Diving into Disc Golf

How Disc Golf Ratings Relate To Divisions

Welcome back to this weeks Diving Into Disc Golf! Today I’m going to introduce you to the disc golf ratings system. It can be a little confusing at first to understand exactly what the numbers mean other than the higher the better. Disc golf rating are a way to tell the skill of a player and put them in the proper division with competitive competition. First off to get a disc golf rating you have to join the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) and have competed in a tournament. Depending on the division you compete in will determine the tee pads and par each for the hole you play as well, below is a picture that breaks it down.

Tournaments have different divisions to compete in based off of your skill and player rating. Generally most tournaments offer divisions for Open, Advanced, Intermediate, Recreational, Novice and have them split up between men and women’s divisions. They group these divisions into two levels Pro or Open and Armature being Advanced, Intermediate, Recreational and Novice. There are also divisions for older player starting from amateur and pro master 40+ all the way to 70+, to help keep things completive. When joining the PDGA you get a player number to track your stats over time.

Open– A division for both men and women’s disc golf that is the top professional division. In order to compete in open you have to pay higher priced membership fee to the PDGA, in order to win cash payouts. The average open men’s player rating is 970+ and the average women’s rating in 925+. Players that compete in the open division rarely make any mistakes and make most of their putts in circle one, or 33 feet.

Advanced– Also available in both men’s and women’s divisions for player under 40 years old. The average male rating is equal to 935+ and the average female rating is 825+. Advanced players are generally very seasoned disc golfers that throw very consistent drives and make 50-70% of their putts from 25-30 feet. An advanced player that can drive 400 feet consistently in his drive he should consider moving up.

Intermediate- Has no age requirement for men or women competing. The average male intermediate player has a rating between 900 and 935, averaging 50-70% made putts from 20 feet. While the average female rating for an intermediate is between 825 and 775, averaging 30-50% made putts.

Recreational– A division for both men and women who have less than 2 years experience in playing disc golf. The average men’s player rating is between 900 and 850, and make 40-60% of putts from 20 feet. The average women’s player rating is between 775 and 725, making 30-50% of putts from 20 feet.

Here is an example of player and round ratings from a recent tournament I played in.

Novice– A division for brand new and casual players of the sport. Available for both men and women who are still learning the basics of the sport. The average men’s player rating is less than 850 and make 30-50% of putts. The average women’s player rating is less than 725. Generally a novice needs great improvement both in putting and driving forms.

I hope this was helpful in explaining how disc golf rating relate to your skill and the division you should be competing in. Of course you can always challenge yourself and try to go a division above your rating if you think your up for it. Thanks for joining me again this week on Diving Into Disc Golf!

Here’s a link for a fun disc golf application for both Iphone and Android called Disc Golf Valley: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Per.DiscGolf&hl=en_US&gl=US https://apps.apple.com/us/app/disc-golf-valley/id1454709572

Resources:

https://www.pdga.com/documents/par-guidelines https://discgolf.ultiworld.com/2018/08/06/time-rethink-pdgas-amateur-divisions-organized/ https://www.pdga.com/divisions#:~:text=Male%20and%20Female%20Pro%20players,Master%2080%2B%20(MP80). https://udisc.com/blog/post/disc-golf-gaming-hits-new-peakin-a-valley

10 Crazy Disc Golf Shots

This week on diving into disc golf we are going to check out some of the craziest disc golf shots. A lot of people try to will these kinds of shots in their game but few succeed in doing it like these have. Some of the best shots have came for the worst situations. Now lets check out some of the best and most insane throws, starting with number 10!

10) Paul McBeth so close to getting an ace check out this crazy result.

9) Eagle McMahon throws in for eagle at Idlewild Open on hole 2.

8)Local professional James Conrad Aces hole 9 at the Idlewild Open.

7) Paige Pierce Ace!

6) Nikko Locastro crazy skip albatross, has some funny commentary.

5) Crazy skip ace in the rain by Dave Feldberg.

4) Paul Ulibarri threw out of bounds and rethrew his disc in the basket from the tee to save par!

3) Crazy forehand roller ace by Eagle McMahon. (SKIP to 13:55 and stop at 14:24, no shorter clips)

2) Kevin Jones- The ace so good it hurts to watch!

