Welcome to the next installment of the ‘Get a Hobby’ series! If you’re new to this series I highly recommend checking out ‘Get a Hobby, Part 0: Why bother?’, for an overview of the amazing benefits a hobby can bring into your life! If you’re interested in fun and enjoyable ways to explore your passions, meet new people, and learn new things…this series is for you.
DISC GOLF
How I Got Into Disc Golf
My disc golf hobby started in 2020 as a way of getting out of the house during the pandemic. I had family members who were into it and so I figured I’d give it a try. I won’t say I was hooked right away. It’s more like I was infected with a virus. Symptoms were mild at first, but eventually, I had the sickness. Disc golf is a weird mind virus for some people. I think this is due to the fact, that while you may be playing with other people, you’re really just competing with yourself. Whether you score well or not is solely up to you. If you score poorly it’s your fault. This sort of activity can really obsess some people. Myself included.
What Is Disc Golf? How Does It Work?
If you don’t already know, disc golf is a game played with discs (“frisbess” if you’re a civilian), on a course, and it is scored like regular golf. Players have a bag full of discs that do different things (such as flying far, short, left, right, etc) in the air and the objective is to get the disc into the “hole” (disc golf uses baskets, pictured below) in the fewest strokes possible.
Many people are surprised to learn that there are disc golf courses just the same as there are regular golf courses. A disc golf course is usually 18 holes in length, with individual holes ranging from 200 ft-1000 ft. Disc golfers start on the tee pad of hole 1, throw towards the basket for hole 1, and work their way through the course. A round usually takes about 2 hours to complete.
Disc Golf Basket
Discs
Tee Pad Sign
Why I Love Disc Golf
Disc golf has been many things for me. It’s been a solo adventure when I need time to myself. It’s also been a group activity and a way to spend time with people I care about. Disc golf is also a great form of exercise. In a typical round, you will walk about 3 miles and make anywhere from 50 to 100 throws. Beyond exercise there are the mental benefits of being out in nature – courses are usually located in parks or other beautiful wilderness areas.
Disc golf has also taught me a lot about myself and how I handle competitive pressure. I’m not always cool, calm, and collected when I shank a drive off the tee and into a tree. Every time I play I have the opportunity to improve my disc golf game, both mentally and physically.
How Deep Does This Rabbit Hole Go?
You do not need to be obsessed to enjoy disc golf, but if you’re looking for an obsession..disc golf can definitely oblige. There are thousands of different discs to choose from in constructing your bag. There is an entire disc rating system to learn that measures a disc’s Speed, Glide, Turn, and Fade. There are many types of throws to master like backhand, forehand, patent-pending, flick, and don’t even get me started on putting. There are endless ways to improve your throwing form and hours and hours of content online that will help you do it. There are disc golf tournaments, both recreational and professional. Yes, professional. At the top of the sport is the Disc Golf Pro Tour, which has events across the US, complete with crowds, vendors, and live coverage of the event. There’s even an app to track your scores on the course! Disc golf can get as nerdy as you need. Trust me.
How To Get Started
At its core, disc golf is about throwing frisbees outside with your friends. So getting started is pretty simple:
- Get a couple discs. You can get started with just one disc, though most people begin with a “starter set” which you can pick up from just about any sporting goods store for around $20. This set will include a driver, a midrange, and a putter. Throw your driver off the tee, your midrange as you approach the green, and your putter when you’re within 30 feet of the basket.
- Practice throwing your discs. This step isn’t mandatory, but some people like to practice with their discs somewhere more private before they get onto the course. Just find a field and start throwing. See how far you can make each disc go. Just experiment.
- Find a course. Just google “disc golf courses near me” and you’ll be off to the races. Pick one close by and head over! Disc golf courses are free of charge.
There are a couple of pieces of etiquette to remember on the course.
- Let faster groups of players “play through”. If you’re a slow player or group (and as a beginner, you will be), it is very common to let other players or groups pass you. So, if you finish a hole and you notice that there is a group waiting on you, just wait for them on the next tee pad and say “You guys want to play through?”. They will play the hole, and then you can play it without worrying about holding other golfers up.
- FORE!! It’s common, even amongst seasoned players, for a throw to get away from you and set itself on a collision course with other golfers. If this happens be sure to yell…yes yell…FORE! This lets others know to duck. And if you hear someone else yell it, DUCK!
Conclusion
More than anything, just enjoy yourself out there! Try some goofy shots. Ask other disc golfers for tips. And don’t keep your score, at least at first. Just start by learning how your discs fly. If you enjoy the sport you’ll be keeping your score soon enough.
If you go out and try disc golf let me know! I’d love to hear how it went.
MW 