How I Got Started Playing Disc Golf

Unfortunately, the weather this week has prevented me from being able to play in my normal weekly leagues. However, this does give me an opportunity to take a moment to talk to you all about how I first got started playing disc golf, the reasons why I love playing disc golf, and why I think you would enjoy it as well!

Disc golf is a sport that I really wish I had known about 15-20 years ago. I was first introduced to the sport just two years ago by one of my best friends, Bob, on a Memorial Day weekend vacation. Prior to going on vacation, Bob had mentioned to me that he was going to be bringing his discs and intended on locating a course nearby where we were going to be staying and asked if I, or anyone else going, would be interested in tagging along to give it a try. I had never heard of disc golf, but I had played regular ball golf in the past and really enjoyed it, so I figured I would give it a shot and told him to count me in.

Bob ended up finding a course that was about a 20 minute drive from where we were staying in South Carolina called Crooked Creek (https://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=565), located in Chapin. So, that Saturday morning, Bob, myself, and a few of our other friends all piled into a car and drove out to Chapin to play. Bob did his best to give us all a quick rundown on how to properly throw a disc golf disc, which is very different from how you would throw a typical Frisbee. Unlike a normal Frisbee, which has a fairly straight flight path, disc golf discs have a smaller diameter and are more aerodynamically designed, which causes them to have more of a right-to-left or left-to-right flight pattern. 

                                  

So, after hearing the basics of how to throw and taking a few warm up shots off of the first tee, we began our round and made our way through the course. We hit quite a few trees along the way and had to fish more than one disc out of the creek that ran alongside at least half of the holes on the course. If I remember correctly, it took us about 3 hours to finish our 18-hole round with five of us playing. Bob, being the only one of us who had actually played before, finished with the best score. My score was somewhere in the +25 - +30 over par range. Even though I did horribly, I had an absolute blast playing and it really was love on the first round. I remember lamenting to Bob, jokingly, that  he should not have introduced me to disc golf because it was something I could see myself really getting addicted to, and boy was I right.

It has been just over two years since I began playing disc golf. In that two years, I have spent untold numbers of hours in local fields practicing my form, learning different throws, trying out new discs, playing new courses and making many new friends. I've introduced a number of my friends to the game and now we regularly make trips to local courses to play together and hang out. I've played in a handful of tournaments and recently was able to capture my first victory ever in a sanctioned PDGA C-Tier event. I've thoroughly enjoyed my adventures learning and playing this amazing sport and I enjoy being able to share it with others.

Reasons Why I Love Disc Golf

So, now that I've told you a little about how I got started playing disc golf, let me take a moment to share some of my favorite things about disc golf and why I think you would enjoy it as well.

#1: Disc Golf is not expensive

When a lot of people hear the word golf, they immediately think expensive. Ball golf is not a low cost sport to get into by any means. A decent set of clubs can run you anywhere from $300 (for a cheap Wal-Mart set) to over $2,000 (for a higher end/professional set). On top of that, golf balls themselves are extremely costly and when you are first starting out, you go through golf balls like a kid goes through a box of candy. Then, there's the course fees and cart rental fees, which can run you anywhere from $20-$30 per round, all the way up to the $100-$300 per round range, depending on the course.

Because of the high expense of golf, one of the first questions people ask me when I talk to them about disc golf is, "How much does it cost to play?"

Well, set your fears aside, because disc golf is nowhere near as expensive as ball golf!

Disc golf discs typically run anywhere from $10-$20 each, depending on the manufacturer and the blend of plastic. You can get a beginner-level set of disc golf discs (a driver, a midrange, and a putter) for around $30, and that's really all you need to get started! As you learn and improve, you will be able to try out different discs, which all have slightly different flight characteristics to them, without having to break the bank every time you want to try a new one. A typical disc golf bag to carry your discs can run you anywhere from $30-$300, depending on the manufacturer, size, material, etc. Most backpack-style bags run in the $100-$200 range.

                                                 

Most disc golf courses are located at public parks and the overwhelming majority of them are completely free to play on! That's right, unlike traditional golf, there really aren't any greens fees to pay when you want to play a round. Disc golf courses are meant to be walked, so you also don't have to worry about renting a cart to drive around.