1) Philo Brathwaite- Probably the most impressive shot ever made in my personal opinion. Check out this awesome second shot throw in on a par 5 hole, albatross.

Hope you enjoyed these awesome disc golf shots on this weeks diving into disc golf. Next week I’m going to introduce you to disc golf ratings and divisions. Check out pictures of two awesome aces I got recently below. Until next time get out there and try your best to make some crazy shots!

Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJjrkdigzbY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVH5sAKQy1c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wO9cOoje4PE&t=842s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-g0ssQXkyg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQMvhaydFMo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDla_m6lirA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PssDtF_DvME https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU6mtRJ0T98

Easy and Beneficial Disc Golf Putting Routine

Welcome back to diving into disc golf, this week I’m going to show you an easy and beneficial putting routine. Putting is key to being a consistent disc golfer. However, its a lot easier said then done. Professionals do hundreds to thousands of putting repletion’s a week to lock it down so that it becomes muscle memory. That’s great to do but most of us don’t have time to do that many, and that’s just fine. Any amount of practice will help improve your form and gain consistency slowly. I personally like to practice from 10, 20, and 30 feet in order to feel more comfortable and consistent at putting during a round. I usually practice at least 10 repetitions from each spot and try to improve over time. If you want to challenge yourself you can add a twist. Try making 2 putts in a row to move back 10 more feet, and if you miss you have to start from the beginning at 10 feet. Below is a short five minute putting practice video that I made, I apologize it’s a little fuzzy.

Keep in mind everyone has their own putting style, so do whatever is most comfortable for you. Find a style and stick to it, when you use multiple putting forms it takes away from your consistency. Thanks for checking out this weeks Diving Into Disc Golf, now get out there and practice your putts!

Why Disc Golf is Important to Me

Close-Up of Man Preparing to Throw a Disc Golf Driver a Long Distance across an Outdoor Area with Trees under Storm Clouds

I grew up playing all kinds of sports as an active young boy. I played soccer, baseball, basketball, experimented a little with tennis, and was even on a local swimming team. I eventually got to a point where soccer was my main athletic priority. I slowly cut out other sports to focus time on soccer. My goal was to make Blacksburg high school’s soccer team. I ended up making the school team and I have a lot of great memories from it. My senior year my team made it to states but sadly we lost in the finals. I planned on playing more soccer in college but life threw me a curve ball.

My first day in college, I had a regular scheduled physical after my classes. I had lost about 20 pounds or so since I had my last physical, which was a bit peculiar. During my physical my doctor felt a lump around my stomach area, my heart sank immediately. I knew what it was after hearing that, cancer. I went to UVA and found out I had stage three kidney cancer, the doctors said that it needed immediate attention. I returned home to go through surgery and rigorous treatments at Roanoke hospital, to avoid the long drive to UVA. The surgery required me to remove one of my kidneys because the cancer had literally surrounded it and was the only way to keep it from spreading. Everything worked out in the end, I’m now 5 years out and thankful for everyday.

After, surgery I was given a long list of things I couldn’t do or eat. One thing that stuck out to me was I could no longer play the contact sports that I loved, and I was worried about what I was going to do. I couldn’t play soccer anymore and risk getting an elbow to my one kidney. I kept a focus on school to keep my mind busy, but that didn’t help relieve all the stress I was going through like sports did. I heard a couple of my old childhood friends had started playing disc golf recently, but I didn’t really know anything about it. Then one day my little brother told me he was going to play with a friend, and I asked if I could come along and play too. I ended up going and had a very fun time, even though I was terrible when I first started out and might have even lost a disc. This is when my love of disc golf began to emerge. The satisfaction of getting a birdie was equivalent of scoring a goal in a soccer game for me and I knew then and there I was hooked.

Disc golfer releases disc towards the basket for a successful putt.

Over the past few years, I have began playing a lot more often with my friends. I started buying my own discs and equipment, and before long I was playing in tournaments. Disc golf was a great sport to get my body back into shape after all the treatments I received. My passion for disc golf has grown so much that when ever I find any free time I feel a need to get out and play. I love disc golf because it clears my mind, no matter how bad my day or week has been it just takes away all my cares in the world. For me disc golf isn’t just a sport or a game, its a way for me to relax and enjoy spending time with friends. What more could I ask for? The only thing I regret is not starting disc golf at a younger age.

