Category: Disc Golf How To’s

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How To Improve Your Disc Golf Drive

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Disc golf is an easy sport to get into. You just need a couple of discs and access to disc golf course and you are all set for hours of fun.

But playing disc golf rounds with your friends will only get you so far. If you want to improve in disc golf, you are going to have to do more than just play casual rounds.

One of the main aspects of their disc golf game, that a lot of players want to improve on is their driving.

Maybe as a player, you aren’t hitting your lines. Maybe you just wish you could throw farther. Or maybe you aren’t as consistent as you want to be.

In this article, we are going to take look at two steps you can take to improve your disc golf drive. I don’t want to disappoint you, but these two things aren’t necessarily quick or easy.

With that said, if you want to improve your disc golf drive doing these two things will get you there. So, what are the two things I’m referring to?

To improve your disc golf drive you need to do these two things:

  • Video tape yourself driving
  • Practicing your drive in a field

It seems pretty simple, right? All you need to do is tape yourself and practice? It is very simple but sometimes the most simple things can be difficult. More about that later.

Taping yourself while driving

So, why do you need to videotape yourself? The only way to get better is to figure out what you are doing wrong and then change it.

Because you may think your drive is perfect. You might believe that when you throw a disc your body is doing one thing but after you check the tape, it’s really doing something else.

The importance of videoing yourself is verification. When you look at the tape of your drive, you know for sure what your body is doing during the drive and than it’s pretty easy to figure out what you need to work on to improve.

Once you figure out what you need to work on, keep taping yourself to make sure you are actually making a change during your drive.

Sometimes, it’s really easy to spot what you are doing wrong but then when you step up to the tee pad and try to execute, it’s a lot hard.  

The video will make sure you are doing what you think you are doing. It keeps you honest.

Field Practice is great for your drive

Practicing in a field can do wonders for your drive. When you figure out what you are doing wrong and how you can improve, you need to change your mechincies.

Once you’ve got down what you need to change, you need to set that change in stone. You need to change your muscle memory.

The way you do that is by going to a field and practice over and over again. Keep that camera (or phone) around to make sure you are throwing correctly but keep throwing.

Take multiple discs so easy to stay in the flow. I like having multiples of the same discs when doing field practice to fix form.

If you don’t have a lot of discs, it’s not a big deal. The main focus should be on mechanics.

Common Driving mistakes

So now that you know how to verify your driving form and how to fix it, you’ll need to know what you are looking for.

For this article, we are going to focus on the backhand throwing style, as it’s the most common style.

If you are a sidearm dominate throwing, you’ll still find value in taping yourself and practicing in a field but these lists of mistakes might not help you that much.

If you are looking for some help with your forehand check out this video of Nate Sexton. He’s a professional disc golfer then is known for his sidearm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ6Wutvn4Mg&t=287s

Alright, let’s get into the list of common mistakes for backhand throwers.

Open Driving Stance

If you are utilizing the X-Step during your drive, you might be doing this. The main goal of the x-step is to incorporate your legs into your drive.

This is important because your legs are the largest muscle group in your body. More muscle engagement equals more power and distance.

If you are ending your X-step your throwing arm foot pointed toward your target, you’re missing the engagement of your legs.

The fix would be to point your toe straight or a better way to phrase this might be perpendicular to your target. Slightly back would also works.

This allows your hips and legs to be engaged so you’ll get the most out of your drive.

Not Reaching back Straight

When reviewing the tape of your drive, you’re going to want to make sure you reaching back is straight and away from your body.

This allows you to pull straight throw and release the disc effectively. Two common mistakes are reaching back behind your body and reaching back above your shoulder.

If you are reaching back behind your body, you need to go around your body during the pull through. This causes you to lose power and sacrificing accuracy.

Reaching back too high also as similar drawbacks.

Not Following through to match your release angle

Not every hole on the disc golf course is going to require a straight shot. You aren’t always going to be pulling back on a line that is parallel to the group and releasing your disc flat.

A lot of situations are going to require a hyzer or an anhyzer shot, in fact, I’d venture to guess you are releasing your disc with hyzer and anhyzer more often than you are releasing it flat.

When doing this, you’ll want to make sure your following throw matches the release.

