Disc Golf Tips for Beginners!

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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…  

Beginner Disc Golfer Driving off the tee

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…

Backhand Reachback

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!

 

 

 

Mister Disc is a teacher/writer as well as an avid disc golfer. He is the creator of his own newer site DiscGolfAround.com. Subscribe to it and/or follow him on his newly formed instagram account (@discgolfaround) and watch as he chases his dream of building courses in his own back yard, teaching what he learns, and traveling around the world playing the game he loves.

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