Disc Golf
What is disc golf
Disc golf is played much like golf. Instead of a ball and clubs, though, players use a flying disc or Frisbee®. The sport was formalized in the 1970s and shares with golf the object of completing each hole in the fewest strokes (or, in the case of disc golf, fewest throws) ...
This page was started to help friends migrating from pickleball to disc golf, in search of a Covid safe activity to take part in this winter, as some of us had worries about the safety of regularly playing indoor pickleball during our cold winter months. I started sending out emails to friends at the Valleystream Pickleball Club who were interested in trying out disc golf, and the email evolved into this website.
HOW DO YOU PLAY DISC GOLF
Here's a few useful videos to provide you with a useful introduction to the game:
BUYING YOUR FIRST SET OF DISCS
Here’s the options I’ve tried for starter’s sets of discs (all include a putter, mid range & driver).
1. Discraft ($32)
2. Innova DX plastic ($40 from Amazon, $30 from Golftown but $10 shipping if they don’t have it in stock, which they don’t appear to have anywhere in Ottawa area)
https://www.amazon.ca/Innova-Disc-Golf-3-Disc-Colors/dp/B000Q838XW
3. Innova Champion plastic ($62)
The Champion plastic is said to last 5X longer than DX plastic and to me seems easier on the fingers.
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B005TEXO7I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Ev4MFbMYMGZ9Q
4. Daredevil Discs ($45) (Ottawa manufacturer of discs)
To order a starter set from Daredevil Discs (https://daredevildiscs.com) send an email to one of the owners Wah at:
info@daredevildiscs.com
asking to purchase and pickup a set of any 3 of their discs from them for $45 ($50.85 taxes in price). You can arrange payment of $50.85 via eTransfer or arrange with Wah to pay via cash if you prefer.
The pickup location is his home in Craig Henry (18 Winlock Cr).
When you send your email, you should include links to the specific 3 discs you would like to order (colour & model).
Their recommendation for a good starter set of their discs for beginners was to purchase these 3 discs:
Owl putter, Moose mid range, Swift-Fox driver
However after I read this article describing the different types of plastics they use - I chose to substitute two of the recommended discs with similar discs using their better plastics.
https://discgolfreviewer.com/daredevil-disc-golf-discs/
So I ordered the following discs:
Beaver putter, Moose mid, Wolverine driver
Here’s the links and information I sent in to order the 3 yellow discs I wanted.
<<< Could I order the following 3 discs - each in as light a weight as possible in the requested colour & plastic:
1. Putter - Beaver - yellow (Flex Performance Plastic)
https://daredevildiscs.com/product/beaver-putter-yellow/
2. Mid - Moose - yellow (Flex Performance Plastic)
https://daredevildiscs.com/product/moose-mid-range-yellow/
3. Driver - Wolverine - yellow (High Performance Plastic)
https://daredevildiscs.com/product/wolverine-driver-new-look/
>>>
Feel free to email me if you have any questions about putting in an order with them.
CONCLUSIONS
I ended up purchasing sets 1, 2, 3, 4. I bought 1 & 2 for Kelly and I to learn about the sport of disc golf, and see if we'd be interested in pursuing the sport more seriously. After we became hooked, we both purchased set 3, as did a number of friends who became serious about the game. When I recently learned about local disc manufacturer Daredevil Discs, I purchased a set from them to see whether they would be appropriate to start with, and I've been happy with them so far, although as a beginner, I found them more difficult to throw than the first three sets I had ordered. The set of discs that Kelly and I play with primarily are set 3. And over time we have started adding some additional lighter weight discs to our bags.
I think any of the sets would be just fine for anyone starting out in their disc golf journey. One of the players who has advanced the quickest among our little group has been playing with the least expensive Discraft set.
LESSONS LEARNED ORDERING FROM AMAZON
I have ordered multiple times and noticed that if I order more than one set in a single order, all of the sets that I receive in that order have always had the exact same colour discs.
My lesson from that was that if you order two sets and want different coloured discs - you’d be better off ordering the sets in two separate orders on different days, otherwise your colours will likely all be the same.
Something to remember is that as a beginner, lighter weight discs will be easier for you to throw. Also it is recommended that beginners start with under stable discs Most beginners sets should include the right type of discs for someone starting out, when choosing your own discs from Daredevil Discs you should do a bit of research before buying.