The entry price is easily one of the best thing about disc golf for newer players who want to try it out, but don't want to have to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars just to get into it. Don't get me wrong though, like with any sport or hobby, disc golf can get as expensive as you let it. Once you really get into it, you will want to try more and more discs, which add up over time. You will also go through shoes fairly quickly, depending on how often you play. A pair of shoes usually will last me 6-8 months before needing to be replaced. Also, if you want to get yourself a practice basket to practice putting on at home, they can run anywhere from $150-$300.

#2: Disc Golf is easy to learn, but hard to master

Traditional golf can often be rather daunting for newcomers to pick up on. The simple act of even bringing your club face into contact with a motionless  ball sitting on a tee can be Herculean for some. Then, even if you are able to make contact with the ball, getting the ball to fly toward the green, as opposed to slicing it off to the right, into the woods, down a hill, and into a lake is another titanic challenge. Needless to say, I've encountered plenty of first time golfers who quickly become disenfranchised by the difficulty of golf.

                                                      

In contrast, disc golf is much more friendly to newcomers. Even someone who has never thrown a Frisbee in their entire life can pick up a disc golf disc, throw it, and progress down a hole and toward a basket without too much trouble. As I mentioned above, in my first round ever playing disc golf, I managed to shoot about 25-30 strokes over par. I know a lot of people who have been playing ball golf for years who wish they could shoot that good. I've taken a lot of friends to try both golf and disc golf and I can definitely say that they typically had a much more enjoyable first time experience playing disc golf as opposed to ball golf. Additionally, new players will spend far fewer frustrating minutes looking for a lost disc in their first few rounds of disc golf than they will spend looking for lost golf balls in their first rounds of golf.

                                                     

That's not to say, though, that disc golf is easy to master. Mastering disc golf requires a lot of practice and patience. I learned to play mostly by watching videos on YouTube and then going out to a local field and practicing throwing over and over. Just like with golf, you don't practice by playing a round, you practice by hitting the range and working on your form. 

I will say, though, that progression in disc golf, at least for me, has been faster than than my progression in golf. I played golf for about three years before I stopped playing, mostly due to the cost of playing becoming too expensive after I stopped working at the course. In that three years, I managed to get my handicap (my average score above par) down to a 10. My best round of golf ever was a +4 over par (76). In the two years I've been playing disc golf, I've already gotten to the point where I shoot par fairly often. Sometimes I will finish a few strokes over par, sometimes a few strokes under par. 

That difference isn't because I play and practice disc golf more than I did ball golf. As I mentioned, I used to work at a golf course, which meant I was able to use the driving range for free and play rounds on the course for free when I wasn't working, and I took full advantage of that benefit. I would practice and/or play almost every single day. That was the main reason why I was able to progress as much as I did in golf. Like I said, I know many people who have played golf for many, many years and still struggle to break 100. While I do practice and play disc golf as often as I can, I certainly am not able to practice or play every day like I was back when I played golf. Like with anything though, the more time you are able to dedicate to getting better, the faster you will improve, but mastering disc golf takes just as much time and dedication as any other sport.

#3 The Disc Golf Community is Absolutely Amazing!

Honestly, this probably should have been the #1 reason, but like I said, whenever I tell someone about disc golf, the first question they ask is "how expensive is it?" Still, it should not be understated just how awesome and amazing the disc golf community is! I have met a LOT of really great, passionate, helpful, amazing people in the two years since I started playing. One thing I learned very quickly is that disc golfers are very passionate about the sport they play and they absolutely love seeing new people get into the sport.

When I first started out, I found a local course nearby my house where I could go play and practice. For the most part, I would always either go with my wife and our dog, or I would go by myself if she was busy. Whenever I was out on the course and caught up to a small group of players who were ahead of me, they would almost always ask if I wanted to jump in with their group and play along with them. I would always make sure to let them know that I was a beginner and that I didn't want to hold them up, and rather than say "oh, nevermind," they would always respond with excitement to hear that I was new to the game and would invite me to come participate in leagues and join their local club. Any prospect of growing the sport is something that all disc golfers openly embrace.