Disc golf could be your passion too, but if not that’s perfectly fine. Find something that your passionate about and pursue it I promise you won’t be disappointed! Next week on Diving into Disc Golf I’m going to introduce you to a good putting routine.

Diving Into Disc Golf Tournaments

I’m not a professional disc golfer, but I still love to compete in tournaments and have a lot of fun doing it! Generally you play two rounds of disc golf in a tournament and you try to get the lowest overall score. My first tournament I literally dove right in, having barley played over a month I wasn’t quite ready. There are a few things I’d recommend considering before signing up for tournaments. Will it be more fun or take away from enjoying playing disc golf? Do you think you have enough experience and skill to compete? Do you know basics of tournament play? Lastly, are you going to be comfortable playing the course? If you answered yes, you are probably ready for your first tournament or might have already played a few. If not, I’ll help you get a bit more comfortable in giving it a shot.

The first thing you should consider before signing up for a tournament is will it take your love of the game away. A lot of people enjoy playing sports such as disc golf, but the competition and tournaments aren’t always for everyone. The best way to gage this is to ask yourself if you like to be competitive when playing with friends or do you prefer playing by yourself? Disc golf is a mental game and tournaments can be very stressful if you let pressure get to you, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t ready to compete. There is always a bit of anxiety before your tournaments, its only natural. If you can get through those nerves you are one step closer to signing up.

The next question you might ask yourself is “Am I good enough to play in a tournament?” Obviously, that’s up for you to decide and that can be a little tricky. Anyone can play in a tournament, but you probably want to at least have a shot at doing well. Disc golf tournament’s have a few different divisions to chose from, varying in skill level to chose from. Generally if its your first tournament you want to start out in the lowest division you qualify for, either MA3, FA3, or Junior. Once you notice improvement in both your score and consistency you can slowly move up divisions. As long as you have some confidence in your putting game I’d say you have what it takes to enter into a low tournament division.

Another thing that’s important to consider are the tournament rules. There are a lot of things people let slide in casual rounds with friends. In tournaments however, people will call you out on technicalities such as foot faults and out of bounds (OB) shots. This will add on a lot of strokes to your game, so make sure you are somewhat familiar with the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) rules for tournaments before signing up. You can look on their website to find out more rules at https://www.pdga.com/rules. Thankfully in your first tournament or two other players tend to let a few things slide, especially in the lower divisions but not so much the more advanced ones. Disc golf tends to have a pretty friendly community, just f you let them know its your first time or so playing in a tournament. Chances are they will give you some pointers and will be generally forgiving over simple mistakes during the tournament.

Local overview of CRC course at Virginia Tech (Red=beginner, white=intermediate, blue=pro tee)

The last thing you might consider before entering a tournament is “Am I going to play well there?” Is it a course you’re familiar with or do you need to go practice it before signing up for a blind course at a tournament. Even if you don’t have time to play it before the tournament, check out the course layout and see if you can perform well on or not. There are thousands of course layouts on the UDisc app, which allows you to check out just about any course before playing it in person. This will help give you a good idea of what to expect when you arrive at the course. If you think you can do well or even just want to give it a shot for fun, go ahead and sign up for an upcoming tournament.

Picture of me at Thorn Springs DGC after payout for finishing 4th

Last weekend, I actually played my first tournament of the year at Thorn Springs in Pulaski, VA. I made sure I played the course before tournament day to get a good feel of it. I knew it was a challenging course, but I knew I had potential to do well so I signed up for MA3. I was only able to play it once before the tournament and I think I would have done better If I was able to practice the course more. However, I still finished 4th out of 40 so I’m happy with how well I did, even though I didn’t get to prepare as much as I had hoped for and missed some easy putts. Later this year, I plan on moving up divisions as soon as my putting gets more consistent.

Thorn Spring Fling players pack and payout winnings

Now get out there and sign up for some upcoming tournaments, I’m sure you will do just fine!

