 | What's the difference between a golf disc and a regular Frisbee&tm;? |
 | A golf disc is thinner top-to-bottom, smaller in diameter, and heavier than a Frisbee&tm;. |
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| How far can you throw a golf disc? |
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| The current (2002) world's record is 250 meters - about 820 feet. |
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| How can you do that? |
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| Are you kidding? I can't do that! I throw about 300 feet on a good day with a tailwind! |
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| Heh heh - okay. How does disc golf compare to "ball" golf? |
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| They're similar in a lot of ways. A typical course will have 18 holes, you throw from where your disc lands, and you keep score according to how many throws it takes you to complete each hole. On the other hand, a disc golf course is about 1/4 the size of a "ball" golf course, which makes it a lot easier to walk. |
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| I don't get it. How do you stick a golf disc into a hole? |
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| You don't. You throw it into a metal basket. |
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| How long is a typical disc golf hole? |
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| Anywhere from 80-120 yards, although there are holes that are shorter and much longer. |
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| Are there any permanent courses around? |
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| Not in Antarctica. Anywhere else, yes: there are more than 1,000 permanent disc golf courses worldwide. |
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| Where's the closest one to me? |
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| I have no idea. You can go to the Professional Disc Golf Association web site and search their course directory. |
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| You mean there's a professional association? |
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| Duh. Yep. |
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| What's that all about? |
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| It's a group of people who want to popularize the game, and also organize tournament play. |
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You mean there are people who throw Frisbees&tm; professionally? |
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| Probably! There are also people who throw golf discs professionally - and some who make their living at it! |
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| How come I've never heard of disc golf before? |
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| It's a sport that - so far - hasn't attracted big corporate sponsorships, so because there's not a lot of money behind it, it's not well known yet. A lot of people want to keep it that way :-) |
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| Okay - say I want to play. I go out to my local course, and then what? |
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| Find someone and ask him (or her) where you can get a disc to play with. He may just give you one of his to get you going. |
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| Cool! But let's say I want my own disc. Which one should I get? |
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| There's about a bazillion different discs out there and picking one out to start with can be confusing. Best bet is to talk to someone out on the course and ask for a recommendation. Most new players start out with a lighter-weight disc (150-165 grams) because they're easier to control. The discs, not the people ;-) |
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| How many discs should I get? |
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| You can play with one, but it's more fun with a few. If I was starting out, I'd get three - a driver, a mid-range disc, and a putter. |
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| Who makes the discs? |
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| There are a half-dozen or so companies that make most of the discs. Innova, Discraft, Gateway, Millennium, and Ching are some of the main players. |
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| Can you buy discs online? |
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| Yep. Often at a discount. On the other hand, there's a case to be made for supporting your local brick-and-mortar retailer ... |
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Say, do I have to be a muscle-bound weightlifter type to throw far? |
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| Nope. I've seen skinny little kids weighing maybe 110 pounds huck a disc a hundred yards, which is about as far as I can. |
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Can you play all year round? How about in the rain or snow? |
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| Not a problem. If you can tolerate weather, you can play. In fact, there is a series of charity tournaments held throughout the US every winter called the Ice Bowl - people play in whatever weather there is (and seeing as how the Ice Bowl is held in the dead of winter, they typically play in snow) and donate their entry fees to charity. |
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| What are some of the courses you're familiar with? |
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| Well, most of the courses I've played are in Southern California. Here are descriptions of a few of them. |
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| Cool! So let's see - it's fun, good exercise, environmentally friendly and - most important - cheap. What am I waiting for?? |
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| I have no idea!! |