Additionally, most disc golfers are also very passionate about the upkeep and improvement of their local courses. As I mentioned, the majority of disc golf courses are located in local parks; however, most of them do not have large budgets with which to perform routine maintenance, upkeep, or improvements. This is where the local disc golf clubs come in. You will find, more often than not, that disc golf courses are maintained and upgraded by the players, not the government. Each club will typically have one or two home courses and they will use the money that they raise by hosting events such as leagues, tournaments and membership drives, as well as by seeking local business sponsors, to maintain and improve the courses. The players themselves often volunteer their own time to help keep the fairways mowed, pick up debris, and clean up litter. Clubs will often sponsor work days where members are encouraged to come out and help maintain the courses.

Even the pros are super friendly people who love meeting and talking with fans. I went to watch my first professional event only five months after I had begun playing. While there, I had the opportunity to meet and talk with over a dozen of the best disc golfers in the entire world, including the reigning world champion, Paul McBeth, and twelve time world champ, Ken Climo. So, if you are looking to get into a sport or hobby where you will meet a lot of really great people and be able to get involved in a very passionate and growing community, I couldn't recommend disc golf to you more!

#4: Disc Golf is Great Exercise!

Another great benefit from playing disc golf is that it provides you with a great source of exercise! Unlike in ball golf, when you play disc golf you are not going to be riding around in a golf cart all day. Most courses are in public parks, and the majority of them are built along walking/hiking trails, so you will be doing a lot of walking and hiking along the way. A typical disc golf course will involve close to two miles of walking/hiking. By itself, that may not sound like much, but you also have to consider that when you are carrying a full bag of discs that can weigh up to 20 pounds (depending on the number of discs you have) with you, you will be getting a fair amount of exercise.

On top of that, the actual disc golf throw itself is a full body motion that utilizes both lower and upper body muscle groups to power the throw. Prior to playing disc golf, I was not a very active person. I played a lot of video games, I worked in an office environment where I spent the majority of my time at a desk, and I did not have an active gym membership. I had always been a fairly thin person all of my life due to having a high metabolism, but I was starting to creep up on the 200 pound mark for the first time in my life. Since playing disc golf, I have trimmed back down to my college weight, floating between 165-170 pounds, without much trouble. In addition, my stamina has improved and I have found myself having more energy throughout my days. Playing disc golf also motivated me to establish a gym membership in order to work on my physical fitness between practice/rounds and during the off season or when the weather doesn't permit me to be out.

Overall, disc golf has helped to improve my physical fitness and has given me an outlet to stay active and get outside more often. So, if you are looking for a fun activity that can help you shed a few pounds and get back into shape, give disc golf a shot!

#5: You Get to Experience the Magic of Creating Flight!

Being a scientifically-minded person, one of the coolest aspects of disc golf is the aerodynamics and the physics involved in both the mechanics of the throw and the discs themselves. For beginners, this will not be immediately noticeable, as most discs will seem to fly the same for you. However, once you begin to develop your form and start being able to impart more speed, and spin, onto the discs as they leave your hand, you will quickly discover the awesomeness of creating flight with your own hands!

             

There's just something amazing about watching a well-thrown disc golf disc sail through the air and weaving it through or around trees in order to reach your desired destination. At times (like in the gif above of Philo Brathwaite throwing a 400'+ flex shot around a bunch of trees and into the basket for an Albatross) it is just simply mesmerizing.

Conclusion

I hope that this brief introduction to disc golf has inspired you to consider giving it a shot! If you do want to give it a shot but don't know where to get started, let me give you a few hints.

You can find discs at most sports retailers, including Wal-Mart, Dick's Sporting Goods, or Play-it-Again Sports. If you want my recommendation for a good starter set, I would go to the Dynamic Discs website and pick up a Dynamic Discs Breakout (https://www.dynamicdiscs.com/Dynamic-Discs-Prime-Breakout-p/6834.htm), a Dynamic Discs Proof (https://www.dynamicdiscs.com/Dynamic-Discs-Prime-Proof-p/6835.htm) and a Dynamic Discs Gavel (https://www.dynamicdiscs.com/Dynamic-Discs-Prime-Gavel-p/6836.htm). All three of those discs are designed specifically for beginners and will be great for learning the basics.

If you are having trouble finding a course to play on, there are a couple of good online resources that will help you locate courses. The one I use and recommend most is Disc Golf Course Review (https://www.dgcoursereview.com/). They also have an Android application that also doubles as a scorecard (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dgcoursereview.android).

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I hope it has motivated you to check out disc golf. Please don't forget to upvote and follow me for more disc golf related blogs!

May all your drives be bombs and your putts bang chains!