It seems that the number one question beginners have when they start playing disc golf is How To Throw A Disc Golf Disc Farther. I remember asking the same question when I started playing. I thought if I could just throw 50 or even 25 ft farther I could shave multiple strokes off each round.
At the time I thought the answer was a high-speed disc. I saw the top pros throwing Innova destroyers and I thought I needed to throw one too. I quickly found out this was not the case and that a 12 speed disc was too much disc for my slow arm.
My right handed backhand throws with the destroyer were quickly turning left and crashing into the ground. I tried to overcompensate by throwing the disc at an anhyzer angle but that didn’t seem to work. It wasn’t unit I went back to my slower discs and focused on throwing a good shot instead of a long shot that I started to have more fun and get better.
So if you are just getting into the sport my advice to you is to not focus on throwing farther but to instead focus on throwing a good clean accurate short. Once you get that down you can worry about learning how to crush a disc and get it to go super far. If that doesn’t sway you try these strategies instead of a high-speed disc.
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Change Your Disc
Try An Understable Disc
Leave your overstable and stable discs in your bag. Actually, better yet, leave them at home. When you are starting out it can be tempting to throw the discs your friends are throwing or the pros are throwing but what happens when you throw these discs is they tend to hyzer out too soon and don’t fly as far as they should. Like I said before I was guilty of this too.
What you want is a disc with a negative turn rating. If you are unsure of what this is the turn rating is the third number in the flight rating system. It measures the tendency of the disc to move left, right or straight as it leaves your hand. For a new player, your arm speed will be slower which is great for throwing understable discs.
Try A Lighter Weight Disc
Similarly to making a change to the stability of the disc you are throwing, changing the weight of the disc can add some extra distance. This works because you are able to throw a disc with a lighter weight faster than a heavier disc and throwing the disc faster should equal more distance.
With making this change there are some things to consider. You may notice that at a lighter weight, the disc you are used to throwing may turn over more often. To combat this, you may want to change to a more stable disc. This should even out the changes made to the flight path of the disc to equal more distance on your throw.
Try A Disc With More Glide
When you are starting out in the disc golf game, glide is your friend. As a new player, you have underdeveloped disc golf skills. One of these skills is arm speed and naturally, you will have a lower arm speed as a new player. Glide will counteract this and allow your disc to stay longer in the air. If the disc stays in the air longer, it will tend to fly farther.
So, how do you know if a disc has more or less glide? Just like when we discussed throwing an understable disc, we are going to the flight rating system to tell us the amount of glide a disc has. In this case, the glide rating is the second number in the rating system and as the number increases the disc has more glide.
Change Your Shot
Try Throwing The Disc Sidearm
For some, the backhand throw can be difficult to master and produce a lot of distance. It’s not uncommon for newer players to pick up the play styles of more experienced players around them or what they are seeing the pros do and the dominant throwing style is the backhand. So if you are finding your backhand drive a bit awkward or not seeing the distances you would like you might try switching to a sidearm drive
A sidearm or forearm throw is a more natural throwing motion and is used in a lot in other athletic activities. So if you have a lot of experience in baseball or other throwing sports the sidearm throw might be easier to pick up than the backhand. An added bonus to throwing forehand is you don’t have to take your eyes off your target like you do when throwing backhand. Being able to look at your target during the throw does make it easier especially for new players.
Try Rolling The Disc
Using the roller as your primary driving approach might not work for most players but in some cases trying a roller instead of throwing the disc in the air can get you more distances. What situations would you want to use the roller instead of another shot? One situation that comes to mind is that there are trees in the way that you can roll under that would otherwise be obstructed by the branches.
Other situations to consider throwing a roller would be when you have the ideal conditions. Rollers do well on close-cut grass or hard packed dirt. If you see these conditions you may want to throw a roller instead of your normal drive. Things to watch out for that might stop your roller shot and prevent it from going farther than it should would be exposed roots, large rocks, uneven terrain, and bushes or other obstacles that are in the way.
Change Your Form
Power Grip
You may not have considered this but the way you grip your disc when throwing it can be quite important. If you think about it, your fingers that grip your disc are the only things on your body touching the disc. The way you grip your disc is how you transfer the power you are generating from your body to the disc.
When gripping the disc you want it to be snug in your hand. Think tight but not too tight. If your grip is too tight it can lead to a late release and some of the energy imparted to your disc will be lost. If you grip the disc too loose, it could lead to an early release.
Get Some Momentum
If you feel like you are getting your throwing form down perfectly but aren’t seeing the distance you want you may want to consider adding some forward momentum to your throwing routine. This works because adding a run-up or an x-step to your throw will increase the velocity the disc is released at which should equate to more distance.
There are some drawbacks to adding a run or an x-step. If you form isn’t perfect, you could be sacrificing some accuracy. You’ll have to way the tradeoffs of your disc going 10 to 15 feet further vs. possibly not hitting your line with as much accuracy.
Reach Back
When throwing a disc backhand, you can achieve more distance by reaching back further before your release. This works because the farther you are reaching back the more time you have to build up momentum before the disc is released, giving your drive more distance.
If you are considering adding a farther reach back to your drive, you’ll want to make sure you have your driving form down perfectly. When reaching back remember to lead with your elbow and pull throw in a straight line.
Follow Through
Completely following through can help save your body from the wear and tear of the disc golf throwing movement but it can also help increase your distance. If you aren’t following through all the way, you are likely not getting the full extension of the throwing motion and sacrificing distance.
Following through completely and making sure your body is rotating all the way through can also ensure that you aren’t stopping your throwing rotation before it’s time. If you aren’t following through you might be slowing your body down before you are releasing the disc which could mean you are leaving some distance on the table.
Practice
I know this tip is listed last but it could be the most important. Your driving technique will greatly benefit from specific practice. This means going to a field or another open area and practicing your drive over and over. I promise you, you will see better results.
If you are one of those players that are hoping that playing more rounds of disc golf will make you better, try specifically focusing on pieces of your game and practicing them. This doesn’t just mean driving but putting and approaching. Consider taking some time to figure out your disc golf goals and schedule time during your week to practice. You’ll get better.
Image Credit Flickr Creative Commons – Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington
The short answer to this is YES! Disc golf can be a challenging sport to play. If you’re just starting as a disc golfer or playing recreationally, the game will probably not seem very difficult. 
