Disc golf

A player putting at Cass Benton Disc Golf Course; Northville, Michigan.

Disc Golf is a sport in which individual players throw a flying disc into a basket or at a target. According to the Professional Disc Golf Association, "The object of the game is to traverse a course from beginning to end in the fewest number of throws of the disc."

Disc golf is similar to traditional golf and uses much of the same rules and terminology. Unlike ball golf, most courses are located in public parks and are usually free to play. The modern disc golf target consists of a metal basket with chains hanging over it and was invented in 1976.

The flying discs used in play are very similar to the flying disc. However, the golf disc used today are much smaller than traditional flying discs. Also, flying discs have a rounded, flatter edge whereas golf discs typically have a beveled edge. A golf disc has the potential to be thrown much farther than a typical, rounded flying disc.

Disc golf is sometimes informally called "Frisbee golf", "folf", or "frolf" (a portmanteau of "Frisbee" and "golf" made popular by a reference on Seinfeld). The name "Frisbee" is a registered trademark of Wham-O, Inc. The sanctioning bodies of the sport and the manufacturers of equipment uniformly refer to the sport as "Disc Golf."

Playing

The initial "drive" is taken from a designated tee area. Each subsequent throw is taken from just behind the spot where the disc came to rest. Each throw is added to the player's score. As with ball golf, each hole is given a par. A common strategy for a par-three hole, similar to golf, would be to throw the drive as close to the hole as possible which should leave a short putt; however, the disc golfer may have an approach, similar to a chip shot, to get closer to the hole. The goal is to complete every hole in as few throws as possible.

The hole is completed when the disc has come to rest in the basket (which is defined as resting in the basket, being supported by the basket, or being supported by the chains) or when it hits the designated part of an object (for example, post or tree if there are no baskets and it is an object course). A hole is considered completed if a disc is wedged into the side of the basket, but a hole has not been completed if the disc comes to rest on top of the basket.

Similar to golf, disc golf is scored in relation to par. Par is defined as the number of throws it should take to reach the putting area, plus two. If a golfer reaches the putting area on every hole in the desired number of shots and then putts twice every hole, he would shoot par for the course.

The game started with a par three mentality. Most older courses in the USA have 18 deuceable holes. Part of the reasoning for this was most players could not throw the disc over 300 feet due to lack of technology. The length of holes increased as technology advanced and produced faster discs. It is very common now to see courses with at least two or three par 4s or what are sometimes referred to as "two shot holes" based on the fact that it takes two shots to reach the basket instead of just one.

Most players still refer to their score in relation to every hole being a par three despite the actual par of the course. Some courses, such as Idlewild in Burlington, Kentucky, Renaissance Gold in Charlotte, North Carolina and Winthrop Gold in Rock Hill, South Carolina, list par at higher numbers. Winthrop Gold hosts the United States Championships (USDGC) every year and par is listed as 68 (8 par 4's, 3 par 5's 8 par 3's) during the championship. A player only needs to remember how much they are up or down from par to figure out their score easily.

Despite the confusion with par, it is technically not necessary. Par is simply an easier way for the golfer to keep score. If par is consistent throughout all players, the golfer with the fewest throws will still win, regardless of the listed par.

Stroke play is the most common scoring method but there are many others, including match play, skins, speed golf and captains choice, which in disc golf is referred to as "doubles".

Disc golf is unique in that PDGA and WFDF rules, based in player conservation efforts as well as fair play, make it a violation to cause damage to the course's flora.

History

Disc golf, in some form, has probably been played since the early 1900s. But modern day disc golf started in the late 60's, when it seems to have been invented in many places and by many people at the same time. For example, George Sappenfield, a Californian, realized that golf would be a lot of fun if played with Frisbees®. He set up an object course for kids to play on. The early Frisbee® Golf Courses were "Object Courses" using anything from lamp poles to fire hydrants as targets and begin to crop up in the Midwest and East Coast. A year later Sappenfield introduced the game to many other Frisbee® players. Many of them brought the game back to the U.C. Berkeley campus. It quickly became popular and they laid out a permanent course in 1970.

