How to Play Disc Golf: Beginner’s Guide

Disc golf players throw the disc toward a metal basket with the goal of eventually getting it in the basket using as few throws as possible. Whoever completes the course with the fewest throws, or strokes, wins the game. Disc Golf is growing in popularity like never before! It may seem complicated at first, but it’s actually very simple to learn – especially if you’re already familiar with traditional golf. In this article, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know before you play your first round of disc golf.

How to Play Disc Golf: The Basics

Disc golf is very similar to traditional golf. However, instead of using a ball and a set of clubs, players use a disc that is similar to a frisbee. In fact, disc golf was born out of the frisbee craze. It’s a very interesting story and we wrote a whole article on that here!

Disc golf players throw the disc toward a metal basket with the goal of eventually getting it in the basket using as few throws as possible. Whoever completes the course with the fewest throws, or strokes, wins the game. It’s that simple!

Just like traditional golf, disc golf usually has 9 or 18 baskets, sometimes referred to as “holes”. Players begin at hole #1 and complete the course in order before ending on hole #9 or #18. Whoever completes the game, or “round”, using the least amount of throws is the winner.

Each hole starts at the “Tee”. Think of the tee as the launchpad for the hole. Normally, it is constructed of concrete or wood and provides a solid footing for players to make their first throw. However, that will vary from course to course. Often the tee has a small plaque or sign nearby indicating the number and location of the basket. It may also contain other useful information like obstacles or off-limit areas, but not always.

As players progress toward the basket they often use different discs depending on the type of throws they need to make. For example, close throws that require precision are made with different discs than long throws.

How to Play Disc Golf: Basic Rules

Par and Scoring

Each hole in disc golf, like traditional golf, has a par, which is the number of throws expected to complete the hole. To determine each player’s score, calculate how much over or under-par a player is. For example, if a player has played one par 3 hole and one par 4 hole and threw a 4 and 5 respectively, they would be considered 2 over par or just +2 for the round. If a player scores par for every hole, their score will be 0 at the end of the round. At the end of the round, the player with the lowest score wins.

Tee Throws

Each hole begins with a tee shot. Running starts are allowed as long as the player stays in the designated area before releasing the disc (usually a concrete or rubber slab). Make sure to check the tee sign when starting a hole which contains valuable information such as the location of the basket, distance, and par of the hole.

Beginner Tip: Take 2 tee shots off the first hole and choose the best disc to start your round with. While not PGDA approved, this is a great way to warm up and a personal favorite “house rule” here at Remix Outdoors.

Throwing Order

After the first hole, the player who shot the least amount of strokes on the previous hole is the first to tee off; then the 2nd, 3rd, etc. Once everyone has finished throwing from the tee pad, the player with the disc farthest from the basket throws first on the next hole.

Lie

The lie is where the player’s previous throw landed. According to official PDGA rules, the lie is a 30 cm by 20 cm box directly behind the thrown disc that a player must either stand in when throwing or plant their lead foot in after performing a run up. You cannot step or hold onto something in front of your lie before throwing the disc. This is called a “foot fault”. You can also place a mini marker disc in front of the disc you threw and the lie moves behind that, but don’t worry about that if you’re just starting out. 

Out of Bounds

Holes usually mark out of bounds (O.B.) near the tee pad on the tee sign. If a player throws his or her disc out of bounds, they will add a stroke to their score and they must make their next throw from either 1 meter in bounds from where the disc crossed over the O.B. line or at a designated drop zone. Common out of bounds hazards include rivers, lakes, roads, and walking trails. 

Putting

When throwing from a lie within 10 meters (about 33 feet), the player is not allowed to do a run up and must maintain balance and not move past the lie until the disc comes to rest. This type of shot is called a putt; learn how to putt in disc golf in our complete guide.

Mandatory (Mando)

Some holes have a mandatory line, also known as mando, as indicated on the tee sign and/or arrow on a tree or pole. So, this means that the player must throw on the indicated side of the mandatory; if he or she misses the mando, they can choose to either rethrow from the previous lie or throw from the designated drop zone (if available) with a one stroke penalty. Mandos can be tricky, so we wrote an entire article to help explain them in more detail!

Completing a Hole

A hole is completed when the disc either rests in the basket or chains. A disc that lands on top of the basket is counted in with a one stroke penalty. 

Check out our complete guide for an exhaustive list of disc golf rules.

How to Play Disc Golf: Types of Discs

There are 3 main categories of disc golf discs; driver, putter, and midrange. If you’re just starting out check out our article on the best disc golf starter sets. They have all the discs you need to get started playing disc golf today!

How to Play Disc Golf: Final Thoughts

We hope you found this article helpful! be sure to check out all our disc golf guides here at RemixOutdoors.com.

For further reading check out our ultimate list of disc golf tips that every beginner needs to know.