May 13, 2026 | Jaylin Emond-Hardin | Entertainment Editor
I first began disc golfing in 2020, during the height of the pandemic. My family was searching for something we could do outside, so we weren’t cooped up all the time during social distancing. One day, we wandered into a local used video game store and discovered they sold a bunch of brightly colored, oddly shaped frisbees used for something called “disc golf.” We decided to buy a couple, take some advice from the store clerk and figure it out from there.
Six years later, and this random hobby we decided to try has taken over our lives.
Disc golf is a great sport because it gets one outside and moving, and it can be a more accessible outdoor sport to participate in, both physically and financially. After all, a lot of the courses are flat and wide open at public parks, and one doesn’t need a whole collection of discs to participate in the first place. This is perhaps one of the easiest sports to enter as a beginner because it doesn’t take hours of practice to even play a round.
Now, I know I may not be a professional by any means, but I do have quite a few years of experience with this sport, which means I can give relatively good advice. So, without further ado, here’s the beginner’s guide to disc golf.
Discs — Before one even begins a round of disc golf, they need to begin looking at discs and the different types. There are five main types of discs: distance driver, hybrid driver, fairway driver, mid-range and putter. Each disc has a specific job depending on where one is on the hole, as well as each disc type having an even more specific name that affects its flight path. When starting from the tee-pad — typically a slab of concrete or dirt — I would always recommend a distance driver. This is always going to be the furthest throw on any hole, and the disc needs to travel the maximum amount of distance. As one moves closer to the hole, or disc catcher, they should eventually move on to using the fairway, mid-range and putter.
Out of all the brands, I tend to prefer Innova and DiscCraft. I’ve found they have superior plastics, which makes a difference when playing a round. A lot of courses are tree- and rock-heavy, and it’s always heartbreaking when a brand new disc has a chunk taken out of it — rest in peace to my Innova Boss.
When shopping for discs, always make sure the plastic is Champion, GStar or Halo. These are the sturdiest plastics and don’t even get a scrape when they hit something hard, such as a tree, rock or road. Perhaps my absolute favorite plastic line was the limited edition Moondust Halo series, which has real iron flakes inside the plastic for extra fortification.
Choosing the correct discs also takes time. Each disc type has a different flight path they take, as determined by the disc’s weight and stability. For example, my two favorite discs are my MysterE and my Holy Roman Empire; however, they both have extremely different flight paths. My MysterE tends to stay low to the ground and skip once or twice before it lands, while my Holy Roman Empire tends to catch air and curve towards the left. These flight paths are determined by a positive or negative number — the MysterE is a zero in stability to create a straight flight path, while the Holy Roman Empire is a negative two to create that curve to the left.
Courses — A course can make or break the disc golf experience, especially for beginners. For example, when I first began playing, the course that my family chose was located in Tom Pearce Park, back home in Grants Pass. We didn’t know it at the time, but Tom Pearce’s disc golf course is nationally ranked and well-known across the globe. It is among the top 1,000 courses in the world, the top 700 in the United States and the top 10 in Oregon.
While not a requirement for a course to be ranked so high and be so well-known, it does help when it comes to learning. The higher a course is ranked on UDisc — the top website and app for disc golfers to discover courses and stores — the more likely it is to be well-maintained. On these more maintained courses, one is less likely to lose a disc and more likely to encounter seasoned players who they could get advice from. One of the best pieces of advice I ever received came from a well-seasoned player — imagine the most stereotypical outdoorsy stoner guy — and it’s something that I still use to this day: when throwing a disc, always bend the wrist like milk is being poured. This will help the flight path stay flat and not wobble on the throw’s release.
Community — The community is another important factor in a beginner’s experience in disc golf. Honestly, there’s no need to even join online spaces; if one just goes to a course on a sunny day, then they have a high chance of meeting and interacting with other disc golfers. I have never met a rude person while out on a course. Everyone has been polite, helpful and always has a great sense of humor — and typically they play divorced dad rock or Bob Marley. It’s a relaxed and welcoming environment to be in.
Disc golf clubs are another fun way to interact with the community. There are different types of clubs — ones for beginners, ones for professionals and everyone in between — and they host various tournaments and events, where one can join and have the potential to win money. Doubles tournaments and Ace Pot — a term in the disc golf community used to describe a hole-in-one — competitions are among some of the most popular.
But, if one is looking for an online space to join, UDisc and Discord are the best places to look. Typically, events are posted to UDisc’s forums and a lot of disc golf clubs and communities use Discord as a form of communication. There are also a plethora of Facebook and Instagram pages to follow and interact with the following there.
Disc golf is honestly one of the best sports to participate in casually. It allows one to exercise and join a community that is nothing but welcoming and open. And who knows? Perhaps a new hobby is on the horizon.
Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu
