Author: Mister Disc

This post on disc golf shot selection and ground play, is the next post in a series designed to help you elevate your game. Watch the videos and reinforce the concepts through reading. Watch, read, practice, and improve!

If you have ever played even one round of disc golf, you’ll know that each time you step up to your shot, there are any number of lines you can take.

And the more you play, the more you begin to strategize about how to approach each shot.

In addition to this, as you gain experience, the more types of shots you add to your arsenal.

In this post, we’ll look into ideas on shot selection and we’ll also consider how to utilize ground play.

Combined, these two ideas can set you up for success on the course and give you more quality looks at the basket.

Let’s watch how the pros analyze their options for any given shot and then see how they can utilize ground play to get that much closer.

Disc Selection When Taking the Hyzer Lines!

Sometimes we need to take a hyzer line and carry around obstacles.

Many times, your average every-day player will just grab the most stable disc they can, thinking it will hyzer the most.

But this might not actually be the move.

Infinite pro Eric Oakley shows us that the less stable discs with higher glide stay in the air longer and can carry the turn even more than their more stable counterparts. 

Go test it out with your discs and reassess which disc you’ll reach for when you need to cut around a steep corner on hyzer. 

As we know, those extra feet can equate to closer putts which can mean lower scores. 

Now watch and see Oakley explain and demonstrate below!

Now from disc selection we look at shot selection to make sure we’re putting ourselves in the best position possible.

Shot Selection With Dave Feldberg

When assessing a given shot, David Feldberg suggests you ask yourself one question.

“What is the highest percentage [shot] for me?”

Go through your progression of shots that are most comfortable for you. If there is a clear shot that you feel confident with, take that one. If your favorite/best shot isn’t available, cycle down to your next favorite/best shot. Keep doing this until a good shot presents itself. And hopefully you don’t find yourself throwing 360 power forehands through tight gaps in the woods too often.

The next thing Dave tells us to do is to look at the trouble. 

“The number one thing I think about with shot selection is the miss.”

If you miss on a hyzer route, he explains,  it could spell big trouble because the trees aren’t even halfway to the basket. The forehand route, on the other hand, might have the first trees come up 70% of the way to the basket. 

So, even if you miss and hit a tree on that forehand shot, you are still much, much closer to the basket and have a far better chance of scoring lower. 

“Consider where your common miss will go. And if the common miss for the shot you’re selecting, puts you in trouble or out of bounds, that’s not the shot,” Feldberg tells us.

So, sometimes your best option is going with a shot you feel less comfortable with because the margin for error is far greater. 

Now watch as Feldberg takes you through it from his point of view.

Now, that we’ve seen this let’s take a look at a quick/related video on disc golf shot selection for approach shots.

Shot Selection for Approach Shots!

This is a quick tip from Kesler Martin that is definitely worth considering.

Basically his tip is this: Sometimes it’s better to take the safer line and plan to land 25 feet away instead of going for the park job. 

A lot of players just look at the basket and try to figure out how to get it as close to the basket as possible on any given shot (understandably so btw).

But that shot may be blocked with all sorts of obstacles. 

And if you had Circle 1 be your target their might be a much safer line that will get you close and still give you a look. 

Give it a look and consider for yourself! It might just steer you clear of danger the next time you’re out on the course!

If you are interested in more information on approach shots, we have a whole post dedicated to it that can be found here.

Now, let’s see how ground play, in conjunction with shot selection, can get us closer to the basket on a given shot.

Adding Ground Play to Our Game!

Sometimes the better shot is to avoid the ground and just let your disc simply land by the basket.

If there are roots, rocks or other protrusions, these can be unknown variables that could negatively impact the path of your disc towards the target.

But other times, a shot does call for the ground play.

And if it does, it’s helpful to know how that disc will react when it hits the ground. 

Basically, Feldberg breaks it down like this:

1. Overstable discs will skip hardest to the left (for RHBH)
2. Stable to neutral discs are more likely to skip straight.
3. Understable discs can even skip right.

This is very useful information to have, and well worth trying with the discs that you bag. By understanding ground play, Feldberg explains, you can better set yourself up in position for a more makeable putt. 

Now watch him demonstrate and take you through his thinking. Notice how different discs, on similar angles, have far different reactions on the ground.

Disc Golf Shot Selection & Ground Play – In Summary!

As we’ve seen, disc golf shot selection and understanding of ground play can help shave strokes off your score.

Now, when you step up to any given shot, you can go through your progressions and pick the best shot for you in any given situation.

Over a round, by giving yourself higher percentage shots with shot selection, and getting closer to the basket with ground play, you can see strokes melt away.

And by choosing the right disc for a given shot, your odds get even better.

Let us know in the comments if you have any related tips that you swear by as well.

Over time by adding these ideas as well as other disc golf tips, we’ll evolve into the disc golfer we’ve always envisioned ourselves to be!

This post on disc golf tips for beginners, is the next post in a series designed to help you elevate your game. Watch the videos and reinforce the concepts through reading. Watch, read, practice, and improve! 

Disc golf is an amazing game.

It’s fun, somewhat inexpensive, and a great excuse to get outside with friends or on your own.

Perhaps best of all, the people are amazing.

Seriously, good luck finding a nicer bunch of people than disc golfers!

And part of being nice, is being helpful.

By extension, part of being helpful is to give advice.

Do you see where I’m going with this?

Because disc golfers are so nice, they are more than happy to dole out what they know.

If you are reading this, there is a great chance you classify yourself under the broad umbrella of “beginner” (welcome!).

Having been there myself, I know for a fact that there is no shortage of information on throwing form, flight numbers, putting, disc golf in the elements, etc.

It can be mind-numbing and somewhat daunting. 

The last thing you want in a game with so much information is to feel daunted.

There is a natural progression for learning anything, disc golf included. 

And for the most part, you can’t skip steps along the way. 

So, with that in mind, we have created this post. It will give you some important advice for beginners without flooding you with too much information.

Then, at the end, if you find yourself wanting more, we’ll help direct you where to go next. 

So, take a deep breath, and settle in for the long, winding, breathtakingly glorious ride that is disc golf! 

Don’t worry about the destination right now, just enjoy the journey.

Ready? 

Let’s begin…  

General Advice for Beginners

Disc golf pro and legend David Feldberg, has played a lot of disc golf and accumulated a lot of wisdom along the way. 

Part of this wisdom is to lay out sound advice for beginners to help them want to continue to progress with the sport. 

With that in mind, here are his tips to help keep you in disc golf for the long haul. Read what he has to say and then check out the video as well!

Tip #1 – Play Easy Courses!

Nobody likes to feel “bad” at something.

As adults, we tend to gravitate towards activities we feel we are good at, and avoid that which we don’t feel successful at. 

People that enjoy and practice art, were probably good at it growing up. Then, because of the positive feedback they got, they most likely stayed with it and got better. 

There are always exceptions, but for the most part, that’s how things usually work. 

Bringing it back to disc golf, you absolutely want to feel successful.

So, do yourself a favor and play easy, short courses to start.

Don’t pick a course with tight fairways, water carries (note: 99% of discs sink), and holes that are infinitely long. 

That’s just frustrating! And when you lose discs and feel unsuccessful, you’re probably less likely to pursue that hobby.

Set yourself up for success by choosing shorter, open, and easier courses to start!

Feldberg had this to say. “Find an easy course, enjoy playing, and guess what, you’ll play for a long time.”

Sounds good to me!

Tip #2 – Buy/Borrow Used Discs!

Wait. An online disc retailer is telling me to buy used discs?

Yup! We just want you to succeed! 

Basically though, discs that are broken in and used, tend to fly better for beginners. 

Also, used discs are cheaper so if you lose any (it happens), you don’t feel as bad. 

Then, once you start to understand flight numbers, what each disc does, and what you are looking for to suit your game, c’mon back! We have got you covered in the disc department! 

Be sure to check out our pages for best discs for beginners which are sorted based on how highly they are recommended for beginners by our thousands of disc golf reviewers.

Tip #3 – Don’t Mimic or Imitate!

A common mistake beginners make, Feldberg explains, is to imitate what they see others doing and try to replicate it for themselves.

He reminds us that each person is built differently (height, arm length, biomechanics, etc.) so what is good for one person might not be good for you.

Also, unless the person you are imitating is a pro, there is a good chance the person you want to emulate is doing a few things wrong themselves!

So, for the most part, try to avoid imitating others… This leads nicely into his final tip…

Tip #4 – Learn to Throw “Mechanically”

“If you build bad habits to start, they take very long to break,” Feldberg explains.

Therefore, he tells us, it behooves us to learn correctly right away. 