Interesting links: https://blog.virginia.org/2017/06/disc-golf-courses/

https://www.discgolfscene.com/tournaments/Virginia

Important Disc Golf Warm-Ups and Stretches

It’s time we take another dive back into disc golf! Whether you are playing for fun or competitively, there are some things you should always do before beginning a round of disc golf. All disc golfers should warm up before playing to keep their body limber, healthy, and help improve their game. The three most important things to do before a round are stretching out your arms, legs, and practice your putting. Doing these three things are very beneficial to players before starting a round, which I’ll explain in more detail. Before moving onto that, please remember to always stay hydrated on the course.

https://propulldiscgolf.com/pages/arm-stretches

Arm Stretches Disc golf requires players to use a lot of arm movements during a game. If you dive right in without stretching you are bound to hurt yourself during the round. Trust me I have forgot to stretch a few times and my body hated me for it later. You want to make sure you properly stretch out your forearms and shoulders/upper back to get your arm lose for throwing. I recommend at least 2-5 minutes of arm stretches before a round of disc golf to help prevent you from getting an arm injury during a round. Disc Golf Strong on YouTube has some great videos to help stretch and prevent injuries. I find visuals are the best way to explain good warm up routines, here is one of the many stretching techniques.

Leg Stretches There are many rigorous disc golf courses that are essentially a hike while playing disc golf. This requires stretching out your legs and hips so they don’t get tight and cramp up on you, while playing and walking between holes. Disc golf also requires explosive power from your legs, most of the power on your throw is generated from momentum from the ground through your legs. I would recommend spending another 2-5 minutes focusing on stretching out your legs and hips. Be smart and take care of your body. Make sure you properly stretch your legs before playing, below is a video on some good leg stretching you can do before a round.

Practice Your Putting! Becoming good at putting takes a lot of practice. No one is naturally good at putting, it takes many repetitions to get the muscle memory down. It’s a good habit before every round to take a few minutes and getting your putting dialed in. I’d say do at least 10-15 practice putts before you start your game, to get nice and warmed up. Practice putting really helps you improve, I would recommend going out and just putting for an hour or two a week. Get out and do 50-100 putts in a row and see how many you can make, then try to improve your goal of how many you make in the basket each time. Then move back a few feet further once you start getting more consistent and repeat. One thing I find that really helps is picking a specific chain-link on the basket and aiming for it. Then depending on how your shot was adjust it accordingly and possibly chose a new chain-link to aim for, to improve your putting. The further away you are from the basket, the higher of a chain-link you should aim for. This gives yourself a better chance of making the putt. One last putting tip, don’t take your eyes off the chains!

Please take my advice and make sure you stretch, practice your putting, don’t forget to always bring plenty of water, and an emergency snack just might come in handy. Feel free to ask me about other more detailed types of stretches or check out more on Disc golf Strong. Next Week we will be diving into the basics of disc golf tournaments. Now get out there, warm up, and have a fun round of disc golf!

Andrew Fish (Picture from cdn.discgolf.ultiworld.com)

For more helpful warm-up videos from Disc Golf Strong visit: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGXC_YbchbZGwLSGDvegrrA

Helpful Disc Golf Accessories and Essentials

Disc golf involves a bit more than just discs. Players use various accessories to help them perform better during a round of disc golf. Everyone uses different accessories and depending on the weather and terrain you may need some specific things. There are a number of useful accessories and a few essential disc golf items that I personally recommend for most players. I would recommend you consider the following: Roller cart, disc golf backpack, chalk bag, sports towel, range finder, UDisc, score card clip board, trail running shoes, and rainfly/umbrellas for rain.

Disc Golf Backpack: The first thing any disc golfer needs is a place to store and carry his/her discs around the course. I recommend that if you are considering getting into the sport to go get disc golf backpack. There are many sizes and price ranges for backpacks, you don’t need anything fancy starting off just get one that’s affordable, comfortable, and fairly durable. Most decent beginner bags will cost between $40 and $80, but you can spend more or less depending on the quality.

Roller Cart: Possibly the most luxurious accessory item on a disc golf course is the roller cart. It is a great accessory to have because it takes all the weight of your bag off your back, which really helpful in the long run. Some of the nicer carts come with built in seats and offer other upgrade options for them, such as a putter pouch to hold extra discs and a seat cushion. This is something that most seasoned players want, but is an unnecessary cost for a beginner.

