Disc Golf

[Granny Nogg]

If you play it, you know what it is. If you don't, keep reading. I shamelessly hope to recruit you.

I was hoping to find an NF thread of DG enthusiasts dedicated to the sport. Couldn't find one, but perhaps searching "disc golf" was the wrong parameter? And if there isn't one, I propose to start one.

So.

If you have no idea what disc golf is: imagine traditional ball golf like they have on TV. But instead of a set of clubs, the players have a set of different discs (each shaped like a Frisbee, but smaller and heavier - with different weights measured to the gram, special plastics, special edge treatments, and different dome heights).

Instead of a little cup in the ground for the golf ball to go into, in disc golf you have a large, round metal basket suspended at hip height on a pole that is cemented into the ground. The goal of each hole is to make the fewest number of throws you can, from the tee pad to the basket. The average distance for a hole in a disc golf course is about 450 feet. There are shorter and longer holes on any given course, whether 9-hole or 18-hole.

In the US, the official ruling body that governs the game is: the PDGA (Professional Disc Golf Association). They set the rules for play, scoring, and disc requirements. They also conduct local, national, international, and world championship tournaments.

The game began on college campuses in the 1970s, and is now gaining momentum worldwide as more people take an interest in the game.

The game takes little financial investment for beginners. Starter discs run about $10. There are great 3-disc starter packs sold at most sporting goods stores for under $30. A carrying bag for beginners is about $15, or you can use a knapsack.

Most disc golf courses are in local parks and on college campuses. They're open dawn to dusk at no charge. You won't pay green fees, reserve tee times, pay memberships, etc.

You can watch videos on YouTube to learn about the game, learn technique, and watch the pros play the latest tournament.

If you play now, or have played before, tell about it. If you've never played but wanted to, ask questions.

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[redtomato501]

I've played before, if only on unofficial courses (camp and college, no baskets). I was pretty bad at it... I do better with Ultimate, where my targets can adjust to my throws.

[Granny Nogg]

Ultimate is a welcome cousin to the game, of course! Both carry unique challenges.

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[PinkNinja]

I have played, and helped develop a couple of courses for some parks. We're considering a disc golf course at my park as well. The problem here is that we are on a mountain. Most of the clear areas are near cliffs. The mountains in our area have sporadic
Frisbee + wind+ cliff = ....

[Granny Nogg]

Oh man, that can get expensive!  Not like you can just jaunt down the hill to retrieve a disc!  Do you find that many players often opt for cheap DX plastic so that if they lose one it's not that big of a deal?

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

We have a local cours and my brother and I went with regular frisbees to try it out. We were sneered at and treated pretty snobbily by othrs playing in a tounament that wasn't posted about anywehere, and haven't gone back. Might try it again this year with proper attire.

[Granny Nogg]

Oh dude I'm so sorry that happened.  Both that you walked into an unposted tournament, and that people treated you bad for using what you had.  I've seen this happen too-- and some people have great sports ability but their personalities suck.

Not everyone is like that.  Had you run into any of my guys or me, hell we'd have given you a disc.  We buy old ones online or save ones we find, and give them out to newbies.  Always keep an extra beginner disc in our bags for just that purpose.  We plan on sucking the whole world into the game, one player at a time.  

And there's nothing wrong with heading out to a course with regular Frisbees!  If people give you crap, just tell them you aren't interested in playing in tournaments.  That's the only reason you'd need regulation discs.  THE ONLY REASON.

Now, that being said-- if you ever wanted to really get into the game, maybe not play in tourneys but just play with other players-- yeah you'd want regulation discs, because if you played with your Wham-O against people who were using Discraft discs or whatever... they'd cream you.  Your regular Frisbee won't be able to drive as long or have as much control as the disc golf discs.  Now if you don't care about the scores and just wanna go out and have fun-- be bold, my friend.  Be bold.  

 

[BigRemy]

Granny, you found your second enthusiast.....

 

I've always had friends that disc golfed casually and I always said I'd go out and throw. Never happened for some reason or the other in ten years.

 

So I start talking to my wife's brother about it for some odd reason a couple years back and he says he still plays and we should go sometime. I bought three discs off the bat, an Innova Beast, and Innova Roc3 and an Innova Aviar Putter. I go through the entire season here in Wisconsin with no call or no mention of disc golf for the entire year. No biggie, he's a firefighter with a wife and three kids so I didn't take it personally.

 

But here I was, spring cleaning last year and I ran into those same discs. I decided to take them out on Easter Sunday morning by myself just so I can say I didn't waste the money. I haven't gone more than ten days without it since. I don't even really play with anyone. I just go out and throw.

 

Instantly my life became a endless vortex of studying flight diagrams, working on form, watching McBeth, Schusterick and McCabe videos on youtube, practicing putting, playing rounds and spending time volunteering to help with the upkeep of my home course. I actually find myself back here on Nerd Fitness trying to shed some pounds after taking the last year or so off of here. I want to play tournaments starting in 2016. I don't need to win right off the bat, I just don't want to be horrible. I'm 35 right now, I won't have the strength or stamina of the 20 year olds or the experience of the 30 and 40 year olds, so my plan is to get fit, flexible and practice a lot.