This means using the proper form mechanics which you can learn from him and other trusted pros/coaches on YouTube (Be sure to subscribe to Infinite’s YouTube Channel!). 

Feldberg notes that it is harder to score well in the beginning when you are practicing correct techniques (that’s why we start on easy courses!).

But, as you progress in the sport, your good habits will accumulate and you will greatly surpass the ceiling you set on yourself by starting with bad habits. 

Follow proper mechanics, as best you can, from the outset, and reap the rewards later!

Now, watch and see Feldberg explain all of these tips for himself!

Improve Accuracy and Distance!

Now that we’ve touched on some of the very basic concepts to keep you invested in disc golf for the long haul, we thought we would show you a few beginner-friendly tips on how to improve your distance and accuracy when you throw.

First check out our recommendations for the best disc golf drivers for beginners.

And that will be it (remember, we said we wouldn’t flood you)!

But then, if you find yourself pining for even more, at the end of this post we’ll be sure to direct you to some of our other posts with helpful advice from pros…

In the next video, however, Connor teaches us how to improve our accuracy and distance with a few simple tips. 

Connor tells us that when he takes his friends out that have never played disc golf before, there is a common mistake they almost ALWAYS do when throwing a backhand. 

That mistake is that they never take their eyes off the target.

This limits accuracy and distance. We don’t want that! 

Let’s watch and review the major points afterwards…

Connor’s Disc Golf Beginner Tips on Accuracy!

We already saw that he’s telling us NOT to look at the target when throwing backhand.

How then, you ask, do I take my eyes off the target AND become more accurate?

Great question!

Basically, Connor shows us this in two simple steps.

Accuracy Step #1 – Plan Out Your “Run Up”

Note: If you are a beginner you probably do NOT want to be running up at all! This just speeds everything up and leaves far more room for your swing to get out of sync!

Timing is key. Do a walk-up instead!

Then, by slowly pacing through your walk up, and planning your shot ahead of time, you can help yourself ensure that you are lined up correctly.

Accuracy Step #2 – Lead With Your Elbow

It takes practice, but think about leading with your elbow, down the line that you want to hit. 

This will allow you to turn your head away while you shoot, AND still keep your line!

“When I am thinking about my form to hit a gap,” Connor tells us, “what I am doing, is aiming with my elbow. So I’m driving this elbow straight towards whatever target I’m [aiming] at.“

He adds that this will allow the disc to follow on a straight line towards the target.

Be sure to practice it, so you feel confident hitting your gaps.

Adding Power and Distance!

Luckily, Connor’s tip on not staring down the target for a backhand, also helps with power and distance!

At about the 4:30 mark, Connor shows us why keeping your eye on the target limits your distance so dramatically. 

If you keep your eyes locked on the target, he shows, you severely limit your reach back and thus sacrifice a good deal of distance (as well as accuracy).

When you turn your head (some people think about keeping your chin over your lead shoulder) it allows you to:

1. Get a much farther reach back.
2. Engage your hips (most power actually comes from the legs).
3. Complete a proper weight shift (looking at the target usually means your weight is already on your front foot)

If you are watching this saying “Wait, Connor and others are looking at the target!” I understand where you’re coming from! It can certainly look that way…

But really, many pros are looking, looking, looking, then look away for the reach back, make their shot, release, and then look up again as part of the follow through. 

Like many things, it’s a question of timing and it can be very hard to see in real time.

You’ll just have to trust him and know that he has your best interest in mind…

Want More?

I think we held up our end of the bargain by not flooding you with too much information at once.

If you’d like, it’s perfectly okay (perhaps recommended) that you stop here and go practice what you’ve learned so far.

However, having been there ourselves, we know that some of you are hungry for more.

With that in mind, we have some more posts that focus on specific disc golf skill sets for you to check out.

Notably absent is a post on “Distance and Power.”

For starters, we already gave you a tip on that in this post.

But also, this is a common trap for beginners to fall into.  Don’t fall into it!

As you learn mechanically (Feldberg’s Tip #4) your distance will naturally and gradually improve. 

Then, once you are an intermediate player, come back for more and we’ve got you covered!

Here are some other topics for you to explore more in depth if you are interested:

Disc Golf Tips on Accuracy! – Click Here!

Disc Golf Putting Tips! – Click Here!

Improve Your Disc Golf Mental Game – Click Here!

Disc Golf Tips on Approach Shots – Click Here!

Disc Golf Grip Tips! – Click Here!