The first standardized target course was put in by "Steady Ed" Headrick, a great flying disc innovator known as the "Father of Disc Golf", in what was then known as Oak Grove Park in La Canada Flintridge, California,. (Today the park is known as Hahamonga Watershed Park). This park is immediately to the south of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which supplied at least a few of the earliest players. Ed worked for the San Gabriel, California-based Wham-O Corporation and is credited for pioneering the modern era of disc sports.

Ed Headrick coined and trademarked the term "Disc Golf" when formalizing the sport and invented the Disc Pole Hole, the first disc golf target to incorporate chains and a basket on a pole. Headrick founded, the Disc Golf Association (DGA), the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) and the Recreational Disc Golf Association (RDGA) and worked on standardizing the rules and the equipment for the quickly growing sport. Ed open sourced his trademark term "Disc Golf" and turned over control and administration of the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) to the growing body of Disc Golf players in order to focus his passion for building and inventing equipment for the sport. Upon his death, Headrick was cremated and his ashes were made into a limited number of discs per his wishes. The discs were given to friends and family and are sold with all proceeds from the sales going to a nonprofit fund for the "Steady" Ed Memorial Disc Golf Museum at the PDGA International Disc Golf Center in Columbia County, Georgia. One of the discs that contains Headrick's ashes will be permanently placed on the roof of the center. When asked why this was to be done by a member of the local media, PDGA commissioner Brian Graham responded "Frisbees don't die, they just end up on roofs."

The Women's Disc Golf Association is a good example of gender equality in the sport. This survey gives good insight into the demographics of disc golf.

Course description

A very open disc golf course in Bowling Green, Kentucky

A red disc sailing towards a "Tone Hole" style target at the disc golf course on Pender Island

As of early 2006, there were more than 2000 permanent disc golf courses installed around the world, although the vast majority of them are in the United States.

As in "ball golf", a typical course will have 18 holes, but each hole averages between 250 and 450 feet rather than yards. Many smaller courses have only 9 holes, while an increasing number of courses offer an additional 9 holes to make 27 available holes to the disc golfer. Many disc golf courses are in open, grassy public parks, but more challenging courses are set in semi-wooded and hilly areas, some quite rough and natural. One good example of a classic long course with wooded hills is De Laveaga Disc Golf Course in Santa Cruz, California, USA.

The target in disc golf is usually a metal basket that is mounted vertically about three feet in the air, and attached to a pole that is around 5 feet tall. To better allow discs to come to rest in this basket, chains are suspended from another circular section near the top of the pole and allowed to hang limply to a point where they are connected to the pole in or near the receiving basket. The standard disc golf target has 12-24 chains suspended inside it.

Another common target is the 'Tone Hole.' This is generally a metal pipe, approximately 8" to 10" in diameter, mounted on a sturdy wooden post. Hitting the target is confirmed by the sound of the disc contacting the pipe. 'Natural' holes, being pre-existing natural or man-made features, are occasionally used as well.

Golf discs

There are a wide variety of discs, divided into three basic categories: putters, mid-range discs, and drivers. Within each of these categories, each disc has its own distinct flight characteristics. There are golf discs designed to fly straight, turn left, or turn right, depending on how they are thrown by the player. The putters are designed similar to discs you would play catch with: e.g., a Wham-o brand Frisbee®. They are designed to fly straight and predictably, and very slowly compared to the other two. Mid-range discs have slightly sharper edges, which enable them to cut through the air better. These discs are harder to learn to throw, but can fly much farther. Drivers have the sharpest edge and have most of their mass concentrated on the outer rim of the disc rather than distributed equally throughout. Drivers are the hardest types of discs to learn how to throw; their flight path will be very unpredictable without practice. There are several classes of drivers intended for different distances: depending on a driver's "stability", it could be a straight or turning driver. Golf discs typically weigh between 150 and 180 grams (5.3-6.3 oz.), and measure about 21-24 cm in diameter. PDGA rules prohibit discs weighing more than 200 grams, or whose weight is more than 8.3 grams per centimeter of diameter.

