Van life is hard for pro disc golfer in town for disc golf championship

Professional disc golfer John Willis, 24, had his most profitable year last year and earned $10,000 playing the sport. He lives in a mini-van and was in Columbia County readying himself for a tournament in Appling, which begins Thursday.

Date: April 12, 2022

John Willis is in the Augusta area pursuing his dream of being a pro golfer.

No, he isn’t here for the Masters tournament. He’s here to compete in Professional Disc Golf Association’s inaugural Champions Cup, which begins in Appling Thursday.

And unlike the swank green jacket affair where pro golfers rent out palatial homes around Augusta for tens of thousands of dollars, Willis is living the van life in a 2003 Oldsmobile Silhouette with 150,000 miles that he received as a gift from another disc golfer.

For the last seven years Willis, 24, has been a professional disc golfer. Last year was his most profitable year. He earned $10,000.

It’s an income well below the poverty line and the Tyler, Texas native has a system for saving cash. 

Monday is wash day.

John Willis, a professional disc golf player, leans on the hood of his touring van, which is home about 10 months of the year. The Tyler, Texas, native is in Columbia County for a national disc golf tournament, which starts Thursday in Appling. Staff photo by Joshua B. Good.

As the tourists and professional golfers left town, Willis rolled into the parking lot of a Martinez laundromat. He stuffed as many clothes as he could into one washer to save quarters. Same for when he dried his few clothes.

His van came with a solar panel to power the roof vent. The dark blue mini-van gets really hot in the sun and the electric roof vent cools down his mobile home significantly.

He also saves money by avoiding perishable food.

“It’s tough. You have to let go of most things when you move to the van,” he said. “I’ve delved into a new world of canned meats.”

When he has a little extra cash, he splurges on chocolate milk and sandwich meat, but keeping his cooler filled with ice eats into his gas money.

Willis said he began playing disc golf at the age of 2. His father introduced him to the sport. When he turned 18, he hit the road. He paid for tournament entry fees with money he saved up working as a cook in Tyler. Knowing how to cook makes surviving on canned meat all the harder.

After making friends on the road and on the links, another disc golfer, Luke Samson, gave Willis the mini-van for free. Samson had gotten a sweet sponsorship deal that included a new motor home. 

Willis outfitted the van with shelving. He has a foam mattress, a cast-iron skillet, aluminum pot, a small propane stove and a powerful heater and air-conditioning. Much of the space in his van is taken up by athletic equipment, including shoes, bags – especially bags filled with chalk for soaking up hand sweat – and of course an assortment of colorful discs.

Professional disc golfer John Willis has the tools of his sport ready for play. Willis, 24, was in Columbia County this week to compete at the Professional Disc Golf Association Champions Cup tournament at the International Disc Golf Center in Appling. Play begins Thursday. Staff photo by Joshua B. Good.

Willis said his sponsor, Millennium Golf Discs, gave him free discs, which he sells to fans during tournaments. His entry fees cost about $5,000 a year, and with his highest income being $10,000, he lives frugally during the off-season winter months and saves the money he earns as a cook. Then he goes right back out on the road.

He isn’t a top-ranked pro. He estimates there are about 400 to 500 other American pro disc golfers ranked higher. In the Appling tournament, 83 men players are ranked higher than Willis. But the game and the friendships make the hardships easy to handle, he said.

“We are all competitors on the course. But we’re all grinding, trying to make it, so we help each other to make it along the way,” Willis said.

And, he said, if he does break into the top 50 and land his own sweet deal, he will gladly pass on the mini-van to a struggling disc golfer for free.

The Champions Cup disc golf tournament, a Professional Disc Golf Association professional-only match, begins Thursday at 8 a.m. at the International Disc Golf Center, 3828 Dogwood Lane in Appling. For information go to: https://www.pdga.com/tour/event/55451

Joshua B. Good is a staff reporter covering Columbia County and military/veterans’ issues for The Augusta Press. Reach him at joshua@theaugustapress.com 

What to Read Next

The Author

Comment Policy

The Augusta Press encourages and welcomes reader comments; however, we request this be done in a respectful manner, and we retain the discretion to determine which comments violate our comment policy. We also reserve the right to hide, remove and/or not allow your comments to be posted.

The types of comments not allowed on our site include:

  • Threats of harm or violence
  • Profanity, obscenity, or vulgarity, including images of or links to such material
  • Racist comments
  • Victim shaming and/or blaming
  • Name calling and/or personal attacks;
  • Comments whose main purpose are to sell a product or promote commercial websites or services;
  • Comments that infringe on copyrights;
  • Spam comments, such as the same comment posted repeatedly on a profile.