Chalk Bag: The sports chalk bag is my most utilized disc golf accessory. I recommend to anyone who plays the sport to get one, if they don’t already. I get pretty sweaty hands while playing disc golf, which makes it much harder to grip and throw the discs correctly. It helps me tremendously during my play, providing me with dependable grip on my disc. Without my chalk bag my game wouldn’t be nearly as competitive.

Sports Towel: When faced with wet or muddy conditions a sports towel is essential in disc golf. Discs are plastic and when they get wet it makes it much harder to grip and throw. In order to keep your discs clean and dry during your round make sure you bring a towel or two. Most disc golf towels cost less than $20, and if you are on a budget a hand towel or rag will do the trick. They don’t take up much space and are easy to keep in or on your bag, so please bring one.

Range Finder: Another useful luxury accessory is the range finder. It is by no means an essential and can be costly, but if you have the money it can help improve your game. By using a range finder it makes it easy to tell how far away the basket is from you, so you can better determine what kind of disc to throw to achieve the distance. This can be very useful in helping improve your performance. This is something I don’t currently have in my bag because of the price and I don’t hunt (commonly used by hunters).

UDisc: If you play disc golf you want to keep track of your scores the app UDisc makes this very easy to do. UDisc is free for the first few months then charges a yearly affordable price. I really enjoy the app because it will show you all of the courses around your area and provide directions to them as well. When you get to the course you are playing you simply pull up the app, select your location, and record your score. It keeps track of the statistics of all your rounds, so that you can look at your average scores on specific courses and more. It keeps leaderboards for the courses as well, so that you can look to see how you compare to other people who have been playing.

Scorecard Clipboard: If you seriously get into disc golf I recommend you get a mini clipboard for your scorecard. Most tournaments require at least one paper version of the groups round and you never know when your going to be in charge of it. I foolishly didn’t have one my first tournament and I kept losing the paper in my bag, which slowly got more and more crumpled. Please learn from my mistake and get a scorecard clipboard if you enter a tournament.

Trail Running Shoes: Disc golf is a sport that, depending on the terrain, will beat up your shoes. Trail running shoes are perfect for the sport, because they are made to handle a lot of the elements disc golfers put them through. They are lightweight, provide good support, and durable, everything a disc golfer needs. I highly recommend investing in a good pair!

Umbrella and/or Rainfly: Sometimes you have to play in the rain and other times we are just crazy and chose to play in the rain. Regardless its smart to keep an umbrella in your car or bag in case of a rain round. Another, thing you can get to help keep your bag and discs dry is get a rainfly for your disc golf bag, if your bag is compatible. It’s essentially a snug rain jacket for your bag and well worth getting if you are going to encounter rain.

Now get out there and see if any of these disc golf accessories help improve your game!

For buying options check out:

https://www.zuca.com/

https://www.dynamicdiscs.com/dynamic-discs-store-s/1967.htm?gclid=Cj0KCQiA-aGCBhCwARIsAHDl5x9BtMH_CKfc6z86b6OTS4wn4TFgav0QPe6NIwSGj4i_REgSw0Cu3XQaAjinEALw_wcB

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=disc+golf+accessories&crid=TMD6Z07SCJ83&sprefix=disc+golf+acceso%2Caps%2C238&ref=nb_sb_ss_sc_1_16

Disc Golfs Most Popular Brands

In todays market there are many different competing disc golf brands. There are so many brands it can be hard to know where to start. New brands are gaining popularity such as MVP and Prodigy, however there are four major disc golf companies that remain dominant. The most trusted and well known brands in disc golf are Innova, Discraft, Trilogy, and Discmania. Some people pick a specific brand and stick to it, while other players buy and throw multiple brands of discs. If your a professional disc golfer you can usually only throw the discs made by the company brand that sponsors them. I’m going to get more in depth about each of these disc golf brands below.

Discraft– Was founded in 1979 and the first established brand in disc golf. They are a very popular disc golf brand with a variety of discs for everyone. They have some of the nicest quality discs in the sport, with very unique designs and fair prices. They sponsor and create signature discs for a number of professional male and female disc golfers. Recently the company signed, Pro Paul McBeth, a 10 year $10 Million dollar contract extension. Making him the highest paid athlete in disc golf! Discraft is a great brand to consider throwing.

