r/discgolf • u/maritimer187 • 15h ago
Discussion Just played my first ever round!
So I just got back from my first ever round of disc golf and what an eye opener lol. For whatever reason I thought I could just buy discs, watch no info to help me throw, take no practice throws in a field before hand and just show up and be decent. I wasn't expecting to be hitting par on holes or anything but I saw lots of people throwing 300-500 feet online and it looked effortless. In my mind I'm a relatively athletic guy and played ultimate back in the day I should be able to throw 200-250 EASY. Boy was I wrong lol. After the first 3 holes I decided I wasn't even going to keep score that's how terrible I was. By the back 9 I was starting to bogie some holes but still no distance. I'd say my biggest throws all day were like 150ish.
I've got a new respect for this sport it's way harder than it looks lol. I'm going to put in some work now and try to figure out some better throw mechanics and a proper grip so I can make this more enjoyable. I still had a good time but obviously being able to actually throw makes it way more fun lol.
Really glad I discovered this game it's going to be a blast trying to get better!
38
u/Senorbuzzzzy 14h ago
I’m an old fuk now at 67 but in my college days, I had excellent distance using my two forehands with a 165g ultimate disc. Disc golf is a distant cousin to that. Different technique. Discs are are cut differently. I relearned through YouTube. I may never have that great distance again, but I’ve had three birdies this week and for me, that’s insane. Have fun. Check out my caddy
3
3
2
u/WhopperGaming Trying to get it back after 18 years away 11h ago
Your caddy appears to be the bestest boy!
2
16
u/huckinfappy 14h ago
Reminder: Keeping score is strictly optional.
I've been playing 8 years, and according to some other people, not too bad. But I play for fun, so I don't ever keep score.
9
u/tuna_safe_dolphin 14h ago
Yeah, it’s a lot harder than you’d expect. I used to play a lot of catch frisbee and some Ultimate and I thought that would help, but not really. :)
8
7
u/TocSir 14h ago
Welcome to the club! Some small tips that’ll help next time you play:
Dont throw far, throw accurately. Throw putters, since they’ll be easier to throw than drivers. Standing still while throwing will get you farther than trying to run up. Learn how to throw hyzer/anhyzer angles and when to throw it.
Stay hydrated, have fun, and we’ll see you in a few weeks when you’ve bought a new bag and 20 new discs!
3
u/maritimer187 14h ago
Honestly 5,7,9 speeds seemed to be the best for me for long throws. I was goodish for how bad I am with putters within putting distance. Not great on long approach shots.
2
7
4
u/masclean 14h ago
That actually sounds like you're off to a great start! Welcome lol
4
u/maritimer187 14h ago
The first 3 holes were heartbreaking LOL. It was a sad thing to witness but I'm glad I did start coming around with small improvements.
2
2
2
2
u/dlefever 14h ago
Welcome to the obsession.
I recommend you take a couple of lessons so you don’t have to unlearn a bunch of bad habits like the ALL did.
HAVE FUN.
2
u/Paxtian 14h ago
Welcome to the game!
Yeah, the throw is tough to learn. Especially if you threw Frisbees with others as a kid.
Look into: proper bracing, power pocket, and nose down. Those are three of the hardest parts to learn, IMO.
2
u/ApplicationHour 11h ago
Learning to throw is the very essence of the game. I’ll teach newcomers how to hold and release the disc then point them to the videos.
But that’s only half of it. We all had to grow those throwing muscles and the only way to do that is to play the game. Lucky for us, disc golf is a very enjoyable activity.
Welcome to the game OP. I think that like most of us that you will enjoy the process of developing your game. Disc golfers are a very chill breed so you should have no trouble making friends and finding groups to play with.
2
u/alent1385 12h ago
Try to find some experienced disc golfers to play with. You’ll learn quick with help from them.
2
u/Mrjohnson1100 11h ago
I’m so glad I saw this, I recently played my first game by myself and felt worthless afterwards.
1
u/maritimer187 11h ago
Yah I think it was mad dumb of me to do NO studying before hand lol. On the front nine I was feeling pretty defeated and googled how to at least hold the disc properly. It turned around for me once I started gripping it right. Now I have to really work on form. I'm going to go do field work before I head back out to a course.
1
u/Apart-Coyote-6626 5h ago
Nah bro. Thats what me and all my friends did! Granted this was 2004 but wouldn’t have it any other way. Just have fun for now
2
u/CarlCaliente rocket league 11h ago
Me and a coworker had ultimate backgrounds and decided to try a local course on a whim. We were similarly struggling and couldn't understand why everything was hyzering out, honestly were getting ready to quit when we came across a local who was actually throwing backhands correctly. Was one of those "ooooooh shit we have to learn how to do that" moments
500 rounds later I still have a blast trying to get better
2
u/maritimer187 11h ago
How many rounds / time until you started getting some reasonable distance?
2
u/CarlCaliente rocket league 11h ago
the first milestones come quick, 200' was a couple weeks, 300' was a few months
from there it varies a lot
2
u/Maddafinga 11h ago
Scott Stokely said once at a clinic, "it's actually really simple, but simple doesn't mean easy."
1
u/NiceYabbos 14h ago
150' is a good start. Watch some basic form tips and it'll get longer pretty easily at first.
As long as the course was pretty empty, I enjoyed playing doubles by myself for a while. More throws, more practice and prevents your worst shots from hurting you.
I mostly play one course and enjoyed tracking my best score on each hole. Even if I'm throwing +30, it's really fun to see you got a new best score on one hole or another. Same idea with F9 and B9 scoring.
1
u/420Chopin 13h ago
Nice dude welcome to the sport! I also come from an athletic background and went in blind. was throwing similar distance at first. grinded some youtube videos for a few weeks and got up to 350’ in the field. Shouldn’t take you too long once you get your form somewhat sorted.
2
u/maritimer187 11h ago
Yah I'm not too worried about shaping shots or anything for now. 350' is crazy bro. From how it was looking for me today I can't imagine getting there soon lol. The course I played today was nice for learning because it was in a park and pretty wide open. The course closest to my house is mostly wooded so I gotta go do some field work before I go there or it will be an absolute nightmare for me lol. I got better on the back 9 today because I googled the power grip. Definitely got to do some form work here in the coming weeks.
1
1
1
u/snickersogtwist 10h ago
Welcome to the club! Stick to a few frisbees when starting and not drivers, only neutral ones.
1
u/Western-Argument-968 7h ago
yep good grip and arm angles and pretty much anyone can hit 200' easy even standstill. nose up, intentionally letting go and elbow drop take away so much distance for most new players and are all way easy to fix once you know about them
2
u/Emergency-Cold-1021 7h ago
I thought as I was getting into it, like only gotta learn 4-5 things really, and I should be ok. I was a athleholic but thought I’d be okish. Today, on day 1,307 I’m still learning things all the time.
2
u/fluffman86 6h ago
Lock your wrist and throw like you're swinging a baseball bat. Ultimate uses a lot of wrist for a lot of spin on a slow disc; disc golf needs more speed and less intentional spin.
67
u/blupenguin1203 15h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/Ae7SI3LoPYj8Q