The most common brands of disc are Innova [1], Discraft [2], Quest AT [3], Gateway [4], Millennium [5], Ching [6], DGA [7], Lightning [8], Aerobie [9] DiscWing [10], Latitude 64 [11], and 1080 Disc Golf [12].

Discs come in various types of plastic. For example, Innova makes discs in four types of plastic: their "DX" line plastic is the most affordable model, which wears most easily over time; the "Pro" line plastic offers increased durability, an enhanced grip and better glide; the "Champion" line is distinguished by clear or pearlescent plastic, and they are designed to provide maximum durability while retaining their flight characteristics; lastly, the new and most expensive "Star" line is advertised to offer the durability of the Champion plastic with the improved grip of the Pro plastic. Other companies such as Millennium offer discs in their "Millennium" plastic, their improved "Quantum" plastic, their "Supersoft" line and their top-of-the-line "Sirius" plastic. Discraft offers "D", "X", "Z", "ESP", which is similar to Innova's "Star" or Millennium's "Sirius." Discraft also offers "FLX" which combines the flexible properties of supersoft discs with the durability of ESP discs. It is important to note that the durability, glide, performance, and cost of the discs are greatly influenced by the type of plastic. For example, upon impact with a tree, a "DX" plastic disc is much more likely to become bent or otherwise damaged -- and therefore change its flight characteristics -- than is a "Champion" plastic disc. The trade-off is that a premium-plastic disc often costs about twice as much as the same mold in low-grade plastic. Many players swear by the cheaper plastic, claiming that D or DX discs that have been "seasoned" to varying degrees have more desirable flight characteristics; unfortunately, this often necessitates carrying many copies of the same disc in various states of wear.

Players often carry their discs in specialized bags designed to organize their gear. Manufacturers of disc golf-specific bags include Revolution Disc Golf, Innova, Discraft, and Lightning.

Throwing style

See Disc throws for more details

The two most common throwing techniques are the forehand (side-arm) throw, and the backhand throw. Throwing backhand is easier for players to pick up on in most cases and, when executed properly, yields the greatest potential for distance. Forehand throws are helpful for many situations that aren't ideal for a backhand throw.

A player executing a forehand throw will generally hold the disc in their dominant hand, pinching hard with their thumb on top of the disc and their index and middle fingers along the inside of the rim. The player walks straight towards the target. With a motion that shares similarities with throwing a sidearm pitch in baseball, the player will rotate on his opposite foot and follow through with their throwing arm, snapping the disc with the wrist as the rest of the body follows through.

A player executing a backhand throw will start with their thumb on the top of the disc and their other fingers in any assortment of positions underneath the disc. The player can start a few steps behind the teepad facing the target with the throwing arm in front of the body. They will turn a full 180 degrees away from the target to reach maximum potential energy, then pull the disc through and release it.

Additional throwing techniques include (but are not limited to):

