Last updated on March 12th, 2024 at 01:40 am
Last updated by Maredith Damasco
If you’re interested in disc golf and want to learn more, your next step is to start playing. Disc golf is an ideal choice for those seeking an affordable, easy-to-learn, lifetime sport that offers excellent physical and mental conditioning. Many players have begun with limited fitness levels and progressively improved as they advanced in their playing. If you want to learn how to play the disc golf sport, reading this article is essential. Our team provides the information you need, including required equipment and instructions on proper scoring and playing disc golf on the course.
How to Play Disc Golf for Beginners
Basically, disc golf is similar to traditional golf but only uses different equipment during the game. In this sport, players use disc golf discs and aim for a disc golf basket instead of a traditional golf hole in the ground. The basket consists of a pole planted into the ground with chains and a landing basket for the disc.
The main objective of the game is similar to traditional golf: complete all the holes with the fewest throws possible. Players generally complete 9 to 18 holes in one game, and the player with the lowest total throws at the end wins.
Step 1: Things You Need to Start Playing
Believe it or not, you will only need one disc golf disc if you want to start playing immediately. If you have the disc, you can go to an open and uncrowded space and start practicing throwing the disc. You don’t need an official disc golf course right away; you can create your own course in open spaces. However, if you prefer a legitimate course, there are approximately 10,000 disc golf courses worldwide to choose from. Udisc is a popular app that people use to find course around them and to keep score.
Meanwhile, I have emphasized that this sport is inexpensive to play, which is suitable for anyone looking for a recreational sport to excel in. The average price of the disc golf discs is from $10 to $25, depending on the quality. This affordability is why I always feel that this sport is perfect for the family as a form of recreational or a bonding activity.
Disc Golf Discs
As a beginner, it’s crucial to select the right discs. Many disc manufacturers offer starter packs that include putters, midrange discs, and drivers. These manufacturers produce a variety of discs with different weights and plastics, allowing players to experiment and improve their game.
For beginners, I suggest focusing on improving your throwing technique using the slower discs, such as putters and midranges. These discs are usually easier to control and throw with a lot of glide. Familiarize yourself with the flight rating of the discs, which is typically indicated on the discs. This will help you understand the flight characteristics of each disc and how it responds to the type of throw you want to perform.
Other Things You Need
During the game, you’ll require comfortable attire that facilitates easy throws on the field. It’s crucial to ensure your comfort and ease of movement during the game. You may also need to bring items like a mini-marker disc, towel, snacks, and water. Although not mandatory, we recommend using a disc golf bag to organize your discs for those who find it useful.
Step 2: Playing an Actual Disc Golf Game
Preparation
Preparation is crucial before playing an actual disc golf game. You can start by getting familiar with the course, if possible, before the round. It’s your responsibility as a player to practice in the days leading up to the round. On game day, ensure you’re physically and mentally prepared by eating a suitable meal. We highly recommend a carbohydrate-rich meal to help you meet the challenges of an actual disc golf round.
Ensure that you’ve prepared everything, including all the equipment you intend to bring on the course. Also, preparation means that you will need to make sure that you are ready to play and enjoy whatever happens on the disc golf course.
Playing a Disc Golf Game
The game starts at the tee, and the players mutually arrange the tee-off order. Alternatively, you can flip the discs, with the printed side as the head, to determine the throwing order. On the subsequent holes, players determine the order based on their scores, with the player who achieved the lower score on the previous hole throwing first.
A disc golf hole starts from a tee area and ends at a target, usually an elevated metal basket. Once a player advances to the fairway, he should make the next throws to the spot where the disc has previously landed. Please note that all the trees, bodies of water, shrubs, terrain, and other obstacles contribute to the challenges in the game, adding excitement to it.
Also, a mini marker disc is used to mark the position where the disc came to rest after the throw. Every beginner should also learn the proper placement of the foot during the throw. The foot where you put your weight should be located close to the front line of the tee and behind the marker disc.
If the disc hits a tree, bush, or water, there are specific rules to follow, including designated out-of-bounds areas for disc throws in such situations, ensuring the safety of players when their discs land in challenging spots.
Step 3: How to Score Disc Golf
Scoring in disc golf is simple: count each throw as a stroke, track them on a scorecard for each hole, and add up the total strokes, including penalty strokes, to determine the winners.
Each hole specifies the number of strokes or throws required to get the disc into the basket. Successfully getting the disc into the required basket for each hole is achieving par. Completing the hole with fewer throws is termed a birdie (1 below par), eagle (2 below par), albatross (3 below par), or ace (hole-in-one). Conversely, if a player requires more throws, it’s termed a bogey (1 above par), double bogey (2 above par), triple bogey (3 above par), +4, +5, and so on.
For example, if the course you played is par 54, where each of the 18 holes is a par 3. If a player throws a 56, then his score is +2. If a player shot a 52, then his score is -2 because you throw two strokes under par. After all players complete both sets of holes (front nine and back nine), add the scores from each set together to determine your total score, which is then recorded in the total box on the scorecard.
Conclusion
If you are interested in this sport, learning how to play disc golf is a must. Playing the sport brings a lot of upsides for you as a person, be it mentally or physically. It’s also a significant advantage that disc golf is an affordable sport to learn and play. Overall, dis golf is an excellent recreational and bonding activity for families who want to enjoy their free time.
