PDGA # 4297

Referred to simply as “The Champ”, Ken Climo of Clearwater, Florida is easily the greatest disc golfer to have ever played the game. His record of 9 consecutive World Championship titles (1990-1998) is likely to never be broken. Ken has been named by the PDGA as their Player of the Year an amazing 7 times and he is the all-time leader of both points and money earned on the Pro Tour.

Ken’s career began 13 years ago and he has since established a reputation as one of the most fierce competitors in any sport. In his first trip to the World Championships in 1989, he placed 5th among the best golfers in the game at that time. Not satisfied with a 5th place finish, he returned the following year

and won his first World Championship title. The streak had begun and he continued to dominate Disc Golf’s most prestigious event for nearly a decade.

In 1999, Ken won an incredible 14 times. He finished second 3 times including the World Championships where he lost by only 4 shots.
His wins came at the:

Florida Triple Crown/Leg 2 Melbourne, FL
Florida Triple Crown/Leg 3 Orlando, FL
Sarasota Springtime Open Sarasota, FL
Gator Country Classic Gainesville, FL
Motherlode Grass Valley, CA
Browns and Bows Grass Valley, CA
Melbourne Open Melbourne, FL
Greater Peoria Open Peoria, IL
Kansas City Wide Open Kansas City, KS/MO
Discraft Great Lakes Open Ann Arbor, MI
Toronto Island Open Toronto, ONT
United States Disc Golf Championship Rock Hill, SC
Southern California Championships LaMirada, CA
Veteran’s Park Open Arlington, TX

Not only is Ken the man to beat in the United States, he has also established himself overseas traveling to Japan on 3 occasions. For Ken it was 3 appearances and 3 wins at the Japan Open, Japan’s premier event.

In 1997, Innova decided to create a new line of high-performance golf discs, designed specifically to meet the needs of the world’s best players. It seemed logical that the best discs on the market wear the name of the most accomplished player in the game. The K.C. Pro Series was established and quickly became the most popular discs on tour. Today, Ken’s line consists of the KC Aviar, Roc, Cheetah, Gazelle, Banshee, Eagle, TeeBird, Leopard and Whippet.

Ken suggests that new players focus on learning control before power. Developing greater accuracy from all ranges is essential to shooting lower scores. He recommends the following discs for beginners:
Driver: Gazelle (light weights such as 150class or mid 160’s)
Mid-Range: Shark
Putter: Aviar
Roller: Stingray
Distance: Eagle (light weights)

If you were to catch up with him at his home course in Clearwater (Cliff Stevens Park) he’d likely be throwing Aviars, Rocs, Gazelles and TeeBirds.