2024’s Best Cities for Disc Golf

What are three key tips for someone playing disc golf for the first time?

1. Ask a local disc golf pro shop for information about the best discs to start with.

2. Ask any group playing the course if you can play along. It’s totally normal and encouraged to help new people.

3. Last, have fun!

What is the best way for disc golf players to find games or leagues in their city?

• Facebook groups are where most clubs communicate about pick up rounds and events.

• The UDisc app has every course listed with details such as course conditions and events.

What elements make a disc golf course more attractive to or challenging for experienced players?

For experienced players, high levels of risk vs. reward make courses more enticing. If you throw a good shot you have an opportunity to birdie or get an easy par, while on bad shots you are likey to get a bogey or worse.

What are three key tips for someone playing disc golf for the first time?

Use the correct disc, give yourself realistic expectations, and have fun.

• Using the correct disc is crucial to having a good first time on the course. Find something that is comfortable in your hand. If possible, try to use a disc that is slower and understable.

• Your first time on the course will probably look like it’s your first time. That’s ok! Don’t compare yourself to others but compare yourself to yourself. The pros make it seem so easy, so don’t beat yourself up if your shoot above par your first time.

• Disc golf is supposed to be fun. If your play isn’t going your way, do your best to enjoy the other aspects of disc golf like: the beautiful park you are walking through, the company with you, the excitement of trying to improve, or even just the sunshine hitting your skin after a long day inside at work.

What is the best way for disc golf players to find games or leagues in their city?

• Most often there is a local group on Facebook that hosts casual rounds, leagues, and even tournaments.

• UDisc (app) has a calendar of local events along with course maps.

• Finally, The Disc Golf Scene is the place to find tournaments.

What elements make a disc golf course more attractive to or challenging for experienced players?

Distance, style, and upkeep.

• The distance of most holes needs to be challenging but not impossible to reach.

• Each course has a different style: in the woods, in a park, in the open, and blends of each. Then comes elevation, which impacts style significantly.

• Finally upkeep, which makes a course feel sharp and professional.

What are three key tips for someone playing disc golf for the first time?

If you’re new to playing disc golf, you’re in for a treat. While there will be a bit of a learning curve, disc golf is an enjoyable sport at any skill level. Many disc golfers have a shared experience of feeling immediately hooked on the game and feeling the itch to play again soon after their first round. To get the most out of your first round, I recommend:

1. Start playing with lower-speed discs. It’s important to realize that just like golfers carry different clubs in their bags, disc golfers carry different discs for the same reason. Different disc types are used to achieve different shots, just like a golfer might choose a driver, iron, or putter depending on the shot in front of them.

Disc golf discs are usually categorized as drivers, mid-ranges, and putters. Drivers fly the fastest due to their beveled edge that cuts through the air, whereas midrange discs and putters generally fly slower and straighter.

When you’re starting out, most players will want to start by throwing distance drivers but are often confused or disappointed by the results of their throws with these high-speed discs. The faster a disc can fly, the more experience and arm speed are needed to get it to fly straight. New players will get the most out of throwing a midrange or a putter, even on longer holes. Your number one goal when starting out should be getting the disc to fly straight, which will be much easier with a putter or midrange.

You’ll probably be able to throw a putter farther than a driver when you start playing, and that’s normal. Lean into it and focus on learning to throw slower discs.

2. Playing with someone who can guide you through the basics. Disc golf can seem pretty straightforward, and at a core level, it is. However, new players can benefit immensely from some basic instruction from someone more familiar with the game and throwing techniques.

If you’ve got a friend who plays, don’t be shy; they will almost certainly jump at the opportunity to play a round with you and show you the ropes. Don’t worry about competing with anyone during your first round — just focus on getting used to the throwing motions and understanding how the discs behave when thrown.

3. Focus on having fun and enjoying being outside. One of the best things about disc golf is that you’re essentially taking a hike in the woods or around another beautiful outdoor space. Connection to the outdoors and creating meaningful experiences in nature is a core part of disc golf, so no matter how you’re playing, don’t forget to look up and enjoy the space you’re in.

Disc golf is supposed to be fun, so don’t let the initial learning curve get in your way of enjoying time on the course and watching the disc fly.

What is the best way for disc golf players to find games or leagues in their city?

The best way to find casual round card mates and league events is to research local disc golf clubs in your area.

• Checking on Facebook for local clubs often goes a long way, and many clubs have regularly scheduled events every week.
• You can also download the UDisc app, a course directory and league-organizing platform. UDisc will have a list of many upcoming events in your area.
• If you want to play in sanctioned competitions, the best place to find tournaments is www.discgolfscene.com, the primary event registration platform for the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA), where thousands of events are listed. The PDGA is the sport’s governing body and sanctions upwards of 10,000 tournaments for players of all skill levels every year.

What elements make a disc golf course more attractive to or challenging for experienced players?

At a basic level, great disc golf courses will offer players a challenge to demonstrate multiple skills: throwing forehand and backhand, throwing different speed discs, and navigating obstacles like tight wooded fairways or water features.

At the higher levels, experienced players often seek courses that demand precision for more advanced skill sets or force players to consider multiple factors when attacking a singular hole. For example, you might design a course so that a player has to throw the disc through a gap in the trees that’s far down the fairway and also place the basket on a downslope so the player has to hit the gap with a disc that’s moving slowly enough and on the right angle to avoid sliding or skipping too far past the basket.

Experienced players also value a course’s ability to create scoring separation between competitors. The best courses create enough scenarios where a player may have to take a significant risk to gain a reward of a better score or have enough variety in design elements where driving, finesse, and putting are all tested throughout the round. This means there are more opportunities for success and failure based on each skill set tested. A course with ample scoring separation opportunities will allow for a more vibrant and meaningful competition.