Whatever brought you to try out the incredible game of disc golf, congratulations! Whether you just want to play a few casual rounds a year with friends or family or you have competitive goals in mind, the most important rule to remember is to always have fun. When you approach disc golf with that in mind, you will never grow tired of it.
When you are getting ready to play a disc golf tournament, you should take the time to prepare mentally and physically. Today, we want to talk about physical preparation. What can you do to get your body ready for a long day of tournament disc golf?
Many PDGA-sanctioned events require you to play two rounds in a day. These are very long days. Pace of play is always slower in a disc golf tournament setting compared to casual rounds. There’s a lot of waiting around and it’s easy for the body to stiffen up in between throws. Even when you have one round a day with tee times, you can expect a pretty long day of disc golf.
You have your favorite disc golf bag. It’s full of your favorite discs. What other accessories do you need to carry? Whether you are playing a casual round or a multi-round tournament, there is some gear that is vital to include. Then, there are a few other extras that are nice to have in the bag if you have the space.
Some kind of towel (or multiple towels) is an absolute must to have on or in your disc golf bag. You need to be able to dry off discs during dewy morning rounds or on rainy days. Towels are also useful to
What used to be known as ultimate Frisbee is now simply known as ultimate. This is a fun and exciting sport. Many disc golfers came from ultimate backgrounds, while some avid disc golfers are just discovering this other flying disc sport themselves.
At one point, there were almost two sides of the fence. You were either an ultimate player or a disc golfer. Now, that gap has been bridged significantly as both sports become more and more mainstream. Many of today’s top disc golf professionals came from ultimate backgrounds, including Team Innova’s own “Big Sexy” duo of Nate Sexton and Jeremy Koling. Of course, we all know one of the best professional ultimate players ever, Brodie Smith, has brought a lot of new eyes to disc golf since he joined the PDGA.
Every disc golfer wants to be able to increase their maximum distance. You're not going to get there with a midrange disc. That’s a simple fact. Gaining max distance and improving skill level are good reasons why dedicated professional and advanced players spend hours in the field working on their form. Field work is also great for intermediate players practicing or trying out new discs. As you improve your disc golf skills and become a more advanced player, you will be able to take advantage of the disc flight characteristics that high-speed disc golf distance drivers and “hybrid” control drivers offer.
So, what is the best disc golf driver? That will always be a debate among
There is a lot of science behind disc golf physics. Factors like velocity, throwing angle, drag, lift and spin will have different effects on flying discs. The discs themselves have different design traits that allow them to fly in various flight paths.
Today, we want to talk about the science of flight when it comes to disc golf. We will pull some references directly from one of our favorite disc golf book, “The Definitive Guide to Disc Golf” by Justin Menickelli, Ph.D, and Ryan “Slim” Pickens, M.A. If you have not read this book yet, pick up a copy in the DGU Store. It covers everything you need to know about t
The exact origins of disc golf history are hard to trace. People have been playing catch and throwing flying discs around since the days of the old Frisbie Pie tins in the late 1800s. Somewhere along the way, someone must have developed the concept of disc golf and thought about throwing the disc at a specific target and counting how many throws it would take to get from point A to point B.
“Steady” Ed—The Father of Disc Golf
The man credited as the “Father of Disc Golf” as we know it today was “Steady” Ed Headrick (PDGA Member #001). He patented many key inventions. The first was the plastic Frisbee that he developed in 1966 while working at the Wham-O toy company. And yes, the name is a nod to the old Frisbie pie tins that are credited for starting the flying di
Tournament rules for disc golf can sometimes get a little more complex depending on the natural landscape of the course or the tournament director’s desired layout. We all know about out-of-bounds penalties and…
