Shannon and Sean Mullan had no idea the game they loved to play on the weekends would one day become part of their everyday lives, Sean said.

The childhood sweethearts began their journey into disc golf about 15 years ago when a high school friend convinced them to play, they said. Their love for the game began on that first throw.

“I was hooked by the putt on the first hole,” Sean said.

Shannon later went on to compete in multiple Professional Disc Golf Association tournaments. She competed individually starting as an amateur in 2006 and in the open women’s division in 2007. Her last professional event was in 2015 following the birth of the couple’s second son, Sean said.

In 2008, Shannon opened her own disc golf shop at Mary Moore Searight Park in South Austin. Three years later, Disc Nation offered her a job, and soon after she began managing the store. Sean came on six months later as a warehouse manager.

In July 2015, after enduring a family tragedy, the store’s previous owners sold the business to the Mullans.

“We found disc golf together, and we both saw this as an opportunity for us to do something that we love to do,” Sean said. “We had no idea that we were going to be offered this job.”

The shop sells a range of disc golf accessories, including discs, bags and targets. The store also includes the only on-site 600-foot outdoor driving range in Austin where customers can test out their discs before purchase.

Staff members knowledgeable about the game can offer advice and recommendations for products, Sean said.

“We pride ourselves with being able to teach newer players to control their throws,” Sean said. “That’s one thing we’ve trained all our guys to do. It’s one thing to come in to a shop and be sold a product to get rid of stock, but we want to provide an item that is ideal for the individual.”

Two years after taking over the business, Sean said the couple is now working to gain more exposure for the game and the store by hosting events on the property.

Disc Nation is putting together a fall league in partnership with Mint Discs, a local disc golf brand, the Mullans said. The league will kick off its season at the end of September.

Disc Nation
1218 W. Slaughter Lane, Austin
512-280-1115
www.discnation.com
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.