BUYING SINGLE DISCS
One day when we were playing in Kanata, we ran across someone who was quite good, playing the entire course with a single disc, an Innova Destroyer in Star plastics. If you want to get started in the sport slowly, there's nothing wrong with buying a single disc and playing the entire course with it. This is the information for the disc he was playing with (the price is in US$):
https://infinitediscs.com/Innova-Destroyer/Star
Golftown carries the disc, but it doesn’t seem to be available in any local stores and shipping is $10 if you order the disc from them online:
https://www.golftown.com/en-CA/star-destroyer-distance-driver-golf-disc-170-175g-40115714.html
Another disc that I’ve read would be a good single disc to play an entire course with, would be this one - in the Star or Champion plastics:
https://www.innovadiscs.com/disc/mako3/
Again Golftown carries the disc but it’s not in stock at any of the local stores:
https://www.golftown.com/en-CA/star-mako3-mid-range-golf-disc-170-175g-40115710.html
After a few weeks of playing disc golf, I wanted to see if I could do anything to improve the distance of my drives. Buying this extra disc in the 135 gram weight, seemed to help me gain some extra distance immediately on my forehand drives. At least 5 friends have ordered this disc as well, so it will be interesting to see if it helps their drives as much as it did mine. It is one of the few discs I could find available on Amazon in a light weight version using Innova's Blizzard Champion plastic, which is a light weight version of their Champion plastics.
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00DSM8BU8/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_fabt1_RPBSFbKSD47HX
VARIETY OF DISC MATERIALS
Different types of plastics are used to manufacturer discs, and the price of the discs can vary, based on the material used. This video describes the differences between the different types of plastics used by Innova, one of the largest golf disc manufacturers. Most other manufacturers all use different types of plastic as well. This is a very complex issue which I know very little about. I don’t agree with his assertion that the DX plastics are more comfortable than Champion plastics, because for me the Champion is more comfortable. But the durability difference between the plastics was the reason I eventually ended up buying the more expensive Innova starter set in Champion plastics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af391JmbS5U
LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
The Ottawa Disc Golf Association website is:
They also have an active group with over 500 members on Facebook which I recommend that you consider joining.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/OttawaDGC/
Once you are on Facebook you will notice many other groups on disc golf to follow.
RECOMMENDED APPLICATION - UDISC
There is a free app you should download to get more information about disc golf. The app provides a location feature with a map showing the locations and layouts of local courses, as well as the ability to record your scores. It also allows you keep an inventory of all of your discs. It is called UDisc.
It can be downloaded for Android phones from here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.regasoftware.udisc&hl=en_US&gl=US
And for iPhones from here:
https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/udisc-disc-golf/id1072228953
It contains a leaderboard for each course showing you the best rounds recorded for the courses, if you would like some inspiration on your disc golf journey.
REFERENCES
There are a lot of great disc golf videos on YouTube - including games from the Professional Disc Golfers Association tournaments. There’s also training videos on any conceivable disc golf skill that you’d like to acquire or improve.
This is the first video that all disc golfers should watch. It explains the basic concepts needed to understand disc golf, explaining terms such as hyzer, anhyzer, stable, understable and overstable:
Here’s a link for a great video done showing how to throw a disc with a lot of power, without any fancy stepping (great for beginners):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79QaCe3eWG4&feature=youtu.be
This video came out recently. This is Page Pierce trying to show another woman who had previously only shot forehand, how to shoot a backhand correctly and with power.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyV8411dObw
Many of you have told me that they didn’t think a lot of women played disc golf. If you want to see women playing disc golf, search for “Paige Pierce”, who is the Simone Jardim of disc golf, on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=paige+pierce
And here’s the ultimate Marshall flight guide to discs, allowing you to compare discs from all the different manufacturers (Innova & Discraft are only two of the many companies manufacturing discs).
https://www.marshallstreetdiscgolf.com/flightguide
Click on the name of the disc in the chart to get the 4 digit flight info for the disc. And if you don’t know how to interpret the 4 digit flight rating info - check out this video on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeO1_eBP4E4&feature=youtu.be
The Canadian who published the above video has many helpful videos on disc golf, check out more of his videos on his YouTube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8ofor3Qu6oBwjjsWF_Raqw
CANADIAN ONLINE DISC GOLF RETAILERS
Once you get started and serious about disc golf, you'll realize that Amazon is very limited in the discs you can order from them, and you'll want to consider purchasing from these Canadian retailers. One significant advantage of ordering from them over Amazon is that you usually get to choose the colour and weight of the disc that you'd like to purchase.
The first two came highly recommended by local disc golfers. Daredevil Discs is a local company manufacturing and selling discs and allows you to pick up your order in person. DiscSports is an online retailer based out of Orleans, who does not provide pickup delivery, but does provide free shipping for any orders over $29.
https://www.Discsports.ca
I've purchased additional lighter weight Latitude 64 beginners series discs, from this retailer. Shipping was $4 via Canada Post (with no tracking though) whenever I ordered a single disc from them - and I was very happy with the service provided.
https://www.chuckingcanuck.com/
I've had good discussions with the online retailer DiscFarm, who provides a special menu item when shopping for those of us looking for light weight discs, which is very useful. And they often provide some great sale pricing (such as Black Friday). From what I can tell, the cost to ship about 3 discs when purchasing from them would be around $13, however you will need to input your entire order and checkout to be certain about your shipping costs.
These I found mentioned by disc golfers on Facebook forms (primarily the Ottawa and Ontario disc golf groups). I'm sure there are many other Canadian online retailers.
https://www.faithfulflight.com
http://www.discgolfentrepot.com
https://okanagandiscsupply.com