Innova– Founded in 1983, Innova Champion Discs began the most well know trusted brand in the sport. Today, Innova sales account for just under a third of the total market’s. They have some of the most affordable discs with good quality. They are the most well known brand and can be found in most Dicks Sporting Goods stores. Innova also sponsors a number of professional disc golfers and create signature discs for them. It’s also pretty cool that a bunch of their disc names come from different types animals, such as the pig and leopard. Innova is a great reliable brand you can trust.

Trilogy– Consists of a few disc golf brands, Dynamic Discs, Latitude 64, and Westside Discs, that together create the Trilogy family. Dynamic Discs and Latitude 64 were founded in 2005, and Westside Discs in 2009. Dynamic Discs and Latitude 64 are Trilogy’s leaders in their sales and marketing. Dynamic Discs makes very affordable discs and provide great quality. Trilogy’s discs are produced in Sweden. Dynamic discs interestingly names their discs referencing the judicial system, such as the judge, verdict, trespass and sheriff. Trilogy discs are reliable and low cost which makes them great brands for beginners.

Discmania– Founded in 2006, are quickly gaining popularity and are my personal favorite brand of discs. Currently they are expanding their line working on new disc’s with three other companies. Innova helps produce their Discmania Originals line, Yikun produces their Active line, and Latitude 64 helps produce their Discmania Evolution line of discs. The company sponsors and creates custom discs for many professional disc golfers. They are well known for their limited release signature discs, that retain resale value. Discmania attracts roughly 25% of the disc golf market today. Most recently pro Eagle McMahon, sponsored by Discmania, won the Disc Golf Pro Tour (DGPT)-The Memorial Championship. Discmania is continuing to grow as a result of big tournament wins from sponsored players, like Eagle. Discmania is a great brand to throw, but its gaining popularity is making harder to get some of their discs causing prices to increase. Unless you are committed to throwing and paying for Discmania, like me, I would suggest throwing another brand.

Thanks for taking the time to read this weeks Diving into Disc Golf article. I hope it was helpful! Until next time, get there and play some disc golf!

More information and sources: https://www.cypresspointgolf.com/best-disc-golf-brand/

https://www.discmania.net/

https://www.dynamicdiscs.com/

https://www.innovastore.net/

https://www.discraft.com/

Diving into Disc Golf Throwing Techniques

When first beginning the sport it’s hard to determine what throws are the best for you until you get out there and practice. Generally, when first starting the sport people are naturally better at one of the two main throwing techniques, the forehand or backhand. Personally I’m better at backhanding. To determine which throwing technique works for you, you will need a lot of practice and you want to stick with what you throw more consistently. Eventually with enough repetitions you can get good at both. Once you become more confident with those throws you can try some more technical/trick shots like a roller, “scoober”, or thumber shot which I’ll show later.

Backhand Basics

One of the most utilized throwing techniques is the backhand throw. In a backhand throw you want to power grip the disc, with your dominate hand. This means grabbing the bottom rim of the disc firmly with all four fingers and placing your thumb on top of this disc. Form this position, you want to tuck your wrist at a 90 degree angle pulling the disc across your body(almost behind yourself). Once here you are in position to angle your disc to which ever way you need to throw. Once you have the correct angle lined up with your form your ready to throw. Take a few steps, snap your wrist, and let it fly! To get a little more technical it’s best to approach a backhand shot with the “X” step, moving your legs into the shape of an X helps achieve maximum power by pulling all of your body into disc, or momentum. Below is a great video of a disc golf professional, Eric Oakley, demonstrating how to throw a backhand.

Eric Oakley (Sponsored by Dynamic Discs)

Forehand Fundamentals

The forehand is the other most common type of throw, which is also referred to as a “flick.” When holding the disc for a forehand throw you want to stack your middle finger on top of your pointer finger and grip the bottom side of the rim, while also resting your thumb on top of the disc. Instead of bringing the disc inside your body like a backhand, you hold it with your dominate hand facing out. Imagine the throw almost like flicking or sliding a plate down a table, it’s all in the flick of the wrist and the angle you release it at. You want to keep your elbow down when forehanding to gain more control. The higher your elbow when the disc is released from your hand the more accuracy and distance you lose on your throw. Below is a short demonstration video from Innova’s YouTube page featuring Paul McBeth, Disc Golf Pro.