For example, if you are throwing a disc on a hyzer, you’ll want your reach back to start your reach back low and then end it high.

Not timing the reach back correctly

To get the most out of your drive, you’ll want to time the full extension of your right back with the last step in your x-step.

By last step, I mean the loaded step you take at the end of your x-step before you release the disc.

After this step, some players will have their other leg swing around their body and touch the ground. I don’t mean this step.

If this timing is off during your drive and you are pulling to early or too take, it can affect your throw in a negative way.

You will lose accuracy and sacrifice power.   

Additional Resources:

Disc Golf Driving Tips for Beginners

If you are new to disc golf, check out this article I wrote on beginner tips. If the article you just read on improving your disc golf drive seems too technical, check out this my tips six on driving for beginners.

It’s simple changes you can try to help improve your drive. Once you’ve found success with those tips, you can always come back and try videoing yourself and doing field practice.

How to add more distance to your drive

In the same way that my tips for beginners article simplifies driving for beginners, if you are interested in adding more distance to your drive by making simple changes to your drive, you’ll want to check out my article on throwing farther.

It gives you ten things to try to help increase your distance while driving.

How to break your down distance record

If you are interested in throwing really far you might want to check out the article about how to break your own distance record.

This article is specifically focused on throwing really far without much consideration for consistency or accuracy.  If you are interested in pushing your distance limits give this article a read.

Driving Clinic Video

Check out this video of Nate Sexton and Sarah Hokom doing a back hand driving clinic. They are both professional disc golf players so they know what they are talking about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JpY1m9vx2A&t=658s

 

Flickr Image Creative Commons – USAG- Humphreys

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Playing Disc Golf In The Wind

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Playing disc golf in the wind sounds more like torture than fun to most disc golfers.

I’m not going to lie there have been a few times I’ve considered leaving early or driving to a more wooded course when the wind started to pick up.

No one likes having their putter pushed off course by the wind and missing the chains by a couple feet.

Hopefully, after reading this article you’ll have a better understanding of how the wind can affect a disc’s flight and ways to use the wind to your advantage.

We’ll talk about how headwinds, tailwinds, and crosswinds affect your discs differently, what you can do to counteract the effects and how to use the wind to your advantage.   

Headwinds

When facing a headwind you’ll want to grab an overstable disc with more fade.

A headwind will cause the disc to act less stable and tends to push the disc up. Using an overstable disc with more fade will help counteract the discs tendency to turn.

You’ll want to release the disc lower than normal to go against the upward push on the disc.

It’s also very important to keep the nose down, if the disc is released with even a slight nose up it will get caught in the wind and the disc will move up and back.

You’ll lose distance if you don’t keep the noise down.

Another tip for throwing in a headwind would be to use a faster disc. You’ll want a fast disc because relative to the wind, the disc is moving faster than normal without increasing your release speed.

This will ensure the disc flies as it should.

If you didn’t catch all that, in a headwind, you’ll want to throw a fast, overstable disc and release it low to the ground.

Check out this article for great overstable driver options.  

Tailwinds

When throwing a disc with the wind at your back, the disc will tend to act more overstable.

The wind will also cause a downward push on the disc, causing it to lose height faster than normal.

To counter these effects, throwing an over unstable disc is recommended. You’ll also need to release the disc higher.

A bonus for throwing in tailwinds is the disc will tend to carry farther. So if you throw your drive correctly and properly take advantage of a tailwind, you should see some added distance.

In a tailwind, you’ll want to throw a slower disc than normal. The disc is moving in the same direction as the disc so relative to the wind the disc is moving slower than normal.

Picking a slower disc will ensure the disc files as intended.

To sum it all up for a tailwind, you’ll want to use a slower, understable disc. You’ll want to release the disc higher than you would in calm conditions.

Check out this article for some great understable fairway driver options.

Crosswinds

Wind moving across the fairway will have a different effect on your disc depending on how you release the disc and whether you are right handed or left handed.

Making adjustments to your throw to counteract these effects are recommended.  You also might be able to change your shot to take advantage of the wind.

Left to Right Wind

For a right-handed player throwing backhanded in a left to right wind, if releasing the disc with hyzer the disc will tend to drop more than normal.