Improve Your Disc Golf Forehand! – Click Here!

Disc Golf Tips for Bad Weather! – Click Here!

Comment Below!

Let us know! Which tips did you find useful?

What advice did you wish you had earlier in your disc golf career?

What else do you want to know about?

Let us know all this and more in the comments below!

Disc Golf Tips For Beginners – In Summary!

As we said at the beginning, disc golf is an amazing game.

And truly, we want you to find the joy that we find for a long time to come.

Part of this is taking it in stride and not biting off more than you can chew.

Another part is to set yourself up for success.

Be sure to play easy courses and find enjoyment. Go ahead and borrow discs, but don’t borrow too much advice just yet. Get your advice from the pros instead!

By learning to play correctly from the jump, you’ll help set yourself up for success on that long and glorious journey that we call disc golf.

Enjoy the ride!

This post on throwing a disc golf roller, is the next post in a series designed to help you elevate your game. Watch the videos and reinforce the concepts through reading. Watch, read, practice, and improve! 

At first glance, the disc golf roller seems like a very complicated shot.

It looks useful, but also difficult.

And there are many reasons we could want to throw a roller in disc golf. There could be low-hanging branches that limit our ability to throw into the air.

Or, maybe we like our chances of getting through the trees with our disc moving vertically instead of horizontally? 

Perhaps we need to have our disc cut a corner rather abruptly?

I’m sure most of us are familiar with seeing the pros throw these massive, distance rollers that roll for days. Maybe that’s what you want?

There are pros and cons for electing each shot, and the backhand roller is no different. 

By understanding how and when to throw the disc golf roller, you can set yourself up for success when you are on the course. 

And thankfully, as we hope you’ll see, it’s NOT as difficult as you may have thought!

As is the case with all shots, you’ll want to practice this shot so you can throw it confidently when it matters most.

Nevertheless, by the end of this post, we think you’ll have the information you need to gain that confidence.

Let’s get into how to throw a roller right off, by watching a clinic in which a young Ricky Wysocki answers a question where he explicitly addressed how to throw rollers!

Ricky Wysocki’s Advice on Rollers!

Of rollers, Wysocki starts by saying this: “It’s basically just an anhyzer that you throw into the ground on purpose.”

Let’s watch his explanation and we’ll go over the highlights afterwards, so you feel extra confident in your own disc golf rollers!

Here are the major points Wysocki covered in this video!

Pick Your Angle!

This will take practice to see which angle works best for which disc.

Before you throw, however, be sure to decide which angle you want to release the disc on, and keep the disc on that same angle from your reach back to your release.

Snap the Disc!

Just like a regular backhand throw, you are snapping the disc at the end (on the angle you brought it back on).

Create an Arc!

Because, this is “an anhyzer you throw into the ground,” the reach back and pull through follow a different path. 

Basically, you are creating an arc where the disc starts slightly below shoulder height in your reach back and then follows an upward trajectory slightly over your head and releases down.

In the next video, you will see it described as “painting the rainbow” which provides a nice visual to think about as you’re throwing.

Select Angle Based on What You Want The Disc To Do

Ask yourself What you want your disc to do after it’s released.  This will determine your angle.

Want a quick cut roller? Put the disc on a steep angle (nearly perpendicular to the ground).

Want a longer, straighter roller? You’ll want to throw your disc on more of an anhyzer and have it stand up and roll.

In general, he tells us a little later that the flippier the disc the more likely it is to cut faster. 

The more stable the disc is that you use, the more likely it is to roll longer and straighter. 

Practice!

Play around with different discs and different angles when you are practicing your backhand rollers.

In this way, you’ll see how a given disc behaves for a given throw.

Then, when it’s time to throw it when it matters, you can do so confidently!

Choose the Right Disc!

As we all know, different discs have different stabilities.

Flight ratings will give an indication, but weights, plastic types, arm speeds, wind speeds, and more will factor in as well.

In general, Ricky recommends using an understandable disc for rollers. He also recommends trying your rollers out with different discs to find what’s right for you. Check out this list for the discs most recommended for rollers by our reviewers. 

Once you know your discs well, you can choose the right disc for different roller situations!

Where to Land the Roller!

For a typical roller, Ricky recommends that you land the disc 60 to 80 feet in front of you.

As is the case with everything on this post, you’ll want to play around with different distances for different discs so you can find what’s right for you. 

