The FlighTowel- Scott Bresee Q and A
A towel is something that is a necessity in a bag but is not usually thought about in too much depth. Usually just there to dry the discs, wipe them off, and continue your round. However, Scott Bresee and his team over at FlighTowel and revolutionized the world of Disc Golf towels. Give this article a read to learn more about Scott and the new wave of towel technology, the FlighTowel. Enjoy!
1) How did you get your start into Disc Golf?
My brother talked me into going to Cascades Gateway park on July 24, 2016. I came to the course equipped with the finest disc golf set money could buy, the Franklin sports disc golf starter set from Walmart. My go-to disc for that round was of course the Albatross (I credit that disc for almost destroying my disc golf career before it ever started), it was completely unthrowable. Seeing my frustration, my brother handed me an Innova DX Beast on hole 11. After one throw, I was hooked. It didn’t go far, it didn’t come out smooth, it didn’t even go in the right direction… but I saw the potential of what it could do, and the addiction started. A week later I was the proud owner of a Innova 5 disc starter set, which of course included the DX Beast, and I’ve been playing as much as possible ever since. I actually saved that DX Beast from my starter set and made the first FlighTowel fob out of it, I still carry it with me every round I play.
2) Who or what inspires you to continue to play?
To be completely honest, I play for my health. I am completely in love with this sport, but I push myself to go out to the course almost every day because if I don’t, it has a negative impact on my quality of life. I’ve dealt with degenerative disc disease for about 15 years, it’s something that has taken a lot from me. There was a time I enjoyed snowboarding, downhill mountain biking, tennis, ball golf, softball… but one by one they were slowly taken away due to the amount of pain each caused my back.
As I started playing disc golf on a regular basis, I noticed a very interesting side effect after my rounds. My back actually felt better! I almost couldn’t believe it, after all that I had tried. The years of physical therapy, the countless chiropractor visits, the doctors that pushed pain killers as the answer. For some reason throwing a piece of plastic in the park, walking to it, picking it up and repeating was giving me just the right amount of exercise. While I’m still in pain every day and that won’t ever change, it gets much worse without disc golf. In the last year and a half, I’ve only had my back completely go out once, compared to every one to two months before (sometimes more often). I continue to play disc golf for many other reasons as well, using it as physical therapy is at the top of the list though.
3) How did FlighTowel get its start?
As I started playing disc golf here in Oregon, I quickly noticed 3 problems, all associated with the towel used in our sport. The first was with warming up, which isn’t an optional thing for me. I was stretching good, but when doing the towel warm-up routine it just didn’t feel right. A bare towel didn’t feel like a disc in my hand, and it was too easy to pull through the air. The second problem was that I was finding towels all over the courses, some I know people paid good money for at the DG shop. Towels were just falling out of people’s pockets, which is just a waste of money and doesn’t look good on the course. Lastly, I just couldn’t find a good towel for keeping my disc dry. I went through many towels to find the perfect one, I then created the first FlighTowel from it.
I was lying in bed one night, thinking about my round from earlier, and the idea of the FlighTowel just popped in my head. It solved all three problems, I quickly got up and wrote everything down. The next day I designed the fob completely and had a working prototype within a few hours, it worked exactly as I expected, I was thrilled! I started using it right away on the course, and it really improved both my warm-up routine and game overall. I had to share it with someone, so I took it to the most experienced disc golfer I knew, Scott West. At that moment FlighTowel was born, Scott and I became partners along with my wife Amanda, and we’ve been building our business together ever since.
4) What makes FlighTowel different than other towels?
For warming up, it has a fob to hang on to that is made from a real disc, so it feels correct in your hand. The towel itself has a reinforced pocket that opens up and catches air to provide resistance during your routine. During your round, that fob you held on to for your warm up routine just happens to fit perfectly in your pocket. This allows you to easily access your FlighTowel at all times. As far as the drying capabilities, this microfiber towel is top notch. We sampled many different towels before finding the perfect one, a good towel is mandatory in the Pacific Northwest.
5) Favorite Disc?
BuzzzOS – This disc has gotten me out of trouble more times than I can count.
6) Favorite Course?
Camp Taloali DGC in Stayton, OR. This course is just gorgeous, and very well maintained.
7) What can we expect from you in 2018?
2018 is going to be exciting for sure! We just co-hosted our first tournament and had a great turnout. We plan to do many more fun tournaments this year, all at low or no cost to the players. We are also starting the FlighTowel Couples Doubles league on March 18th. This league is meant for couples that want to get out and play rounds with other couples in our area. No weekly fees, all couples and skill levels are welcome, it should be a great way to introduce some new people to our amazing sport!
We are sponsoring many players from our local area and around the country. We’ve put together a great team with many talented, positive people. We are excited to share their progress with all of our followers on Facebook and Instagram, we’re extremely proud of our team.
For products, we have a few different things coming out. We’ll be launching the FlighTowel Mini soon, it will be a great all around towel that won’t be like anything else out there. We are also adding clothing to our online store, we’ll be putting up some cool stuff designed by our own Scott West. As for the FlighTowels, we are already in the process of making an XL fob version for those with massive hands. We will also be offering custom FlighTowels for players packs and clubs, which has been a big request already.
8) What is a FlighTowel?
A disc golf towel like no other. It gives that real disc feel and great resistance during your warm up routine, stays on you during your entire round, and is a great towel for soaking up the water off your discs.
9) How do they work?
Grab the fob just like you would a disc, slowly reach back like you would to throw, them come across your body with the towel and follow through. When you pull through cleanly, the resistance pocket will open and you will feel it. After your warm up, throw the fob in your pocket and enjoy having your towel at your fingertips for your entire round.
10 ) What advice could you give to someone who wants to start their own business?
Start small, start debt free, and make sure it’s something you absolutely love. It’s going to be way more work than you ever thought, and probably more frustrating as well. It will also be one of the most satisfying things you will do in your life. That first time to see your logo on someone else’s car, or your product being used by someone you’ve never met, it’s pretty awesome. I’m still amazed that less than a year ago I had an idea that popped into my head, and today we’re shipping FlighTowels all over the country. It’s such a great feeling, everyone should experience it, take that leap and live a little!
11) Why did you get into the world of Disc Golf?
Once I started playing, I just couldn’t help myself. It started with that first round with my brother, to now having a group of 30+ friends that I throw with. The people I have met are the reason I decided to launch a disc golf related small business. The encouragement from my fellow disc golfers is just incredible, I never expected to be part of such a wonderful community of people. Disc golfers are the best!
12) Is there anything else that you would like people to know about you or FlighTowel that they may not?
Each FlighTowel is crafted by hand. No big fancy machines, just a real person making a quality product. I am so honored to be able to share my idea with the disc golf community, and elated that some many people love it! #discgolfeveryday #discgolfislife #flightowel
I would like to thank Scott for taking the time out of his day to let me ask him questions and for answering them as well! If you would like to learn more about FlighTowel you can find them at https://flightowel.com/ and on Instagram at @flightowel. Look out for more coming soon!
Picture credit goes to Scott Bresee