This makes sense because the flight plate is tilted in a way that catches the wind.

When throwing an anhzyer, the disc will be pushed up and move more to the right than expected.

If you are releasing the disc flat, you will notice the disc carrying to the right.

In a crosswind you have two options, you can play for accuracy or distance.

For accuracy, you’ll want to release the disc on a hyzer if the wind is moving left to right.

The disc will get pushed down and you’ll distance but it’s a more consistent shot.  

If you want distance, you’ll want to throw an anhyzer. This will allow the wind to pick up your disc and carry it.

Right to Left Wind

If the wind is moving the opposite way across the fairway, we can expect the opposite to happen.

When throwing a disc on a hyzer, the disc will tend to lift and move more toward the left.

If the disc is released with an anhyzer angle, it will get pushed down and toward the right.

A disc released flat will get pushed to the left since this is the way the wind is moving.

You have the two same choices in the right to left crosswind.

If you are going for accuracy, you want to release the disc on an anhyzer. You’ll see disc will get pushed down by the wind resulting in less distance but more accuracy.

If you’d like more distance, you’ll want to use a hyzer release. With this release, the wind will get under the disc, left if up and carry it forward.  

Putting in the Wind


Knowing how your putting style is affected by the wind can help you make a better decision when putting on those windy days.

In general, a push putter will be more affected by the wind than a spin putter.

While it may not be worth it to every push putter, learning how to spin putt may be a great alternative putting a style to pull out when the wind picks up.

If you are releasing your putters flat, the wind will have a similar effect on your putter as they do on your drivers.

In a headwind, the disc will tend to get pushed up. For a tailwind, the effect is the opposite and the putter will get pushed down.

When putting in a crosswind, the putter will get pushed the direction the wind is blowing.

Something else to think about is not everyone is going to release the disc flat.

For instance, when push putting the disc will have a slight nose up.

This could cause the putter to get pushed up higher when putting in a crosswind as well as to the left or right to take that into consideration when facing a windy putt.

Disc golf Wind Tips

Wind can blow in different directions

When considering a shot in the wind you need to realize that wind doesn’t just move in one direction.

Off the tee, wind could be moving one way but down the fairway, it could be moving another direction.

Keep this in mind when planning your shots on windy days.

Lower your expectations

You’ll need to come to the realization that you probably aren’t going to play your best in the wind.

There are too many factors to consider and unpredictable items that come into play to make all the right decisions.

Hopefully, this will allow you to relax and play better golf.

Practice in the wind

There is no substitute for practice and playing in the wind isn’t an exception.

To get better at playing in the wind you’ll need to expose yourself to it more often.

If you’ve been shying away from wind play consider it a learning opportunity instead.

Windy days are also a great time to get in some field work.

Change your Perspective

Think of playing in the wind like using nature to your advantage.

If you have it in your mind that wind is a disadvantage or an obstacle to overcome, it might be hurting your play.

While your shots are going to be less consistent on windy days, if you play the wind right you might see more distance.

Working with nature, instead of against, will lead to lower scores.  

Final Thoughts

I hope this article has helped you get a better understanding of how the wind will affect your disc golf play.

Hopefully the next time the wind picks up on your home course, you won’t run screaming to your car. Playing in the wind is something all disc golfers have to learn to deal with if they want to improve their game and get better.

With my tips, you should be able to make better decisions and see improvement when facing windy conditions.

Happy throwing in the wind!

Flickr Image Creative Commons – WxMom

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The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Disc Golf

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Beginners Guide To Disc Golf

Please note we’re supported by our readers. When you buy through our links we earn an affiliate commission. Thanks for your support!

In this article we’re going to cover:

  • What Disc Golf is
  • How to Play Disc Golf
  • Keeping Score
  • Finding a place to play
  • The Types of Disc Golf Throws
  • Disc Golf Putting Styles
  • Types of Disc Golf Discs
  • Disc Golf Flight Numbers
  • Best Discs for Beginners
  • How to Get Better at Disc Golf
  • Common Disc Golf Variations

What Is Disc Golf?

A very basic definition of disc golf is playing the game of golf with discs.

If you’ve ever played golf or seen it played, you know that players use clubs to hit a ball into a small hole on the course.