Trick Shots

The Roller Is a trick shot that speaks for itself, you throw the disc making it roll. However, it’s easier said then done so here is another good video by Eric Oakley that will give you some tips.

The “scoober” shot is a newer trick shot that came from ultimate disc golf. Brodie Smith helped make this another popular trick shot in disc golf. It involves holding the disc upside down with your middle and pointer finger on top and thumb on the bottom. You throw it at an angle almost like a flick but comes across your body like a backhand. Below is a video of Brodie making a crazy putt with a “scoober” shot.

The tomahawk and thumber shot are other types of shots that aren’t as common but can come in handy. I have known people who only throw these kind of shots but there is no way I could do that consistently. Eric shows in this video below how to throw these shot types better than I could ever explain.

Eric Oakley ( Disc Golf Pro, Sponsor: Dynamic Discs)

Next week, I’m going to introduce you to the most popular brands in the sport of disc golf. Until next time get out there and practice, try to see what throws work best for you!

For more helpful and interesting videos check out and follow:

https://www.youtube.com/user/DynamicDiscs

https://www.youtube.com/c/WhalePants/videos

https://www.youtube.com/user/InnovaDiscGolf

https://www.youtube.com/user/brodiesmith21

Diving into Flight Numbers

What exactly are flight numbers? Flight numbers tell you a bit more about the characteristics of what each disc should do when thrown. When I first started playing disc golf I had no idea what flight numbers were and how they affect the flight of your disc. There are generally four different numbers on each disc, with the exception of some companies like Discraft who add an extra number at the end (pictured above). We will be sticking to the basic 4 number system to keep things simple. Also, some discs don’t have the flight numbers directly printed on them so you may have to go online to find them. The four flight numbers represent in order: speed, glide, turn, and fade. I will explain how each of these corresponding numbers affect what the disc is capable of during the flight.

Speed

The first flight number represents the speed of a specific disc. The speed of a disc helps categorize the class of disc to be a putter, mid-range, or driver depending on the specific number. Disc speed varies between 1 and 14 getting faster as the number get’s larger. Putters are usually less than 3 speed, Mid-range disc vary from 4 to 5 speed, and drivers are discs with a 6 speed or higher. Generally, as the speed number increases on a disc the shape of the rim gets wider and the disc its self becomes more narrow. Meaning as speed increases the disc shape becomes more flat and have a bigger rim to hold onto.

Glide

The second flight number represents the glide ability of a disc. The glide of a disc represents how long a disc will stay in the air when it’s thrown. All discs have a flight number rating between 1 and 7. Higher glide discs require less power to get distance, which can be useful for beginners when driving off the tee. While lower glide discs are generally used for putting and approach shot, and are also useful when close to water and drop offs. The glide you want for a disc all depends on your power and the distance you want to go. If you have a lot of power you won’t need many disc’s with a higher glide number except on very long shots. However, most people don’t have a lot of power so more glide can be beneficial.

Turn

Following the glide number rating is the turn of a disc which varies between +1 and -5. The turn number of a disc shows how stable a disc is when its thrown. Discs are stable between +1 and 0 meaning the disc is going to hold the flight you threw it on. Discs that have a negative turn get more under-stable as they get closer to -4 rating. The lower a disc’s turn rating the more “flippy” the disc is, meaning it can go the opposite direction, flip up flat, or help get a full flight if thrown with the right power. It’s good to keep a variety of discs with different numbered turn for different throws.

Fade

The final flight rating number corresponds to a discs fading abilities. Fade is the natural ability of a disc to cut right or left the number ratings range between of 0 and 5. The higher the fade number of a disc the sharper the disc will break right or left during its flight. That being said, if you want a straight shot you should throw something that’s either a 0 or 1 fade. While if you are trying to throw a disc between a gap that breaks hard right or left, you want to use a disc with a higher fade number. The sharper an angle is the more likely you will want to throw a disc with a higher fade number, between 3 and 5.

Every disc has some combination of these four numbers and it will take a while to figure out what works best for you. Now get out there and throw some discs!