disc golf

Huh, that's kinda fun. And tiring.

Tried it the other day for the first time with my son. We didn't know what we were doing, but we had a lot of fun doing it. A lot more fun than I ever expected. Played two rounds on the mini course, and then one full round on the big course. By the time the day was over, we were both dragging a bit. That's a lot of walking!

Slowest squirrels I've ever seen. No running, no bounding. Just slow strolling walks. Even the one we were trying to bean (and darn near got). He'd just take a few steps at the end. Only enough to get out of the way.

They just built a 9 'hole' course in the park next door to our house. Played with the youngest and her best friend. Fun ain't it.

A guy I used to work with was crazy about it. Had a bunch of different discs like a driver and putter and stuff like that. I'd like to get out and try it.

if you have a 2nd hand sporting goods store THAT is where to pick up the "proper" discs for the game... can pick up a driver, mid range and putter for super cheap...

it's a fun game... haven't played as much as I'd have liked

It is fun. Just be warned, around my home town we call it the Stoner Olympics.

Wait till the forests start eating your discs.

mtn wrote: It is fun. Just be warned, around my home town we call it the Stoner Olympics.

do you get bonus points if you can also do some sweet hacky sack moves?

I played a single round on the old Southern Tech course and won. Never seemed to find time to play again.

Frisbee was an undeclared major in college and members of our Ultimate team lived in the apartment below us. There was always someone willing to toss a disc around.

After graduation, I got out of Joisey (quickly) and used a county park behind my parent's house to work off energy and/or frustration. There was no course so I designed my own by picking certain trees as "holes". At the time I had 5 or 6 discs and they were all used at the same time; I spent a lot of time in that park.

The softball fields were useful, too. Standing at home plate and throwing them over the fence got to be a goal then a habit.

If your course has a pond nearby, be sure and invest in some floating discs. I know a kid who makes a little on the side mucking the liquid obstacles for discs to sell at Play It Again Sports.

The local course goes around a lake, so I'm sure there are discs in there. The local course is at a park where they rent the discs for $1 a day. I can live with that.

My kid is such a jock, I so am not. I thought this game was something the local park dreamed up. I had no idea there was a federation, and courses all over the country and makers of a zillion types of discs with their own flight characteristics and secret number codes on them. Who would have guessed?!

I come home and tell me son about this discovery of mine, and he's like "of course, why do you think I picked the X disc?" Huh. I'd picked the yellow one because it was pretty.

does anyonetake this thing not seriously enough that they only use the free frisbees that are handed out by realtors and political campaigns at county fairs? or how about dog toys?

it would be fun to show up at a busy course with your free junk and then just start randomly throwing them in the general direction of where they are starting to go and watch the people that take it too seriously have strokes..

Yeah, I'm a dork...I haven't reached "I carry a bag with 40 discs status," but I do have a variety of drivers, and a putt/approach disc. Watching somebody launch that berkeleyer 300+ feet got me hooked. Plus it's free and outside and I guess it technically counts as excercise.

Yea, I was reading the info on the discs, seeing those 300 feet claims, along with the flight profiles and such. I don't think we ever got to half that. By the end of the day, I'd say we were down in the 50+ foot range. That might have been why the marauding squirrels were so lackadaisical.

novaderrik, we came with two frisbies, but since real discs were $1 a day, we used them. They are heavier and smaller, which would matter for getting into the chain basket, and they didn't seem to drift off the way a regular frisbie does when I toss it.

novaderrik wrote: does anyonetake this thing not seriously enough that they only use the free frisbees that are handed out by realtors and political campaigns at county fairs? or how about dog toys? it would be fun to show up at a busy course with your free junk and then just start randomly throwing them in the general direction of where they are starting to go and watch the people that take it too seriously have strokes..

Normal frisbees don't have nearly the distance to even be effective for that.

I used to play disc gold ALL the time in college and for the first few years afterwards, then the guys I played with either moved, got married/had kids, etc.

Do the players still get mad when someone calls it "Frisbee golf"?

I hope so.

slantvaliant wrote: Do the players still get mad when someone calls it "Frisbee golf"? I hope so.

I refuse to call it anything but.

I love it. I've been playing it for years now. Frisbee golf or discing is what I call it.

I've been able to drive 300 ft or so on occasion. Not always that far but usually out there a ways. I've come to realize that I need a certain disc to do it. Normally I just go for fun, and grab a driver and a putter, sometimes just a driver.

Just pony up and buy a real driver for the $15 or $20. You'll probably find one or two after a couple times out. If you get frustrated with throwing a normal right hand throw and it curving to the left, learn what the little numbers mean on the discs and get one that goes straighter.