When playing disc golf, you’ll trade the clubs and balls for a collection of discs and the hole for a basket.

Similarly to golf, the object of disc golf is to traverse the course using the least amount of throws.

How Do You Play Disc Golf?

To play disc golf, you’ll need some discs and a course to play on.

We’ll talk more about great options for beginner discs and how to locate a disc course to play on later in the guide.

Starting off on the first hole, you’ll step on the tee pad and throw toward the basket. You’ll keep throwing toward the basket until your disc lands in the basket or in the chains above the basket.

Once, you’ve finished the first hole, you’ll move on to the next hole. If you are playing on a course with hole signs, be sure to take note of them.

They usually give you some good information like the hole’s par, how long the hole is and a picture of the layout of the hole. You can use this information to make good decisions off the tee pad.  

You’ll continue playing each hole until you run out of time or finish the course. If you are playing with a group of players there is usually an order to who throws.

The player that throws first off the tee is usually the one that did the best on the last hole. Each player then goes in order of how well they did.

After everyone has thrown their drive, the player farthest away from the basket will throw first. Everyone will continue throwing this way until the hole is complete.

Here’s a great video explaining the basics of disc golf:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfHnT1HilMM

Keeping Score In Disc Golf

In Disc Golf, score is kept the same way as it is in golf. All throws are counted with any penties added.

The player with the least amount of throws wins or another way to say that is the player with the lowest score wins.

You can keep score in your head but an easier way would be to use a scorecard or a scorekeeping app.

Just like in Golf, each hole on a disc golf course has a par assigned to it. You can think of par as the number of throws you are given to complete the hole.

The score is generally given in comparison to par. So if you are throwing on a par 3 hole and you take for 4 throws to complete it, your score for the hole would be +1 or 1 above par.

Or another word for that, that is common in golf and disc golf is a bogey.

Here are some common scoring terms you may hear:

Bogey

Finishing a hole with one throw over par. If you finish a hole with more throws over par than one, you can add double, triple, quadruple and so on. So if you completed a hole with 2 throws over par, that would be considered a double bogey.

Par

Finishing the hole with the amount of throws given to the complete the hole. When you match the number of throws as the par of the hole.

Birdie

Completing a hole with one less throw than par. So, if you are playing on a par 3 hole and you take 2 throws to finish the hole this would be considered a Birdie.

Eagle

Finishing a hole with two less throws than par. For instance, if the hole has a par 4 and a player completes the hole with 2 throws this would be considered an eagle.

Ace

Completing a hole with one throw or another word for a hole-in-one.    

Finding A Place To Play Disc Golf

In the united states, finding a local disc golf courses can be pretty easy. Just look for the nearest city or county park and there is a good chance you will find a disc golf course there.

Not all of them are full 18 hole courses, for instance, in my area there are two 9 hole courses.

If you are still having trouble, I’d recommend you ask a friend that plays disc golf. They can tell you which courses are best and which courses you might want to skip.

Don’t know anyone that plays? The internet makes finding a place to play disc golf really easy. Finding a course can be as easy as googling disc golf courses near you.

Two other great resources are Disc Golf Course Review and Disc Golf Scene. Both these sites make it easy to find local courses and also tell which ones are the best to play.

Types Of Throws

In disc golf there are a lot of different throws you can use to get the job done.

When starting out, you may want to focus on learning and using one of two but as you progress and play more, you’re going to want to learn them all.

One isn’t better than another, but certain situations may call for one type of throw over another.

Let’s get into the list and take a look at each throw:

Backhand

The backhand throw can be consider the most popular throwing style in the sport.

If you aren’t sure of what throw I’m referring to, think of how you throw a regular frisbee. This is the backhand.

For the average player, the backhand will allow them to throw the farest without having to use too much effort.

One thing to consider when using the backhand throw is how the disc finishes.

For a right-handed player, the disc will tend to finish to the left and for a left-handed player, the disc will finish to the right.

The backhand is a great throwing style to learn first but it’s not the only style. Some players use the forehand instead.

Forehand

With the forehand (sometimes referred as sidearm or flick) throw, the player keeps their elbow tucked in toward their body and throws the discs after extending their wrist behind their body.