He tells us that you want it to act like an air shot and throw it out. Then, you let the understable disc do the rest of the work and come down into the ground. 

“Focus on throwing out instead of down.”

More Disc Golf Roller Tips!

The next video features disc golf legend David Feldberg.

With over $400,000 in career earnings, he certainly knows his way around a disc golf course.

The point is, he has a lot to teach, and I’m listening.

In the beginning of his video, he gives a slightly different twist on the disc golf roller than Ricky did above. 

He gives a common misconception people have on throwing disc golf rollers.

By understanding this we can adjust our throws and throw our rollers correctly.

Let’s watch the video and go over the rest of the talking points afterwards!

A Common Misconception for Rollers!

Feldberg starts by highlighting a very common mistake he sees when some disc golfers try to throw rollers. He tells us not to do this:

Don’t throw a normal backhand and then twist your wrist down at the end!

This does cause the disc to roll.

But, Feldberg explains, it greatly caps the amount of distance and control you can get. 

Related, it’s very difficult to be consistent with. 

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to sacrifice distance, control or consistency!

Paint The Rainbow!

Instead, he tells us to “paint the rainbow”. 

This is an idea he got from fellow legend Steve Wisecup.

Basically, like Wysocky was talking about above, you are going to reach back at the roller angle you’ve selected and make an arc (the rainbow) at least as high as your head (“maybe above if it’s a sky roller”).

When you’re “painting the rainbow,” you are flying the disc out (not straight down into the ground). 

If done correctly, it allows you to transfer more of the energy from your throw into the disc (and not lose so much into the ground).

The best rollers, he tell us, hit the ground at the “peak of the rainbow” and do not bounce. Rather, they just smoothly roll.

This is something you can look for when you are practicing for yourself. 

Adjusting The Type of Roller You Throw!

There are a few ways you can adjust what type of roller you throw. The first way to do this is by adjusting the release point.

If you want a sky roller, you will release the disc at it’s highest point in the arc. 

If you want more of a level roller, then you will release it later in the arc after it’s come back down more.

In both cases, he tells us, you want to continue your follow through and complete the arc of the rainbow after you release. 

That follow through also applies to the different swing plane you might put on a low roller.

For a low roller, it does look more like your traditional backhand throw. However, if you look closely (3:00 mark) you’ll see he is still following the arc on a  more of a horizontal plane. 

Whatever roller you throw, “ you want to have the roller [follow the arc of the] rainbow the whole way… and then you’ll have very smooth rollers. 

Distance For Rollers!

Now we’re talking!

In general, Feldberg tells us, if we are hitting the ground 25 feet in front of us, we’re losing a lot of distance potential.

He then gives a general rule of thumb.

The farther you can get the disc to fly in the air before rolling, the farther it will go.

At the very least, we don’t want to be slamming the disc down so close to where we threw it from.

That will seriously damper our distance!

Understanding How Rollers Turn!

At 4:45 Feldberg instructs us how to know what the disc will do once it hits the ground. 

This is based on the disc’s stability. It’s just like air shots he tells us (for RHBH. Opposite for lefties). 

If it’s overstable, the disc wants to burn out to the left.

When it’s more of a neutral, straight-flying disc, the disc wants to go mostly straight on the ground.

If it’s understable, the disc wants to go right. 

It’s Not As Hard As You Think!

Lastly, Feldberg finishes with some words of encouragement on rollers.

He tells us they are easier to learn than you may think and can take strokes off our score.

It’s definitely worth it to go out and practice.

Disc Golf Roller – In Summary!

The disc golf roller, can be a stroke-saving shot out on the course.

And luckily, it’s not nearly as difficult as it looks!

It’ll take practice. But once you understand the key components, and what a given disc will do at a given angle of release, you will have far more confidence throwing the roller when it really counts.

Then, when the course calls for a roller, you won’t even hesitate.

You’ll select your disc from you bag and step into that shot with the conviction that you can execute it!

And with another shot added to your bag of tricks, it’s more strokes subtracted from your score.

And then, like your disc, you’ll be really rolling!

Comment Below!

Thanks for reading everyone! If you have more questions please feel free to ask in the comments.

We’d also like to hear if any of the tips that were provided resonated with you.

Finally, if you have a roller tip that helps you, feel free to let the group know that too!

We sincerely hope this helps you throw those disc golf rollers out on the course! For other posts on disc golf tips and advice check out the link found here!