 

Hopefully we can talk some more of these guys into hitting the course!

[lairpie]

i used to play several times a week, went through a long drought of not playing, then have played a couple times a month for the last 8 months or so. There are 2 decent and a few kind of crappy courses by me, then about 45 minutes away there's one that they setup on our local skiing mountain during the summer. The course could probably be done a lot better, but being set on a mountain where you take the lift to the top then golf your way back down the mountain is unique enough to not care. It's also pretty noticeable how differently the discs fly in the thinner air. I only got up there once last summer but intend to do it a few times this summer.

 

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

That's an awesome idea for a ski resort in the off season.

[lairpie]

If anyone is ever in the Vegas area and wants to get out and do something other than your standard Vegas stuff, almost always going to be up for disc golfing or hiking.

[BigRemy]

That looks incredible. We have some great scenic courses here in Wisconsin but nothing like that.

If my wife gives me the "boy's trip" to Vegas she's been promising to make up for what was a crappy Bachelor party years back, I might just have to take you up on the offer.

[Granny Nogg]

Granny, you found your second enthusiast.....

I've always had friends that disc golfed casually and I always said I'd go out and throw. Never happened for some reason or the other in ten years.

So I start talking to my wife's brother about it for some odd reason a couple years back and he says he still plays and we should go sometime. I bought three discs off the bat, an Innova Beast, and Innova Roc3 and an Innova Aviar Putter. I go through the entire season here in Wisconsin with no call or no mention of disc golf for the entire year. No biggie, he's a firefighter with a wife and three kids so I didn't take it personally.

But here I was, spring cleaning last year and I ran into those same discs. I decided to take them out on Easter Sunday morning by myself just so I can say I didn't waste the money. I haven't gone more than ten days without it since. I don't even really play with anyone. I just go out and throw.

Instantly my life became a endless vortex of studying flight diagrams, working on form, watching McBeth, Schusterick and McCabe videos on youtube, practicing putting, playing rounds and spending time volunteering to help with the upkeep of my home course. I actually find myself back here on Nerd Fitness trying to shed some pounds after taking the last year or so off of here. I want to play tournaments starting in 2016. I don't need to win right off the bat, I just don't want to be horrible. I'm 35 right now, I won't have the strength or stamina of the 20 year olds or the experience of the 30 and 40 year olds, so my plan is to get fit, flexible and practice a lot.

Hopefully we can talk some more of these guys into hitting the course!

That's a great story, Remy! So cool hearing how people get started in the sport. Good for you for getting involved.

For us it started 2 years ago. Our adult kids asked us to go play with them. My husband's interested, but myself I was like... "Yeah I'll go but just to walk the dog."

By the third invite I started playing, and now we play 2-3 times a week. Our oldest son is on the board of our club, we help out with events and join tourneys. I'm usually dead last in each event, even if there's a women's division. But that's okay. I just love the game.

i used to play several times a week, went through a long drought of not playing, then have played a couple times a month for the last 8 months or so. There are 2 decent and a few kind of crappy courses by me, then about 45 minutes away there's one that they setup on our local skiing mountain during the summer. The course could probably be done a lot better, but being set on a mountain where you take the lift to the top then golf your way back down the mountain is unique enough to not care. It's also pretty noticeable how differently the discs fly in the thinner air. I only got up there once last summer but intend to do it a few times this summer.

How awesome to play on ski slopes, great views and challenging course. No rollers, right??) lol distance on them. My hubby asked if you throw more midrange discs cuz of the thinner air?

That's an awesome idea for a ski resort in the off season.

Okay time to go... We're playing the back 9 at our home course today. Beating my handicap so far!

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[lairpie]

How awesome to play on ski slopes, great views and challenging course. No rollers, right??) lol distance on them. My hubby asked if you throw more midrange discs cuz of the thinner air?

 

yeah, it's bad enough being able to drive 500 ft (thin air, down hill) and go past the basket and try to find it, a roller would be a nightmare. A lot of the holes are across, not down the slope, even a few up on the side, but more down then up (obviously since you end up at the bottom of the lift). I mostly threw a driver and then a putter on long holes, and straight to a putter on a few of the short ones because of the thinner air. I also did some shots with a slower, more gliding disc like a Leopard that I would normally power through with a Crush or something.

[Granny Nogg]

yeah, it's bad enough being able to drive 500 ft (thin air, down hill) and go past the basket and try to find it, a roller would be a nightmare. A lot of the holes are across, not down the slope, even a few up on the side, but more down then up (obviously since you end up at the bottom of the lift). I mostly threw a driver and then a putter on long holes, and straight to a putter on a few of the short ones because of the thinner air. I also did some shots with a slower, more gliding disc like a Leopard that I would normally power through with a Crush or something.

Have you tried a Condor? My husband has one and he loves that thing. Glides. Forever. Such a beast size wise, but alot of his up shots are made with it.