• Hyzer — Disc thrown with the nose down and the far edge angled toward the ground. This will turn left for a righthand, backhand throw.
• Anhyzer — Disc thrown with the nose up and the far edge angled upward. This will turn right for a righthand, backhand throw.
• Spike Hyzer - Disc thrown with the far edge angled almost vertically to the ground. This will turn left significantly for a righthand, backhand throw and will land vertically.
• Spike Anhyzer - Disc thrown with the near edge angled almost vertically to the ground. This will turn right significantly for a righthand, backhand throw and will land vertically.
• Hyzer-flip — Stable to Understable disc thrown with a hyzer angle, but with enough spin that it "flips" up to a flatter flight path. Many professional players use this shot for maximum distance.
• Roller - The disc is thrown either forehand or backhand, at close to a vertical angle, in such a way that when the disc hits the ground, it rolls. In the proper conditions, advanced players can get more distance using a roller than any other shot.
• Hammer/Tomahawk — A throw where the player holds the disc over his shoulder and releases it almost vertically with his thumb on the topside of the disc and the index and middle fingers under the rim; the throwing motion is like an overhand baseball throw. It is usually used for getting over obstacles such as shrubs or small trees. Depending on the stability of the disc used, a tomahawk throw may curve only a little and land upside-down, or it may flip several times in the air.
• Thumber/Thumbhook — The player holds the disc in the same manner as the tomahawk, except with the thumb wrapped around the underside of the disc. The disc will spin off of the thumb of the thrower and can fly very straight. This throw will turn right for a right handed thrower.
• Grenade — Disc is held with a backhand grip, only upside down and thrown with extreme hyzer. Ideally, the disc will take a short bounce, flutter (resembling an explosion, hence the name) and stop very close to the landing point.
• Prebinator — A chip shot where the disc is held upside down and chipped to the basket with a normal forehand toss. The disc flies and dives straight down at the basket. Back spin is generated such that in case the disc misses the basket, it will come to a rest near the basket. The Prebinator takes a great dive down into the basket, taking advantage of the larger basket entry area.
• Discus Style — A true forehand (what is referred to as forehand is actually sidearm) drive in which the thumb is placed on the inside rim of the disc, the index finger follows the edge of the disc, and remaining fingers are on the top. The player starts with the disc behind their back with their shoulders in line with where they want the throw to travel. A small run up leads into the hip turn with their arm following. They snap the disc as they release it and follow through with their whole body. The Discus, if thrown correctly, transmits almost all of their motion into the disc. For right handed players, the throw fades to the right.
• Bi-Moto Putt — A two-handed putting motion with the disc held at eye level and in line with the target.
• Turbo Putt — A putting style where the player's fingers are outside the disc rim with the thumb near the center of the bottom side of the disc. One or more fingers can be placed on the inside of the rim for stability. The throw is commonly compared to a football throw, as the fingers impart spin on the disc.
• Scoober - An escape shot where the player throws the disc backwards over their shoulder with their back facing towards the target. The disc rolls upon striking the ground.
• Rasmussen Putt - A two handed putt in which the disc is held by squeezing both open-palmed hands together, one on each side of the outer rim of the disc. The hands are then pushed in opposite directions( forward and backward), resulting in an extremely accurate close to mid range put shot.

Disc Flight

Stability is one of the most important disc properties when choosing a disc. There are three basic stability classifications:

• Understable: An understable disc has a natural tendency to begin its flight turning in the opposite direction of which it will eventually fade as it loses rotation.
• Stable: A stable disc will maintain a straight flight path until it fades.
• Overstable: An overstable disc has a natural tendency to begin fading even while the disc is still rotating quickly.

The stability of a disc depends on a number of factors such as disc model, weight, type of plastic, how long it's been used and the speed with which it's thrown. More consistent flights are seen when the player is able to "snap" the disc off their fingers, giving it fast rotation and therefore a lot of angular momentum, like a gyroscope; the increased stability will allow the player to increase their accuracy. Thus, a disc that is overstable for one player may be stable or even understable for another. Before you commit to purchasing a disc, be sure to determine the stability of a disc by viewing a disc 'Flight Chart' or table provided by the manufacturer. Often a disc manufacturer will provide a diagram showing the typical flight pattern of different discs, assuming all of the discs are thrown the same way. The best way to determine a discs' stability is to simply throw the disc. It often takes experience to be able to compare one disc with another, but after several throws with one disc an experienced player can determine how a disc may fly in any given situation.