RossD wrote: If you get frustrated with throwing a normal right hand throw and it curving to the left, learn what the little numbers mean on the discs and get one that goes straighter.

Or learn how to keep your arm flat and extended to drive properly.

In reply to z31maniac:

OK, seriously, there really is a difference between a putter and driver disc? Really?

If I buy one, I'll need something that drives dead straight. I'm a world class master at slinging frisbees and such sliding either left or right. I never get one where I aim. Doesn't matter which way I toss it, it invariably cocks and goes off to one side or the other.

My whole one time playing frisbee golf so far was with an Innova Valkyrie (9/4/-2/2). I could still go way off to either side. I picked it because it was purty and yellow. Son picked an Archangel (8/6/-4/1) because he read the numbers. I didn't even see those numbers.

I'm thinking Momba or Leopard or Beast might be best for me. But, maybe I should wait and see how many times I actually play this game first. As long as I can remember these names, maybe I'll find them at that $1 rental table.

Of course, just look at the edge profiles and you can tell what the is. If it has a long, tapered edge with a shallow lip it is for distance driving. If it has a blunt, deeper profile lip it is a putter. Somewhere in between is a mid range driver.
More than you ever wanted to know about it, and what those pesky numbers mean.

Don't forget your towel!

Ahem. The prefered term is "Frolfing."

foxtrapper wrote: OK, seriously, there really *is* a difference between a putter and driver disc? Really? If I buy one, I'll need something that drives dead straight. I'm a world class master at slinging frisbees and such sliding either left or right. I *never* get one where I aim. Doesn't matter which way I toss it, it invariably cocks and goes off to one side or the other. My whole one time playing frisbee golf so far was with an Innova Valkyrie (9/4/-2/2). I could still go way off to either side. I picked it because it was purty and yellow. Son picked an Archangel (8/6/-4/1) because he read the numbers. I didn't even see those numbers. I'm thinking Momba or Leopard or Beast might be best for me. But, maybe I should wait and see how many times I actually play this game first. As long as I can remember these names, maybe I'll find them at that $1 rental table.

There is a difference.

And you'll need to work on your technique, keep your arm out, shoulder height and rotate your whole body for power vs trying to snap your elbow.

Also don't try to put your index finger across the leading edge when going for distance.

We have two courses at work. One where you need to take the lift to mid mountain, and walk the course from high to low. It's quite popular.

foxtrapper wrote: OK, seriously, there really *is* a difference between a putter and driver disc? Really? If I buy one, I'll need something that drives dead straight. I'm a world class master at slinging frisbees and such sliding either left or right. I *never* get one where I aim. Doesn't matter which way I toss it, it invariably cocks and goes off to one side or the other. My whole one time playing frisbee golf so far was with an Innova Valkyrie (9/4/-2/2). I could still go way off to either side. I picked it because it was purty and yellow. Son picked an Archangel (8/6/-4/1) because he read the numbers. I didn't even see those numbers. I'm thinking Momba or Leopard or Beast might be best for me. But, maybe I should wait and see how many times I actually play this game first. As long as I can remember these names, maybe I'll find them at that $1 rental table.

There is a HUGE distance between a driver and a putter. Have you thrown both? Every disc is going to die left or right depending on whether you're left or right handed. There are some great videos on youtube showing proper grip/form. With a driver, I keep my fingers tight inside the lip, "pinching" my thumb and forefinger together. For putt/approach, I "fan" my fingers out under the disc. Trowing a frisbee golf disc is way different than your average frisbee throw. Most people are used to throwing a frisbee starting near their waist. You want to start at, or just below your shoulder, focusing on keeping the disc flat, or slightly tilted right ("Anhyzer") if you're right-handed, to compensate for the disc dying left.

The best piece of advice I got for distance was to PULL the disc across your chest, and imagine you're pulling a rope to start a lawnmower.

With the putter, I like to face the basket directly, aim for the top right of the basket (assuming there is no elevation change,) right foot forward, and pull the disc straight into my chest, extend my arm as far as I can, leaning into the put, and release.

Personally, I think a Cyclone is a really good all around beginner disc. Go to play-it-again or other used sporting goods store. Spend $30 and grab a few discs. See which ones you like. That Valkyrie you've got is a great distance driver, but a little hard to control.

You can try different types of shots too. I don't know what the technical term is, but a "sidearm" shot will make the disc die right (if you're right handed.) I do this by putting my middle finger along the inside edge of the disc, and pinching my thumb on the top of the disc between the middle and forefinger, rotating right to left, instead of left to right. There's also an overhead shot (like throwing an axe,) using the same grip, which can be useful for getting over objects in front of you, or punching out of the woods. You can also "roll" the disc (similar throw, but aiming at the ground.)