone else currently looking at bringing DGJ back to life?
There was some rumors about a potential buyer in California. Unfortunately it
appears to just have been hype. I was excited about contributing my time and
effort into someone's new product to get them started, but no one seems to be
serious at this point. It's too bad. At the end of July we closed shop.
Somebody smart could have come out with at least a teaser issue in September
to scoop DGWN with Am and Pro Worlds coverage.
Give us a little history of the mag and your relationship with partner Ted Nowlin.
I've known Ted for 10 years. We grew a friendship by being golf buddies. I
learned Ted was a computer artist at Solo Cup Company and in the summer of
1990 the seeds were planted to start a new magazine the following year. Disc
Golf Journal debuted June 1, 1991 at the Edgewood Electric Open in
Cincinnati. It was a great partnership. My writing skills and managing skills
improved over time and Ted always strived to improve the look of DGJ. Ted
really flattered me by asking me to be his best man at his upcoming wedding
(October 23).
After 49 issues, your experiences with DGJ must have
produced some killer behind-the-scenes stories. Give em up!
As much as I want to, I'm not going to burn any bridges with stories of power
hungry men acting like little babies when they feel threatened and do not get
their way. One ‘Rated G’ story that has probably been forgotten by many is that
Disc Golf Journal was offered the job of producing the PDGA magazine twice.
It was difficult times and the Board was in trouble getting the publication
produced on a regular basis. This was back in the days when Dennis Byrne was
the Administrator, like around 1993. I remember calling each Board member and
asking them if it was a good idea. I think every one of them supported the
idea. But we still didn't jump at it. Do I regret it? A little. Think about
the ramifications for the future of DGWN in 1993 if we had decided to have
the PDGA bankroll us. It's always interesting to speculate about things like
that. But you can also drive yourself nuts wondering, "What if....."
You mentioned in your letter to readers that you were selling off assets
in an effort to reimburse unfulfilled subscriptions. Have you been feeling
any pressure there, or are folks giving you the benefit of the doubt?
What's the latest?
We've actually had to send out very few checks. People have been
understanding and many have written or e-mailed and have specifically stated,
"Do not send any reimbursement." Then there are the jerks who threaten to sue
and take you to small claims court over nine dollars. This one guy had three
issues left on his subscription -- nine dollars -- and he bulldozes us with a
nasty legal letter. He even had the balls to question the sincerity of my
letter.
But I've sent out a couple hundred packages of shirts, hats, and back
issues -- mostly to those subscribers who were owed the most money -- recent
subscribers who signed up for two and three years. I feel bad that I can't
mail everyone checks, but the reality is there isn't enough money in the bank
to reimburse everyone. When we got a check -- whether it was for an ad or a
subscription, it went into the pot with everything else and paid for bills.
Printing and postage costs for our publication were huge. Whether someone
signed up for one year or three years, a good chunk of that money immediately
went out the window to pay for bills.
What's your take on the future of disc golf?
I feel great about the future of disc golf. How could someone who knows
what's going in the game feel any other way? More courses are going in than
ever before. PDGA membership is at its highest. A handful of players like
Climo, Russell, and Stokely are truly making a living as professionals. And
slowly, but surely, disc golf is creeping into mainstream media with local
newspaper articles, brief tidbits in major magazines, and the occasional
video clip on a TV show.
Sure it would be great to have a million dollar tour and 100,000 PDGA
members, but that isn't likely in the near future. I think it will happen.
But it's going to be slow and steady growth. We don't want disc golf to turn
into a fad because fads can crash and burn. I think we are growing at the
proper rate.
To read a copy of Tom's July 25 letter, click here.