Think of a sidearm throw in baseball but with a disc instead of a ball.

The forehand throw can feel more natural than throwing a disc backhand which makes it a great option for a beginner especially if you have a baseball background.

Another great thing about the forehand throw is you don’t have to take your eyes of your target like you do when throwing bankhand.

Finally, the finish of the disc is different than the backhand. If you are throwing the disc right handed, it will generally finish to the right. If you are using your left hand, it will finish to the left.

Check out this video to see Paul McBeth talk about this forehand technique.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjlBl3vHPLA

Overhand

There are actually two types of overhand throws in disc golf. These are the tomahawk and the thumber.

They are similar in how the disc is thrown. In both throws, the player will reach back over and above their shoulder, just like in an overhand baseball throw.

They differ in how the disc is held. For a thumber, the player’s thumb is placed on the inside rim of the disc.

The bottom of the disc will face the players head during the reach back.

For a tomahawk throw, the bottom of the disc faces away from the player’s head during the reach back and the grip is similar to a forehand.

Most players don’t usually choose the overhand throw as their dominate throwing style but it’s a great throw to learn for getting out of trouble.

Using the tomahawk or thumber are great options to use to get up and over an obstacle.

Putting Styles

An important type of throw to consider when playing disc golf is the throw you use when you are close to the basket.

This throw is commonly referred to as putting. All putting styles have inherent pros and cons but any style isn’t necessarily better than another.

Most players pick a style based on feel and consistency. Try each style on the discussed here and pick the one that feels right to you.

For the most part, both styles listed here can proform will at the top level of disc golf.  For more information on putting styles check out my article here.

Spin Putt

The spin putt is just like it shows. Players are propelling the disc toward the basket by putting extra spin on the disc, similarly to driving off the tee.

For beginners, this method can feel the most natural and is a great choice when starting out.

Some benefits for using this approach are putts are less affected by the wind and when spin putting you don’t have to make adjustments to your putt based on distance.

Check out more reasons to spin putt here.

Push Putt

Players that push putt are lobbing the disc at the basket rather than throwing it.

If you are a basketball fan, you might think of this putting style like a free-throw shot.

Beginners might find this approach to be less friendly to learn than the spin putt but is a great option because when done right, it can be the most accurate style.

If you want more information on the push putting style, check out our article here.

Types Of Discs

When you are starting out in the sport of disc golf, all the disc can look the same and it might be hard to tell that they are different.

If you weren’t aware already there are four types of discs: putters, midranges, fairway drivers and distances drivers.

Knowing the differences can help you make better decisions out on the course.  

Putters

These discs are designed to travel shorter distances and are considered the most accurate discs available.

They are the slowest discs out there but are made to fly extremely straight. Putters tend to have the smallest rims of any discs.

As a beginner, you’ll want to be using and throwing putters a lot. They are a great disc to use when starting to play disc golf.  

Midrange

Midrange discs (sometimes referred to as midranges or midrange drivers) are faster than putters and designed to fly farther distances.

They are highly accurate but less so than putters and also make great discs for beginners.

Their rims tend to be thicker than a putter but thinner than a driver. This is a good mix.

These discs feel great in the hand and can reach considerable distances when thrown correctly.

Fairway Drivers

Fairway Drivers (sometimes called control drivers) are designed for distances farther than a midrange disc but shorter than a distance driver.

You might use this type of driver on a shorter hole off the tee or on a longer hole as your second shot in the fairway.

These discs are easier to control than a distance driver and are considered more accurate.

As a beginner, you’ll want to stick to using putters and midranges, but if you want to use a driver, a fairway driver is a great option.   

Distance Drivers

These discs are made to be thrown fair.

Distances drivers have the greatest potential for flying that farthest out of any type of disc but also require the most speed to be thrown.

For this reason, they aren’t recommended for newer players.

These disc also have really wide rims and will take getting used to. They might be difficult to grip at first.  

Disc Golf Flight Numbers

Most discs you can buy today will come with four numbers printed on them.

These numbers are referred to as the flight rating system numbers and each number represents a measurement of a specific flight characteristic.

This system was started by Innova Champion Discs and has been adopted by many other disc golf makers.