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[BigRemy]

yeah, it's bad enough being able to drive 500 ft (thin air, down hill) and go past the basket and try to find it, a roller would be a nightmare. A lot of the holes are across, not down the slope, even a few up on the side, but more down then up (obviously since you end up at the bottom of the lift). I mostly threw a driver and then a putter on long holes, and straight to a putter on a few of the short ones because of the thinner air. I also did some shots with a slower, more gliding disc like a Leopard that I would normally power through with a Crush or something.

 

I've been reading/listening to a lot about this since I'm totally interested playing a few rounds on a mountain somewhere and a trip to Colorado is probably somewhere in the near future. I hear that overstable discs work well in the thinner air (even for beginners like myself). Of course I think it's more of a case of "use whatever disc works best for you" so I'll really have to make sure to be in shape before that trip because I'll be hauling a full bag of discs lol.

[lairpie]

Yeah, I usually err on the side of overstable discs, but up there was releasing things at angles where they'd normally dive into the ground to the left and instead they'd fly pretty nicely. The disc in my animated picture there is a discraft crush, released with a fair amount of left angle and it still came up, flew straight for a while then faded right across the basket.

 

Haven't tried a condor. I haven't bought a disc in about 10 years so I haven't tried anything new. I played a ton back then, but haven't played much at all until recently when I got back into fitness, ultimate, disc golf and more hiking.

 

Another gratuitous mountain vista disc golf image:

 

[Granny Nogg]

On Saturday we're going to Crystal City Underground, the subterranean disc golf course near Saint Louis, MO. It's got a pretty favorable rating on dgcoursereview.com, I've watched a couple YouTube videos of the play, and choosing discs I don't mind throwing away after they get gnawed on by the sandstone cave walls.

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[lairpie]

I'm definitely bringing my discs to camp nerd fitness and trying to hit up a few courses along the way on my road trip. I may try and set up a mini course at camp even if it's just using trees or trash cans or something as baskets. I have one portable basket, but don't know how space will be in the car for the trip, as even folded up it's not exactly tiny.

[Granny Nogg]

I'm definitely bringing my discs to camp nerd fitness and trying to hit up a few courses along the way on my road trip. I may try and set up a mini course at camp even if it's just using trees or trash cans or something as baskets. I have one portable basket, but don't know how space will be in the car for the trip, as even folded up it's not exactly tiny.

Great idea!!

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[Granny Nogg]

Dave Feldberg Putt Clinic, February 2015

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

My friends are now firmly addicted, we're going 1-2 times a month right now.

[fitnessgurl]

I can't believe I missed this thread. I love Disc golf (a lot of people call it frisbee golf here)!

I can throw straight down the fairway just about every time. My problem is distance. I haven't looked at new discs for awhile, So any suggestions would be welcome. I tend to go to the left a bit too much when throwing around trees (I'm right-handed), so I have to take that into consideration.

Thanks in advance!

[Dilnad]

7 hours ago, fitnessgurl said:

I can't believe I missed this thread. I love Disc golf (a lot of people call it frisbee golf here)!

I can throw straight down the fairway just about every time. My problem is distance. I haven't looked at new discs for awhile, So any suggestions would be welcome. I tend to go to the left a bit too much when throwing around trees (I'm right-handed), so I have to take that into consideration.

Thanks in advance!

Many people may/will toss out recommendations for what discs you should toss. IGNORE THEM ALL (Mine included). Discgolf is very personal. Each disc works differently for each person. Just because a <Insert disc name> flies perfectly for me uphill into a 12mph headwind doesn't mean it wont turn over horribly for you. Your best bet is to look at the different disc manufacturers websites and see their charts on the flight patterns of each disc and do your best to make an educated guess based on the performance you seem to have playing the game.

 

I've gone through a ton of discs in 20 ears of playing and I can safely say, no disc makes that big of a difference. A good golfer can play a good round with one mid-range disc. A not so good golfer is still not so good, even with a bag full of plastic. The lesson? Buy discs you enjoy tossing but don't expect equipment miracles. Practice is the trick.

 

Understanding hyzer, anhyzer and reading the wind/terrain in the end will be much more beneficial than your choice of plastic you put in the air. Just try some discs out and have fun!!

[fitnessgurl]

2 hours ago, Dilnad said:

Many people may/will toss out recommendations for what discs you should toss. IGNORE THEM ALL (Mine included). Discgolf is very personal. Each disc works differently for each person. Just because a <Insert disc name> flies perfectly for me uphill into a 12mph headwind doesn't mean it wont turn over horribly for you. Your best bet is to look at the different disc manufacturers websites and see their charts on the flight patterns of each disc and do your best to make an educated guess based on the performance you seem to have playing the game.

 

I've gone through a ton of discs in 20 ears of playing and I can safely say, no disc makes that big of a difference. A good golfer can play a good round with one mid-range disc. A not so good golfer is still not so good, even with a bag full of plastic. The lesson? Buy discs you enjoy tossing but don't expect equipment miracles. Practice is the trick.

 

Understanding hyzer, anhyzer and reading the wind/terrain in the end will be much more beneficial than your choice of plastic you put in the air. Just try some discs out and have fun!!

Thanks so much!