Another way to understand stability is to consider the amount of spin a type of disc requires before it begins turning. Assuming a player throws the disc perfectly flat and straight, the concept of stability can be explained using the spin of the disc. Discs that are over stable begin to turn at relatively high spin speeds, so assuming a player can throw a disc at 100 rpm (100rpm is a number chosen at random for the sake of explanation) an overstable disc may begin to show signs of turning left at 60 rpm. A stable disc may begin to turn at 50 rpm, and an understable disc will begin to turn at 40 rpm. This is a general way of understanding stability.

Throwing into the wind will generally make a disc fly higher and more understable than it usually does, due to the higher airspeed. For a right-hand backhand thrower, this means that a disc will turn more to the right than it would normally. Therefore, to maintain a straight line, an overstable disc (i.e. one that turns to the left normally) should be thrown into the wind. An understable disc will be more likely to turn over (or flip) when thrown into the wind. For a right-hand backhand thrower, this will result in a dramatic right turn. The headwind may also cause the disc not to fade back to the left at all. Throwing with the wind will cause the opposite effects: a disc will behave as if it is more overstable, so players usually choose a more understable disc in a tailwind.

Each disc is also meant to be thrown within a certain speed range. If the disc is thrown slower than that range, it will fly overstable (to the left). Conversely, if the disc is thrown faster than that speed range, it will fly understable (to the right). The directions given in parentheses are for right-hand backhand throwers. A common example of this is when a beginner purchases a disc that is designed for pro-level players with extremely strong throws. This disc, in the hands of a beginner with a weak arm, will curve hard to the left (overstable), not giving them much distance at all.

The disc spin, angle upon release, and air speed (partially related to arm speed) are important control factors. The Bernoulli principle of flight allows the disc to achieve lift, when the air flows over the top of the disc faster than the bottom of it. As a disc gets older and is used often (banged into trees, rocks, targets, etc.) it will normally become more and more understable. If enough spin is put on the disc, it can fade in the opposite direction.

The roller, which segues smoothly from the air to the ground, can far exceed the distance of a regular forearm or backhand throw. Disc geometry is crucial as only certain discs will roll well.

Differences from Ball Golf

Many disc golf courses installed last century have mostly par 3 holes. This is mainly due to property limitations in public parks where most courses are located. Several newer courses installed on larger parcels of public and commercial property have been designed with par 4s & 5s in addition to par 3s, similar to their older cousin "golf" courses (known as "ball golf" or "club golf" among disc golf enthusiasts).

Disc golf holes on recreational courses are roughly 1/4 the length of ball golf holes, at 150-300 feet per hole. Championship courses usually have an average hole length of around 400-450 feet. The key difference comes with the measurements: disc golf is played using feet, ball golf uses yards.

Rule differences with ball golf and disc golf

• In ball golf, the player can only carry 14 clubs. Disc golf has no rule concerning how many discs a disc golfer can use. Whereas club golfers must "play it where it lies" on the ground, it doesn't work the same with disc golf since the disc is thrown and not struck. Disc golfers must have a supporting point (usually a foot but can sometimes be a hand) on the playing surface within 30cm behind the front edge of where their previous shot landed (if inbounds) at the point their next throw is released. A special minidisc is usually used to mark the previous lie on the ground in case the player wants to use that same disc on the next throw.

• Disc golf doesn't have "hazards" as defined in ball golf. Bodies of water, park roads and areas of cement are typically defined as out-of-bounds in disc golf. However, like ball golf, an out-of-bounds shot requires returning to the previous lie with a penalty, and disc golfers may have the additional option to proceed to a drop zone if one is provided.

• Another difference is the optional penalty for a disc that lands more than 2 meters above the playing surface. The course designer may specify that on particular trees, holes or the whole course, a disc landing above 2 meters will receive a one throw penalty. If not specified, there's no penalty for a disc landing any height above the ground. In ball golf, it's likely a player will need to take an unplayable penalty if their ball lands above the ground. On the other hand, balls are much less likely to remain stuck above ground than discs are as they fly through trees.

