New to Disc Golf page 3- Advance your game

 Be an ambassador 

The Rules and Guidelines. 

The rules for recreational disc golf are easy to understand. Put the disc into the target in the fewest throws possible. Repeat for each hole. The player with the lowest score wins. This makes the game easy to learn and fun. But, there’s an extra set of rules that make the game enjoyable and safer for everyone… disc golf etiquette. Below is some disc golf etiquette rules to follow.

Speed of play

Be aware of groups around you. Are you playing slow? Kindly invite faster groups to play through. Catch up to a larger group? Respectfully ask to play through.

Honors, farthest away throws first

Lowest score from the previous hole throws first on the next hole. As you play the hole, the person farthest away from the target throws first.

Is everyone (far) out of your range?

Make sure everyone is well out of range before you throw. If there’s even a chance you can reach someone ahead of you, DON’T THROW. If you accidentally throw toward another group, yell loud and clearly… FORE! 

Don’t be a distraction

When others are throwing, get out of their line of sight, don’t move and be quiet.

Help your cardmates

Watch your cardmates’ throws. Help search for lost discs. There are no referees, most decisions are made by a majority vote of your group.

Obey park rules

Be aware of park rules. If it’s a public park, disc golf shares the park with everyone. Be courteous to all park guests.

On a golf course?

Obey posted signs and golf course rules. Using a golf cart? Absolutely DO NOT drive on greens or teepads; keep carts on designated cart paths when possible.

Pack in, Pack out

Pack out any trash you bring on the course. If you see trash, pickup and properly dispose of it (leave the place better than you found it).

Sportsmanship

Generally, be kind and courteous. Swearing, throwing tantrums, behaving in a rude manner, and anything of the sort is not fun for anyone and in sanctioned competitive play is considered a “courtesy violation” which can lead to penalty strokes. 

This is really all a beginner needs to understand to get started playing disc golf. But there is so much more to learn. No matter how long you or I have been playing there is always something else we can learn. So grab a disc, a bunch of friends, and get out there and have some fun. 

 

Intro PDGA with link

 

Safety-

 

 

Next let's talk about the stability of a disc.

  • When talking about a discs stability the 3 main terms used are. Understable, Stable, Overstable. 

Stable

  • The tendency of a disc to remain straight through most of the flight. Often times a desirable characteristic of a disc in windy situations.

Understable

  • The tendency of a disc to turn to the right during the high speed portion of the flight for a RHBH thrower. The faster the disc is thrown, the more it will turn, therefore an understable disc will turnover more upwind than downwind.

Overstable

  • The tendency of a disc to turn to the left at high or low speeds for a RHBH thrower. Overstable discs are usually thrown by high power players and are not good for beginners.

Now that you understand the 3 stability of a disc here is what they might look like in flight.

 

 

 

 

Glossary of Disc Golf Terms

RHBH

Right Hand Backhand Throw – Reverse the LHBH flight path.

LHBH

Left Hand Backhand Throw – Reverse the RHBH flight path.

RHFH

Right Hand Forehand Throw – Reverse the RHBH flight path.

LHFH

Left Hand Forehand Throw – Same flight path as a RHBH throw.

Hyzer

An angle of release where the outside edge or left edge of the disc is tilted downward for a RHBH thrower.

Anhyzer

An angle of release where the outside edge or left edge of the disc is tilted upward for a RHBH thrower.

 

More terms..

 

S C O R I N G:

Ace:  hole-in-one

Black Ace: Ace into the wrong basket

Birdie: One stroke under par

Bogey: One over par on the hole.  Double-bogey two over par, etc

Eagle: Two strokes under par

Even: Score is at par.

Mulligan: a player is allowed to replay throw. Usually during a casual game. 

Par: The number of strokes per hole or course.

Penalty Stroke: Additional stroke added to hole due to a missed mando, landing out of bounds, foot fault or breaking a course rule.

Round:  Playing the set of holes found in course.

 

P E N A L T I E S:

Foot Fault: When player advances beyond the marker before releasing disc.

