Before we start, just know that I've only just begun my disc golf journey (less than two months). I will not go pro and participate in matches, in fact, the whole purpose of playing disc golf is forcing me to go outside more. There will be mistakes in my guide, and I welcome you to correct me.
With that said, let's define what disc golf is to beginners. The simplest way I can illustrate this is if ultimate frisbee and golf had a child. Essentially, you are throwing a disc into a chained basket (a.k.a the hole) at different distances, most holes are Par 3s, if the holes are far away or there are objects in the way, then the number of throws for Par becomes 4 or higher. The following picture is an example of a hole with Par 3, the pink rectangle is where the launch pad is, which is your starting point.
Discs often have 4 numbers on the top, each of the numbers represents speed, glide, turn, and fade. Additionally, some brands also have a 5th number, stability.
- Speed (1 - 14): In the simplest terms, the higher the number, the higher the power required to throw, but it often flies further and cuts through wind easier; the lower the number, the less the power required to throw, while it will not cut through wind, it will be more accurate and can fly further when it's downwind.
- Glide (1 - 7): Again, in the simplest terms, the higher the number, the more time it will stay in the air during flight. For beginners, it's better to look for a disc that has a higher glide number, but do note that discs with high glide numbers may perform poorly in high-wind situations.
- Turn (-5 - 1): Assuming you are throwing right-hand backhand, the turn number represents the possibility of the disc banking right during the initial flight, whereas -5 turns right the most, and 1 turns right the least. For beginners, the turn number should be between -5 to -3 because of the fade.
- Fade (0 - 5): Assuming you are throwing right-hand backhand, the fade number represents the possibility of the disc hook left at the end of the flight, whereas 0 finishes straight, and 5 hooks hard left.
- Stability (-1 - 3): This old-school disc measuring technique usually appears on Discraft discs. 3 means the disc will hook hard left at the end (overstable), 0 means it will go straight (stable), and -1 means it will hook right (understable). Originally the number system went from -3 to 3, but there's only -1 on the market right now. If you are confused by this 5th number, just know that when you add Stability to Turn, if the number is positive, then the disc is overstable; if the number is negative, the disc is understable; it is highly unlikely that the result is 0.
Think of it as Speed and Glide as your flight distance, Turn and Fade as your steering wheel, which controls right and left respectively.
Choosing your first disc is hard, which is why choosing a midrange to start is a good idea, because you can drive, approach, and putt with a midrange disc. If you have a local disc golf store, you may go in and ask for a starter midrange disc, it usually costs between 10 to 20 dollars. If not, and you would like to utilize online sites, here are a few recommendations from both me and some of my friends:
- Discraft X Buzzz (5, 4, -1, 1, 0.5): This is possibly the cheapest midrange - if not all - disc you can find, as it only costs 11 dollars before tax. I originally bought this disc as a marker, but upon throwing it, I realized that it flew fairly straight, and there wasn't much of a hook.
- Yikun Discs Kang (3, 5, -2, 0): This disc is my favorite midrange for its extremely straight flight path at the beginning and a slight turn to the left at the end. Kang is my go-to if I need to go around a tree in a short distance. I have tried driving it, and while it didn't fly as far as a fairway driver, I'd say it is still good for a beginner. This disc costs between 13 to 24 dollars depending on the plastic, the one I have cost 22 dollars.
- Latitude 64 Retro Fuse (5, 6, -1, 0): This was my first midrange disc, and I'd lend it to every person who just started disc golf to try out the feels. At 15 dollars, this disc goes quite far due to that glide number, and while it does hook a bit at the end, all the friends I lend it to seemed to adjust quite fast.
- Innova DX Mako 3 (5, 5, 0, 0): This is my buddy's starting disc, it's got some speed and some glide, and most importantly it goes very straight, and it only costs 15 dollars.
Many will complain that certain discs are not on here, that's because again, I am quite new to this sport too. Feel free to let me know what other discs you'd recommend, I want to know too. Ultimately speaking, the recommendations here are very biased, because each person has their own throwing technique, but it can be a good start. Purchase a disc for under $20, go out there and throw a bunch, the courses are mostly free, and the people I've met are mostly lovely too.
Here are the 5 main discs in my bag:
- Distance Driver: Yikun Discs Qi (13, 6, -2, 2)
- Fairway Driver: Lone Star Disc Alpha Mockingbird (7, 5, -2, 1)
- Midrange: Yikun Discs Kang (3, 5, -2, 0)
- Approach/Putt: EV-7 OG Medium Phi (3, 4, 0, 1)
- "Cheat": MVP Glitch (1, 7, 0, 0)
See you guys out there!
BenjiPD