Disc Golf Champions and Hall of Fame

A disc resting in the basket

A list of all disc golf world champions, United States champions, world doubles champions, and PDGA award winners .

• 1993: Vanessa Chambers | Dave Dunipace | Ed Headrick | Tom Monroe | Jim Palmeri | Dan Roddick | Ted Smethers
• 1994: Harold Duvall | Nobuya Kobayashi | Darrell Lynn | Dan Mangone | Doug Newland | Snapper Pierson | Lavone Wolfe
• 1995: Ken Climo | John David | David Greenwell | Johnny Roberts | Dr. Rick Voakes
• 1996: Mike Conger | Patti Kunkle | Rick Rothstein
• 1997: Steve Slasor | Elaine King | Jim Kenner
• 1998: Gregg Hosfeld | John Houck | Carlton Howard
• 1999: Sam Ferrans | Steve Wisecup | Tim Selinske
• 2000: Tom Schot | Royce Racinowski
• 2001: Stan McDaniel | Johnny Sias
• 2002: Alan Beaver | Gary Lewis
• 2003: Mark Horn | Brian Hoeniger | Dr. Stancil Johnson,
• 2004: Derek Robins | Geoff Lissaman | Johnny Lissaman | Marty Hapner
• 2005: Mats Bengtsson | Sylvia Voakes
• 2006: Chuck Kennedy | Kozo Shimbo

For more information, visit the website of the Disc Golf Hall of Fame.

Popular culture

• Frolf was referenced in the "Summer of George" episode of Seinfeld. From the realization that George and Jerry are each only "a half man", George starts helping Jerry with his new girlfriend. When George is supposed to be delivering cards for a party Jerry's girlfriend is hosting, he is met by a stranger in the park who asks: "You know we need a 4th for the back 9, you want in?" George decides to partake in the game.
• In the 2000 movie The Tao of Steve, Dex and his buddies spend several scenes playing disc golf on a course comprised of improvised and home-made targets.
• On October 31, 2002 during an episode of Scrubs (Season 2 Episode 6, "My Big Brother") on NBC main character JD's brother mentioned playing "frisbee golf."
• In 2005, disc golf was the main theme of an episode of Zoey 101 on Nickelodeon. The kids played on a disc golf team and competed against a hard team of older, meaner kids and won.
• During an episode of Dane Cook's popular series Tourgasm, the four comedians are shown having a disc golf challenge.
• In the movie Slackers Ethan (Jason Schwartzman) gets hit in the face with a disc in one of the scenes involving himself and Angela (Jaime King) by an annoyed disc golfer's disc.
• In "The Convict" episode of The Office, character Andy Bernard claims that he created a Frisbee golf club at Cornell University and that he "lives to frolf".
• In an episode of the CBS TV show NUMB3RS, cast members are seen playing disc golf at the beginning of the show. They reference Innova discs such as the Shark and the Eagle and one chooses the Eagle correctly saying "it has more stability". The character also records an ace. No more mention of the characters playing disc golf has been made since.
• In an Saturday Night Live sketch, Will Ferrell posing as President George W. Bush says that he will play some Frisbee golf.
• On May 3, 2007, 2005 United States Disc Golf Champion Dave Feldberg appeared as guest on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. While on the show, he showed different throwing styles and threw discs into disc golf baskets located throughout the theatre.
• Published by: WizardWorks, Developed by: Sundial Interactive, Released in US: June 1, 2000 the worlds first commercially available disc golf game for the Personal Computer came to life. The game received mixed reviews.
• Game designers have communicated with the PDGA about two types of disc golf video games for the Nintendo Wii system. The game(s) are currently in early development and are expected to be released in mid-to-late 2008. It is likely that the games will be downloadable from the new Wii Ware service and will cost around $10 or $15.

External links

• Professional Disc Golf Association
• Disc Golf Association
• Disc Golf World News
• Disc Golf TV
• Disc Golf Foundation
• Benefits of Disc Golf
• Disc Golf Course Reviews