Disc golf has one of the lowest barriers to entry of any outdoor sport. You don't need to be athletic. You don't need expensive gear. You don't need to have ever played regular golf. If you can throw a frisbee, you can play disc golf — and within one round, most complete beginners are genuinely having fun.

Here's everything you need to get started.

The Basics: What Is Disc Golf?

Disc golf works exactly like regular golf, except instead of hitting a ball with a club, you throw a disc toward a target. The target is a metal basket on a pole — officially called a disc golf basket or pole hole — fitted with hanging chains that catch the disc and drop it into a lower basket.

Each hole has a par, usually between 3 and 5 throws. You count every throw from the tee pad to the basket. Low score wins. A typical course has 18 holes and takes two to three hours to play at a relaxed beginner pace.

That's the whole game. Everything else is just refinement.

The Discs

This is where disc golf gets interesting — and slightly overwhelming for newcomers. Disc golf discs are not frisbees. They're specifically engineered flight tools, and the differences between disc types matter a great deal once you're throwing with any consistency.

Drivers

Drivers have a sharp, bevelled edge and are designed for maximum distance. They're also the hardest discs to control for beginners. Most new players who pick up a driver throw it into the woods on their first attempt. Avoid them until you've developed some technique.

Fairway Drivers / Control Drivers

A step down from full drivers in speed and distance, fairway drivers are often the best choice for newer players who want some distance without sacrificing all control. They reward a smooth throwing motion and won't punish off-axis throws as harshly.

Mid-Range Discs

Mid-range discs are the workhorses of disc golf. They're slower, more controllable, and more forgiving than drivers. Many experienced players recommend that beginners start with a mid-range and nothing else — learn to throw it well before adding anything else to the bag. A well-thrown mid-range will outperform a poorly thrown driver every time.

Putters

Putters are the roundest, softest discs in the game. They're designed for short, accurate throws into the basket. A good putter is one of the most important discs in your bag — more strokes in disc golf are made or lost within 10 metres of the basket than anywhere else on the course.

Beginner recommendation: Start with one mid-range disc and one putter. Learn to throw them before buying anything else. All equipment is provided on our disc golf tours — you don't need to own anything to come out with us.

Understanding Flight Numbers

Every disc comes stamped with four numbers that describe how it flies. These are speed, glide, turn, and fade.

  • Speed (1–14): How fast the disc needs to be thrown to fly as designed. High-speed discs require a powerful arm to behave predictably. Beginners should stick to speed 4–7.
  • Glide (1–7): How long the disc stays airborne. Higher glide means more distance, but also more time for wind to push it off course.
  • Turn (-5 to +1): How much the disc drifts right (for a right-hand backhand throw) during the high-speed portion of the flight. Negative numbers indicate more turn. Beginners often do well with discs that have slight turn, as it helps the disc resist nose-diving.
  • Fade (0–5): How much the disc hooks left at the end of its flight as it slows down. Higher fade means a more aggressive finish. Beginners typically want low fade (0–1) for straighter, more predictable results.

The Basic Throw: Backhand

The backhand is the foundational throw in disc golf and the one to learn first. The motion is similar to a right-hand backhand in tennis, or skipping a stone across water.

  • Grip: Hold the disc with four fingers curled under the rim and your thumb on top. This is called the power grip. Hold it firmly but not tensely.
  • Stance: Stand side-on to your target with your dominant foot back. For a right-handed thrower, right foot back.
  • Pull-through: Draw the disc back across your chest, then drive it forward on a flat plane parallel to the ground. The key word is flat — most beginners angle the disc upward, causing it to stall and fall left.
  • Release: Let the disc roll off the inside of your index finger at the moment of release. This imparts the spin that keeps the disc stable in flight.
  • Follow-through: Let your arm follow the disc outward toward the target. Don't stop the motion at release.
The most common beginner mistake: Releasing the disc with the nose angled up. This creates drag, kills the flight, and causes the disc to flip over or fall left. Think "flat and through" — not "up and out."

Rules You Actually Need to Know

Disc golf has a detailed rulebook (maintained by the Professional Disc Golf Association, or PDGA), but most casual rounds operate on a simplified set of principles:

  • Tee off from the tee pad. Both feet must be behind the front of the tee pad when you release the disc.
  • Throw from where your disc landed. Your next throw is made from behind the spot where your disc came to rest, with one foot allowed to touch the lie (landing spot) as you release.
  • Out of bounds: If a disc lands out of bounds (marked with white lines or natural boundaries on official courses), you take a one-stroke penalty and throw from the point where the disc crossed the OB line.
  • Mandatory routes (mandos): Some holes require the disc to pass a specific side of a marker tree or pole. Missing a mando means a one-stroke penalty and a re-throw from the previous lie.
  • The disc must be below the chains to hole out. A disc that hits the chains and bounces out does not count as holed — you have to throw again.

Etiquette on the Course

Disc golf courses are often shared with pedestrians, dog walkers, and other park users. The culture of the sport puts real emphasis on courtesy and safety.

  • Never throw when someone is in your line. This is the most important safety rule. Always wait until the fairway is clear before you release.
  • Yell "Fore!" if a disc flies toward other people unexpectedly.
  • Let faster groups play through. If you're playing slowly and a group behind you is backing up, wave them through on the next tee.
  • Leave no trace. Pack out everything you brought in. Don't cut new paths or damage vegetation hunting for lost discs.
  • Silence your phone and keep noise reasonable — many people come to these courses for a quiet outdoor experience.

What to Expect on Your First Round

You will throw discs into the trees. You will overshoot baskets you were sure were within easy range. You will undershoot others. You will lose at least one disc, probably in a bush or a water feature, and there will be a moment where you're fairly sure you're terrible at this.

Then something will click. One throw will go exactly where you intended, and you'll feel it — the snap of the release, the disc holding its line, the satisfying clang of chains. And that's usually all it takes.

Whitehorse has some genuinely excellent disc golf infrastructure — the courses here are well-designed and run through beautiful terrain. It's a good place to start.

Disc Golf in Whitehorse

Our guided disc golf tours cover five courses: Solstice DiscGolfPark, Mt. McIntyre, Mt Sima DiscGolfPark, Golden Horn Executive, and Meadow Lakes. We provide all the discs you need, explain each hole before you play it, and keep the whole thing low-pressure. If you've never played before, that's completely fine — we run beginner-friendly rounds specifically designed to make the game accessible and fun from hole one.