Disc Golf
What is it?
Disc golf, better known by the general public as “Frisbee” golf, or sometimes even “Frolf” has been around for many years. The basic game is very similar to traditional ball golf in that you tee off and see how many “strokes” it takes for you to reach a goal. The difference is, you are throwing a disc instead of hitting a ball, and at the end instead of putting your ball into a small hole in the ground, you throw your disc into a “basket.”
The other huge difference is that for the most part, playing disc golf is free. There are rarely “greens fees” or “country clubs” to join. You just grab some discs and head to the course.
How do you do it?
As mentioned, playing disc golf follows the same basic rules as ball golf. You tee off from a “tee pad” and then see how many throws it takes you to put the disc in the goal or basket. There are very specialized discs that are used for different aspects of the game, just like using different golf clubs for ball golf. For example, you usually tee off with a “driver” disc – which tends to fly far. You then throw a slightly chunkier disc called a “mid-range” that is designed to go a shorter distance accurately. Then, when you are close to the basket, you throw your “putter.”
Most courses have 18 holes, with some shorter courses having 9. These courses can be in wide open fields, rolling hills, or on the side of a mountain. Some have big open shots where being able to throw long is important, some are tight wooded holes where accuracy is king.
Each course has a “par” rating, in other words an average number of strokes or throws it should take to complete. Just like ball golf, if the “par” or average on hole 1 is three, if you make it in three throws you are shooting par. If it takes you 4 shots you get a “bogie” and if you make it in 2, it’s a “birdie.” You tally up your score for each hole, and at the end of the round of 18 holes, the person who has the lowest overall score wins.
Here's how I got involved
I had casually played with Frisbees when I was a kid, and we actually played a version of disc golf on the farm – what is called “obstacle golf.” This is basically creating your own course – Throw the disc and hit that tree – then go around the barn – then throw it in a bucket for the win!
Many years later a friend asked me if I had played disc golf and when I said no, he offered to take me out to a course and let me borrow some of his discs. We went, and I was hooked. This was long before I ever threw a disc to a dog. I played in a few tournaments, and always enjoyed going out to play.
Top 3 ways it will help your Disc Dogging
- Knowledge. The knowledge of throwing you get by using different kinds of discs, in different wind and weather conditions and over different distances and terrain is invaluable. Just the idea of having a disc in your hand and throwing more is very helpful to your disc dogging throwing skills.
- Control and placement. Because you have to throw to a specific place “the basket,” you will develop better accuracy, which will in turn help you with proper placement when throwing to your dog.
- Distance. Because you are “driving” 18 times a round on holes that are often anywhere from 250 to 700 feet away, you will get a lot of practice in throwing far.
Here's what you need to do to try it
The first thing to know; it’s easy! All you really need to give it a try is one disc! And you can even play with your dog discs. The original fastback mold is an officially legal disc to use in disc golf competitions. So grab a disc and find a local course. Go to the tee pad of hole one, look at where the basket is and throw!
Links & Resources
A great place to look for local courses is DG Course Review. https://www.dgcoursereview.com/ Just put in your location and see what comes up. Once again, most courses are free to play, no need to reserve a tee time, just show up and throw!
If you want to check out some actual disc golf specific discs, there may be a disc golf store near you where you can go get the feel for some. There are also a lot of options online. Of course disc doggers are familiar with Hero discs. If you go to the Hero site and click on the disc golf tab you will see plenty. https://www.herodiscusa.com/ Another site where you can find a ton of discs is http://www.discgolfcenter.com/
Disc Golf has a great governing organization that helps put on tournaments, and has an elaborate system of ranking players. Check out the Professional Disc Golf Association for official rules and information. https://www.pdga.com/
Wrap Up
So there it is. While Disc Golf is a great sport in it’s own right, for us disc doggers it has the added bonus of also being a great way to improve our throws. So give it a try, have some fun and see what happens.
P.S. Just don’t tell your dog you were out throwing discs without them!
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Educators and Contributors
Here at DDU we are thrilled to present the best instruction from the best Disc Doggers in the world. This article was put together by Jeff Scheetz, the President of the Kansas City Disc Dogs.
