How to Avoid Losing Discs
Even though the winter here in Utah was very mild, it is still nice to see spring come to town. The warmer weather and longer days mean more time can be spent throwing discs. Unfortunately, the more we play, the more chances we have of losing a disc.
In this blog I’ll give you a few tips that will reduce the chances of losing a disc, and increase the chances of getting your disc back if you do lose one. I want to repost this blog every spring as a reminder to everyone.
No matter how skilled you are at disc golf, you are bound to lose a disc from time to time. Whether you lose it in a body of water, thick bushes, tall trees, or even disappearing in the snow. So what can you do to improve your chances of seeing it again? Here are a few steps you can take.
1 – Write Your Contact Info on Your Discs
Adding your name or some kind of contact info gives you a much better chance of getting a lost disc back. If you do not want to put your real name or phone number, you can use an email address. You can also get a Google Voice number that you use only for disc golf and write that on your discs. Whatever you choose, giving people a way to reach you can make all the difference.
2 – Check Your Penmanship
It is frustrating to find a disc with a phone number that is difficult or impossible to read. Is that digit a six, an eight, or maybe a sloppy zero? Most people do not want to text a bunch of wrong numbers just to return a disc. If your handwriting is not the clearest, ask someone else to write it for you. Another easy option is to buy a small rubber stamp with your info so you can mark your discs quickly and clearly.
3 – Refresh and Update
Even if you mark your discs, the ink will fade over time. That number you wrote last season might be barely visible now, which forces people to guess what the digits are. At the start of each season, take a minute to check your discs and rewrite anything that has faded. You will save the next person from having to play detective.
Also remember to update your discs if you change your phone number. It is frustrating to try to return a disc and get a message saying the number is no longer in service or to have someone reply that you reached the wrong person.
Bye-Bye Bag
Every year I see posts from players whose entire disc golf bag was stolen, usually from a car. It is great to see that club members frequently step up and help replace discs, but avoiding the theft in the first place is even better. Keeping your bag out of your car reduces the chances of someone grabbing it. If you like to keep your bag in your car for convenience, at least store it in the trunk. If it is not visible, it is less tempting for someone looking for an easy score. A determined thief could still break into a trunk or even a house, but most people are not going to that level of effort for a bag of discs.
Retrieve Your Own Disc
One way to help yourself from losing a disc in the first place is to carry a retriever. I’ve used a retriever to get numerous discs out of ponds, trees, rivers, and over fences. They are fairly compact, and pay for themselves after a few retrievals. Here are a few retriever options.
Extendable
These retrievers extend so you can ‘grab’ the disc with a hook or a suction cup ball. The suction cup works great in still water, like a pond or lake. They are a little trickier in a river. Sometimes the force of the water rips the disc off the suction cups. Retrievers with hook ends are better for getting a disc out of a tree. They can also be used to snag a disc in water.
Max Stick Carbon Fiber 20-foot
Max Stick Carbon Fiber 30-foot
A sheath is a great way to attach an extendable retriever to your bag.
Folding (On a Rope)
This type of retriever works best for retrieving a disc from a pond or lake. You don’t HAVE to be able to see the disc, but it saves a lot of time if you can see it. It works by throwing the retriever past the disc, then dragging it back over the disc. It doesn’t work well if the bottom of the pond or lake has a lot of large rocks. The retriever needs to be able to slide under the disc in order to trap it. Rocks might prevent that from happening.
Pro Tip: Instead of wrapping the rope around the retriever, wrap it around something else, like a spool for kite string or construction line. Then you don’t have to unwind the whole thing in order to use it. You can also add more rope if you want need to throw farther
Check out all of Infinite’s Retriever options HERE
Get Your Discs Back
After a recent tournament and league night, I found 38 discs in or near the river that runs through the course. I was able to contact the owners of 28 of them because the discs had phone numbers. That is a decent return rate. All of that happened because people took a moment to write their info on their discs. If you want to increase your chances of getting your discs back, mark them.
If you do end up needing to replace a lost disc, I know a great place to shop for a new one.
Laws Regarding Found Property
There is always debate about whether people should return discs they find. Some players stick to Finders Keepers while others make an effort to track down the owner. So what does the law say? In Utah and some nearby states, the law technically requires you to notify or surrender found property to law enforcement or a government office. In reality, this almost never happens in the disc golf world. Idaho law only applies to items worth over one hundred dollars, which rules out most discs. These laws exist, but they are rarely enforced and have very little impact on what actually happens on the course.
Ted Hegemann
Ted is the Chief Writer at Infinite Discs. He is responsible for the State of Disc Golf Survey articles and most of the "best discs" posts. Ted runs all kinds of local disc golf leagues and tournaments and tournaments in Northern Utah.