Mando: An identified object like a pole, tree, etc that the disc must fly by a specific side. Penalty stroke is added to hole if missed.

Out of Bounds (OB): Place where the disc isn’t to be.  The player receives a one stroke penalty and throws from the place where the disc went out of bounds.  The player can be given 1 meter from the

 

R E S O U R C E S:

Disc Golf Scene: DiscGolfScene.com, a website to find information about leagues, tournaments, courses, etc. 

**Jammin’ with the Best:  Podcast about disc golf and the business around it.

PDGA:  PDGA.com Professional Disc Golf Association.  103,000+ active members, a group of people who are not only passionate about the sport but also see several benefits from their yearly subscription. Play, save, and grow the game!  (Membership needed for some tournaments)

UDisc – an app for keeping track of your score, information on courses. 

 

T H R O W S:

Anhyzer:

Approach (Up-shot): Throw into the green from the fairway.

Backhand: When a player throws, his back is turned to the basket.

Backhand Grip:  Thumb and palm are on the rim of the disc and your fingers are on the underside

Dogleg:

Drive: First throw from the Tee

Drop Zone:  Spot player must throw from after receiving a penalty.

Flex: Flight of disc peaks in height and then fades to the left without much glide.  Usually occurs when the disc is thrown nose up.

Fore: Term yelled when people are in path of a throw. 

Forehand: Player faces the target with the forehand grip and flicks their wrist.

Forehand Grip:  Pal up and thumb place on top, index and middle fingers along the outside of the rim.

Glide:  Disc floating in flight.  (2nd flight number on the disc)

Grip Lock: Late release of disc.

Hyzer: A throw that curves the way opposite that of the throwing arm, i.e. left for a right-handed player or right for a left-handed player.   

Lie: The stopping point of the disc after thrown.

Line: Flight path of thrown disc

Mulligan: a player is allowed to replay throw. Usually during a casual game. 

Parked:  When a drive or up-shot lands a few feet from the basket.

Putt:  A throw within 20 meters of the basket.

Pull: A throw

Roller:  Disc is intentionally thrown to roll on its edge.  Good when trying to avoid obstacles such as low hanging branches.

**S Curve: A thrown disc flies to the right then flexes out and glides back to the left.

Stroke: Throw

**Thumber:  Overhand throw when the thumb is inside the rim and all other fingers are on the top of the disc.  The disc will usually flip, flatten and drop.

Tomahawk: Overhand throw

XStep: Footwork where the left foot goes behind and in front of the right foot for increased power when throwing a right handed backhand.

A B O U T  T H E  D I S C S

Bead:  Ridge on the bottom of the rim on a disc.

Distance driver: High speed discs that fly farthest,when thrown properly (Speed >10)

Domey: Dome like shape on top of a disc.

Fade:  Default tendency for discs to turn at the end of flight.  (4th flight number on the disc).

Fiarway Driver:  Disc that flies farther than a midrange but shorter than a distance driver.  (Speed 6-9)

Flight Numbers:  Used to indicate discs flight.  Speed / Glide / Turn / Fade

Midrange: Disc that can fly farther than a putter but not as far as a driver.  (speed 4 – 5)

Mini (Marker):  Small disc to mark a lie.

Putter: Disc used for short distance or the putt (Speed 0-3).

Rim:  Part of the disc to grip.

Speed:  The higher the number the faster and further the disc is created to fly.  The lower the number the slower the disc is created to fly.  (The 1st flight number on the disc.

Stable: the natural tendency of the disc to fly straight. 

Turn: The natural tendence for the disc to turn at the beginning of the flight. (The 3rd number on the disc)

 

O N   T H E  C O U R S E:

Basket: Target you’re aiming for, found on the green. 

Cage:  The bottom part of the basket where the disc lands.

Pin:  Pole of the basket found under the cage.

Fairway: Area on course between tee and green.

Green:  Putting area around basket.

Mando: An identified object like a pole, tree or marker that the disc must fly by a specific side. Penalty stroke is added to hole.

Rough:  Area off the fairway.

Safari: Custom or non-standard layout of a hole or course. 

Tee:  Starting place of a hole.