A serious knee injury on an Ultimate Frisbee field in Houston, back in 2013, is not the origin story you’d expect for one of Australian disc golf’s most experienced team managers. But for Ken Summers, that’s exactly where it started.
From Ultimate to disc golf
“I used to play a lot of Ultimate Frisbee and, for a long time, I had no idea Disc Golf even existed,” Ken says. That changed in 2014, when a few friends convinced him to come along to a local disc golf league day, mostly just for a laugh.
“I didn’t expect much, but after that first round I was hooked. There was something about the mix of competition, strategy, and being outdoors that immediately clicked with me.”
At the time, Ultimate was still his main sport, and he kept playing for several more years. But the Houston injury gradually took its toll and the constant high-impact movements became harder to sustain. Disc golf offered a way to stay part of the flying disc community without the same physical demands.
“What started as a casual league night soon became my primary sport. Over time, I found myself spending less time on the Ultimate field and more time on the disc golf course.”
Looking back, Ken calls it a turning point: “That one league day in 2014 completely changed my sporting journey. I turned up expecting a bit of fun with friends and ended up discovering a sport that has become a huge part of my life.”
A team veteran
Eleven years into disc golf (and roughly 25 into Ultimate before it), Ken now heads into his fourth national campaign in a management role. He shared management duties with Jonathan (JJ) Jonas at Estonia 2019, managed the squad at Croatia 2022, served as Tournament Director for the 2024 WTDGC on home soil in Mundaring, and now leads the Masters Team into the 2026 WFDF World Team Disc Golf Championships campaign in Lithuania.
Ask him for his philosophy and you get one line that says a lot about how he approaches the role:
“Do not ask of others what you are not prepared to give yourself.”
The week before Lithuania
It’s a fitting mantra for someone juggling a full-time career alongside team management. Ken is a Cyber Security Specialist at Rio Tinto, and by his own admission, the lead-up to a campaign is anything but quiet.
“First and foremost, my day job needs to be squared away so I don’t leave my team with any headaches,” he says. In the week before departure, his focus shifts to making sure all the player paperwork is in order, keeping an eye on flights (particularly given the uncertainty around the Middle East and any potential travel disruptions) and reminding everyone to pack their team uniforms. There’s a Masters team meeting to run, one-on-one calls to make, and, in his words, “more than my fair share of coffee” to get through.
Beyond the logistics, there’s still preparation to do on the disc golf side: researching the teams in their pool, studying the courses they’ll play, and staying in regular contact with Open Manager Bryce, Coach Aaron, and the rest of the leadership group to keep everything on track.
“So no, it won’t be a peaceful week. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
What he’s looking forward to
For Ken, it comes back to the team. “Being part of a team and watching Australia shine as a squad and at individual levels. There will be highs and there will be lows, but we will all rise together.”
The people behind the manager
Ken was quick to point out that campaigns like this aren’t a one-person job, and he wanted a few people acknowledged by name.
Sue Summers, he says, is “very much my rock.” The two work together on a lot of things, and Ken values her ability to see decisions from a different angle. Her input has helped shape many of the calls made along the way.
He also singled out the team’s uniform crew — Darren, Kirsten, Gina, and Chris — for putting together a kit the squad can be genuinely proud to wear. And a special mention went to Carl Bellisini of RagTop Designs, who has had a hand in producing the majority of Australia’s national disc golf uniforms over the years. From concepts and artwork through to print-ready files, Ken credits Carl’s professionalism and creativity as invaluable to getting the team out onto the course looking the part.
Ken is one of many people working behind the scenes to get the Sugar Gliders to the start line in Lithuania. Follow along as we introduce more of the team in the lead-up to WFDF WTDGC 2026