[jartelt]

Just in case anyone reads the article or comments here and decides they want to try out disc golf, here's a tip... DO NOT go out and buy a high speed driver disc (speed >9) to use as a beginner or intermediate. You almost certainly will not be able to throw it hard enough to fly properly and it will lead to frustration, poor form, and inconsistent results. Stick with a putter, a mid-range, and maybe a fairway driver (speed 6 or 7).

The speed rating on discs can be tricky for beginners. It's intuitive to think that a high speed rating on a disc means it will fly faster and further. However, a high speed rating actually means you need to throw that disc faster in order for it to fly it's proper flight path. If you do not throw a high speed driver hard enough, it will just go 100 feet and curve into the ground. Beginners and intermediates typically will throw lower speed discs farther than they would throw the high speed driver.

[hnrodey]

This is a terrific value for anyone new to disc golf. Hard to go wrong with this three disc set from Innova and it's also a great price.

https://www.dunhamssports.com/product/3-pack_disc_golf_combo...

To make it even simpler - a beginner could confidently play a course with only a mid-range disc. It's that simple. Don't get caught up looking at players who walk around with 30 disc sets in their bag. It's just simply not necessarily for a beginner.

[fatnoah]

>Don't get caught up looking at players who walk around with 30 disc sets in their bag

The only caveat here is that it's beneficial to have a few extra discs to replace those that you might lose along the way. I've "donated" a few discs to rivers, swamps, and the like.

[jartelt]

Yep, that starter pack looks good. Love that they include a 6 speed driver instead of a 9 speed!

[mlac]

Also watching this video is useful before going out: https://youtu.be/Sgn6Os4YSW0

The towel snap technique is useful to get an idea of how it should throw. I find I throw different discs for different throws (and one in particular is good for my forehand). But when I started every throw did the same thing no matter the disc. Then I worked through control shots at mid range, and only now is my driving distance increasing.

[screye]

As someone who has never disk golfed, but skipped rocks last week after not having done it for a decade:

Swinging is really hard on your shoulders. I spent a day surfing, hiking, running and skipping rocks. My pitching shoulder was the one that was most sore (and slightly hurt) the day after.

Just a probable warning for anyone who has shoulder issues. (probably also bad technique)

[hnrodey]

I've found the best warm up for disc golf is to play catch with a baseball/softball. If I'm solo then I will literally throw rocks (at the course) to get the shoulder moving.

[dr_orpheus]

Also used sporting good stores will often have a large selection of used discs which can be an even cheaper way to get in to the game (and makes you feel less bad when you throw it in a river).

They will usually also carry some of the factory defect discs which are cheaper. And the defects are usually small or printing defects that would not be noticed when throwing.

[Cd00d]

That's my same experience with actual golf!

When I was young, I was always better off the tee with a 3 or 5 wood, rather than the big ole' driver.

[throwawaycities]

Along the same lines I’d stick with the cheap plastic. At least for me it’s much easier to throw consistently.

[sithlord]

Breaks in much faster (ie becomes understable) which can be a good with lower arm speeds.

The big thing with disc golf, is that you want a consistent flight with whatever you are throwing. If a disc starts to become unpredictable (often times very understable) then it usually gets rotated out, or kept in for specific use cases (big turnovers, rollers, etc).

Some advice I got which I used to build mechanics/power was to not throw any fast (high speed) driver until I could throw a putter ~250 feet consistently. The one exception to this rule is if your local course has a big dog leg (and a short hole) and you need something that really moves that direction quickly.

[TwoBit]

For advanced players do the 9+ discs perform better?

[jartelt]

People who throw really hard probably benefit from the higher speed discs, but there are also very good players that drive 9 speeds. Advanced players will carry a variety of drivers with differing speeds because they will want different flight paths depending on the given hole layout. Also, whether you are throw into a headwind or with a tailwind changes how fast the disc is flying (relative to the air).

In general, most drivers are designed to fly in a "S" shaped flight path. When you get this full flight path, you get the most distance. For a right hand player throwing backhand that means your throw should draw slightly to the right at first, straighten out, and then finish with a fade to the left.

If you throw a disc that is rated at too high a speed for you, it will just quickly fade to the left and go into the ground. You often see beginners chucking their drivers way out to the right in order to compensate for this quick turn to the left. It's just really hard to get distance when you do this because the high speed disc really wants to turn left and dive into the ground.

If you throw a disc that is rated too low a speed for you, it will draw too far to the right and will not straighten out and come back left. In this case, you should either throw a bit less hard or move up to a higher speed disc. For beginners it is better to start here because you can actually get a feel for how throwing speed changes the disc flight path.

[ds206]

The pros throw a lot of 12 and 13 speed discs which result in 400 - 500+ feet drives. I can only dream of accomplishing that kind of distance.

Btw, the 2021 Disc Golf World Championships just started. You can watch the first 9 holes here: https://youtu.be/b-OICF4pyK4

[hnrodey]

The best advice I can offer is that with whatever disc(s) you have - spend time practicing with those discs away from the course. All discs fly differently and it's best to get dedicated practice with your discs.

[dagurp]

You usually want to throw as slow a disc as you can get away with. This allows you throw more directly at the target and they don't skip as far when they land on a hard surface (of course sometimes you want that). Another benefit of slower discs is that they tend not to kick as much to the side if they hit a tree. Fast drivers are best in an open area where accuracy isn't the main goal. They tend to be more forgiving when the throwers form is off which is harmful for someone who's still learning how to throw.

[deniablenexus]

It depends on what you mean by perform better? My faster speed disc (11+) go about 50 ft further, but I loose a lot of accuracy. I usually can hit my shots with a slower speed driver better but at the expense of greater distance.

If you have the power to throw faster speed discs they will go farther.

[wsinks]

doin the lord's work. I resisted for so long and my game jumped exponentially the day I played my first mid-range only round.

I want to Roc! (Roc!)