You may have been to a park or local course and saw a person throwing what looks like a frisbee at a chained pole. It sounds a little weird but this person was just playing a sport known as disc golf. Disc golf gets confused with frisbee as it is also known as frisbee golf but is played much like traditional golf. However, instead of clubs and balls, players use flying discs. The objective of the game is to complete each hole with the fewest number of throws.

Game Play

The first shot is from a tee box usually concrete or sometimes dirt or gravel boxes are typically marked with signs showing the distance and location of the basket or par. The basket chains are connected to a pole and the chains are about 3 feet high to help stop the disc. After your first drive from the tee box, your next shots are played from the front of where you disk came to rest. Once a whole has completed scores are taken and it’s off to the next hole. Most courses have 9 to 18 holes.

Disks

Disks range from about 150g to 180g to choose from depending on the type of shot you need to make. A disk drive that is used for long shots has a sharper edge with a wide brim making it extremely fast. Professional disc golfers can do a driver over 400ft the mid-range disc has a more rounded edge and is used for shots from where on 60ft to 250ft. Discs for putting have a very blunt edge and is usually made of soft or plastic so they can stick in the chains better.

Techniques

You would think that a frontal stance would be the appropriate way to throw a disc, but disc golfers stand facing the side in opposition to where they are throwing just like regular golf. This allows them to utilize their whole body when throwing. The back-end is the most used kind of throw in disc golf but there are many other ways to throw including thumber and tomahawk.

Supplies

There’s no limit on the number of disks you can carry. Golfers carry anywhere from one or two disks usually a driver and a putter to over 20 desks. A variety of bags are used to carry discs including single straps, over the shoulder straps, and even carts.

Disc golf is one of the fastest-growing sports mainly because it’s inexpensive and inclusive. It can be played by anyone from school age to old age. It’s also easy to learn without a ton of rules. Permanent disc golf courses are found in countries worldwide as well as throughout the U.S. Visit the PDGA course directory to get the location of a course near you!