Let’s talk about each number and what it measures.

Speed

The first number in the sequence is the speed rating. It refers to how fast the disc can fly but it also refers to how fast the disc must be thrown in order for it to fly properly.

The speed rating also lets us know how the disc is categorized. Putters range from 1-3. Midranges range from 4-5. Fairway drivers range from 6-8. Distances drivers range from 9-14.

For more information on the speed rating, check out this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWo4_Vk33FY

Glide

The second number in the sequence is the glide rating. It measures how well the disc maintains loft while in the air.

The higher the rating the easier it is for the disc to remain in the flight. Discs that have more glide are easier to throw farther distances.

Turn

The third number in the sequence is the turn rating.

Sometimes called highspeed turn, it describes the tendency of the disc to curve when it immediately leaves your hand.  The turn rating ranges from + 1 to -5.

Fade

The fourth number in the sequence is the fade rating. It describes how the disc finishes at the end of its flight.

It’s sometimes referred to as low-speed turn because it describes how the disc turns as it slows down. The more fade the disc has more it will turn at the end of its flight.

For more information on fade, check out this article.

In this guide, I have briefly discussed the flight rating system but if you want more information on this topic, please checkout out our article here.

Best Discs For Beginners

When you are first starting out playing disc golf, there are going to be some discs that are more beginner friendly than others.

Using a disc that is better suited to you as a new player, will make sure you get as much out of the game as possible and will also ensure you don’t develop any bad throwing habits.

As a basic rule, you are going to want to throw discs that are slower, with more turn and more glide.

While this isn’t 100% true all the time, using this guideline will help you pick beginner friendly discs.

For more specifics on which types of discs I recommend for new players check out the following articles:

The Best Disc Golf Discs for Beginners

The Best Innova Discs for Beginners

The Best Disc Golf Drivers for Beginners

The Best Understable Midrange Discs for Beginners

The Best Disc Golf Putters for Beginners

Once you’ve started playing more and have acquired more discs than you can carry in your hands, you might want to purchase a small disc golf bag.

For my recommendations of the best small disc golf bags check out this article here.

If you decide to purchase a bag or already have one, check out our post on things you should consider keeping in your bag.

How To Get Better At Disc Golf

Once you’ve purchased some discs and played a few rounds of disc golf, the next question most new players ask is how they can improve at the game.

While playing more rounds will improve your game, a better way to improve at the sport is to practice.

As a beginner, the best place to start improving is putting. It’s easy to practice and it can be argued that it’s the most important part of any players game.

If you’d like to start improving your putting, I recommend you read our article on putting practice drills here.

If you’d like to improve your driving, you should read out articles on How to Improve Your Disc Golf Drive and for more specific tips on driving for beginners check out this article.

Here is another great resource for building an effective practicing routine to improve your driving. Listen to former World Champ, Avery Jenkins. He knows what he’s talking about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP45wFSaUmg

Disc Golf Variations

While playing disc golf the traditional way is a lot of fun, if you play with more people you might be exposed to some disc golf variations.

The normal or tradition way of playing disc golf is commonly referred to as stroke play.

Here are some other variations you might see on your local disc golf course:

Doubles

This game is played with teams of two. Each player will throw on each team and then they choose which lie is the best and throw from there.

This is commonly referred to as best of doubles. It’s a great game to play if you have a large group and even numbers. It also works well in a group with a variety of skill levels.

Triples

This game is basically the same game as doubles but each team as three players instead of two. You might choose to play triples instead of doubles if you have a really large group.

Choose the best shot of three players can make the rate of play faster and ensure that you finish the course in a shorter time. Another great game to play with a variety of skill levels.

Skins

When playing this game, all holes are assigned an amount or a “skin.” The best score on the hole wins the skins. If a hole is tied than the skin is pushed to the next hole.

If this continues to happen than the skins will continue to be pushed. If you want to read more about this great game, check out my article here.

Match

In this game the lowest score on a hole wins a point. If a hole is tied, no point is awarded nor is it pushed to the next hole.

This game can get quite completed and is best played with players that have similar skill levels.

For more disc golf variations check out our article here.

Flickr Image Creative Commons – Tim Martin

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