Disc Golf (or Frisbee Golf, as it is also known) is similar to regular golf; the difference being that, instead of hitting a golf ball, you throw a flying disc. The courses are set up similarly; there is a tee-off location, and a target that must be achieved. Throws are counted like strokes; the disc is played where it lies after landing and coming to a stop. The lie is marked by placing a small marker disc in front of the disc just thrown. You may use that disc again, or a different one. One foot is placed behind the marker, and the other can be no closer than perpendicular to the pole hole, or “basket.” You drive from the tee, and putt into the basket. There are some other rules, but that is the game in a nutshell.
One of the most attractive aspects of the game is that anyone with a Frisbee and some time to kill can play. Those of us that play seriously have sport discs that are very aerodynamically efficient and specialized, but if you and your buddy or child both dig an old Frisbee out of the closet and go out to play, it is an even match, equipment-wise. A round usually take about two hours, at the outside, and takes you up and down hills (depending upon the local terrain), and through the woods, with plenty of time for conversation and communing with nature while you search for errant throws in the aforementioned woods. And you will throw it into the woods.
The reason I say this with such cynical certainty is that a flying disc is a wing, and flies like one. Various sports that involve using a ball as a propelled object do take aerodynamics into account, but a ball is a projectile, like a bullet. A thrown disc is subject to the same considerations as any wing, plus a few extra that involve a gyroscope. Force, spin, wind direction and speed, angle of the disc, and choice of disc all come into play. With this many factors, even the best players have the occasional errant throw.
The Golf Disc
The discs used by disc golfers are similar to the old Frisbees you used to throw at the lake the way that a Piper Cub is similar to an F-16 Fighter Jet. The Cub is user friendly and more forgiving to beginners, but of limited range and capabilities. The golf disc is fast, long range, and difficult to control. Thrown properly, they can fly a great distance, fly a curved path either right, left, or in an “S” curve, be skipped, slid (when thrown upside-down) under overhanging foliage, or rolled for even greater distances than most people can throw one.
There are many types of discs, but they break down into three basic types: long-range drivers, mid-range driver/long approach discs, and putters. Drivers are thin on the edge and cut the air very efficiently, enabling you to throw them for long distance, sometimes even in the appropriate direction. They are harder to control because of this thin edge, and the angle of the disc coming out of your hand and amount of spin are crucial to proper control.
The mid-range drivers have a higher profile (read: thicker lip) that makes them easier to control, but reduces the distance that they can be thrown. An experienced Disc Golfer can still throw one far enough to reach most holes. If they were restricted to only one disc for a round of play, a disc of this type would be most golfer's choice.
Putters most clearly resemble what most people think of as a flying disc. They are shaped like a Frisbee on steroids; the same basic profile, but thicker and made of heavier plastic. They are easy to throw and to control, but cannot be thrown for great distance. They are mainly used for short approach shots, situations where a great deal of accuracy is called for, and, of course, putting. This is the best disc for most beginners to learn the game with.
The various types of discs and their differences in flight characteristics are one of the main appeals of disc golf. Even within drivers, there are many different types. One disc will hold a straight line longer than another will before going left, or another may be more effective against a head wind. Since everyone throws a little differently, the discs react a little differently to various throwing styles. The merits of different models of discs are debated among disc golfers the way that oversized drivers, for instance, are debated about by ball golfers.
Another interesting characteristic of golf discs is that, as discs incur damage due to use and the hitting of trees, rocks, etc., their flight characteristics change. Most new discs are what we refer to as “stable.” This means that the flight path of a disc will turn toward the left when thrown with clockwise spin, and right when thrown with counter-clockwise spin. For example: A disc thrown in the traditional “backhand” manner will go left at the end of its flight. A disc thrown in the same manner with the left hand will go right. Even when the throw is angled to go in the other direction, a new disc will try to turn to its stable side. But as the discs get minor nicks and dents on the edge of the flight plane, they start to lose that stable tendency. We call this condition “beat;” meaning that you can turn the disc and it will hold a line without coming back to its native direction.
